Film Flap Surrounds Buchtel-Massillon Match-Up

Buchtel head coach Ricky Powers hugs Tyler Jones after the Griffins 52-8 win over Marlington in the Div. III State semifinal game at Fawcett Stadium. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal)

View Larger Version >>

Buchtel Griffins coach Ricky Powers

The Buchtel Griffins are scheduled to kick-off the season against the Massillon Tigers Thursday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, but coach Ricky Powers and his staff have little idea what they’ll be facing when the teams play.

Powers, by his reckoning made seven requests to Tiger coach Jason Hall to trade film with Massillon and he received no reply.  His defensive coordinator, Kemp Boyd, also made multiple requests to Hall, Powers said. Powers appealed to the Tigers’ assistand athletic director – Hall is the school’s top athletic administrator – to speak with Hall but still received no reply.

Hall finally sent Powers the following text message:  “We have decided not to exchange film.  We couldn’t get anything off last years (sic) film due to the poor quality,” he wrote. “We scouted the scrimmages and we are good.  Thanks.”

The excuse for not returning at least seven phone calls from Powers himself?  Hall left his phone at home, he said in another text.

There’s a gentleman’s agreement that teams exchange film in high school football and it’s normally done the weekend prior to a game.

An informal survey of a group of footbal coaches in the area said that the way Hall handled this was shady at best and dishonest at worst.  Efforts to reach Hall via phone and email proved unsuccessful.

Buchtel dominated the Tigers in last year’s season opener 29-13.