Mercy Rule in Football? Hendrickson over McNeil

Hendrickson’s win over McNeil would have made a good case for a mercy rule in Texas high school football.  The McNeil Mavericks started the season with high expectations.  But as so often is the case, injuries to key players scuttled their season.  The Mavericks offered little competition to the Hendrickson Hawks. 

The Hawks put up 33 unanswered points in the first half of Thursday night’s game. The scores came from two touchdown runs by DJ Jackson, a touchdown run by Dre Conley and two touchdown passes from Blaine Barker to James Hester and Gage Mahoney.

According to the National Federation of High School Associations, only 14 states do not have a rule for 11-player football in which the game ends, or the clock runs continuously, when a team is up by a certain number of points at a certain time in the game.  Not surprisingly, UIL decided against a mercy rule for football blowouts in June of 2014.  Mercy rules exist for other UIL sports that are not played on a timer, like softball.

The absence of a football mercy rule creates the potential for player injury.  It also runs counter
to the ethos of good sportsmanship, something much of world is in short supply. 

Thankfully some coaches take it upon themselves to slow the pace of the game and to play players lower in the depth charts.  That is exactly what Hendrickson head coach Chip Killian did in the second half. 

McNeil and Henrickson exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter.  McNeil scored on a pass from Zane Kampfer to Jordan Kerley, and Hendrickson on a run by Blaine Barker.  Touchdowns were again exchanged in the fourth quarter.  Henrickson scored on a run by Timieone Jackson and McNeil on a Kampfer to Kerley connection. 

Final score: Henrickson 47, McNeil 13. 

Thank you Coach Killian.  

Andy Nietupski (anietupski@ttlsports.com)