In all my years of covering high school athletics, now in my
35th year of seeing some amazing and incredible things in my beloved
state of New Jersey, the results of one game today sickened and disgusted me
more than any other in my career.
Irvington defeated Belleville today in a football game by a
final score of 84-0.
That’s no misprint. That indeed was the final tally.
And get this! The wonderful people from the Irvington
athletic department tweeted out that score like it was something to be proud
of. Thanks to AD Dr. John Taylor for tweeting that out. Rah, rah, sis boom
bah.
What do you get for running up the score like that? Bonus
points? Parting gifts from Monty Hall? A win is a win unless it’s a
demoralizing one like this one.
Someone responded to my rants today to say “Isn’t there a
mercy rule in New Jersey? Is there a running clock?”
Well, there sure is. But it only kicks in after halftime,
when a team is up by 35 or more points. There’s nothing in place for BEFORE
halftime. In this case, Irvington led, 70-0, at the break. And yes, for good
measure, head coach Ashley Pierre (E-mail apierre@gmail.com)
instructed his team to score two more times after the marching band was done
playing.
Now, let’s face facts. There is no way that something like
this should happen. There is such a thing called good sportsmanship. When the
score became say 40-0 in the first half, Coach (using that term very loosely)
Pierre could have called off the dogs and put in the second string. Even the
third string. The junior varsity.
Hell, the freshmen could have received a few
snaps.
But when the score reached 40 before halftime, that
obviously wasn’t enough. No, Pierre needed 30 more points before the break.
That’s sickening.
And then, they needed to score two more touchdowns AFTER
halftime. That’s even more sickening.
The thing that bothers me the most about this isn’t so much
the idiocy of everyone involved with the Irvington football team. It’s the fact
that they totally ignored that there was another team there today. There was no
regard to Belleville coach Mario Cuniglio and his band of Buccaneers. This is a
team that has been struggling, but has been trying hard all year to get ready
for this football season. They put their time and effort into getting ready for
a year that they were all hopeful to be more competitive.
And then this happens, demoralizing a program, a coaching
staff and more importantly, a bunch of teenage boys, sending them all perhaps
to the brink of despair.
In my opinion, this coach and athletic director BOTH no
longer have a right to participate in high school sports. Sure, you never want
to play with one’s livelihood, but there has to be some repercussions for what
transpired today. And apparently, with the way the score was tweeted out like
one publicizes say the birth of a child, then there was no thought at all to
what took place.
Obviously, they think like they did nothing wrong.
But this was a wrong like no other in the true spirit of
competition in high school sports.
I don’t know how Cuniglio restrained himself after the game
from laying one to Pierre’s kisser. I give him credit for doing so. But a lot
of other coaches might not have had such restraint. At least Cuniglio knows a
thing about sportsmanship. The opposition? Not so much.
So if you’re a reader of this blog regularly, I implore you
to take the time and write, call, email even carrier pigeon your disgust to the
powers-that-be in Irvington. The principal, the superintendent, everyone should
not be omitted from the ire and anger.
I’ve already called the powers-that-be to offer my utter
disgust. The crusade will continue Monday morning.
I don’t know if my friends at the NJSIAA will want to
discuss this matter, but they should address it. It can’t be ignored. A simple
slap on the wrist just won’t do.