Is there a correlation between having "older players" and success

[toast]

Do you believe there's a correlation between a high school football team having several players in each class (grades 9 through 12) that are on track to graduate high school at 19 or even 20 years old and the success a team has on the field?

Simply put....do the most successful high school football teams year in and year out have an age advantage over most of the teams they play? And if so does that advantage translate into more wins?

[Ironman92]

An advantage but not as important IMO as having great athletes or great kids with great parents or great coaching.

[Orange and Brown]

Great programs have great athletes and coaches.
That's the secret....

[countywide35]

as a coach you need to look at the entire core of student-athletes you have out for a team. every kid has a different story and scenario as to how they got there. but as the coach it is their obligation to "play the best" student-athletes they have in order for success. you see coaches break this on special occasions, such as senior night, return from a pro-longed unexpected injury, etc. with the "non-starter" starting the game and then coming out after mere minutes into it. so having older players IMO does not guarantee success. there is no substitute for heart, desire, work-ethic, athletic ability, and great coaching. regardless if a student-athlete is 14-19 (maybe even 20 lol) whoever gives you the best chance to win is the student-athlete that should play

[teach1coach2]

Answer: Yes

But more importantly, the older a boy is entering kindergarten the better the chance they are ready to have the needed behavior and skills to learn. Doesn't seem to be true for girls according to my wife. All 3 of my sons started kindergarten at age 6. It was about education, but certainly I knew there was a sports benefit as well. My wife has taught kindergarten for more than a couple decades. Year after the year, the kids not doing well are the younger boys in class (with few exceptions). I should note that two of my 3 sons are/were not really interested in sports.

[toast]

An advantage but not as important IMO as having great athletes or great kids with great parents or great coaching.

I've always believed having great athletes is the most important element needed to be successful. Without them the other elements don't mean much.

But just think if a team had great athletes AND several of them in each class were a year older than their counterparts from other schools. I believe that would make a tremendous difference on the football field.

teach1coach2: Thanks for the input. I've witnessed the same thing in the classroom. It really does seem to benefit boys academically.

[Abe Froman]

Assuming some degree of athleticism, clearly the answer is yes.

[Zunardo]

There are a lot more factors to consider than just the hopefully increased physical maturity and athleticism of older high schoolers. This article touches on those:

"Is it ever a good idea to hold your child back?
The decision to delay registration to age 6, frequently called “academic red-shirting,” is complicated, Dr. Boose says.

Boys develop social skills later, and they may not show interest in focusing or learning letters. Another year before kindergarten could benefit them.

Parents concerned about sports performance sometimes opt to delay, hoping an extra year will give their child a boost in physical size and coordination. Those benefits can translate into increased playing time and skill development.,,,,,,


........The sports benefit doesn’t appear with academics because everyone receives equal instruction, and existing research shows children entering kindergarten later aren’t more likely to graduate or earn higher degrees.

Don’t delay for the wrong reasons
Deciding when to enroll a child is an individual decision, and parents should make the choice in their child’s best interest, Dr. Boose says.......

Parents should also avoid holding their child back out of hyper-competitiveness. Some opt to delay, hoping the child will have more athletic or academic success than his or her peers. But be aware that the added maturation year takes away a year in the workforce later on, reducing earning potential.

Enrolling a child at age 6 could also place him or her in a classroom with younger, less mature children who started kindergarten “on time.” The developmental differences could hinder an older child’s learning.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/chil ... dergarten/

[teach1coach2]

With all due respect to Dr. Boose, I started all 3 boys in kindergarten at age 6. Absolutely no regrets. I don't believe I did an academic redshirt, I believe many other people cut their child's pre-school years by a year. Besides the academic benefits, it gave 1 additional year to save for college. Dr. Bloom may look at it as 1 year less of adult earnings, but I view it as 1 year closer to retirement.

Glass half empty vs half full disagreement. Just depends on how you look at it.

[JTEK]

There are a lot more factors to consider than just the hopefully increased physical maturity and athleticism of older high schoolers. This article touches on those:

"Is it ever a good idea to hold your child back?
The decision to delay registration to age 6, frequently called “academic red-shirting,” is complicated, Dr. Boose says.

Boys develop social skills later, and they may not show interest in focusing or learning letters. Another year before kindergarten could benefit them.

Parents concerned about sports performance sometimes opt to delay, hoping an extra year will give their child a boost in physical size and coordination. Those benefits can translate into increased playing time and skill development.,,,,,,


........The sports benefit doesn’t appear with academics because everyone receives equal instruction, and existing research shows children entering kindergarten later aren’t more likely to graduate or earn higher degrees.

