SHEPHERD — The Shepherd High School Mustangs football team forfeited their first game of the season to Joliet last Friday, starting their season with a loss.
The team didn’t practice enough times between Aug. 14, the first day allowed by the Montana High School Association, and Aug. 28, game day, according to Jeff Armstrong, activities director at the school.
Armstrong said the state activities association requires football players to practice 12 times on 12 different days before they can participate in a game. With only 14 days available, “it’s a pretty tight window,” Armstrong said. Even two-a-day practices count as only one practice, he said. This is the second year the state association required 12 practices, Armstrong said. Other sports like volleyball need 10 and golf needs only three preseason practices. Armstrong said that’s because football players need more conditioning. The state regulates the type of practices: “The first three days of football practice will be a period of acclimation with no contact and no pads,” association rules state. “The only football equipment to be used is shoes and helmets. Non-contact is defined as no student-to-student contact. However, participants may contact dummies/shields held by others.”
Contact is allowed in later practices.
Coach Adam Sanchez thought his team of 42 players had practiced enough to meet the regulations, Armstrong said. He gave the team Saturday, Aug. 22, off.
“Honestly, it was just a simple calendar mistake,” Armstrong said. “When he did figure it out, it was too late.”
“He just gave them a day off,” Armstrong said. “They’re tired, it’s smoky.” But the team needed to practice both Saturdays to comply with the rule since Sunday practices aren’t allowed, he said.
The coach, in his sixth year coaching at Shepherd, is “totally embarrassed and upset,” Armstrong said.
“It’s kind of embarrassing from a school standpoint,” Armstrong conceded. “I can’t even fathom it.”
Even if the team had practiced enough times, there would have been individual players who had not practiced enough to take the field with the team that night, Armstrong said.
Late Friday afternoon, they self-reported to the state association and forfeited to Joliet, which starts the season with a 2-0 win. Armstrong said he asked Joliet to consider rescheduling, but so far that team has declined.
“I tried to get it rescheduled for the next night, but Joliet wouldn’t come,” he said.
The Shepherd Booster Club went ahead with its planned “Blue and Gold tailgate party,” which included a volleyball scrimmage, despite the game being canceled.
“Surprisingly, the tailgate party had a great turnout,” said organizer Tracy Kern. “The Booster Club had a moment of panic when we heard they were going to cancel the football game, but all went well — we simply just went on as planned.
As soon as the game was canceled, school officials notified all the parents.
“Most of our parents were cool with it.” Armstrong said. “They weren’t overly upset.”
The team or school could have been fined or suspended from competition if they had played in violation of the rules, Armstrong said. The team is looking ahead now to Friday night’s contest with the Red Lodge Rams.
“It’s just a mistake,” Armstrong said. “We’ll move past it.”
For more information regarding Shepherd news, events and information, visit the Shepherd Community Website at www.shepherdmontana.com
