By Mike Phillips
Contributing sportswriter
Randy and I went and covered a La Monte-Green Ridge soccer match several weeks ago.
The game started at 5:00, meaning it should have been halftime at 5:40. I kept checking my watch because it was getting dark fast. The last time I checked my watch it was 5:47. The officials finally blew the halftime whistle at 5:51, meaning what should have been a 40-minute half actually became a 51-minute half.
I went over and talked to the officials and asked if high school soccer games were still 40 minute halves and they both said yes. I asked them why the first half was 51 minutes long.
They told me the game clock stops on goals scored, cards, injuries, penalty kicks, corner kicks and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
I think what actually happened is that I caught the center official not paying attention to his watch. When I first walked over to them at halftime, they both looked at each other, obviously knowing what I was going to ask. It didn’t help because the second half took exactly an hour.
I know the game clock stops in soccer only on goals, cards and injuries.
*******
The greatest individual performance I witnessed this fall was turned in by Northwest senior linebacker Caleb Reno when he recorded a school-record 29 tackles in an Eight-Man District 1 semifinal loss to Hardin Central.
*******
I was there for the first day of the Stone Laser Imaging Classic at Sate Fair Community College.
My favorite game is upsetting me more and more as the years pass.
I am talking about teams needlessly dragging games out by fouling down to the final buzzer when the game is already well in hand.
The SFCC men and Independence (Kan) Community College combined to shoot 93 free throws in a 108-89 Roadrunner win. I could not understand why the two teams hacked and chopped each other until the last three seconds when the game was under control for the last five or six minutes.
Independence was called for 31 fouls and SFCC 26. The game should have been finished in less than two hours, but instead took two hours and 36 minutes.
There was no need to drag the game out. Players and coaches need to be aware of game situation the score and time remaining.
