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Highland HS coach fired in revenge play
Randy Tune, defensive coordinator for the frosh-soph football team at Highland High School, was fired last week immediately after instructing four defensive linemen to rush a Liberty High School quarterback before the play began.
As a result of the play when Liberty was winning 36-0, the Liberty center, 14-year-old J.J. Perez, went to the hospital with a broken left clavicle. The four Highland players were ejected from the game and will likely be ineligible to play the next game. The injury to Perez shows the dangerousness of such a play as he was knocked down before he was ready to brace himself. Tune, an assistant coach who does not teach at the school, was fired immediately by Varsity Coach Cliff Bolton. Highland principal Bob Schneider said, "There's no excuse. What matters first and foremost is the safety of the players." High school is where students go to learn things. What lesson was taught here? Posted by Steve E. Swenson 28 comments from 10 users
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posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 10:59 AM
There are problems in various High School football programs. Issues that need to be addressed. If I were the parent of J.J. Perez I would be contacting an attorney. Their son was attacked at the instruction of an adult. These 4 players are lucky they are not in juvenile hall and the coach is lucky he was not arrested. Until LEGAL action is taken against actions like this there will be no change.
Liberty players have problems as well. Remember Benton the kicker who thew the T into the head of the back up kicker out of personal anger for missing a PAT? This was fluffed off as nothing by the Liberty coach who said the T bounced into the players head.....ya right!...and so did the 5 stitches he got also. Benton should of been benched a game. But was he? NO! Just an example of anger displayed, by a player, that was left unpunished. While we are on the subject of HS Football. Some us wonder how Peter Mitchell got to QB for the Drillers last Friday after being absent from school for a week with illness? Is there a CFI rule on non attendance and playing time? posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 11:02 AM
Good for that Highland coach, he should not get fired he should get an award. All these other violations such as recruiting and bending the rules to keep their players legal and the myriad of infraction these "good" coaches commit are left unpunished.
These teams who do not have a chance when they are placed on the field...that is a crime in itself, are expected to stand by while their opponent' s run up the score on them to make themselves look good in the eyes of Bakersfiel'd real sports people. A few more instruction like those by the Highland coach might cure those who love to run up the score in these games. But than not running up the score might might not make these games as exciting for the "good team" fans and less sexy for wannabe Howard Cossel 's like briddell to cover. A good example how insensitive and stupid the District and Coaches are is their new "play off system" where they can give these hoplessly outgunned teams yet another opportunity to get their ass kicked in public. School administations and coaches just cannot help embarassing this kids one more time for their own pleasure and letting the "good" teams make the District look better than they are.. posted by
ProgressivePete2
on Oct 24, 2006 at 11:06 AM
petenews, are you generally a poor sport or do you just reccommend that our area HS students act that way? Where do you draw the line? Up by 2 touchdowns, 4 touchdowns? It is too bad that these teams are running up the scores (they don't do that in the pros, why is it OK in college and HS), but deliberately causing injury to an opposing player is not what we should be teaching our kids no matter what the score.
posted by
mattloch
on Oct 24, 2006 at 11:07 AM
The lesson taught here is "if you're going to cheat and take a cheap shot, make sure it appears to be an accident."
posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 11:11 AM
I do not condone what that coach did in anyway. What he did was wrong. But I understand his frustrations. I graduated from Highland in 99. My first 2 years we had an awesome football team but after my sophmore year it was horrible. But a funny thing. All of the top players in the league at that time should have been going to Highland. They all lived in my neighborhood and I went to Jr. High with them. The quaterback from BHS lived right down the street. The top player at south went to Highland for 2 years and then transfered but he didn't move. East High had some of our players too. Even Centennial had someone that lived in our area. Hmmmm, strange. There is definately something wrong with High school athletics these days. Ohh ya and the whole Robert Swift thing. That was fair!
posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 11:38 AM
Hey all of a sudden the sportsman of Bakersfield are "outraged" at an infraction by someone against one of the elite teams in Bakersfield Football, what a crock!
The District motto for a long time has been if you can't beat 'em cheat 'em and if you can run up the score in the process....better!! GV is a good example Bakersfield vision of real sportsman. When you star out a program if you want to be succesful hire an old school Bakersfield coach with good recruiting credentials whose recruiting prowess was well recognized befeore he was encouraged to "retire" ....and ya vol an new dynasty at you new school at the expense of the "bad" schools. But the real culprit is KHSD, they condone all these "legal" practices because their is money value in having one, two or three good teams and and an equal amount of doormat teams... that is District program money. There are many problems in High School fiit ball, but giving someone his just deserts is just a small piece of the problem but as usual when the rare punishment is dealt...bring in the usual suspects , in this case the coach and the kids. As for the guy who wants to make this a case for the courts, now there is an idea maybe the administration and the coaches from North and South should be brought into court by the parents for endangering their kids lives by insisting that this kids play in games where they cannot even hope to be competitive and where their only reward is a chance to get hurt.. posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 11:43 AM
Oh and ProgressivePete2, you confuse sportsmanship with crassness, but that is ypur right. However, it might interest to know that what you think about anything mean just that to me ...nothing. You seem to believe that people have no control over these things....how naive.
