You coaches make me sick, play the boys on the bench.....They work just as hard as your so called stars... I know 2 of them that were big stars in 8,9,&10th grade and you idiots have them on the bench and have not played them once. What gives, they arent related to you guys....Further more if your in a loss anyway why not play these kids that work just as hard as your so called stars..As I said you make me sick and if I was a parent I would be reporting you.I have quit going to your games and I hope alot more people quit also...

Time for coach Dukes to go. Coach is clueless. Never plays any of the good guys on the bench and give the starters a break. We always managed to rotate the kids when they were in HAYAA and had great undefeated seasons. How are the guys sitting supposed to ever step in if you don't give them playing time. Its a shame these kids can go undefeated for years then get to varsity and lose so many games. The play calling and clock management suck. Can hardly stand going to a game anymore. We have better coaches in the youth league who call better plays than that. No wonder we lose so many kids to CC or kids drop out of the varsity program. It's amazing we have such great sports programs throughout the school but our varsity football program is such a joke. Note I only said varsity. The Freshman and JV coaches seem to have their act together. Have a coach who is truly committed to the program and the kids including the youth level.

Signed a former HYAA Football Coach for 8 years.

I could not agree more. Dukes has no clue that his offense does not work with the talent we have. We need to match the system with the talent, go to something more conventional. He shouldnt bring up kids that cant perform on varsity let alone on j.v. when you have kids that work hard every day that can perform and leave them on the bench!!! He must watch the game films with blinders on. Be a man and step down before you dont have any players to coach or get fired!!!!!!

Duke talks about team spirit, please he wouldnt know what that was if it hit him in the face. I can only hope you parents do something about this...Stand up for your kids, Duke is not the parent you are.

The problem with High School football is that if you want to put on a set of pads your on the team, they need to cut the kids who will not have a chance to ever get on the field so they can try other sports that are looking for kids to tryout. Hartland Varsity football is a typical High Scool program give your seniors the best shot to start and work back from there. Next year if your sons will be seniors they will be on the field if they don't have football skills they will not.

I agree, fresh bodies sounds logical, I have watched the games and wondered the same. However I cant explain x's and o's and cant figured this out either. I just feel for the guys on the sidelines waiting for the chance.

Same kids each week??????Ya think. Tired, yea they are. The best players??? Guess not, they cant get the job done. But lets leave all the rest of the kids on the bench....Way to go DUKES>>>>NOT!!!!!!! Dukes go home and take a rest yourself, I think you need it. Let us have a real coach, so we can have a win!!!!!!!!!And maybe some more of the kids can have a play.... Oh wait I forgot they are only there to practice and make you look good for having such a large team..... Get Real, you Dukes make me and alot of other people SICK.... As I said people STAND UP FOR YOUR SONS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Game Hartland !
Boys played well
Coaches did a great job getting players in!

Great Win Hartland!

The problem is you all still believe you are in junior football.
This is High School. It is not 6 plays, everybody plays, trophies for everyone.
They go through Jr. Football to get to this level where the best kids for the best
situations play. This is prepping them for life. Tell me how many companies take key employees out of situations just to give everyone a chance. The coaches were attempting to win to get this team to the playoff - the next level. They went with the players they felt were the strongest at that time. This is typical of every high school program. Did you happen to count how many players Grand Blanc played? What about Howell, Brighton, Milford. All fewer than Hartland. Enough of "Daddy Ball". Let the coaches coach and let your players step up and fight for what they want - it will teach them how to succeed.

I truly believe the athletic programs are missing a big piece of the puzzle. Fan, student and community support is pathetic. I am not talking about financial support but sprit, enthusiasm and a positive attitude towards winning.
Our young adult’s women and men teams face competition every week. The outcome of these team events are based on 50% skill and 50% emotion or mental state of attitude. Remember we are talking about young influential adults!
The coaches of each sports role is conditioning, training, increasing skill level and building character. Our role as parents should be to support our young adults through positive encouragement, event attendance and cheering loud for our team.
I am not writing this to condemn you for bashing the coaches or to support the coach’s efforts. Everyone is free to voice their opinion! I just want to express that everyone is responsible in the community for building a tradition! A winning tradition! It takes time and does not happen overnight.
Who is responsible for this? It starts with influential community leaders. It starts with the school board. It starts with the superintendent; it starts with the athletic director. It should be through their leadership that they create a culture or positive environment for our young adults to compete in.. and it all trickles down through team coaches, teachers, players, band members, cheerleaders, student body, event announcers, parents and fans. It evolves into a winning tradition!

You are so right and the voice of reason.

Sitting at the Waterford game last evening, I was surprised at the school spirit for the opposing team. This is a team that is truly having a losing season. The stands were filled (granted it was homecoming) but they were cheering on their team from start to finish. The other schools we have visited: Pinckney, Grand Blanc, and Milford outshined us as well when it came to team support and pubic connection.
There was so much pride at the other schools, it made us in the stands wish for more at home. Hartland is in need of a boost in community support and it starts from the top down and with the parents and players. We complain about community not supporting the players, but the coaches and players (as a unit) are not out supporting the community either. It is difficult to get the players to do anything outside of football as a unit. This starts at home. Parents need to teach their children that a connection can be built by them. Coaches can work on teambuilding and increased community support at the same time by making some requirement of the players to be involved. The boys should be involved with those that need their support or at least be a positive force in the community.

But we do have a problem with parental influence.
We elect a school board to monitor the administration. The administration makes sure the athletic department is doing their job and the AD should be sure the coaching is having the proper impact on these players. Things are not always going to go well. We will not always win...we might not always play...but we should always learn.
Parents need to trust the folks that are in place to do the job they are hired to do. If they don't, then they should be replaced.
There will be disappointments in life, but we learn how to deal with them...and from someone that was involved in athletics, sports participation (not necessarily playing) teaches us how to deal.

you parents don't understand the fact of competition. being a former player at Hartland coach dukes is a mentor for his coaching staff and his kids this is not Hayaa football anymore, i am sorry not all of your kids are going to play. i had to fight to start last season and i proved to them that i could do it. so if you cant handle your kids that do not want to practice and say i am not playing so i am not going to get in on scout team plays to prove to the coach's that they want to play. Thats what goes on during practice during the week and that's why your kids do not play. i am sorry but its life and if they want to have success in the future they have to prove to there boss that they want to fight for that promotion. that's what coach dukes stressed to our squad last season and brought a team that wasn't even expected to beat Pinkney to a well respected 6-3 and a playoff birth so do not say coach dukes and his coaching staff does not know what there doing because they do and if you don't like that hes still the coach well i'm sorry because he is gonna be here for a long time.

Join the bowling team, everyone gets a chance.