Sunday, April 11, 1999
DAVE SCHUTTE'S HIGH SCHOOL COLUMN
OHSAA ejects 2-yellow card rule
Beginning with the 1999 season, soccer players ejected as the result of receiving two yellow cards will no longer have to sit out the next two games.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association instituted this rule six years ago to emphasize sportsmanship.
The Ohio High School Soccer Coaches Association thought this rule was unfair because yellow cards (warnings) aren't always the result of unsportsmanlike play.
For example, a player can receive a yellow card for obstruction and later for reaching across an imaginary line during a throw-in. This could result in two yellow cards and an ejection.
“We're going to explain the rule in detail to the coaches at the annual meetings held throughout the state,” OHSAA commissioner John Dickerson said.
“The soccer officials also will have a clear understanding because there will be certain instances when an ejection will result in sitting out the next two games.”
For instance, Dickerson said, violent fouls (intent to injure), cursing and certain other major infractions still will be dealt with severly.
“The board interrupted the rule as a death penalty for the kids,” said John Rossi, president of the OHSAA Board of Control. "One of the comments we heard from the coaches was if the rule doesn't work out, they will ask to rescind it.
Oak Hills boys coach Chuck Ausman applauds the change.
“There's a lot of knickknack calls that result in yellow cards and eventual ejection,” Ausman said. “The officials often hold back with a second yellow card, knowing the player will be ejected.”
Ausman said some officials may run past the bench and mention to the coach that there's a potential problem with a certain player.
“When this happens, I usually take that player out for 10 or 15 minutes,” Ausman said. “The officials usually say thanks or winks the next time down. They then know we're trying to work with them.”
The two yellow card rule remains when it comes to ejections from an individual game.
Because of the ejection rule, boys soccer has accounted for more than 33 percent of the state's total ejections the past five seasons.
Coaches thought this gave soccer a bad reputation, pointing to a bunch of athletes who couldn't play under control. All of the excuses have now been removed.
DOUBLEHEADER SET: The Tim Naehring High School doubleheader of the week, initiated last season, is the next three Wednesdays at Little Fenway Park in Miamitown.
Presented by Louisville Slugger and Athletes Reaching Out Foundation, LaSalle plays Roger Bacon at 4:30 p.m. and Lakota West meets Princeton (7:30 p.m.) this week.
Naehring, a LaSalle graduate who joined the Cincinnati Reds last year after playing for Boston, provided money to construct the stadium — a 90 percent replica of Boston's Fenway Park.
VEITH TO IU: Indiana has signed one of Cincinnati's best goalies, St. Ursula's Megan Veith. She had nine shutouts and 65 saves last season.
WANT ADS: Anderson has the following coach openings: head varsity girls volleyball, head varsity girls basketball, freshman football and freshman girls soccer. Send resumes to Randy Corbitt, director of athletics, Anderson High School, 7560 Forest Road, 45255.
Taft is looking for track teams for an invitational (boys and girls) on April 23-24. Contact Jim Engel or Ulysses Rozelle at 977-8034.
Lakota West has openings for head varsity and junior varsity tennis coaches. Contact Sara Beam at 874-5699.
LOCAL STARS: Cincinnati will be well represented in the annual North-South All-Star Basketball Classic April 18 at Otterbein College in Westerville by the following:
For the first time, the two girls and the two boys games will be played on the same day and at the same site, beginning at noon with the Division III—IV girls game.
The girls Division III-IV game at noon starts the action with girls Division I-II at 2 p.m.; boys Division III-IV at 4 p.m. and concluding with the Division I-II boys at 6 p.m.
Admission is $5 for the entire day.
Sports Stories
CARDINALS 4, REDS 2
Eric Davis: small fries to Big Mac
REDS NOTEBOOK
Box, runs
A layman's plan to fix the Bengals on draft day
Bengals best athlete plan words in Round 2
Picking the draft order is dumb, but my boss made me
Geoff Hobson's mock draft
Browns couching their bet
