WSAZ Investigates | Making adjustments to high-scoring football games

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Three teams, two weeks in a row, have dominated on the football field -- Nitro, Hurricane, and Huntington.

Each high school team defeated their opponents by as many as 70 to nearly 90 points. It’s those high scores that have a lot of people talking about just when to say when.

It’s a situation South Charleston’s coach Dustin Resler said was handled with professionalism by Huntington High Coach Billy Seals.

The South Charleston Black Eagles were shut out 86-0 by the Highlanders.

But Coach Resler says that score does not tell the story of what really happened Friday night.

“Me and Coach Seals talked at the end of the game. I got to see Coach Seals when he first started out and everything. He’s someone that has built that program into what it is today,” Resler said. “You know, he’s someone as a new head coach that I really look up to and someone who I hope to try and replicate that.”

Resler said making changes like running the clock and shortening quarters are steps officials can approach coaches about in situations like these, but both coaches have to agree to the changes for them to take effect.

“I told the official that I would be happy if we did six to eight-minute quarters, and it was up to Coach Seals, and Coach Seals chose six.″

WSAZ’s Adriana Doria asked, “How do you think that situation was handled?”

“It’s handled really well. You kind of have, I don’t wanna say an unwritten rule, but an understanding among coaches that if you’re up by a certain amount, you try to shorten up the game,” Resler said.

It was a mutual decision Resler says he was grateful to have reached.

“I thanked him for making adjustments in the second half to six minutes and everything so that we both still got to get better. He still got to run his offense, and I still got to run my defense and our offense, so it was good,” he said.

But not everyone made that choice. Going into the second half up by more than 50 points -- Hurricane High School’s coaching staff had an opportunity to make similar changes but did not.

WSAZ reached out to head Coach Donnie Mays who declined to do an interview but provided us this statement:

“They asked for 8 min quarters and a running clock in the 4th. 99% of the time, I go with this but they didn’t have a JV and that hurts our younger kids not getting game reps. We played 55 players on Friday night and still only ran 9 plays in the entire 2nd half. On average, a team will run 30-40 plays in a half of play. I agreed to the mercy rule, just not shortened quarters because they didn’t have a JV.”

Coach Resler says football Friday nights are about much more than who comes out on top at the end of the game.

“I don’t think there’s rules to be changed, I just think it speaks to who you are,” he said. “I’ve been on the giving and receiving end of that, and I’ve always been one to shorten the games”

Coach Resler says his team is a family.

“I’ve got 43 kids on my roster and I have 43 kids that I love seeing day in and day out and spending time with, and I couldn’t pick a better 43 kids to be with, he said.”

Teaching life lessons on and off the field.

“Doing the right thing when nobody is watching at the end of the day. I always feel like I need to produce better people, I guess is what I have said before,” he said.