posted by
ProgressivePete2
on Oct 24, 2006 at 12:28 PM
Apparently our area High Schools need to spend more time teaching writing skills. I'm a little confused anny, it sounds like you condone the actions of the Highland students. So I guess it's ok in your book to intentionally injure a player that is playing well? Where do you draw the line in your revengeful thinking? If the students know they're playing a better team should they find the star player and injure him before he takes the field, or should they just injure him during the game? Are we talking a serious injury like a fractured bone or a blown out knee or is "just deserts" a minor sprain or perhaps a concussion? What about at work? Do you injure a coworker when they get a bigger raise than you? Hey, I might have misunderstood what you were trying to say, but that's what it sounded like. posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 12:35 PM
You got it, almost, what is good for MaryAnn is also good for Abraham! These things happen all the time, and only certain instances are called bad...earler this year I watched a game in which the next South do it all was faced masked out of bounds and recieved the same injury....but the was not one of the elite team players....so no one noticed.
Incidentally, I don't understand the crap either you babble either ...what school are you going back to? posted by
ProgressivePete2
on Oct 24, 2006 at 01:27 PM
I'm not suprised that you don't understand.
posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 01:30 PM
What the coach said or did is definitely wrong. There should be no if ands or buts about this issue; period. Indeed, there are programs or a program in steady decline; however, this cannot be blamed on recruiting of all things. Every school has the potential to be competitive. On the same token, I will add that schools present various issues that differ from others that may stand in the way of getting a program rolling. Moreover, success is not measured by wins and losses. As mentioned in another blog, schools such as North and South are being put in "harms way" when playing favored opponents. I beg to differ. Every Friday, behind great coaching, those kids believe they can win and they do compete with anyone. As a result, the programs remain healthy and the kids learn and grow as young men. It is true that that North and South have had very successful winning years as well. Actually, just about every school has experienced success via winning in the last 20 years. In Highlands case, winning success came in between the mid to late 90's. My whole point lies in the fact that, as a coach, you can't punish opposing players for executing better than a coaches players at the time. Most importantly, one cannot commit such an act because they are being out-coached on the field and off year around.
posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 02:20 PM
ProgressivePete2, I Too am sorry that you don't understand see what you want to see-
As for every Friday great coaching "Every Friday, behind great coaching, those kids believe they can win and they do compete with anyone." how laughable.... .using that logic if you hit a kid over the head enough it will make them believe what you wan they are smarter than that sweetheart. Placing these kids in a lose , lose situation for a decade or more does not teach them to compete it only re-enforces the loser image and teaches them that those that have the means have the wins. And of cousre thes aplogetic types who hire the best recruiters and benefit from these practices will always that it is "Moreover, success is not measured by wins and losses" under what rock have you been hiding under sweetie, this is Bakersfield. It is time here they recruit nationwide for the "good" school and hire the left over drags for the "bad" schools. "Most importantly, one cannot commit such an act because they are being out-coached on the field and off year around.", how superior you are but for attitudes like yours that these that justify win at any cost....and it this case any cost is justified. posted by
coachmwilson
on Oct 24, 2006 at 03:28 PM
These posts are disgusting me. Some of what you anonymous people are writing is the most ignorant excuses for an argment I have ever heard. This was a heinous act perpetrated by a frustrated coach that couldn't win a game. He instructed children to break the rules of a game he is supposed to respect, which resulted in SERIOUS BODILY HARM TO A CHILD. Are you people that ignorant? Are you that unsympathetic to the fact that a coach, that is supposed to be teaching your children fair competition and moral character, instructed the children under his care to cheat and purposely injure other children? Are you people that angry and bitter because for your entire lives teams like Bakersfield High, and now Liberty, field consistently better teams than the rest of the area, and probably beat you when you were in high school? Whether you feel the teams bend the rules to get better players on their teams or not, they always play with class and don't blatantly cheat to try and be competitive.
Liberty was in no way running up the score. They were playing their second and third team players at the time of the play, while Highland had their starters in the game and still could not compete. You people need to realize that the world is not fair and competion will be a part of your children's lives until they die. There will always be people who are better than you at any given thing, and seem to have all the advantages in life. By ecouraging and condoning cheating, and by telling these children that they have no chance no matter how hard they try, you are turning them into cowards. These kids will never amount to anything if they are discouraged to compete. They won't always win, but if they never give up and aren't afraid to try, they may gain something that Randy Tune and most of you posters lack, the most important things a person can possess: pride and character. posted by
ProgressivePete2
on Oct 24, 2006 at 03:34 PM
Great post Coach! Winning isn't everything, but good sportsmanship is.
posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 03:55 PM
Great work coach spoken like a true superior who believes that HE deserves, and deserves it on his terms, you creep..
