[oneijoe]

Injuries were a big problem for Highlands this year; you already have your top talent divided between O and D so when you have injuries you are dipping in to what is essentially 3 or 4th string talent, and in Highlands case this year, it really showed on the field. The went all in with the 2 platoon and stuck with it regardless of injuries and it bit them in the behind.
It always cracks me up when people talk about WR/RB's getting tired. I can not speak for linemen as I was WR, but the average play is 3 seconds and then a nice rest between plays. These are young kids who can go all day long. I ran CC and track so maybe I had more endurance than some, but I was never winded in football and thought football practice was a piece of cake compared to CC and track.

It isn't about getting "winded" as much as it is muscle fatigue later in a game. I'm not talking about how a player feels, but how he performs.

Put 200-300lbs on a wooden sled, then push it as hard and as far as you can for 8 secs (the more accurate time of each play). Rest for 30 secs. Push again. Repeat 50 times (number of plays run; 100 reps for two-way players). Chart the distance the sled moved each time. Invariably the sled's distance will decrease as reps increase.

In track terms, top performance in football is all about sprint output (short distance at max output) kept at a high level throughout the game. It is simply impossible for any player who is maxing output each play to have the same ability at the end of a game. Going back to my primary point, linemen are working the hardest AND never get to take a play off (like wideouts and corners on inside runs).