Tyler Ethridge BREAKS National Record

By
November 4, 2006

HE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!! Tyler Ethridge is a happy young man after breaking a Six-Man national record for career touchdown passes. He now has 151. The old record was 148. He mentioned the great support he had received from coaches, fellow players, fans and the entire community of Richland Springs.

In an interview after the game he said “ I just throw the passes, it is the other guys that have to catch the ball then make the moves to score. My job is easy. I just throw the ball.” Tyler, I think you have over simplified the whole thing. I will give it to you though, if it is your job to throw the ball, you have done it very well.

I should mention that the final score in this game between Richland Springs and Eden was bad to nothing. I should also mention that Richland Springs scored the first 20 points of the game without Tyler even throwing a pass. The record breaking touchdown pass came on the final play of the first quarter and made the score 62-0.

It would be a pretty hard pill to swallow for a head coach seeing their team who was way outmatched both number wise and talent wise take that kind of a beating. I spoke with the Eden coach briefly after the game which his team lost 96 to 0. I wanted to tell him that I thought given the circumstances when Ethridge threw the record breaking pass, he did a very classy thing. The game was stopped for a short time and the game ball was given to Jerry Burkhart, head coach of Richland Springs, who in turn gave the ball to his recording setting quarterback. Tyler was then mobbed by his teammates. What was the class act? Before play began again, the opposing head coach and his staff and all eight of his players suited up lined up and they all shook Tyler's hand and congratulated him on setting the record. The same coach, when I talked to him after the game commented he wasn't sure there was a lot of class in a 96-0 score. He said what I expected him to say. I would have said the same thing but would not have been nearly as nice about it.

On the other side of the field, Coach Burkhart met me saying “there was no intention of running up the score”. I believe him. He played subs and he played players out of position. Coaching is a hard life. It seems like you are going to catch heck from one side or the other no matter what you do. Coach Burkhart has chosen to let his guys play the game.

I will also remind everyone that there is a “mercy rule”, thank God, that stops games when someone gets a lead of 45 points AFTER the half. Try putting yourself in the shoes of the winning coach in any of the lopsided games that were played tonight or any week of this season BEFORE you pick up the stones. Remember, it is hard to throttle down a bunch of kids so as not to hurt someone's feelings. Last of all I will say you have to live with the decisions you make, right, wrong, or indifferent. I will also say that what goes around, comes around. This is Eden's first year in Six-Man. Some day they are likely to become a powerhouse themselves and it may be that Richland Springs finds themselves on the short end of a bad to nothing kind of game. I am sure they will show class as well.

Don Hardin
txsixii@yahoo.com

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