2013 Orrville Red Riders football

• Old Rider

  

  For what its worth...I heard the Riders looked good at the McKinley 7 on 7 yesterday and looked good as well today at Ashland. I really like what I have been hearing from a few coaches and some parents who have boys playing. Again, I think these kids are gonna play with a chip on their shoulder knowing they have something to prove. Its early, but I like whats happening!
• 5knots

  

  O-Trap;1477763 wrote:For what it's worth, I've never attended Orrville, and I know who Mo Tipton is.

  I had the opportunity to visit and speak with coaching staffs at many of the BCS schools throughout Mason's recruiting process. We laughed at how many times Coach Tipton's name came up. A tribute to a great coach and program.
• RIDER DAD

  

  Looked good at 7 on 7 there was 20 plus teams there and we played 5 games, tied one and won the rest. Here is what I liked, Luke looked good, nice job passing, spread it around, for a sophomore looked comfortable. Receivers caught passes that were close to them, very few drops, Smith, Zook, Summers, Ritchie all had good days, others played well too, but those were the primary targets. You can tell the boys have been in the weight room, Richie grew a bit from last year and has definitely put on some muscle maybe picked a little bit of speed too. Two things that really stood out, one was lots of little passes , just a couple of long ones, but most times Luke took what the defense gave them, lots of little dumps over the middle that kept them moving down the field. Second thing was the enthusiasm, these kids like each other and have fun on and off the field together. Defensively played ok, they moved some people around a week ago, so you could tell some guys were not in the right spots, but we have plenty of time for coaches to fine tune that. Summers had agood showing with two INT, there was some other bright spots, no one ate us alive on defense, but still work to do on both sides of the ball. Lastly 7 on 7's don't mean squat when the pads go on, but if you throwers and receivers look good, and are on the same page that is better than not, so take it for what its worth.
• Flash

  

  If you were there, did you see Brice on the field?
• RIDER DAD

  

  Flash;1478982 wrote:If you were there, did you see Brice on the field?

  No, don't know if canton McKinley was there, Ashland had about five different fields going, so it's possible we weren't at the same spot, I was not at the McKinley 7 on 7, so can't speak directly to Brice, heard he was the back up qb didn't play much offense, played a little bit of defense but that's about all I heard, hope he fits in over there good kid.
• RIDER DAD

  

  Flash thanks for the team pictures, you do our kids a great service.
• Flash

  

  Thanks, Sports have changed since my days, but I think if you concentrate on one sport and contribute to another, that is your duty to your school and fellow athletes. My daughter concentrated on v -ball , but contributed in track to help the team and school in other sports. The mind set in sports has changed and shifted more to me than we. Its the coaches responsibility to keep the eyes of the players focused on the overall good of the team and pride in your school. The life lessons I learned at OHS cannot be replaced. They form the person I am today. Our saying, our senior year was "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" . I've used that as a motto my whole life, when I'm faced with adversity, to strive to overcome obstacles in my path to achieve success. Every Fall, as I stand on the sidelines and look out on the field with the start of the season, I get that urge to grab a set of shoulder pads and get out on that field, to give my all to make my team and the people in my town proud to be Red Riders. That's why myself and others feel so passionately about football at Orrville. Our kids aren't any different than any other school. Our water isn't any different than any other town. Its a mind set that representing your community is important and something that is of value.
• RIDER DAD

  

  Flash;1479223 wrote:Thanks, Sports have changed since my days, but I think if you concentrate on one sport and contribute to another, that is your duty to your school and fellow athletes. My daughter concentrated on v -ball , but contributed in track to help the team and school in other sports. The mind set in sports has changed and shifted more to me than we. Its the coaches responsibility to keep the eyes of the players focused on the overall good of the team and pride in your school. The life lessons I learned at OHS cannot be replaced. They form the person I am today. Our saying, our senior year was "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" . I've used that as a motto my whole life, when I'm faced with adversity, to strive to overcome obstacles in my path to achieve success. Every Fall, as I stand on the sidelines and look out on the field with the start of the season, I get that urge to grab a set of shoulder pads and get out on that field, to give my all to make my team and the people in my town proud to be Red Riders. That's why myself and others feel so passionately about football at Orrville. Our kids aren't any different than any other school. Our water isn't any different than any other town. Its a mind set that representing your community is important and something that is of value.

