The ref blows the whistle as you and your friends look at the scoreboard. 1st half is down with for your high school’s homecoming game. It’s pretty tight at 14-11 but that’s pretty good considering how good their QB was supposed to be a star. You and your friends head down to the snack shack not so much to grab a drink but to see and be seen. Half time at the high school football game is as much about checking out the scene and figuring what’s going on after the game than anything else. You don’t have much time to get back to your seats but you see that junior you’ve been checking out and decide to “look busy” a little longer. Half time rocks.

We all love the football half time. It’s a period of transition not only for the players but for the fans as well. Anything can happen after half time. If one team was dominating, Half time can allow prep sport players to step away from the action just a minute and gain a little reflection as to what he/she is or is not doing right in the game. Half time in high school football game is usually only 12 minutes. It sounds short but feels like it moves a lot slower that that. Two very different things are happening depending on whether you’re a player or a fan. Let’s look at the player side first.

Half time is the time for a coach to re-calibrate his/her team’s focus and strategy. You don’t always know what the other team is going to throw at you until you’re actually in play. Film can help and yes, you may have heard of certain star player’s abilities and tendencies but things change once you’re in game-time. Half time gives you a chance to absorb what’s going on. It’s sometimes hard to see the forest through the trees when you’re in the middle of it and high school sports action is no different. Of course, the coach has a 12 minute stage and window to rally his team and more than a few half times have been filled coaches’ rage at the lack of effort from the prior 1st half of the game. Even if you’re team is up, there are corrections be made and the warning not to slack off in the 2nd half since many games have changed at half time.

For the fans, it’s different. There’s the bathroom breaks and grabbing some snacks whose proceeds usually go to the athletic programs. It’s a chance to stretch the legs and socialize with your fellow high schoolers. On the field, cheer and the band are usually in full swing. This is really their “game time” in between halves. There may be presentations from the principle or other members of the school/community since this a great chance to reach not only most of the students at one place outside of school but also most of their parents which is a rare combination. Homecoming events usually occur during halftime as well with the crowning of the homecoming queen and king. All told, half time is as much part of high school sports as the actual game itself and we personally like it that way.

Author Bio: Dennis Jarvis writes about the world of Prep Sports including high school sports such as high school football, basketball, and baseball.

Category: Sports
Keywords: half time, high school sports, prep sports, high school half time, high school football, homecoming