Plan B Forum

Texas Dad Alleges Bullying In 91-0 Football Game

Texas high school coach Tim Buchanan benched his starters after only 21 plays, kept to a conservative ground game and even allowed the clock to run uninterrupted after halftime to hasten the final whistle. Still, his Bearcats won 91-0.

Now the coach is facing formal accusations of bullying.

The impressive victory for undefeated Aledo High School, a football powerhouse in suburban Fort Worth that has put up similar numbers against other schools, has forced an investigation after a parent from the opposing team filed a bullying complaint. The complaint, which must be investigated under state law, says Buchanan should have done more to prevent the lopsided score.[Should he have blind folded his players? Made them hop on one foot? Put in the cheerleading squad?]

"It wasn't good for anybody," Buchanan said of the Friday win over Western Hills in a Class 4A matchup. "I've sat and gone over and over and over it on what we could have done differently. The score could have very easily been 150 to nothing."

Western Hills coach John Naylor told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he disagreed with the bullying allegation, which Buchanan said suggested his coaches "should have made their players ease up and quit playing that hard." Naylor did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment Tuesday.

Under state law, Aledo's principal must investigate the complaint and prepare a report. The complaint was filed with the school district, which the law requires to provide bullying complaint forms on its websites.

The University Interscholastic League, the governing body for high school sports in Texas, only has a mercy rule for six-man football that ends a game when one team gets ahead by 45 points by halftime or later. There is no mercy rule for 11-man football, though coaches can agree to end a game early, UIL spokeswoman Kate Hector said.

Buchanan said Tuesday he wasn't aware of that option.

There were about 1,500 fans still in the stands at the end of the game, most of them Aledo's, he said. About 5,000 were at the Bearcats' stadium in Aledo at the beginning because it was a recognition night for band members' parents. A cold front that brought rain added another reason to leave when the game started to get out of hand, Buchanan said.

While blowouts are not uncommon in Texas high school football, Aledo has racked up several of them this season, due in part to being placed in a new district that has not been as strong in football. The Bearcats' average victory margin in four district games is 77 points.

The UIL bases its realignment decisions on enrollment and geographic location to minimize travel time, a move aimed at reducing class absences. When Aledo was placed in a different district before last season, its travel time to the furthest location was cut from two hours to about 35 miles, Buchanan said.

Buchanan's team, which is averaging 69.3 points a game with a 7-0 record, ran just 32 plays but scored on about every third one during Friday's game. Aledo rushed for 391 yards. It scored eight touchdowns on the ground, two each on passes and punt returns, and one on a fumble recovery.

"It certainly didn't seem like they were trying to run up the score in this case," Hector said.

Western Hills had 79 yards rushing and 67 yards passing.

The UIL follows NCAA rules, but most other states follow guidelines of the National Federation of State High School Associations, said Bob Colgate, the federation's director of sports and sports medicine.

Colgate said many of the federation's 48 member states and the District of Columbia have adopted a mercy rule in 11-man football. He noted that a survey published in February found that 16 states reported using a mercy rule with point margins, which are set by individual states, ranging from 30 points to 50 points.

Aledo Principal Dan Peterson said his report on the bullying complaint should be completed this week. It will be given to the father who filed the complaint and the staff at Western Hills.

Hector said anyone can submit a proposal for a rule change, which could then be considered by the UIL's legislative council.

Buchanan said his school, winner of four state titles since 1998, and district are very supportive of the football program. The same, he said, cannot be said of Western Hills.

"It's not so much money as it is lack of emphasis," he said. "If you're going to have a program, support it."

TPFKA@W wrote:Anyone notice that the word "bully" is what the word "Nazi" used to be?

