(KWES) - Instant replay is making its way to high school football. Recently, Alabama became the first state to allow the technology at all games starting in the fall. So that sparks the question, is Texas next?
"I think it'll be a long time before we see it in Texas. I think you'd have to do it in certain games Iike state championship games and see if it worked," said Clint Hartman, Midland Lee football coach.
Part of the reason Coach Hartman believes it won't make its way to the Lone Star state anytime soon is because video review by coaches isn't allowed at this time.
"You know Oklahoma and Alabama you can have big TVs on the sideline and you can look at what they're doing and video it. We can't in Texas look at any video during the game. You can't go in at halftime and say well let me look at the video and see what they did in the first half," said Coach Hartman.
Minnesota and New Jersey have used instant replay in championship games but Alabama schools will now have the option to use it in every game. Keyword – option. The use of instant replay is not mandatory as schools will have to provide the necessary software themselves.
The idea is that they use cameras already in place, previously used to capture game footage for film sessions and athletes highlight tapes, but as Gary Speed of the Permian Basin Officials knows, the technology will not compare to instant replay at higher levels.
"We do miss calls but there's some that the TVs are just not gonna catch. I mean one or two cameras. College games they have ten or twelve. National championship game I was told there were 51 cameras so nothing was being missed," said Gary Speed, Permian Basin Official.
Add that to a whole new bunch of rules his refs would have to learn, and you have why speed thinks instant replay would do more harm than good.
"It's just gonna clutter the game. It's just gonna make it more confused than it already is at the high school level. At the college level yes it's workable but high school level it's just not there," said Speed.
And even though 'bad calls' happen, Coach Hartman would like to see the human game stay human as well.
"You know I figured there's a plan and God has a plan you better figure it out and you better be really on your toes and try to not let it be in the ref's hands," said Coach Hartman.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association is calling this an experiment. Teams have permission to test it out for up to three years. The UIL has talked about testing it out in state championships in the future.
