FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

The three items you describe don't really compare to the difference between a HS and college field -- goalposts and hash marks.

[Whitecarrera]

I'll admit there aren't many "pony" league baseball fields with 75 foot bases, but there are some. Dimensions of a HS basketball court is an absolutely relevant comparison. Different goalpost widths (whether moving to a HS field or a pro field as was done for the Wabash/Wash U game in 1984) can change the outcome of a game.

Entire coaching schemes and strategies are based on sets of established criteria. Football game plans are routinely based on field and boundary schemes, both offensively and defensively. Those things should not be changed mid-game.

Twice Wabash has moved a tied game to Crawfordsville HS (won one/lost one). I'm a Wabash guy. It's my opinion that neither game should've been moved. We can agree to disagree.

[Pat Coleman]

My opinion is that it's not the travesty you make it sound like. Unless there is something unique about Crawfordsville High's field, I believe it is still the same dimensions as our gym back in Hickory.

[VoodooDoc]

The Wabash - Case Western game was moved to the Crawfordsville High School field for the same reason that the Wabash - Wittenburg game was moved 25 years ago, the games were delayed by lightning.  The high school field has lighting and Wabash's field does not. Since it was likely that the delayed games would finish at or after dusk, the athletic center at Wabash lies to the west of the football field and the west end of the field, it would have been too dark to complete the game with the building blocking the sun light long before dusk.

Case Western played at Rowan the week before an encountered a similar weather delay. As there was no alternative field available to complete the game, it could not be completed.

Whitecarrera said the games should not have been moved.  Given the dark field at Wabash, what other alternative is there the Case Western - Rowan solution?

[Pat Coleman]

Rowan had lights. Case did not want to stay later before starting its 8-hour ride back to Cleveland, and that's understandable.

[ADL70]

Why couldn't the refs have spotted the ball approximating the college hash when necessary?

[Crawford]

1988 - Benedictine (IL) (at that time it was Illinois Benedictine) blocked four kicks twice.

And I'm glad to see Wabash win, but I'll go on record saying that a game should NEVER be moved to a HS field. No basketball coach would consent to a HS 3Pt arc. No Volleyball coach would consent to a shorter net. No baseball coach would consent to a 75 ft base path. It wasn't the right decision when Wabash did it to Wittenberg in 2000, and it wasn't right today.

I can feel for CWU not wanting to risk two incomplete games, but Wabash has to do better. Get lights, or just accept the risk, but moving a game to a non-conforming field is unacceptable - should never even be considered an option.

Feels like you are trying to create a controversy where none belongs. I suspect both teams had to agree to move the game, so no issue. Also both teams were playing on the same new field, so no advance either way.  Both teams were attempting kicks into the slightly wider high school field goal posts, and CWR missed their attempt at the wider goal post, while Wabash's attempt was down the center, so no issue.  The hash marks being wider on a high school field were also the same for both teams, and neither school objected.  More importantly I'd rather Wabash focus on academics and paying their staff instead of paying for lights.

[Crawford]

Wabash was tied for 38 in the latest poll! Seems like the first time Wabash got votes in a long time, not that we deserved them before.

[Pat Coleman]

Wabash was tied for 38 in the latest poll! Seems like the first time Wabash got votes in a long time, not that we deserved them before.

Wabash was among the others receiving votes -- you can't be tied for 38 in a Top 25.

[VoodooDoc]

1988 - Benedictine (IL) (at that time it was Illinois Benedictine) blocked four kicks twice.

And I'm glad to see Wabash win, but I'll go on record saying that a game should NEVER be moved to a HS field. No basketball coach would consent to a HS 3Pt arc. No Volleyball coach would consent to a shorter net. No baseball coach would consent to a 75 ft base path. It wasn't the right decision when Wabash did it to Wittenberg in 2000, and it wasn't right today.

I can feel for CWU not wanting to risk two incomplete games, but Wabash has to do better. Get lights, or just accept the risk, but moving a game to a non-conforming field is unacceptable - should never even be considered an option.

Feels like you are trying to create a controversy where none belongs. I suspect both teams had to agree to move the game, so no issue. Also both teams were playing on the same new field, so no advance either way.  Both teams were attempting kicks into the slightly wider high school field goal posts, and CWR missed their attempt at the wider goal post, while Wabash's attempt was down the center, so no issue.  The hash marks being wider on a high school field were also the same for both teams, and neither school objected.  More importantly I'd rather Wabash focus on academics and paying their staff instead of paying for lights.

I agree with Crawford.  While having a lighted football field might be nice, since the lights are needed only once very 25 years, there are likely expenditures by Wabash that are higher priority.

Seems to me that the weather delay left Wabash and Case Western with 3 choices:
1. Suspend the game (which would have been 2 in a row for Case Western).
2. Delay the game and play it on Sunday.  (This would create logistical problems - where would the visiting team stay the night? How would they be able to get the visitor's uniforms washed so the players would not have to put back on sweaty gear?  The team would return to campus after 6.5 to 7 hour drive on Sunday from Crawfordsville and what would be the impact on their studies?
3. Resume play at the near-by lighted high school field to complete the game.

[Whitecarrera]

Maybe I'm just a bit of a purist, but my suggestion is that if a field would not be approved/suitable to start a game, then it shouldn't somehow become suitable to finish the game.

Pat's Hickory reference seems a little off to me. When measuring the court in Hinkle, the lane was the  exact same length; the rim the exact same height. Wasn't that the point of the scene? Not the case with HS posts and markings.

Can you imagine a potential game winning field goal ricocheting through after bouncing off a HS post, or a doink rejection from an NFL post?

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Maybe I'm just a bit of a purist, but my suggestion is that if a field would not be approved/suitable to start a game, then it shouldn't somehow become suitable to finish the game.

Who says a high school field would not be suitable for an entire game.  There are schools that have played entire seasons of their home games on HS fields.

[Pat Coleman]

Maybe I'm just a bit of a purist, but my suggestion is that if a field would not be approved/suitable to start a game, then it shouldn't somehow become suitable to finish the game.

Pat's Hickory reference seems a little off to me. When measuring the court in Hinkle, the lane was the  exact same length; the rim the exact same height. Wasn't that the point of the scene? Not the case with HS posts and markings.

You seem to keep looking past my actual point in that the field is the same length and same width, not the 75-foot basepaths you straw-manned in your original post, not whatever the HS three-point line is in your jurisdiction, no shorter volleyball net, if that's even a thing.

[wally_wabash]

Can you imagine a potential game winning field goal ricocheting through after bouncing off a HS post, or a doink rejection from an NFL post?

I can, yes, and that kind of thing would be unfortunate.  But I think it's fine to bet against the 1-50 odds that a game ends with that scenario and get the 4 quarters in and a complete game for the student-athletes than take away the competition opportunity just in case the wider posts might turn into a thing. 

I don't think anybody views a mid-game venue change as an ideal scenario, but sometimes you have take the least not-good option. 

[Dr. Acula]

Maybe I'm just a bit of a purist, but my suggestion is that if a field would not be approved/suitable to start a game, then it shouldn't somehow become suitable to finish the game.

Who says a high school field would not be suitable for an entire game.  There are schools that have played entire seasons of their home games on HS fields.

For years Heidelberg played at Frost Kalnow stadium which is the home stadium of both Tiffin high schools and Tiffin University.  Tiffin U still plays their home games there I believe.