Former Dolphins, Lions, Ravens and Bengals quarterback Scott Mitchell is now a high school coach in Utah. And he’s drawing attention this week for an unusual decision to call off one of his team’s games.
Mitchell’s Springville squad is 7-1 and had already clinched a spot in the state playoffs, and the team he was scheduled to play next week, Mountain Crest, is 6-2 and wouldn’t have its playoff hopes affected by a the game with Springville. So Mitchell called the Mountain Crest coach and proposed that they just cancel the game to rest both teams up for bigger games down the road. Mountain Crest agreed, and so the game was called off -- but not everyone in Utah likes the decision.
“We have a lot of guys who are banged up, and I’m not sure how productive we would have been in the game,” Mitchell said. “I don’t really care what people think. I’m focused on the playoffs, because we’re already seeded where we’re going to be seeded. It’s not going to change at all. I just wanted to be as fresh and healthy as possible going into the playoffs.”
It’s a good thing Mitchell doesn’t care what people think, because I think it stinks. If you’ve got injured players, by all means, keep them on the sideline. But how about going through with the game and allowing some of your backups to get some playing time?
Mountain Crest was happy to go along with Mitchell’s plan because it gives Mountain Crest more time to prepare for Sky View in a game that will determine a playoff spot. Sky View coach Craig Anhder, however, said that while the schools can call off the game if they want, he wouldn’t do it.
“I just think if you schedule a game, you should play it,” Anhder said.
Anhder is right. Mitchell shouldn’t have proposed calling off the game, the other coach shouldn’t have agreed, and their bosses shouldn’t have allowed it. If you schedule a game, you should play it.
