Pursuit of Record Brings Sportsmanship Into Question

Hunt's team had lost its first four games of the season, and it hadn't scored against Matewan in seven years. But never had Burch suffered this sort of embarrassment. Midway through the fourth quarter, McCoy ran for a 77-yard touchdown that was negated because of a holding penalty. McCoy smiled, trotted back from the end zone to the line of scrimmage and, on the very next play, took another hand-off for an 87-yard score.

"It was kind of unbelievable to watch it happening," Hunt said. "With about six minutes left in the game, I heard one of their assistant coaches yell, 'One more should be enough!' And here I am, my team losing by like 60 points, and I'm thinking, 'One more was enough two hours ago.' "

Hunt paced the sideline and grappled with a brew of fury and humiliation. What could he do? How could he respond? Precedent suggested he could lash out. In 1990, when current WNBA star Lisa Leslie played for Morningside High School in Inglewood, Calif., she scored 101 points in the first half. The opposing coach -- trailing 102-24 and down to four girls after two of his six players fouled out -- forfeited before the third quarter.

When Epiphanny Prince scored a national-record 113 points in a basketball game for Murry Bergtraum High of New York against city foe Brandeis last season, Brandeis Coach Vera Springer briefly considered quitting. "It makes you physically sick," Springer said. "I'd rather lose 100 games than one game like that."

Hunt gathered his assistant coaches with about four minutes left in the game to form a response strategy, and together they watched McCoy run in a 25-yard touchdown to cement his record. Hunt pointed at about seven Matewan players, who screamed and danced in the end zone. "We have to do something about this," he said.

"I'm sure there are hundreds if not thousands of games each season where a record like this could happen, but it's just about who has the greed and selfishness to go out and do it," Hunt said. "It's not about who has the talent. It's about who has the greed and disrespect."

Before the clock ran out, Hunt called over one of his senior captains, Joshua Croaff, and asked the linebacker if he thought the two teams should keep with precedent and shake hands at the end of the game. "The only way I'm shaking their hands," Croaff said, "is if I'm wearing a handcuff."

When the game ended, Matewan players walked to midfield expecting to cordially shake hands with a bunch of kids who lived 10 miles down the road. Standing on the visiting sidelines, Croaff hesitated for a second, as if deciding whether or not to meet his opponents. Then he turned in the opposite direction, motioning for his teammates to follow. Burch players jogged directly to the locker room, leaving behind a field where two things had been broken: a record and a tradition.