  Well said flash
  
• Old Rider

  

  Maybe someone more in the know can confirm this, but I have heard that there will not be an 8th grade football team due to lack of numbers?? If that is the case and doing the math with the current varsity team (which will graduate 12 seniors after this season)...we could have less than 25 kids on the team next yr?...and yet we still are in the OCC.
  
  We have to give our kids a chance to compete and with those kinds of numbers, we cant do it in the OCC!
• CCRolly

  

  Who are the leagues that are chomping at the bit to add Orrville?
• sanitizer

  

  Thanks, Sports have changed since my days, but I think if you concentrate on one sport and contribute to another, that is your duty to your school and fellow athletes. My daughter concentrated on v -ball , but contributed in track to help the team and school in other sports. The mind set in sports has changed and shifted more to me than we. Its the coaches responsibility to keep the eyes of the players focused on the overall good of the team and pride in your school. The life lessons I learned at OHS cannot be replaced. They form the person I am today. Our saying, our senior year was "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" . I've used that as a motto my whole life, when I'm faced with adversity, to strive to overcome obstacles in my path to achieve success. Every Fall, as I stand on the sidelines and look out on the field with the start of the season, I get that urge to grab a set of shoulder pads and get out on that field, to give my all to make my team and the people in my town proud to be Red Riders. That's why myself and others feel so passionately about football at Orrville. Our kids aren't any different than any other school. Our water isn't any different than any other town. Its a mind set that representing your community is important and something that is of value.

  Very well said, I have told people time and time again that any success I have in life has a lot less to do with my being "smarter" or having a better idea than someone else but because I kind of refuse to be outworked? I learned that at Orrville PERIOD!
  
  Great post!
• rrfan

  

  Old Rider;1479618 wrote:Maybe someone more in the know can confirm this, but I have heard that there will not be an 8th grade football team due to lack of numbers?? If that is the case and doing the math with the current varsity team (which will graduate 12 seniors after this season)...we could have less than 25 kids on the team next yr?...and yet we still are in the OCC.
  
  We have to give our kids a chance to compete and with those kinds of numbers, we cant do it in the OCC!

  If that is true it is scary! I think we need to start to figure out the "why". We all know numbers are down. What is the reason. Is it lazy kids, scared parents, something else? We need to work on that part.
• sanitizer

  

  Perhaps there is something to be said for what is appealing to these young athletes? What I mean is what made playing football appealing for some of us 10, 15, 20 or more years ago might just not be that appealing to kids today? IDK, I don't think it is JUST the kids? What I mean is these kids are bombarded everyday with all different kinds of media that influence their value systems and in many cases determine them. Kids have changed sure but so have WE. At the end of the day if we as a group of grown ups don't take a real hard look at what is influencing these decisions to not play or try the problem will be bigger then football! Is the number of kids in band or soccer or ANYTHING else up in the high school, or is the enrolement in all extra curriclular activities down in general? As a parent I won't loose too much sleep if my kids decide not to play football but they WILL dedicate themselves to getting better at something? My question is are kids just choosing "other" things to do rather than play ball or doing nothing at all?????
• Old Rider

  

  rrfan;1479737 wrote:If that is true it is scary! I think we need to start to figure out the "why". We all know numbers are down. What is the reason. Is it lazy kids, scared parents, something else? We need to work on that part.

  I think it is a combination of factors that you mentioned as well as our kids getting tired of being throttled by OCC teams when they enter the Jr High level after playing three years against County schools at the pee-wee level. I know that sounds like a cop-out, but its fact. When the kids are getting pounded and losing to bigger schools, they decide to play other sports. Our youth program needs some work IMO. We can't keep splitting our teams up to "even the playing field" anymore. Make an "A" team and a "B" team and leave your egos at the door. You either get better and play on the A-team, or continue to work at it on the B-team. However, that is where the parents tend to draw the line....they think that coaches picked other kids over their kids and let the politicing begin!
  
  1-9 seasons don't help with numbers either...
• RIDER DAD

  

  Old Rider;1479618 wrote:Maybe someone more in the know can confirm this, but I have heard that there will not be an 8th grade football team due to lack of numbers?? If that is the case and doing the math with the current varsity team (which will graduate 12 seniors after this season)...we could have less than 25 kids on the team next yr?...and yet we still are in the OCC.
  
  We have to give our kids a chance to compete and with those kinds of numbers, we cant do it in the OCC!