I love this one " his was a heinous act perpetrated by a frustrated coach that couldn't win a game. He instructed children to break the rules of a game he is supposed to respect, which resulted in SERIOUS BODILY HARM TO A CHILD." this is done every week and by tour beloved elite teamS STUPID, are you actually saying that this is the first time this has happened...even this year ashole? It is only because it involves a Liberty player that this is even an issue. And Libert ALWAYS runs up the score against the "bad" teams, it is their trademark. Luckily for me I did not attend School or college in Bakersfield, now there is a plus. "Whether you feel the teams bend the rules to get better players on their teams or not, they always play with class and don't blatantly cheat to try and be competitive" You have been Bakefieldized, cheating is ok if you get the players to win, and you do it with "class" code for running up the score, right? "These kids will never amount to anything if they are discouraged to compete." this the only true statement in your babble, and that is the point, and for two dcade this is exactly what the District has been doing at some schools, they want these kids to amount to nothing to make your kids look great, that is the plan and it benefits you so it is ok. But what difference does it make, these "loser" kids sicnce you do not consider them as good as yours will likely in a few years be in jail or killing people in Iraq, Iran or North Korea, so what is a broken bone or two, The real coward are those that teach that when some one is down, you kick him just as the elite schools you like to cite are taught bto do by running up the score, right? posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 04:06 PM
Incidentally ProgressivePete2, in Bakersfield A TRUE SPORTSMAN IS ONE WHO WINS AT ANY COST!
When was the last time a tribute was paid to a sportsman in Bakersfield who lost and lost big, but played the game right and with GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, get a clue Mr. Naive. posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 04:44 PM
Hey coach Wilson. You say the world isn't fair. That's true, but only because of ego-centric idiots like yourself. The world and life is what you make of it. If we keep the mentality that life isn't fair then it really won't be.
posted by
ProgressivePete2
on Oct 24, 2006 at 04:55 PM
You're a real angel there anonymous. Probably has something to do with why you can't even post with a fake user name. By the way, insulting the Coach or myself doesn't make you anymore right, and doesn't make you win anything. I know winning is the most important thing in your life. Good luck with that. I'm sure it will make you happy.
posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 05:00 PM
I love the theory of true "sportsmanship" expressed here, you teach kids to be competitive for "the rest of their lives" by placing them in a non-competitive guaranteed loser program where where they can learn success by watching others, right wilson?
Wilson your hollow words""These kids will never amount to anything if they are discouraged to compete." are exactly what is happening, except that they are never placed in a position to win so is success not winning? Be serious, year after year these kids are kept in losing programs to gratify the "Good teams", and competing from a non-competitive position teaches you only better ways to lose. What you and other coaches teach your teams is that the big dog gets the bone, and you are allowed to whine and cry when the "little dog" bites you. Frrom your expressed philosphy on sports sound like you would do better running the probation Department where the big guys can cheat and it is ok, but the serfs....they have no rights. You have a great future with KHSD, you speak their language and do their bidding with great aplomb as they say in Seaven Oakies. posted by
anonymous
on Oct 24, 2006 at 05:13 PM
ProgressivePete2, a real angel? From an aethist I don't really know how to take that. But you know your honesty is overwhemliing, I used to know another guy named Joe ProgressivePete2, I think he was Irish or Norweigan or something, but he was brave.
No, winning is not the most important thing in my mind or in any of these kids lives , but being in position to have an opportunity to win on a level playing field is, my guess is that to you and Super Coach Wilson that is just the other guys tough luck. posted by
coachmwilson
on Oct 24, 2006 at 11:04 PM
For one. I never came close to stating that winning is everything. I've been a part of losing and winning teams, and each time was a valuable experience to myself, teammates of mine, and to the players. Sports isn't about winning at all costs, especially at the high school level. As coaches, we try to build character and put forth a positive representation of how a decent human being should act, especially when faced with adversity. The coach in question shattered all aspects of what he is supposed to represent with one senseless act. Is the incident at Highland the way you want your children to act when things do not go there way as adults? If they were to get passed up for a promotion, is the proper response to sucker punch their successful co-worker?
