Running clocks in the playoffs: Blowouts more common than you might think

Playoff football is the pinnacle of the high school football season. It's when the elite play the elite. But even playoff games produce plenty of mismatches, and no one has been immune to the occasional blowout — even legendary St. Paul coach John Livengood, who has compiled a 269-69 record with the Flyers and won a state championship in 2009.St. Paul has dropped two state-level games by more than 30 points in the last four seasons. And since the Ohio High School Athletic Association adopted its running clock rule in 2014, the Flyers have been involved in 10 running-clock contests in 14 playoff games. That includes all four of their games in the 2017 postseason, when St. Paul outscored three Division VII, Region 26 opponents 146-27 en route to the state semifinals. The Flyers lost to eventual state champion Minster, 40-7."There is a part of you that wants to keep on fighting in that game, and depending on when it happens another part that is ready to move on or prepare for the next game and limit the chances for injuries," said Livengood, whose team lost 41-0 in the title game to Marion Local in 2014, the first season the rule was in place."I think overall (the running clock rule) is a good thing. The best part of it is that it keeps sportsmanship intact and keeps the scores from getting too crazy."Last year, 33 of the 112 first-round playoff games in Ohio's seven divisions were decided by 30 or more points. In fact, nearly half (seven) of the first-round games in Division IV were blowouts."You don't always expect to be in those situations in the playoffs, but they do happen," Clyde coach Ryan Carter said. "And while I like the fact it keeps teams from running up the score, it's awfully tough to get all your kids into the game, and get them varsity playing experience."Carter's Fliers surprisingly found themselves on the positive side of the running-clock rule in Week 11 at Sandusky last season. The Blue Streaks, coming off a 10-0 regular season, lost starting quarterback Ja'Vez Alexander to a season-ending injury in the first quarter and were visibly shaken by the loss."It was a very unfortunate situation," Carter said. "Even our players were affected by it because of who (Alexander) was and how much respect they had for him."Clyde, which switched to a more traditional Wing-T offense, had only one running clock game this season, a 49-14 win over Toledo Bowsher."As a coach, you want to get as many of your guys in there as possible, but it's nearly impossible with how fast the clock moves," Carter said. "You may only get a few possessions in the second half. You look up and before you know it, a quarter is over or the game is in the final minutes."Massillon 101-point gameThe score was too sensational to be ignored."It's pretty hard to hit 100 without trying to get there."That's one reaction an area coach had upon hearing about Massillon Washington's 101-6 win over Pennsylvania's Sun Valley on Oct. 12. The score brought harsh criticism to one of Ohio's most storied football programs — even within its own district's limits.In a time in high school football where sportsmanship is stressed and where rules have been put in place to avoid instances such as the Tigers' 101-point game, the question still begs: Is enough being done?"Most coaches that I know do a good job of managing the game, and not running the score up when they are winning big," Huron coach Sam Hohler said. "I'd personally have a hard time scoring that many points on someone, or worse, getting beat that bad."It can be difficult to convince your kids to play hard all the time, but then tell them not to score when the game is out of reach. As coaches, we are supposed to be teaching the kids about sportsmanship and doing the right thing. At what point does it get out of hand?"Massillon had six kickoff, punt or touchdown returns in the game. It led 73-6 at halftime after a 56-point second quarter. The second-half kickoff was returned for a score by the starting tailback. "I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Massillon scoring 100, having not seen the film," said Danbury coach Keith Mora, who has dealt with many running clocks from both sides. "If they were still passing and trying to hit the edge on their opponent, then I think that's a pretty poor showing of sportsmanship."That said, it is football and if they had all of their 1s and even 2s out of the game, and are running the ball between the tackles and still scoring, well, then I don't think there was anything more they could have done."The rule's historyThe OHSAA board of directors adopted a rule in 2014 that many other states also utilize in lopsided football games.If a team is ahead by 30 points or more in the second half, a continuous running clock is used. The clock is stopped only for an official timeout, a change of possession, after a score, the end of the third quarter or for a timeout.If the margin drops below 30, the clock reverts back to regular timing.Only 14 states don't have a similar rule in place.According to OHSAA assistant commissioner Beau Rugg, there was no pinnacle moment that led to the adoption of the rule. But player safety during so-called "garbage time" was a concern."There's not a ton of data out there saying we're seeing more injuries here or there, but you see them," Rugg said. "From the safety and intensity standpoint, the rule makes it better."I was next to a superintendent that first year, and once that particular game hit that 30-point barrier he said he could sense the intensity just dropped. And he mentioned how he could tell there wasn't that attitude where players want to get cheap shots in or they want to take advantage of the situation."Rugg also mentioned how such rules were inevitable with the evolution of how the game is played."You get offenses that end up mirroring what we have at Ohio State, and what's being used in the college game," he said. "You see a lot of shotgun being used with a lot of throws, then before you know it, you have teams that are down 30 or 40 points, and when they're doing that and dropping them, it's forever."The games are lasting a long time, especially below the varsity level, which also factored in."Some states use much higher point differentials for running clocks. Nevada, for instance, recently dropped its point differential from 45 to 35. Iowa went from 50 to 35 within the last the decade, while others have point differentials in the 40s. Some states, including Texas, have yet to adopt the mercy rule."It's one of those things we tracked the first year, and our regular-season point differentials were about 27 percent or something like that. It was similar in the playoffs," Rugg said. "I haven't done much data-tracking lately, but at least from finals and some of the games we're seeing, it's less in the playoffs now."I don't know if that's attributable to the fact we're getting more competitive teams in the playoffs, but it's one of those things from administrators I haven't heard a peep about it. It must be settling in well."Positives of the ruleMany coaches have embraced the rules change."Before the running clock, dominant teams would go down on first contact, run out of bounds and kick field goals on first down," Willard coach Britton Devier said. "This cheapened the spirit of the game. Running clock allows both teams to operate their normal offensive and defensive systems in lopsided games."For Danbury's Mora, the rule has minimized the time his players, and ultimately the season, are at risk during lopsided games."With high school football numbers continuously shrinking, teams are putting younger players on the field in blowouts," he said. "It allows them some experience, but doesn't require the game to get dragged out any longer than necessary."Should anything about the rule be changed?"Coaches always feel their team can come back, and I respect that," Rugg said. "Some coaches have proposed whether the score should be higher for the end of the half for the running clock to start, then have the number go back down for the end of the third quarter. "But until we get a lot of feedback on what we need to change, we're probably not going to make any changes."St. Paul celebrates its Division VII regional championship after defeating Pandora-Gilboa on Nov. 17, 2017 at Clyde High School. Clyde celebrates a touchdown during its 35-0 win over Sandusky in the first round of the playoffs in 2017. Clyde players console Sandusky's Ja'Vez Alexander after the Fliers' unexpected 35-0 playoff win in 2017. Alexander, the Blue Streaks' star quarterback, was injured in the first quarter. St. Paul football coach John Livengood