It's not just a "trick play" by Driscoll Middle School's Football team that led to a viral video touchdown. The truth of how that "walking" touchdown came to be is far stranger, and far more nasty--involving "below the belt" practices from the Corpus Christi, Texas, coach.
Driscoll Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas, would've won a Championship game using a trick play practiced by the school's quarterback and football coach--but there seems to be a "penetration" issue that no one's really talking about, and the school hasn't gotten the win to match the video sensation. The Texas game video doesn't really say it all, with voices inaudible on video footage: it's all really a game of "make-believe" as the Driscoll Middle School quarterback actually pretends to ask for help from the sidelines, then walks slowly with the football, eventually picking up speed, to run for his life through defensive players and into the end zone. The "trick play" that's been called "clever", by many, however, isn't really all that clever--but it is an excellent example of poor sportsmanship.
Driscoll Middle School's Corpus Christi football team was losing to opponent Wynn Seale (6-0) in the fourth quarter of the Texas championship game that occurred over the weekend. Losing, with the championship game on the line, Driscoll's head football coach Art Rodriguez decided to utilize what the middle school's coaching staff dubs the "Penalty Play"--use of which should require a penalty for stupidity.
The moral of the story seems to be, 'if you can't beat 'em, well, (apparently) you can't beat 'em': after numerous and incorrect reports to the contrary, the Driscoll Middle School Football team didn't actually win the championship game with the "walking touchdown" that resulted from the coach's "Penalty Play". The ruling regarding the Wynn Seale football team's true win has been kept out of the media in general, referred to sparsely, by few outlets including CNN. Ironically, the Driscoll football coaches' "Penalty Play" has resulted in, well, a bit of a penalty to Driscoll Middle School. The initial quarterback "walk", that turned into a touchdown, supposedly tied the championship football game at 6-6. The technical win however has gone to Wynn Seale. Apparently, more is to be revealed: later. Right now, it seems that no one wants to interrupt the "trick play" football video that's gone viral--and all the chatter that video's creating. For the media, and much of the nation, it seems much more fun not to acknowledge the truth.
Game Day:
The setup, and what it looks like: one dumb bunch of defensive linebackers who would actually allow an offensive quarterback, from Driscoll Middle School's Football team, to simply walk through the line of defense, then sprint 67 yards into the end zone to complete a touchdown.
What it really is, the truth of what happened: a nasty move by the offensive football team and Driscoll Middle School Football coaching staff, where the school's offensive linesmen and quarterback are all involved in a game of verbal chaos and straight-up trickery. The trickery reeks of poor sportsmanship--and the football game's play isn't really a "play", but it is one hell of a charade.
With the Driscoll Middle School football team soon to be entering a championship game, Assistant Coach John de los Santos instructed 14-year-old Driscoll quarterback Jason Garza, and the entire middle school's football team, in "practicing" a trick play of what he dubs to be nothing more than a "quarterback sneak". In this Corpus Christi game, the "sneak" involved far more, none of which sheds a flattering light on the Texas middle school.
The November 8 Driscoll Middle School football video's gone viral on YouTube and across the internet: what viewers can't hear on the video, and what most of the media's not discussing, is a much bigger controversy that represents nothing more than poor sportsmanship: the football game touchdown doesn't involve a simple fake-out, but rather a crazy, verbal confusion that's headed by Driscoll's assistant football coach himself. What is called a "trick play" is far dirtier than appearances, involving not just the Driscoll quarterback in the charade, but also offensive linemen--and the middle school's coaching staff.
CNN sarcastically refers to the Texas Driscoll football coach as the "brainchild" of the trick penalty play, which opens the "genuis" to candidly speaking about the well-practiced setup: "Initially we set up the opposing [football] team by calling them offsides with a hard count. The referees mark off the five yards, then we line up. The [Driscoll Middle School football team] offense then comes to the line and i say 'Jason, Jason move it up five more yards -- it should've been a ten-yard penalty.' So, Jason [as quarterback for Driscoll] asks the [sic] for the ball, and he marks off five yards -- and, in the process, the whole [Driscoll football] team's like 'Jason, what are you doing?' Then as soon as he [the Driscoll quarterback] clears the linebackers, he sprints toward the end zone" for a touchdown.