Don’t delay for the wrong reasons
Deciding when to enroll a child is an individual decision, and parents should make the choice in their child’s best interest, Dr. Boose says.......

Parents should also avoid holding their child back out of hyper-competitiveness. Some opt to delay, hoping the child will have more athletic or academic success than his or her peers. But be aware that the added maturation year takes away a year in the workforce later on, reducing earning potential.

Enrolling a child at age 6 could also place him or her in a classroom with younger, less mature children who started kindergarten “on time.” The developmental differences could hinder an older child’s learning.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/chil ... dergarten/

That 1 year of extra earning potential was absolutely the deciding factor to not hold my kid back

[Zunardo]

With all due respect to Dr. Boose, I started all 3 boys in kindergarten at age 6. Absolutely no regrets. I don't believe I did an academic redshirt, I believe many other people cut their child's pre-school years by a year. Besides the academic benefits, it gave 1 additional year to save for college. Dr. Bloom may look at it as 1 year less of adult earnings, but I view it as 1 year closer to environment.

Glass half empty vs half full disagreement. Just depends on how you look at it.

That was my take as well - and I think that's essentially what Dr. Boose was saying in a round-about way. We as parents usually have a pretty good idea when our children are ready for school.

My oldest son started kindergarten two months shy of turning 5. He'd had a year of pre-school, and he was ready emotionally and intellectually. Son number two started a few months before turning 6, and again that's when he was ready, according to our observations. No regrets about either one. Both participated in middle school and high school athletics, but were never in danger of showing athletic scholarship ability. I'm pretty sure starting them later in kindergarten wouldn't have made a whole lot of difference in that regard.

[toast]

I've been curious over the years if one of the main reasons some teams have been able to sustain a high degree of success over time is that they have an "age advantage". Of course those teams that have sustained success have many things going for them. But being a year older than your opposing competitors at your grade level gives you a significant advantage. For guys in their mid to late teens an added year generally means you will be bigger, stronger and probably even a little faster. You will also have acquired more experience, knowledge and confidence. It could mean the difference in a game where two teams are otherwise pretty equal.

[TCat]

Wheelersburg has a freshman parking lot at school. Yes it makes a huge difference. Look how much most kids mature during their Freshman and Sophomore years of college

[farmer]

Depends on the parents and the program. Sometimes when kids gets the drivers License early they burn out on sports because they can drive to do other things. Is the kid playing for himself or his dad or did that change as he got older, That is some kids not all. Reason you need to look at each kid separate. Like the kid or family members being sick or injured. As well as a family member dying. Or just an event causing emotional trauma. As well as other things.

I knew a football coach held his son back. Who was right around the age to send or hold back. He was a former college player but his son was an alright player but his son just didn't have that extra gear his dad had. His dad played the kids who earned it on the field. Not who they were. Kids are not like robots produced the same skill set. Sometimes a senior maybe a good part of the team with experience and a good practice player. Just not on game day. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Just like life. Work hard and what happens happens. Play the cards you have.

[ArmChairQB]

Is it possible to graduate at 20 in ohio? I thought you couldn’t be 19 before August 1st, of your senior year.

[toast]

Is it possible to graduate at 20 in ohio? I thought you couldn’t be 19 before August 1st, of your senior year.

Bylaw 4-2-1 (High School Age Limitation)

Once a student attains the age of 20, the student will no longer be eligible for interscholastic athletic competition notwithstanding where that 20th birthday falls in relation to the sports season.

Not positive but I think this is a new rule for 2018/19.

[svac83]

I don’t know about as a team but I cantell you every time a 19 year old 250 lb 2 year started. Will almost always handle a 15year old 16 year old or 17 tear old opponent no matter his size or skill at least as a lineman.

But hey if you got a kid with 4.3 speed and great hands I don’t care how old he is. He would dominate

[Proud_Pirate63]

Wheelersburg has a freshman parking lot at school. Yes it makes a huge difference. Look how much most kids mature during their Freshman and Sophomore years of college

Freshman at Burg aren’t allowed to drive to school. So this parking lot must reside in your imagination.

[91blue14]

I think its probably a bigger deal in smaller divisions of football like 5,6,7 to me and I mean just me in d7 when you have to sometimes play freshman and sophomores its a real big deal when your playing teams that are 18 and 19. I am not very familiar with 5 and 6 so maybe someone else can chime in.

[Ironman92]

Wheelersburg has a freshman parking lot at school. Yes it makes a huge difference. Look how much most kids mature during their Freshman and Sophomore years of college

Freshman at Burg aren’t allowed to drive to school. So this parking lot must reside in your imagination.

Lol, I didn’t get my license until the start of my junior year