Me thinks the LG Fans doth protest too much.

LG we need to leave this alone now. We are all wrong and valid points have been brought up. Now enough and lets remember our manners. Lest we be know as the ones to antaganize the opposition.

It may be Obvious that I have never played soccer before(because I haven't), but last I checked Donnie Palmer is not only a great player, he is apart of the La Grange High soccer team, which made what he and Five other Granger stars A TEAM EFFORT. Troup got the same chance as La Grange. They just didn't take advantage of it. To say what the Grangers did wasn't a team effort is an insult. making excuses because you didn't get the result you wanted is in my opinion...

bad sportsmanship.

I was at the game that night, what the students did during and after the WIN(which is what it is all about when you are out on that field) was nothing but a bunch a teenagers supporting their teams. As I recall the Troup baseball team was down on the fence and trying to rally up their fans first.*act 1 of unsportsmanship* Then if I remember right Office Byrd had to get on to one of the Troup fans for running down the front of the bleachers after they tied it up, which before the principal was down there to talk to him before Byrd could.*act 2 of unsportsmanship* Oh and to top it off with act 3-Troups Coach, McCloud refused to shake hands with LaGrange players after the game...that's coming from the LaGrange players(EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.) So how was LaGrange showing any type of unsportsman like conduct?

I give it up to both teams who played an amazing game. And I applaude Tyler who played a great game, who is their best goalie! But obviously you have never played soccer either? But Donnie is a very skilled goalie. To end a game that intense with that much competitiveness going on is a great accomplishment for both teams, but what took more skill is taking on the pressure of a PK shootout!! Just imagine you being down on that field and its just you and that goalie with everyone depending on you to score for the win, but wait you cannot imagine that because you have never been in that position first hand, I have and I can tell you that it is VERY hard! And yes LaGrange has had 3 games end in PKs, that just means it was one heck of a game by both teams and ALL players.

Team effort. It takes an ENTIRE team to win a game or even tie it. If you were a TRUE coach who knew what was going on you would know that because its what you would coach. This is how this game end every single year, some sore loser parent or student writes a degrading article. Have you not asked any player what they felt like after the game. Everyone of those boys out there are friends and have grown up together and played club ball with one another. They had a good time, I know because I have a brother on Lagrange and he is still good friends with boys from Troup and Troup parents are still friends with Lagrange.

Rivalry in Lagrange is nothing compared to what it was with LaGrange VS Carrolton 5 years ago, Troup was just another game to LaGrange players. Just like now its just a game with tension between PARENTS not PLAYERS. Rivarly is what a player plays the game for, it is what they practice for, it is what motivates them, every single team is a rival. Trying to say there is too much going on would make the game boring who wants to pay and sit at a game where neither team cares enough to go their hardest? I know I wouldn't. Rivarly makes the game worth seeing and playing.

And the refs having family from LaGrange had nothing to do with the terrible calls. Your son is a ref, right? I am positive he has had a few bad calls too, just like I did when I refereed. But just because the ref is the dad of the GIRLS coach had no pull on the game. As I recall there was only the one who has family at LaGrange? And he was in the stands watching

I am a soccer player(4 year starter at LHS-girls,starter for Columbus Red Star's U19 team, starter for LaGrange College), I am the sister of Kevin Folsom(# 3 on LHS boys soccer team), the daughter of Mark Folsom(one of the best soccer coaches out of LaGrange, who actually KNOWS the game). So I know rivarlies, what it takes to tie a game, how it feels to be in a PK shoot out, and how annoying and embarrassing it is for a parent who gets their feelings hurt after a game to complain publically and cry wolf(in this case UNSPORTSMANSHIP)

The fact that you continue to claim that the other LaGrange players had no effect in the pk win is staggering. yes this has occurred multiple times throughout our season but out of three individual pk shootouts only once has a LaGrange player missed and it was not from keepers save. Yes Donnie is a very gifted goalie but if his teamates had not completed their job and scored when it was their turn then the story would be different. And please do not claim that I as well have not played soccer because i have been playing for 12 years and have played for multiple club teams and have even helped coach. And i know both as a player and a coach a pk is a much more difficult task than it appears so unless you yourself has taken one recently in this kind of setting then please stop making this claim

