An uneven playing field

Matchups can become mismatches in prep football.

As the prep football postseason kicks off Wednesday, the opening round could produce a few more lopsided outcomes that seemed prevalent during the regular season.

During the regular season, 421 11-man football games have been decided by 35 points or more. If you throw out Week Zero, an average of 46 games per week have been decided by at least five touchdowns. It equates to about 32 percent of prep games have enacted the 35-point continuous clock rule; when a team has a 35-point advantage after halftime, the clock does not stop except after a score or any timeout.

The trend might be due to imbalanced participation numbers at some schools, where some programs could have up to 50 more players on their rosters. Depth and overall talent, alternating some schools between the "haves" and "have-nots" in competition, especially in smaller classes.

"Some teams are deeper. They have more kids out," Iowa City Regina Coach Marv Cook said. "They have the depth across the board and that's why I think some of the games are getting out of control."

Regina, the defending Class 2A state champion and winner of District 5 this season, had seven games that ended with a continuous clock in going 9-0. In Week 4, Regina, Camanche, West Liberty and Wilton all won by 41 points or more, combining to beat their district foes by a score of 209-6. It was one of at least 13 times where three of four weekly games in a district were won by a minimum of 35 points. The lopsided games seemed constant in the middle part of the season, but spiked to 53 and 61 across the state the final two weeks.

The game's evolution might have created a larger discrepancy on the scoreboard. Better players and a faster pace leads to more scoring, making it harder for overwhelmed teams to keep up.

"I truly think systems are getting better," Cook said. "These spread offenses, they can score quick. They're designed to score quick.

"I've got to say kids are getting more athletic. That's the one thing I've noticed moire than anything else the last five years is how much athletic the kids are getting across the board versus 25 to 30 years ago when I played."

According to Iowa High School Athletic Association information director Bud Legg, since 2006 (two years after the 35-point continuous clock replaced a 50-point termination rule), which ended games after halftime when a team led by 50 or more, the number of 50-point games dropped from 140-150 a year to 118-125, and more than 25 percent have had a continuous clock.

The 50-point termination rule took effect in 1992, and switched by a large majority on the Football Advisory Committee in 2003. In addition to allowing both teams to remain in competition and have more opportunities for players to participate in the game, it also assured time for marching band performances and booster club fundraisers.

Cook said a continuous second-half clock accelerates the game, but gets players on both sides experience and repetitions that are key for improvement.

"That was a good adjustment to that rule," Cook said. "I think it's worse to pull kids off at 50 points and stop the game."

A common opinion from coaches that telling kids to take it easy while on the field with a big lead is not an option. Players face the risk of being injured or regress as a player.

"We never have our kids hold back," Lone Tree Coach Mike Miller said. "It is important to teach your kids when they're on the football field that they need to go hard."

Coaches on both sides are faced with a predicament when blowouts occur. How do you manage a game when throttling an opponent, or cope with being trounced?

Lone Tree finished runner-up to Lisbon in Class A District 5. Lone Tree posted an 8-1 mark with seven of those wins by 35 points or more. It can be tough to get starters ample playing time, substitute players and asking them to give the same amount of effort while not embarrassing the opposition.

"We really focus on ourselves," Miller said. "We tell our kids that their goal is to go out there and execute at a high level regardless of whether we have our first-teamers in or whether we have our second- or third-team guys in. The expectation is to go out and represent yourself and our team by playing hard."

The issue is cyclical for programs. Lone Tree has reaped the rewards of offseason work and dedication this season, but it was a different story when Miller took over the program six years ago. Lone Tree, after separating from sharing agreement with Highland, was 1-8 and 0-9 before its first winning season.

"We were in that boat when we first started the program. There were three or four kids with any experience playing football previous to that," Miller said. "It was something new to say the least."

Miller said there is plenty to be learned in a demoralizing defeat. His Lions teams are an example of taking their lumps and being determined to improve, making the playoffs three of the last four seasons after a 1-17 start.

"We've been on that end," Miller said. "It's a challenge to overcome. I think there are a lot of life skills at the same time that can be built in terms of perseverance, fortitude and staying the course.

I think as a coach those are important skills you can address with your kids. You need to understand your current situation and the things that need to be done to change it."

Unbeaten and Class A top-ranked Lisbon has been one of the most dominant teams in any class. The Lions have produced some gaudy numbers, including wins of 90-0, 80-0, 61-0 and 67-8. The Lions average a little more than 53 points a game, while giving up less than three. The reason is easy to understand.

"Good athletes," Lisbon Coach Kent Allison said about his own team and then described some opponents as, "some very young or very bad teams."

Lisbon led New London, 60-0, at the end of the first quarter, posting a 90-0 victory. Allison said varsity players were on offense for a quarter and defense a little more. The Lions kicked off both halves and even punted on first down once.

"I'm trying to find a way to slow the scoring down, but that was Senior Night and the seniors played one quarter," Allison said. "The game is not fun to coach."

In Week 4, Lisbon and Lone Tree combined to win 148-0 with winning teams owning a 246-6 advantage in all four games involving district teams. Lisbon and Lone Tree posted 47 and 54-point wins, respectively, the final week of the regular season.

"It's kind of a catch-22," Miller said. "You want to have sportsmanship and make sure everybody gets in there toward the end of the game, but at the same time is it fair to your kids, from a preparation standpoint heading into the playoffs, that you're pulling them out in the second and third quarter? It's a tough decision to make in terms of what route to take."

In the third year of the postseason expanded to 32 teams, the first round pits a district champion against a fourth-place team from another, and in 4A, undefeated Linn-Mar, the East's top seed, faces 3-6 Clinton, who is one of nine 4A schools with losing records. It is a formula for large victories that keeps the clock ticking down.

"There will be some lopsided games and we have been on the losing end of those a couple years back," Allison said about a past 56-20 loss to district champion Cedar Falls NU High. "It happens in basketball, baseball (and) wrestling, too."