  I have heard that the numbers are down too, but as of now they are moving forward as if they have a team, but my seventh grader has heard that they might combine and play a eighth grade schedule, if the numbers are insufficient at the eighth grade. Fortunately I think the numbers will be just fine in seventh grade hopefully they don't have to play a eighth grade schedule. All this is coming from eighth grade dads and kids so it's not written in stone.
• AllOhio

  I feel there is a direct correlation with the numbers being down and the introduction of peewee football in Orrville. We did fine with flag football as our feeder system... it was competetive with no politics and the kids got to learn the game WITHOUT dealing with the physical pain that accompanies contact football. I truly believe the physicality of contact football at such an early age "burns" a number of kids out on the sport. Also, flag football is based on "speed" and more focus is put on footwork. Why not learn the fundamentals without the physical punishment?
• sanitizer

  

  I feel there is a direct correlation with the numbers being down and the introduction of peewee football in Orrville. We did fine with flag football as our feeder system... it was competetive with no politics and the kids got to learn the game WITHOUT dealing with the physical pain that accompanies contact football. I truly believe the physicality of contact football at such an early age "burns" a number of kids out on the sport. Also, flag football is based on "speed" and more focus is put on footwork. Why not learn the fundamentals without the physical punishment?

  Interesting point!
• Old Rider

  

  AllOhio;1479815 wrote:I feel there is a direct correlation with the numbers being down and the introduction of peewee football in Orrville. We did fine with flag football as our feeder system... it was competetive with no politics and the kids got to learn the game WITHOUT dealing with the physical pain that accompanies contact football. I truly believe the physicality of contact football at such an early age "burns" a number of kids out on the sport. Also, flag football is based on "speed" and more focus is put on footwork. Why not learn the fundamentals without the physical punishment?

  I agree, but flag is still offered to 4th 5th and 6th graders. However, there are hardly enough kids in 5th and 6th grade flag to compile two teams because the others are playing peewee. There was a reason that Mo and Mac kept peewee out of our town for so long...maybe they saw the same thing and thought flag was just fine. IDK, but something needs to change.
• rrfan

  

  AllOhio;1479815 wrote:I feel there is a direct correlation with the numbers being down and the introduction of peewee football in Orrville. We did fine with flag football as our feeder system... it was competetive with no politics and the kids got to learn the game WITHOUT dealing with the physical pain that accompanies contact football. I truly believe the physicality of contact football at such an early age "burns" a number of kids out on the sport. Also, flag football is based on "speed" and more focus is put on footwork. Why not learn the fundamentals without the physical punishment?

  Great post and I have said this from the beginning. I am not a fan of the pee wee system. As a kid I wanted to play that more than anything, but I played flag all the way through. You know what it did? Made me hungry to hit someone in Jr. High.
• sanitizer

  

  I wonder what the participation levels are in other "after school" activities. I wonder if numbers are down for everything? Might make for an even more telling dynamic? Just can't imagine playing under the friday night lights NOT being a major impact on me as a youth?????
• RIDER DAD

  

  When my senior boy went through flag, it was pretty close to 50% going to Wooster (no pee-wee in Orrville yet) and the rest staying at the club. There was a noticeable difference in the kids that played tackle in 7th , but by 8th or freshman year they were caught up. My youngest son going in to 7th loved pee wee his 5th and 6th grade years, but I think a lot had to do with his coach, he loved Fowkes, but he also loved flag too, I have heard arguments on both side, good points from both sides. If the numbers keep going down it would be worth the coaches talking about.
• BRF

  

  sanitizer;1479854 wrote:I wonder what the participation levels are in other "after school" activities. I wonder if numbers are down for everything? Might make for an even more telling dynamic?

  Like the band? ......Whose numbers have dwindled for the past several years.
• Red Rider Nation

  BRF;1479895 wrote:Like the band? ......Whose numbers have dwindled for the past several years.

  Orrville has a band???
• Flash

  

  The sophmore class would be the first peewee football class?
• rrfan

  

  Flash;1480150 wrote:The sophmore class would be the first peewee football class?

  What are the numbers at the Sophomore class. I remember it has been posted and was not all that high. This is an interesting topic and it is one that I think really needs to be looked at by the coaching staff. Flag football was what a lot of great young riders grew up on. Now who is to say they would not have been better/worse by playing pee wee? Wooster has and Rittman had pee wee when I was growing up and neither team was any good. So I am not sure there is a connection to improving the High School sports through a pee wee system any more than a good flag program.