Yes, Gunn, ranked 489 in the state according to Max Preps (and they will now go up) beat Y.B. (ranked 994) 56-6. They are now 4-1 by playing almost entirely terrible teams far below them, because the Gunn coach told his team they were not good enough to play against teams like Paly. It was the wrong decision...

Maybe the Gunn coach is striving to instill confidence and self-esteem among his players by not allowing them to get humiliated by legitimate prep football teams.

Could a single-A baseball team compete adequately against the LA Dodgers?

Highly unlikely but maybe they could seriously compete towards & win a single-A championship.

Kudos to the Gunn football coach for being both a realist and believer in reasonable expectancies.

[Post removed.]

Unless a prep team is rated in the top 20 (statewide), most ratings in the 400-900 range are insignificant.

That said... win or lose, Gunn should be allowed to play any high school football team within a reasonable radius.

Most competitive leagues & divisions will always have their share of juggernaughts and patsies.

Just like in the real world.

High school football teams tend to vary in both collective skill levels, overall talent, and size.

The weaker and smaller football teams should be shielded by not having to compete against certain teams where a sizable number of its players are destined to be college recruited.

In Palo Alto, this factor is not an issue and Gunn should be allowed to play Paly regardless of the final outcome.

If this were Texas or Oklahoma, it would be another story. In those regions, high school football is a source of civic pride and losing is not taken lightly.

Fortunately the Gunn & Paly football teams are not competing in the southwest region, gulf coast states, or Pennsylvania where the game is taken far more seriously at the prep school levels.

Pretend football is far different than real football and simply putting on a uniform & helmet does not make one a football player.

Wow, did you hear that, Gunn football team? Mr. Prosky just said you are not a "real" football team, and thank God that you are not in Texas or Oklahoma or Pennsylvania, where with competition, you might risk becoming one. (?). and I'm supposed to be mean. I never said Gunn was not a real football team, only they are playing in a conference that is below their level. I mean, they just won 56-6! and Max preps docked them for winning by only 50. Check back next year, and Gunn will likely move up. It makes sense. Why force them to stay down, just because these same limiting critics admit that they don't think football is very important anyway... It's like they're trying to shout down competitive courage or manhood.

Last night, on episode 3 of the Ali documentary by Ken Burns, there was this postulate:

"only great competition makes greatness."

This was illustrated by Ali's courage, after getting knocked down by Frazier, and his jaw broken by Norton, but then not only accepting rematches but also, taking on 25 year-old Hercules George Foreman (bigger, more powerful, Mr. Porsky, why yes), and beating them all (even knocking out bigger badder Foreman!). I don't understand the argument that 'listen Gunn, you are only meant to beat the hell out of terrible teams, you're not real football, you're in the wrong state; now Paly, in the same state as you, they get to play better teams, but not you! Gunn makes robots, and that is the only accepted civic pride for you!

Muhammed Ali should have quit while he was ahead as he lost a few steps along with quickness during his 3-1/2 year hiatus.

And it clearly showed during his subsequent matches with Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

Gunn football cannot be compared with the legacy of Ali. They have no legacy to begin with and are state ranked in the 'hundreds'.

Just have fun and play as winning (or losing) on this ground level should not be taken too seriously.

[Portion removed.]

I feel like these bossy anti-football people are just sour about a fight they had with trying to ban tackle football 5 or 6 years ago, which failed so very badly as it became more popular than ever. That's a shame for them, I guess.

Even if Ali was not as great after those 3 1/2 years off, I believe you are (intentionally) missing the intended point about courage and effort and persistence to reach goals. I mean, do all your goals come after just having fun and playing not too seriously, or is just a little more effort involved? You know a lot of us must still compete in life AFTER our prime years. Did you just retire early?

Finally, we must be speaking different languages. What if...say you had a kid at Gunn, and boy, did he build great robots. But you see, the school never competed against good robot-building schools, only very poor robot-building schools so even when your son or daughter built a half-inept robot, it still 'won'. Even IF you did not have hopes of MIT or CAL-TECH for him or her, wouldn't you be disappointed and try to encourage Gunn to find a better conference of robot-building competition for your kid?

@John - How do you figure that football is now more popular than ever?
Web Link

High schools, especially in educated areas, are having a difficult time fielding the same number of teams as in previous years. Paly and Gunn both have fewer teams than just a few years ago.

Here's another one:
Web Link

Justin, actually football has done okay during COVID. I think that's what your 2nd link is suggesting. I suppose it is not your cup of tea, and perhaps, you too think that if it is talked about by people who like it, it takes away from the glory of building robots. [Portion removed.]

John,
Not sure who Justin is, but nevermind that.
You stated that football is more popular than ever. I provided evidence to the contrary.

I don't build robots, and not trolling. But, if you're going to post claims, at least make them true.

When you make claims like the one you did, all it does is ruin your own credibility. It could be why so many of your posts get taken down. Why do you feel the need to make up stories that aren't true. If you love football so much, you shouldn't care that numbers have been declining over the past several years.
Try watching this RealSports episode where they show that one of the segments where football numbers are rising is the poor and uneducated:
Web Link

I watch plenty of football. Played it through college. My issue is not with football, it's with people like you who [portion removed] make gross generalizations of people who disagree with you.

It's sad, and at the same time funny and expected.

[Post removed.]

With the possible exception of a few local die-hard enthusiasts like Mr. Sails, high school football is a low priority in Palo Alto.

In other parts of the country, playing prep football can provide a viable gateway to a successful college and NFL career.

I suspect that for the majority of Paly & Gunn football players this option will remain a pipe dream and childhood fantasy.

Nevertheless, I agree with Mr. Sails that Gunn should compete against stronger teams so that the team will not get any false impressions of its football prowess.

A couple of good whuppings will encourage the kids to pursue a good education or trade and as adults they can then sit back and be armchair QBs in their adult years like most American males who follow football.

There’s absolutely no need to become an Al Bundy lamenting about one’s later life while reminiscing about the four touchdowns he scored for Polk High twenty years earlier.

So let the Gunn RBs score their TDs and have some fun.

Within the larger realm of life, playing high school football (like being a cheerleader), is just another chapter in one’s life and in most cases, an insignificant one.

Unless the person prefers to dwell in their adolescent past.

[Post removed.]

This game and its final score is past history.

Like Paly's shellacking of Santa Clara, let's see how these two teams perform against more formidable opponents.

Chances are they could not hold their own against the likes of Antioch, De LaSalle up north, or any of the San Diego County prep football teams.

Prep football in Palo Alto is akin to being a member of a high school Chess Club.

[Post removed.]

...but seriously, folks,

this game may be past history but the problem ISN'T.

Tonight, Gunn plays an even worse team, Saratoga (ranked by Max Preps at #988 in the state, or below Yerba Buena). Get this: in their 0-4 record this season, they have only scored against one of those teams...

John,
Gunn's opponents are determined by what division they are in, not by any hypothetical ranking system. Do you honestly believe that MaxPreps has any idea how to rank all of the high school football teams in the country, let alone the state of California?

In theory, the best team in the El Camino division is about the same as the worst team in the De Anza.

That's how it's been for many years.