The Huntingdon Mustangs didn’t play this Friday night as it was fall break for Carroll County Schools and the open date was factored into this week. The football season is basically eleven weeks for the regular season and all participating TSSAA members have an open date and it varies from school to school for when that is.
The Mustangs open date has come during week nine two seasons in a row and the question is does an open date help or harm? I remember from my playing days that we didn’t have open dates and the season started the first week September and ran ten weeks but my how times have changed. So, back to the question of does an open date help or is it harmful?
I think the answer to that depends on the team and it depends on when the open date occurs. This edition of the Huntingdon Mustangs in my opinion were in need of an open date. The Mustangs have come off some high intense emotional games the last few weeks. Three weeks ago, the Mustangs played a traditional rival in Milan that was full of emotion and tense situations.
The game before the open date was with Westview that was basically for the region title. The game was very physical and definitely was a playoff atmosphere and you could how important the game was throughout the stands. With the game being so physical, I’m sure there were lots of bangs and bruises and a week off will definitely help the Mustangs from that aspect.
I think in this situation the Mustangs will benefit from a week off. They can now regroup and step back and prepare for the next two games which will also be huge games. The Mustangs will play powerhouse Trenton and then finish the season with Union City on the road for what basically will be for second in the region.
The negative to an open date is that it might result in a break in the momentum of a team that is rolling merrily along and the interruption would stymie that momentum. Again, I think the Mustangs will benefit from the open date and pick up where they left off. For more of my ramblings, check out The Beating Around the Bush Podcast on Apple, Spotify and other places you find your podcast.
