What Is Another Snap Worth?
When the numbers designed to organize competition begin influencing the risks we ask teenagers to take.
Last week, a 6A football game took place in Northern Idaho.
Late in the fourth quarter, the score was 35–7.
The game was essentially decided.
The starting quarterback was still on the field.
Not because somebody forgot the score.
Because another number still mattered.
Idaho’s new 6A playoff structure uses MaxPreps rankings to seed the four league champions that receive first-round byes. Higher seeds can earn home-field advantage through the semifinals.
According to reporting from the game, winning by at least 21 points mattered enough within that ranking calculation that it changed how the final minutes were managed.
Think about that for a second.
THE COACH ISN’T THE PROBLEM
I’m not criticizing the coach.
Actually, I understand the coach.
We’re competitors.
Give us the rules and tell us what matters, and we’re going to figure out how to compete within them.
That’s exactly why the system matters.
Because a few hundred miles away, another Idaho high school football game gave us a reminder of what exists on the other side of every calculation we make.
Players got hurt.
A source who attended that game told me several injuries were severe, including multiple reported fractures.
I have not independently verified those diagnoses, and I’m not interested in assigning blame for those injuries.
Because that’s not the point.
The point is:
Bones don’t care about rankings.
Ligaments don’t care about playoff seeding.
Concussions don’t care about computer formulas.
And a kid’s future doesn’t care why the adults decided another snap was worth taking.
FOOTBALL WILL NEVER BE RISK-FREE
That’s football.
I know that.
Injuries happen on the first snap.
They happen in one-score games.
They happen in blowouts.
They happen in practice.
We will never eliminate risk from football, and I’m not suggesting we try.
I’m a coach.
Competition matters to me.
Winning matters to me.
Standards matter to me.
But that’s exactly why we should be willing to ask harder questions about the systems we create.
Because when an external metric gives a coach a competitive reason to leave a starter on the field after the outcome is largely decided, we should at least ask:
What is another snap worth?
Maybe that quarterback needs the reps.
Maybe you’re protecting against a comeback.
Maybe you’re preparing for something you’ll need later in the season.
There are legitimate football reasons to keep playing football.
But when the reason becomes protecting a number inside a ranking system?
That’s different.
THESE AREN’T MADDEN CHARACTERS
Because we’re not talking about Madden characters.
We’re talking about 15-, 16-, 17- and 18-year-old bodies.
A broken hand can change a season.
A significant leg injury can take away an offseason.
A serious enough injury can change recruiting opportunities, development, confidence and, depending on the circumstances, the trajectory of a playing career.
So no, the answer isn’t to make football softer.
The answer isn’t to stop competing.
And the answer isn’t to blame a coach for understanding the rules better than everybody else.
The question belongs further upstream.
WHAT BEHAVIORS ARE OUR SYSTEMS INCENTIVIZING?
Because people eventually optimize for whatever we measure.
Schools do it.
Businesses do it.
Coaches do it.
Players learn to do it.
And sometimes the spreadsheet sees 21 while the person carrying the football is assuming 100% of the physical risk.
If high school athletics exists for the development of young people, then every system we create should eventually survive one question:
Does this system serve the athlete?
Or did the athlete become the input that serves the system?
There’s a difference.
We don’t need softer competition.
We need smarter systems.
Keep the standard.
Improve the method.
NO HYPE NEEDED.
Idaho High School Activities Association — 2026 6A Football Proposal
IHSAA January 2026 Board Synopsis — 6A Football Proposal
This is the strongest primary source. It documents the 2026–27 6A playoff structure: seeds 1–4 include the league/region qualifiers and are ranked by MaxPreps, with the higher seed hosting through the semifinals.
Coeur d’Alene Press — “In Idaho high school football, winning is now also a game of ‘21’”
Coeur d’Alene Press reporting by Mark Nelke
This is the direct source for the 35–7 situation. Coach Shawn Amos told the paper that Coeur d’Alene needed to “protect” the 21-point margin because of its effect on MaxPreps ranking credit, and said the new system changed how he called the end of the game.
MaxPreps — Idaho Division 6A Rankings
Current Idaho 6A MaxPreps Rankings
Confirms the active 2026 6A computer rankings. As of September 20, Coeur d’Alene was No. 1, followed by Rigby and Rocky Mountain.
MaxPreps — How Rankings Work
MaxPreps Rankings FAQ
MaxPreps says its computer rankings consider game results, playoff results and opponents’ ratings and are updated twice weekly during football season. MaxPreps does not publicly disclose the complete algorithm on this page.
MaxPreps — Columbia vs. Fruitland
Fruitland Football — September 11 game record
Confirms Columbia defeated Fruitland 56–37 on September 11, 2026.
Reporting note: The descriptions of injuries at the Columbia–Fruitland game came from a source who attended the game. NHN has not independently verified the specific diagnoses, including reports of fractures. Those details are therefore presented as attributed reports, not established medical facts.
Editorial note: The Columbia–Fruitland game is included as context about the physical risk inherent in high school football. The article does not claim the injuries resulted from coaching decisions, the score, the MaxPreps system or any misconduct.
Ranking note: The 21-point explanation comes directly from Coeur d’Alene head coach Shawn Amos, as reported by the Coeur d’Alene Press. MaxPreps publicly confirms that margin of victory is a factor in its football computer rankings and describes diminishing returns beyond a clear-win ceiling. NHN is attributing the specific 21-point threshold to Amos and the Coeur d’Alene Press reporting rather than independently calculating the proprietary ranking formula.
No corrections or material updates on record.