I agree with CK. Donnie is a good player. I was there that night and there was a lot of bad sportsmanship. I was also at the LaGrange football game. I left early from the LaGrange side. Does that make me a bad fan? I left because of the way some of our fans were talking. I also saw where some of our fans burned a tiger on a noose in front of Troup Fans in the parking lot before the game. To make it worse Troup fans who were sharing a tailgate with LaGrange fans. Some of us as I am sure CK is are tired of this. I graduated many moons ago but it infuriates me to no end how we are encouraging our kids to keep up this rivalry. Yes there is college rivalry and yes, Melissa it adds to the excitement. However, when it becomes verbally, mentally, and physically abusive, it is time to stop. At one point LaGrange and Troup were put in different classifications to stop this rivalry. I think it is time to start this practice again. We do not need to be in the same region, or even in the same school classification.

If the schools can not stop this then maybe as CK stated it is time to let the state look at it. It is not fair and has not been fair for years. No one will ever be happy with local officials. It actually strained a friendship when I said this before. Lets get past this now.

Let the past be the past.

It takes athletic abiltity, whether one on one or as a team. Obviously you are WRONG. Melissa has played 6 years of socccer. And i have grown up with two brothers who have played soccer since i was 6, and they still play. One of them is a ref along as many of my friends. My father has been a coach as long as i can remember for both of them. If you are who i think you are you probably know who i am, and you are a ref as well.

WE have fun with the rivalry, the parents take it out of hand. Many students at Lagrange have friends at Troup. Take in to consideration many of the things you hear are rumors, and you cant prove anything. Troup fans threw a works bomb. It is no comparison to a car.Kids may take it too far at times, but we have fun. Thats what sports are for. Entertainment.

The refs are not the issue. They all make bad calls in a game and good ones. We can easily find new refs if you would like to be that picky. Parents becoming to involved in these rivalry's is the BIGGEST issue.

P.s. 42-0. I'd be jealous too.

I really don't have a dog in this fight. From the sound of it, there has been bad sportsmanship from both sides, which is expected from a rivalry. Is it over the top? More than likely. Should something be done? Probably, but how do you police fan's emotions? When someone figures that out, they'll make millions of dollars, because campuses and pro venues across the country will want some of that.

CoachKelly makes a good point. Referees in sporting events involving Troup/LaGrange/Callaway should be completely unbiased (although it is impossible to be COMPLETELY unbiased), however, it becomes extremely hard for me to believe that "CoachKelly" is a coach when she says that a PK shoot out is the equivilent of a flip of the coin. That is completely asinine, and shows no knowledge of the game of soccer (yes, I played, and yes, I have coached). I'm not going to go into the reasons why a PK shootout is more than a flip of the coin, because I think anyone that knows anything about soccer understands that...

I wonder if these posts stem from the soccer game, or is it something deeper? CoachKelly's article started out bashing LHS fans and players, and then went into how the parents need to teach their kids sportsmanship.

I 100% agree with this statement. Parents, not coaches, need to teach sportsmanship to their kids. Children mirror their parent's behavior. This has been proven by scientists much smarter than I, or anyone else that has written on this subject in this newspaper. Coaches should encourage, and display good sportsmanship, but not teach it. It's in the hands of the PARENTS.

A parent wrote an article bashing LHS players, parents, and fans.... and then talked about how we need to teach better sportsmanship.... I hope I'm not the only one who sees the hypocrisy in this.

What happened to just congratulating the other team? The students are children, and from time to time, make dumb decisions, as children to do. Adults should not make the same mistakes as high school students.

Both authors (Coach Kelly and Melissa Visbal) make very good points, but both are just fueling the further "hatred" for each other. It's time to stop.

