Week 13 : #4 (9-2) Harvest Prep vs #1 (11-1) Ironton

[LetsBeReal]

World Harvest”college prep”

What a joke. Get whooped so you act like clowns. Maybe Pendleton’s best call of the night sending them away instead. That would have ended up much worse. World Harvest Christian School Condones that kind of behavior. What a sellout of a program and its values to get money for sports.

Timeout for what?

#57 with the bell flop after final kneel down and then rubbed his groin over the Ironton Player as he slid over him.

#4 flexing to the crowd after such an embarrassing loss.

then Ironton trying to leave the field and they are followed away.

Prep players assaulting ironton coaches. Wow

Class ACT for sure.

This is coming from a neutral party so yes it was that bad.

Well said I had no dog in the fight but was rooting Ironton simply because of our area. But that was pitiful, sore losers.

It’s just utter bullcrap. This is a private school, with abilities to recruit. It’s supposed to be a Christian organization that instills higher values but yet that has been shown to be a huge gimmick. Why are we allowing these private schools who clearly only go to play sports compete with the public school kids.

[Jeaux Burreaux]

World Harvest”college prep”

What a joke. Get whooped so you act like clowns. Maybe Pendleton’s best call of the night sending them away instead. That would have ended up much worse. World Harvest Christian School Condones that kind of behavior. What a sellout of a program and its values to get money for sports.

Timeout for what?

#57 with the bell flop after final kneel down and then rubbed his groin over the Ironton Player as he slid over him.

#4 flexing to the crowd after such an embarrassing loss.

then Ironton trying to leave the field and they are followed away.

Prep players assaulting ironton coaches. Wow

Class ACT for sure.

This is coming from a neutral party so yes it was that bad.

Well said I had no dog in the fight but was rooting Ironton simply because of our area. But that was pitiful, sore losers.

It’s just utter bullcrap. This is a private school, with abilities to recruit. It’s supposed to be a Christian organization that instills higher values but yet that has been shown to be a huge gimmick. Why are we allowing these private schools who clearly only go to play sports compete with the public school kids.

Your guess is as good as mine. An absolute sham. Pitiful showing and classless

[kantucky]

Poppycock! Tigers win this with a running clock in the 4th!!

Hate to gloat but…

[TigerBob]

I’d like to apologize to Portsmouth for figuring this wouldn’t be as bad as last week. This may have been worse. Prep called a timeout to get in one more cheap shot. Classless behavior.

[TigerBob]

Prep will never win a title. They don’t value special teams and are never disciplined. They win solely on their recruited talent. Once they find themselves down, they quit.

They would need to be leaps and bounds better than everyone to win it. Just rely on pure athleticism. I’m not sure what the hell they were trying to offensively. Special teams if felt like they were doing their best to help the punt get blocked. So many times they had zero organization getting in and out of the huddle, if you could call it a huddle.

[scott1297]

Prep was better last year and just barely beat Burg this year 12 to 6 but since that game Burg has looked totally different changed around alot of players in different positions but ofcourse i know that ironton is the favorite here by atleast 20 I would say but good luck Burg play hard and smart and who knows cause all the pressure is on ironton that's for sure cause they are good

[LetsBeReal]

High school sports in Ohio have long been a source of pride for communities, offering opportunities for student-athletes to develop teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship. However, in recent years, a growing inequality between public and private schools has marred the competitive landscape, creating an environment where private schools—through recruitment advantages and unethical tactics—dominate state championships. This issue was glaringly highlighted in the 2024 playoff game between Ironton High School, a public school, and Harvest Preparatory School of Canal Winchester, a private school.

Despite Ironton’s 41-13 victory, the game ended in controversy when both Harvest Prep’s players and coaches followed Ironton off the field, confronting Ironton’s coaching staff and shoving them. Additionally, Harvest Prep’s coach called a timeout after a kneel-down, even though the game was already out of reach. This deliberate disruption added to the sense of frustration felt by public schools, who are increasingly disadvantaged by the financial resources and recruitment practices of private schools.

Moreover, the dominance of private schools in Ohio’s state championships is not an isolated issue—it has become the norm. Private schools have won the vast majority of state championships across multiple sports, thanks in part to their ability to recruit athletes from outside their district boundaries and offer financial incentives such as scholarships, which public schools cannot match. This growing disparity is not just about competition; it’s about fairness, ethics, and the true spirit of high school sports.

The 2024 playoff game between Ironton High School and Harvest Prep was emblematic of a broader problem in Ohio high school sports: private schools exploiting their advantages to win at all costs, regardless of ethics or sportsmanship.