This coach betrayed the trust put into him by Coach Bolton, the Highland administration, the parents, and the players. He is supposed to be a positive role model, and be a responsible adult figure. He isn't intended to be perfect, but should have the moral fiber to show poise and class when it matters most. It is all of your defeatist attitudes and lack of character that permeates all the way down to the kids you wish to coddle. The players are there to have fun and compete, not to have everything in life layed out on an even playing field for them. I'm glad they have all chosen to go out and compete, rather than whine about how unfair everything is. Every boy playing sports in this town is a better person, win or lose, than all of these anonymous losers who would rather have everything be fair and equal as opposed to actually having to try and accomplish something difficult or meaningful with their lives. posted by
anonymous
on Oct 25, 2006 at 08:58 AM
A few years ago I coached a NOR Varsity football team. That means these boys were 13-14 years old. I had 14 kids on my roster. 5 of them had never played before and the others, save 2 of them, well, lets just say I couldn't tell that they had ever played before. Teaching these boys the fundamentals and watching them grow from video game playing couch potatoes to honest to God ball players was one of the best things I've done. Don't get me wrong, when I saw my roster, I didn't want to do it. We lost all of our games except the last game of the year. You would have thought that we had just won the superbowl. Do you know why? I wouldn't let them give up. I re-enforced the progress they were making. We lost by 42 the first game, but lost by 30 the next game, but we scored. Huge improvement! Sure we wanted to win, but I tried to teach them that they were winning, just not on the score board. I see some of these same kids I coached playing high school ball and they always come up and talk to me. I was very fortunate to be involved with these kids. they taught me just as much as I taught them. These people on here that are glad that these kids got hurt are digusting. These "losers" that I coached had more class and guts than these cowards. posted by
anonymous
on Oct 25, 2006 at 10:08 AM
The more I hear from such as Coach Wilson, the more it is apparent that these Coaches are not hired not to teach kids character and fairness in competition , they are hired to poison these kids into believing their own version the golden rule” Do unto others and smile and feel superior as you kick their ass”. Life as it should be! posted by
ProgressivePete2
on Oct 25, 2006 at 10:15 AM
You really got that from reading his posts? Some of the responses in this blog are odd. I'm trying to figure out if you just didn't understand Coach Wilson, or can't communicate what you think, but something doesn't make sense here.
posted by
anonymous
on Oct 25, 2006 at 10:15 AM
Well, we never had a chance to run up or choose not to run up the score. I have a couple of theories on the "running up the score" thing. In youth sports, the score can fluctuate wildly, so what is a "safe" score? there are procedures put in place to stop this from happening. If your team is up by 28 points, you cannot pass the ball and you cannot run outside the tackles (no running wide around the corners). sometimes you can't help but to score even in this situation. If the runner breaks through the line, should he stop running?
Posted by M. Greene posted by
anonymous
on Oct 25, 2006 at 11:06 AM
ProgressivePete2, I understand both you and he perfectly, however, I am puzzled why you and most of the contributors hear are still in denial in respect to the inequalities in these programs and the infraction these “coaches” commit and their selective choice in infractions to criticize. They like to hit the less successful in the mouth, but when they get hit they immediately demand action, first rate hypocrites is what they really are. Most of these are not really forming kids to be successful or competitive, they just want players to exploit for their own glory, and whether their kids have a chance of winning or not is not the criteria for working with these kids nor is their concern for developing competitive minds, their criteria is to makes themselves look good at any price. You can learn to be competitive as well as you can learn to be non-competitive in the same activity and to lose consistently for years is not the positive you, no matter how you paint it or put ribbons on it. As for injuries, as I said, another player a few weeks ago suffered the same injury but he was facing one of the elite schools, so nothing was said even though the injury was a result of a face mask play out of bounds. But the system is rigged, it is obvious that some of these schools do not belong in the leagues that they are placed in, the resources for these schools are just not there, but they keep them their as glory building for the other teams. So if the coach actually told the kids to play it that way, so be it, I have watched many games where the officials are obviously very biased on one side, and this could be just one of those games. There officials that consistently call holding on the non-winning teams, whether to make their team seem superior or just a habit only they know. posted by
ProgressivePete2
on Oct 25, 2006 at 11:36 AM
There will always be inequalities in football. Look at the NFL. All teams are subject to strict salary caps to try to level the playing field, but the reality of it is that some teams are good and some are bad, regardless of rules to try to prevent that from happening. You may be right that the fix is in. Surely I've felt that way about the NFL for quite some time. As far as the refs calling a game fairly, or showing bias to the higher ranked team, I've seen that in every sport. I've always wondered whether it's referee bias or just that the lower ranked team commits more penalties. My guess is that the lower ranked teams just commit more. Like I said, I've seen these same problems in all different pro sports. You obviously have a great passion for HS football, and the more we discuss, the more I realize we are saying similar things. I think that the most important thing is to teach these kids good sportsmanship, because they will take that with them for the rest of their lives.
posted by
anonymous
on Nov 29, 2006 at 11:23 AM
wow, taking it out on the coaches, when, if they don't win, they lose their jobs??? Then, the players are taught unsportsmanlike conduct by someone who is willing to sacrafice modesty for a couple wins???
sounds like there are an awful lot of keyboard quarterbacks here
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