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Show Mome field) advantage? coaches might say that they want on a level field, but if the bubble shift and tilt the playing surface toward the fans with the right colors, would they turn down the advantage? Do visiting teams ever get homered?" Can it be documented that there is a high school in Clipper Country where the football field gives thehometeaman edge? While some current coaches and school administrators might allude to a perceived advantage and prefer to play on their own field, few will go on record Football they simple coin flip eliminated one region champ from the state playoffs. So convinced was Hayes of the unfairness in both these practices, the issue became the subject of his master's thesisat Utah State. Largely as a result of his study, both the choice of the team jersey and the playoffs changed. all the county high Since the schools have acquired excellent lighting through matching donated school funds with a district allowance. Precedent was set in 1980 when View-moprincipal A1 Flake enlisted a local lighting business to be a partner in illuminating the Viking field In their quest for a top notch system, enough funds were raised to put brighter lights on taller standards mounted behind the stands. When it came time to install the fixtures, there wasn't a crane in the area tall . enjoy any e e d success t a home. Whet- her enough to reach the top of the poles! Sub- be- sequent in- cause it has the stallations at oldest schools were made next to the fields and illumination is virtually equal on all, according to school district maintenance staff. As a result of night games, ticket sales increased school revenue for sports. The fields at county schools reveal no obvious differences in terms of playing conditions, since all have now been con- the field , had the only lighted field in thecounty foryears, or just has the old- est winning tradition, Davis High enjoys the reputation as a school with home field advantage. But head coach Jim Dickson, heir to the dim lights and dark jersey's mystique at Davis, is quick to point out that their only two losses last year were at home. Only day games, of which Davis has none this season, concern the Darts. Lights, of course, have long been a real or imagined concern of Dart foes even though the old ones were replaced in 1 984 The new state of the art system was largely the result of fund raising efforts by . Gerald Purdy, then an princi- and former pal Davis football coach. Purdy, who byJAY TAYLOR in- stalled t h e wing T offense in 1963, recallswith a smile that Opposing coaches hated facing an unusual format ion in the dark! Lloyd Hayes, coach of the first varsity Bountiful High football team in 1956, is one who is still convinced Davis has had an advantage in Kaysville. In those days, he remembers, game footballs had a natural leather gold color, which made it tough to see the ball against either brown or gold jerseys. He coached when there was no rule on home team color. You just called the home coach to ask what they were wearing and then wore the opposite. Incidentally, Hayes Braves were likely tire first team in the state to wear low cut shoes and not black, but red with white laces.) Also at that time in the five big school regions, a structed with a won other 'Hi crown for drainage and all have sprinkling systems and general maintenance from the same district crews. Coach Dickson, however, thinks his staff has helped create ...one of the best fields in terms of the grass and markings because we take pride in doing it ourselves as coaches, which indeed they do. I think the kids play a little harder because they see us out there. Is there much question he likes his own lawn? Even seating capacity and quality at district fields is virtually the same and at- tendance pretty consistent, showing little evidence of any intimidation by sheer numbers. Unique among student fans are the Vikings, however. (Actually they should be called notorious after they created a near deaf experience at the state basketball tournament!) They fill the student section for every game, providing the same support for the last game in a losing season as the first. Ken Hadlock, assistant principal at Viewmont, said Our students like to be involved as a group whether it'sa game ora stomp. We s of our student body at a figure we have three-fourth- game. These kids just love to be together. "He added that last year's Viewmont crowd at the final away game was larger than the home crowd. If there is a home crowd advantage anywhere, the Viewmont kids have earned it. Two of the local fields have been named in honor of the schools first principals, who obviously gavp high priority to sports. Woods Cross field officially became Pares Curtis Field" shortly after his retirement in 1979. At a Homecoming celebration last year the Viking field became Almon J. Flake Stadium in honor of the retired principal's interest and contribution toports.Tothis point, Davis and Bountiful have been content to simply call it the football field. Documenting an actual winning advantage was impossiblefor Mike Jarman, longtime Woods Cross administrator. Some of our biggest wins have been away and some of our unexpected losses have been at home. Last year we were favored at home against Dixie and lost. Earlier we had imp dD at Dixie. Against Bountiful (Q3D3DJ over the years it has often been the oppo- of site home advantage . Kip Rawl- ins (an ou- tstanding Wildcat running back in 1 990) had his biggest career rushing game in a win at Bountiful. And Bountiful has beaten us here when we were favored. Though coaches prefer to be at home with no travel or meals to worry about and established routines in place, the home football fans might be less of a factor in the game than in basketball, for instance. Bountiful High principal Rulon Homer, speaking from considerable experience, doesn't buy the home football field tilt. Even though the coaches and kids are more comfortable on their own grass, with their own announcer and nicknames, the high school size crowd isn't much of a factor outside as they can be inside. They are not close enough to intimidate the play- ers or officials. The Braves coach, Larry Wall, with his penchant for maintaining routine, likely would always play at home. Examined in depth from the ground up, Clipper staff field work on the home advantage remains inconclusive. Is it real? Maybe only in coaches dreams. |