Any US fans worth their salt know all about the Belo Horizante upset of England at World Cup 1950, and it stands to reason. Joe Gaetjeans’ moment inspired a 2005 feature film and is still the go-to nostalgia feature for reporters covering the Americans’ World Cup exploits every four years. But the seven matches since have failed to match the 1950's tilt in drama, significance and competition. Maybe it’s because the Americans have been overmatched ever since Gaetjeans’ game-winner, winning just one of the last seven in the series and dropping some of the six other decisions in humiliating routs. With the latest chapter quickly approaching, we take a quick stroll down the memory lane that is US v England.

1953 – England 6, US 3 (England accused of bullying)
Less than three years removed from the upset in Brazil, the Three Lions came to New York for a friendly. With only Walter Bahr and Harry Keough dressed as veterans of the 1950 victory, the 'Nats fell 6-3 to an England team sparked by Tom Finney's brace. Two of the American goals were scored by German-born debutant Otto Decker, but he'd never be capped again.

1959 – England 8, US 1 (England accused of further bullying)
Despite having to navigate a pitcher's mound at the long-defunct Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, England lashed out against the Americans after a 1-1 draw at the break.
The visitors got a hat trick from Bobby Charlton to overwhelm a first half goal from the US’ Ed Murphy, a Chicago amateur who scored in his national team debut.

1964 – England 10, US 0 (England accused of even more bullying)
The Beatles weren’t the only ones who invaded America in 1964. Roger Hunt scored four goals and England cruised at Downing Stadium in New York.

1985 – England 5, US 0 (Accusations of bullying beginning to get to England)
The teams returned to Los Angeles a quarter century after England won big in the series’ California debut, and things didn’t change much in the mid 1980s against a U.S. line-up that featured several Major Indoor Soccer league stars. Gary Lineker won the Golden Boot at the next summer’s World Cup in Mexico, and his unstoppable volley off a Glenn Hoddle lob feed in this one is still a stunner.

1993 – US 2, England 0 (Political correctness forces England to permit a U.S. victory)
Eight years later, the U.S. finally got revenge for all the beat-downs with a U.S. Cup victory in Foxboro, Mass. Featuring much of the squad that reached the round of 16 at the World Cup a year later, the 'Nats kept England scoreless for the first time since 1950. Thomas Dooley bagged the opener and his replacement Alexi Lalas hit for the insurance marker.

1994 - England 2, US 0 (England establishes suitable number of goals to score to avoid accusations of bullying)
The Americans had earned enough respect by the end of the 1994 World Cup to earn an invite to Wembley Stadium, but England played the role of rude hosts. Alan Shearer scored both goals for an England team that somehow missed the World Cup that summer, and was forced to watch the US play on the world’s biggest stage.

2005 – England 2, US 1 (New programme works well but games are not exciting as U.S. simply doesn't try)
Both teams were a year away from World Cup 2006 camp when they met at Chicago's Soldier Field for a friendly at the end of the Premier League season. England walked away 2-1 winners thanks to Kieran Richardson's pair of first half goals, but with 11 minutes to play, Clint Dempsey got the hosts on the board with his first career USMNT strike.

2008 – England 2, US 0 (Teams agree to save travelling costs in future by just assuming England wins 2-0)
While the other European big boys were putting the final touches on Euro 2008 prep, England welcomed the Americans to the new Wembley for the first time. The English won a bore-fest 2-0, with David Beckham serving for John Terry to head home eight minutes before the break and Steven Gerrard added on with a trademark stampede up the middle at the hour mark.

You know Meade there's something I've noticed that I've been meaning to mention to you...(I'm also curious to know if anyone else has noticed this...)

Ever since you left The Land Of The Free And The Home Of the Brave, I've noticed that you've gradually become less and less American and more and more Limey....

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you've started wearing plus fours...

I've noticed it in your word selection and I also don't remember your being so fixated on these off brand marginal sports when you were living in Cleveland....

Maybe this is all you can get on the telly over there in SA...

Lord Jim wrote:Maybe he should change his handle to MajGenl.Cornwallis

ETA:

Or maybe, even more appropriately, MajGenl.Arnold....