CoachKelly,

I would like to ask you if you truly believe that the level of rivalry of these two high schools is "out of hand". The author of this editorial hit it dead on when she stated that it is nothing compared to a college rivalry. This should not even be a point of arguing, both LaGrange High and Troup High students would be responsible for the rivalry. You can not pin the problems on one particular school. The only thing you could compare is the lack of class and illegality of these actions. And sir, you are clearly outnumbered here in both numbers and severity.

Also, I beg to ask you if you are suggesting these games are fixed? If you, by saying that "Maybe the GHSA will step in and get the officials who have family working at LaGrange to stop refereeing the games?", are suggesting that these games are not played fairly. I might have misunderstood you, so I'm just double-checking before i bring out some numbers stating otherwise

-Chad

Sportsmanship is something you(Coach Kelly) lack if your trying to take something away from a victory, stop being bitter a win is a win, and you keep worrying about team effort v. individual effort and we will keep worrying about winning even though the win was a TEAM effort. Yes I know the LG baseball team lost tonight and I am sure to Troup fans its like winning the World Series, when our football team won we didn't rub it in anyones face because we expected it. Look up the meaning of sportsmanship your taking the fun out of the sport.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying about Donnie, there. Are you saying Donnies team merely tied it and it was "all Donnie?" If so . . .could the same be said conversely, had the goal been scored?

When a football (American Football)game is won by a field goal, do we dismiss the rest of the teams effort and give all accolades to only the kicker?

Or a home run in a tie game at the bottom of the 9th?

Nope. I hope that isn't want you meant.

Wow this is some funny stuff going back and forth. Two words "Grow Up". If a kid is going to play sports they better get ready for some ridicule from other players and those on their own team. Sports and especially rivals go hand in hand, without rivalries, you might as well go play putt putt.

As far as the game, great game on both sides from both teams. Yes I said both teams. Don't believe any of the commentors have ever coached above the U14 level in Rec. ball so don't judge some great athletes standing on both sides of the ball, just cheer your team on. And from what coach kelly understands, your wrong, LG has only had a few shootouts this season, not many times. Had it not been for 1 mistake on LG's part with just a couple of minutes left, Troup would have never had scored that great breakaway. Outstanding shot young man! Yea I know you and that was impressive. The game ended the way a hard fought game should, from the mark.

Having had the pleasure of coaching many of the kids in select ball on both troup and LG, I will tell all, like it or not, Troup or LG fan, I could care less which, GREAT GAME!! To the boys on both Troup and LG, I apoligize for some, not all, of the fans. The majority were in good spirits but your going to have that select few. Coaches of both teams, I apologize, you can pick your players but you can't pick their parents. The players from both teams still talk, hang out and alot of them are still great friends. I'm sorry they are just not as devastated as some of the parents.

As for the ref's? We live in a small town and we are lucky to have what we got. Don't go questioning their character just be glad we had ref's. Past, present or future there are bound to be ties to one school or the other.

As far as sportsmanship, it should start at home and if the players are reading these articles/comments, SORRY!!

It takes one on one athletic ability. But obviously you have never played soccer. Since both teams basically tied, and it came down to Donnie saving his team, instead of the team winning as a team, I congratulate him. Yes Donnie is good at what he does. But that does make it a team effort. And from what I understand, LaGrange has ended up in that situation many times this season with Donnie being the hero. He is a wonderful player. I commend him.

If you want to get picky, how about LaGrange parents insulting players who are referees at Troup Recreation and select games about their ability on the field? Or better yet the fact that last year LaGrange players tore the antennas off of a car after the game and keyed it. Statute of limitations is not over on that one.

Or we could go into other areas. Yes rivalry is big in schools but it is out of hand in LaGrange and Troup county. And if the parents who can not handle the fact that they think they are immune to this can not handle this. Maybe they need to stop and think about the efforts of all the players. There are false rumors that can be dispelled by video of the game. But that is neither here nor there.

Maybe the GHSA will step in and get the officials who have family working at LaGrange to stop refereeing the games? There were two who had LaGrange ties on that game by the way. It does not go unnoticed. And I hope they take the video of the game and scrutinize it because it is not as it is always as rumors state.