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Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

Random Thoughts: fall sports, QBs, more

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

This week’s edition of Random Thoughts centers around football previews, other fall sports, the numbers game and pro quarterbacks

NWC and WBL

If all goes according to plan, Northwest Conference and Western Buckeye League football preview capsules will appear on Wednesday’s Sports page. I’m still waiting for some information from a handful of coaches but I’m confident they’ll provide it.

Check back on Thursday for preseason preseasons for the NWC and WBL and next Thursday, August 19, is when the first Pigskin Pick’Em of the 2021 season will appear on the Sports page.

Other fall sports

Look for upcoming previews and features of other fall sports, including soccer, cross country, volleyball, golf and tennis.

Sports talk

Fall sports coaches from Van Wert and Paulding counties will again be featured between 7-8 p.m. each Wednesday night, starting August 18.

Yours truly will host the High School Huddle Live From Fricker’s in Van Wert on 99.7FM WKSD.

Numbers game

Despite low numbers, Vanlue is proceeding with plans to play football this fall.

Vanlue traditionally has one of the smallest student body populations (perhaps the smallest if you don’t count Kelley’s Island) in Ohio each year, yet the Wildcats always seem to field a team.

Depending on whom you ask, the team has somewhere between 11-16 players. Here’s hoping they can make it through the season.

On the other hand, a school near my old stomping grounds – New London – had to dump 11-man football last week due to a lack of numbers.

Again, depending on whom you ask, between nine and 13 players showed up for the first day of practice, and that’s at a Division VI school. The plan was to transition to 8-man football this season but even that’s up in the air now, due to the loss of a couple of kids and the fact that the head coach resigned a week ago today.

Not a good situation at all.

Quarterbacks

Someone please help me understand this – why are NFL quarterbacks who haven’t won a Super Bowl, or even been there, getting $40 million-plus per season?

I’m thinking of two in particular – Buffalo’s Josh Allen (4-4 playoff record) and Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott (1-2 in playoff games). Yes, salaries for pro athletes are outrageously high, but this makes no sense to me. It would make more sense if at least there was some championship hardware to go along with the big bucks.

If you have thoughts or comments on any of the above subjects, feel free to email me at sports@thevwindependent.com.

POSTED: 08/10/21 at 3:51 am. FILED UNDER: Sports