After the game, both Harvest Prep’s players and coaches followed the Ironton team off the field, confronting the coaching staff in an aggressive manner. The physical confrontation between the two teams, including shoving the Ironton coaches, was a clear violation of the expected norms of behavior in high school athletics. This behavior, on top of the unnecessary timeout called after a kneel-down by Harvest Prep’s coach, illustrates a troubling trend: private schools often engage in unethical tactics to disrupt the game and gain a competitive edge, even when the outcome is already decided.

Beyond this specific incident, private schools in Ohio have been winning a disproportionate share of state championships in multiple sports for years. Private schools have dominated the state rankings, particularly in football, basketball, and baseball, largely due to their ability to recruit athletes from outside their district and offer financial incentives. Public schools, with their limited budgets and recruitment restrictions, face an uphill battle in competing against these private institutions.

Causes of the Issue:

Several factors contribute to the growing dominance of private schools in Ohio athletics and the unethical behavior we are witnessing:

Recruitment Advantages:

Private schools, like Harvest Prep, are able to recruit athletes from outside their district, giving them a significant advantage over public schools that can only field athletes from their own geographic area. This practice is legal under current OHSAA rules but gives private schools a distinct edge, particularly in sports where the pool of talent is crucial to success.

Financial Disparities:

Private schools generally have more financial resources than public schools, which enables them to offer athletic scholarships, hire specialized coaches, and invest in top-tier facilities. Public schools, by contrast, operate on more limited budgets and have fewer resources to attract and develop top athletic talent.

Unethical Behavior and Aggressive Tactics:

The actions of Harvest Prep during the 2024 playoff game are part of a broader issue of unethical behavior in high school sports. Calling a timeout when the game is already decided, physically confronting the opposing team’s coaches, and disregarding basic principles of sportsmanship reflect a win-at-all-costs mentality that is increasingly common in some private school programs. This behavior not only undermines the integrity of the competition but also sets a poor example for student-athletes, who should be learning lessons of respect and fair play.
How This Issue Affects the Community

The increasing dominance of private schools in Ohio high school athletics, combined with the unethical behavior of some teams, has far-reaching consequences for both athletes and the community:

[BuckeyeBlood]

I was shocked honestly what happened at the end. I know last week Portsmouth and Ironton had issues but they were cordial enough to shake hands at the end. This was pretty wild to see.

[smurray]

Total fiasco we all saw coming…. HP calling timeout with :22 to play after Ironton took a knee. Everyone knew what the timeout was about.

[RBH23]

High school sports in Ohio have long been a source of pride for communities, offering opportunities for student-athletes to develop teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship. However, in recent years, a growing inequality between public and private schools has marred the competitive landscape, creating an environment where private schools—through recruitment advantages and unethical tactics—dominate state championships. This issue was glaringly highlighted in the 2024 playoff game between Ironton High School, a public school, and Harvest Preparatory School of Canal Winchester, a private school.

Despite Ironton’s 41-13 victory, the game ended in controversy when both Harvest Prep’s players and coaches followed Ironton off the field, confronting Ironton’s coaching staff and shoving them. Additionally, Harvest Prep’s coach called a timeout after a kneel-down, even though the game was already out of reach. This deliberate disruption added to the sense of frustration felt by public schools, who are increasingly disadvantaged by the financial resources and recruitment practices of private schools.

Moreover, the dominance of private schools in Ohio’s state championships is not an isolated issue—it has become the norm. Private schools have won the vast majority of state championships across multiple sports, thanks in part to their ability to recruit athletes from outside their district boundaries and offer financial incentives such as scholarships, which public schools cannot match. This growing disparity is not just about competition; it’s about fairness, ethics, and the true spirit of high school sports.

The 2024 playoff game between Ironton High School and Harvest Prep was emblematic of a broader problem in Ohio high school sports: private schools exploiting their advantages to win at all costs, regardless of ethics or sportsmanship.

After the game, both Harvest Prep’s players and coaches followed the Ironton team off the field, confronting the coaching staff in an aggressive manner. The physical confrontation between the two teams, including shoving the Ironton coaches, was a clear violation of the expected norms of behavior in high school athletics. This behavior, on top of the unnecessary timeout called after a kneel-down by Harvest Prep’s coach, illustrates a troubling trend: private schools often engage in unethical tactics to disrupt the game and gain a competitive edge, even when the outcome is already decided.

Beyond this specific incident, private schools in Ohio have been winning a disproportionate share of state championships in multiple sports for years. Private schools have dominated the state rankings, particularly in football, basketball, and baseball, largely due to their ability to recruit athletes from outside their district and offer financial incentives. Public schools, with their limited budgets and recruitment restrictions, face an uphill battle in competing against these private institutions.