Nice way to teach the kids ethics, coach--that type of play will certainly improve future members of society. Perhaps Driscoll Middle School can produce the next Bernie Madoff.
As the Cooks Source Magazine editor, Judith Griggs, should've taught Driscoll Middle School and its Corpus Christi school district, there's times to step out of the "spotlight" and keep your mouth shut. Had the middle school's assistant football coach not provided CNN a clear view of what really occurred, and exactly what the football team's coaching staff actually did in the championship game, the nation wouldn't have known the truth about the lack of ethics that a school can emply. Apparently the Texas school and its district were under the impression that a media interview would provide its school exposure: for future reference, Corpus Christi Independent School District, not all media exposure is good.
Thanks for clarifying, coach.
Essentially the Driscoll Middle School football coaching staff did a damned good job of leading the defending team to believe that the ball was out of play, that there had been an error on the field--but the tactics were nothing less than nasty.
The farce was backed by the strangest form of a Driscoll quarterback "snap"--a sideways move, made in such slow motion that it nearly appeared to be a hand-off of the ball. The type of "snap" that Driscoll used is technically legal in football, though uncommon--what made it virtually unseen and highly confusing was the rate of speed, or lack of, along with the Driscoll coach's simultaneous comments of confusion.
The nasty, trick play was furthered by deliberate verbal interplay between the Driscoll team football team members themselves, the middle school's own football players asking its quarterback what he was doing. Even the Driscoll quarterback and defensive linebacker were able to have a brief "conversation" during the lack of a melee--things were moving that slowly. The defensive lineman asked the Driscoll QB what he was doing, the quarterback responding that he was gaining five yards.
After the fact, the 14-year-old Driscoll football team's quarterback now looks like he'd like to crawl under the nearest piece of pavement, while video footage of the game and touchdown's gone viral.
CNN asks: "Jason, you practiced this [trick play] before: what did you think when the [Driscoll Middle School football] coach first called the play?"
The Driscoll Middle School QB: "I thought it [the trick play] was nonsense, I didn't think it [the play] was going to work at all."
CNN: "What was the other team's reaction? Did they think you cheated a little?"
The Driscoll Middle School QB response, following a large pause: "I think it was," says the Driscoll "Rangers" quarterback.
Oops. Sounds a bit like someone's feeling a bit gulity, or that his own team does, in fact, appear to have cheated.
In fact, the Driscoll quarterback says he thought he'd gain a few yards--and possibly encounter a bad physical beating during execution of the play. The coach had claimed, in practice, that the Driscoll team may actually get a touchdown through using the trickery.
Part of the craziness that helped the play, and which really confused defense, involved high levels of interaction with Driscoll's own team members: offensive linemen were instructed to ask their own quarterback: "Jason what are you doing?", as if they're thoroughly confused. Confusion causing confusion, the quarterback was allowed to literally walk right through any defensive line.
Part of the reason that the Driscoll quarterback is actually walking so very slowly has to do with the fact that he admits fearing he might be flattened by the defensive linebackers--should they catch on to the ploy. Fortunately for the young quarterback, he chose to sprint at what may have been a very good time in ensuring his own physical safety.
The Driscoll Middle School quarterback does eventually get flattened, ironically by his own teammates: a celebratory chest bump, in the end zone after touchdown, sends the Driscoll quarterback on his ass. Watch the video through to appreciate the irony. It appears to be fortunate for the Driscoll quarterback, that he never actually encountered a tackle during the game's play.
What may be the best irony of the November 8 Driscoll Middle School football team's "trick play" is that the middle school and its district appear to be wholly unaware of how stupid the event appears in the media: the Related Link, attached, shows some of the best related video footage on the web: a rarely-found CNN interview, which reflects the true intelligence level of the Driscoll school's assistant football coach.
View the entire CNN interview with Driscoll Middle School Football Coach and Quarterback on the Texas school district's CCISD web site--and note that any head coach is noticeably absent from the media interview. The young Driscoll school football quarterback seems to wish he was anywhere but in an interview--constantly averting his eyes and appearing entirely uncomfortable. The "trick play" certainly isn't improving the QB's social life.
No wonder the kid's hanging his head in shame.