Exposure for the unsigned
By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
The annual football game between the North and the South is the only event during the week where seniors are featured.
That’s good for some. Bad for others.
Most of the players in the South’s 12-0 victory Friday night have already signed college scholarships and will be heading off to campuses in the next couple of weeks to prepare for the season.
Still, several players declined invites to the annual all-star game, worried about possible injuries so close to the college season.
Some didn’t even bother to tell Alabama High School Athletic Association officials that they would not be participating in the game, leaving coaches to scramble to fill rosters.
While fans want to see the best and brighest of the future college players from our state, the all-star game might be cheating those who haven’t signed with colleges and are in need of a little exposure.
Several unsigned players from the game last year ended up with scholarship offers, including one player who was added to the roster at the last minute.
That should be a motivating factor for adding juniors or making the rosters bigger.
Of course, it’s tough to find playing time for 60-plus players in an all-star format. But if it means extra scholarships for those who have gone unsigned, wouldn’t it be worth it?
Rebels are nice guys: Last week, I congratulated Falkville High School for being honored by the Alabama High School Athletic Association for going the entire 2007-08 school year without a fine or an ejection.
But the Blue Devils weren’t the only school in Morgan County to be honored by the AHSAA at a special STAR Sportsmanship banquet last week during All-Star Sports Week in Hunstville.
West Morgan also went through the school year with an unblemished mark: no fines or ejections for any of the Rebels’ athletes or coaches. That’s a pretty impressive honor.
In a time when acting out seems to becoming more common, there are schools practicing the art of sportsmanship.
It’s an honor more schools need to strive for during the upcoming year.
Sports editor Todd Thompson can be reached at 773-6566 or by email at todd.thompson@hartselleenquirer.com
