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01 Sep 2010

The Worst HS Football Play Ever

Yahoo's Prep Rally blog shares two of the worst plays in high school football history.

Posted by: Bill Barnwell on 01 Sep 2010

32 comments, Last at 05 Sep 2010, 1:59am by Shattenjager

Comments

1
by fek9wnr (not verified) :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 12:51pm

The latter reminded me of the Plaxico Burress spike during his rookie season.

2
by Led :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 12:52pm

Seems to me the Vermont play was a massive coaching FAIL. I can see playing people back to guard against the fake. But how do you not tell the kids to run away from the ball after it was kicked?

3
by ratstick (not verified) :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 1:06pm

A few years ago, there was a high school team (in Texas I believe) that had a big lead in the second half that then proceeded to throw 5 INT TDs to lose the game. None of the individual plays would be considered "worst", but it was certainly one of the most brainless coaching jobs ever. As in, run the ball, stupid!

4
by Not Jimmy (not verified) :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 1:52pm

I'm from VT. This is actually a pretty good play - from what I've seen anyway.

5
by Phyrre56 :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 2:12pm

The lateral play isn't THAT horrible. If it was the last play of the game and the offense needed a TD, then it's just a bad toss and desperation tactics.

9
by Temo :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 2:55pm

Then the coach is an idiot for running an option play from midfield on the last play of the game needing a TD.

15
by Noah of Arkadia :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 3:33pm

Uh... If?

If the RB was not really a High-School football player but a secret agent who knew the ball was a bomb and needed to keep it away from the Governor, who was sitting near midfield... then it was a heck of a play!

6
by zlionsfan :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 2:32pm

The Vermont play was a poor decision, sure ... I agree that the first play may or may not be, depending on the game situation (although if it's a fourth-down play or a last-minute play, seems like the option isn't quite the right call there).

But really, the idea that these are the worst "in history" ... I'm not sure if Yahoo is aware of this, but sports did exist prior to the internets. I would imagine that the vast majority of high school football plays were never captured on film in the first place. (Except maybe in Texas.)

8
by Revenge of the NURBS (not verified) :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 2:50pm

Napoleon: This is pretty much the worst video ever made.
Kip: Napoleon... like anyone can even know that.

16
by Dean :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 4:29pm

-1 for quoting a movie that's been quoted to death already.
-1 more for quoting a movie that sucked.

19
by jebmak :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 7:07pm

+1 because when I see Kip I think of Futurama
+1 to cancel out his -1, because, although I didn't love the movie, it didn't suck

21
by Noah of Arkadia :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 8:17pm

Never mind him, jeb. He obviously doesn't vote Pedro.

10
by Roscoe :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 3:08pm

Yeah. I realize it wasn't in high school, but there was Jim Marshall running the wrong way for a "touchdown" after picking up a fumble. That was easily as dumb as anything either of these kids did, and his being a pro only makes it worse

17
by Bobman :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 6:22pm

Not only a pro, but an All Pro, no? A HOFer? And last I heard a judge... (or was that Carl Eller?)

Hey, stuff happens. If it happens more than once, then we've got some serious problems.

22
by NY expat (not verified) :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 8:41pm

Alan Page is on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

25
by Shattenjager :: Thu, 09/02/2010 - 12:46am

As has already been pointed out, it's Alan Page who became a judge. Carl Eller did do some work for the government in Minnesota, but it was for the Department of Human Services. I don't know what Marshall did after football.

He was also not a Hall of Famer. He was a finalist in 2004 who did not get in.

He was also not an All Pro. He made 2 Pro Bowls in a 20-year career in which he never missed a game (282 games played), but never made All Pro.
Note: I'm assuming calling someone an "All Pro" means someone who made the AP first-team All Pro team. He did make second-team All Pro from the UPI twice, the NY Daily News twice, and the Sporting News once.

However, your point that it was not only an NFL player but a good one still stands as far as I'm concerned.

28
by Bobman :: Thu, 09/02/2010 - 12:28pm

D'oh, thanks, guys. Alan Page.... how soon I forget. I knew Marshall had one "giant resume item" and it was his games streak, not Canton. Often enough, in bygone days, those things go hand-in-hand--hey, you play 20 years and make multiple SBs you clearly don't suck. Just two pro bowls? Jeez. Don't get me wrong, that's good. But I was pretty far off.

Thanks again.

32
by Shattenjager :: Sun, 09/05/2010 - 1:59am

It's really sort of astounding that Marshall was around that long, started the whole time, was on that good of a team, and yet only made two Pro Bowls.

7
by Harmy G (not verified) :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 2:39pm

The Vermont play is much worse imo.

11
by Theo :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 3:15pm

In Tom Brady World, that's a forward pass.

12
by Theo :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 3:17pm

I see your worst play and I raise you with my worst play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtcnG33RjM4

23
by The Powers That Be :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 8:46pm

I love that one, because I just can't imagine what they expected or hoped would happen. The plan clearly isn't to throw or toss the ball instantly, so what other possible outcome could there be?

31
by BigCheese :: Sat, 09/04/2010 - 7:09pm

My absolute favorite part of that is that they liened up, did the motion to the left indicating the trick play and for some reason I can't remember (offisdes maybe?) the play was blown dead before the snap giving away any kind of surprise value they might ahve had. And then.. they ran it again anyway!

- Alvaro

13
by Theo :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 3:19pm

And juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust when you think you've seen it all, you stumble into this thing of beauty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqhGs4SHSJk&feature=related

14
by Noah of Arkadia :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 3:30pm

That's the greatest play ever! Beats the Spike in my book.

18
by Bobman :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 6:28pm

Dude, you just went from the ridiculous to the sublime with those two. One was horribly drawn up and executed but the other, pretty sweet in my book (not perfectly executed, but it worked). With the QB's back to the D, the only possible play for him is a handoff, right? Unless he grew up playing crazy H.O.R.S.E. games in his backyard and won with all sorts of kooky trick shots.

Of course, if it was in the NFL 2010, he'd turn around and bump into the ref as he was doing his over-the-top pass.

20
by jebmak :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 7:10pm

That was freaking awesome.

24
by Zac :: Wed, 09/01/2010 - 10:33pm

I was afraid you were linking to the "wrong ball" trick, which is on youtube a couple of times (and I hate). But that one is actually pretty cool.

26
by Will :: Thu, 09/02/2010 - 3:09am

The video is pretty good, but you really needed sound to get the full effect. Here's a better version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOU8GIRUd_g

Will

30
by jebmak :: Thu, 09/02/2010 - 10:26pm

Damn your black heart.

27
by Bright Blue Shorts :: Thu, 09/02/2010 - 8:16am

I never get tired of being RickRolled ... it's a great tune.

I'd have hated it if they'd used Agadoo or something, now that would piss me off ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POv-3yIPSWc

29
by Bobman :: Thu, 09/02/2010 - 12:30pm

masochist....

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