Causes of the Issue:

Several factors contribute to the growing dominance of private schools in Ohio athletics and the unethical behavior we are witnessing:

Recruitment Advantages:

Private schools, like Harvest Prep, are able to recruit athletes from outside their district, giving them a significant advantage over public schools that can only field athletes from their own geographic area. This practice is legal under current OHSAA rules but gives private schools a distinct edge, particularly in sports where the pool of talent is crucial to success.

Financial Disparities:

Private schools generally have more financial resources than public schools, which enables them to offer athletic scholarships, hire specialized coaches, and invest in top-tier facilities. Public schools, by contrast, operate on more limited budgets and have fewer resources to attract and develop top athletic talent.

Unethical Behavior and Aggressive Tactics:

The actions of Harvest Prep during the 2024 playoff game are part of a broader issue of unethical behavior in high school sports. Calling a timeout when the game is already decided, physically confronting the opposing team’s coaches, and disregarding basic principles of sportsmanship reflect a win-at-all-costs mentality that is increasingly common in some private school programs. This behavior not only undermines the integrity of the competition but also sets a poor example for student-athletes, who should be learning lessons of respect and fair play.
How This Issue Affects the Community

The increasing dominance of private schools in Ohio high school athletics, combined with the unethical behavior of some teams, has far-reaching consequences for both athletes and the community:

Per your comments about private schools and football dominance…

Yes, in the bigger divisions, the private schools rule. But the smaller divisions are dominated by the public schools.

So when it comes to football, private schools are not becoming more dominate. Sure, the big divisions are heavily dominated by the big Catholic schools, but the small Catholic/private schools are nowhere near as dominate as they once were.

[kantucky]

The officials were horrible tonight, they lost control of the game. They should have tossed a couple boys out, probably after the first, most of that would have never happened after. I'm not even addressing some of the RIDCULOUS penalties and calls..

[The Nature Boy]

Congrats to Ironton on the beat down you gave HP. Gonna be a good one. Just 2 teams will be coming to play some ball. Should be a dandy.

[hbk1999]

The officiating crew for this game was a complete joke. How do you assign those guys to this game? They created most of the problems that led to the fighting. Will OHSAA penalize any of the players or coaches involved in the post game activities?

[Jeaux Burreaux]

The officiating crew for this game was a complete joke. How do you assign those guys to this game? They created most of the problems that led to the fighting. Will OHSAA penalize any of the players or coaches involved in the post game activities?

Knowing how the OH$AA is probably not. Apparently this has happened with prep in the past, they just do not handle losing well apparently

[WinnerWinner]

The officiating crew for this game was a complete joke. How do you assign those guys to this game? They created most of the problems that led to the fighting. Will OHSAA penalize any of the players or coaches involved in the post game activities?

Knowing how the OH$AA is probably not. Apparently this has happened with prep in the past, they just do not handle losing well apparently

Was told last night that this crew is assigned to a state championship game. How is that possible.

[ChecksNBalances]

Prep vs Portsmouth in the "Absolutely ZERO CLASS" BOWL?

[RiverRatRay]

I have been watching high school football longer than most of you are old. I've seen worse than last night. What gets me is this is a Christian school. Sure gave their school a bad name. Who is to blame, no doubt it goes on the head man. The coaching staff just gave World Harvest a bad name.

[kantucky]

I have been watching high school football longer than most of you are old. I've seen worse than last night. What gets me is this is a Christian school. Sure gave their school a bad name. Who is to blame, no doubt it goes on the head man. The coaching staff just gave World Harvest a bad name.

I know you’re as old as dirt, but tell me when you seen anything worse than last night? Were you there at the game in person?
now you’re not talking about when you were a kid and everyone was wearing leather helmets, were you?

[WinnerWinner]

On a side note. I got to see the game in person last night but today watched the spectrum airing of the game. This broadcast is terrible. Equipment in view, camera guy can't keep the play in view or focus. Score not updating. Their are a lot of streaming organizations out there that do a much better job than spectrum. And they do it for free.

[kantucky]

The officiating crew for this game was a complete joke. How do you assign those guys to this game? They created most of the problems that led to the fighting. Will OHSAA penalize any of the players or coaches involved in the post game activities?

I was sitting with two guys that officiated for years. One was in front of me and the other was two seats from me on the right. We were on the very top where we could see everything so clearly. Both of them were shocked at some of the calls they seen last night. It was horrible. Whether their bad calls were out of bias or a lack of skill, I cannot say, but it was terrible. I think it needs to be examined closely and there needs to be something done about it. If nothing else, their leadership skill and controlling the game was totally lacking.