Well, let me tell you, I ain’t no expert on all them fancy school things. But I’ve seen my fair share of them high school football games, cheering for my grandkids. You know, them young’uns running around like chickens with their heads cut off. So, you wanna know how long is a high school football quarter, huh?
Now, them fancy football games on the TV, them’s different. They got all sorts of rules and what not. But high school football, that’s a whole other story. I remember one time, my grandson Billy, bless his heart, he was playing and that game went on forever! It was one of those hot days, you know the kind that makes your skin stick to the plastic seats. Those boys was out there in the hot sun, and I thought they’d just melt away.
They got these things called quarters. Like, you know, a quarter of a dollar, but it ain’t got nothing to do with money. It’s just what they call a chunk of the game. They play four of them quarters, and each one, well, they say it’s supposed to be 12 minutes. Yeah, 12 minutes, that’s what they say. But Lord knows, it feels a whole lot longer when you’re sitting there baking in the sun!
- First quarter: 12 minutes, they say.
- Second quarter: Another 12 minutes.
- Half time: This here is longer, about 15 minutes I think.
- Third quarter: You guessed it, 12 minutes.
- Fourth quarter: Another 12 minutes to finish it up.
But here’s the thing. They stop that clock more times than I can count. Somebody gets hurt, they stop the clock. They gotta measure the field, they stop the clock. Someone throws a flag or some such, clock stops again. Sometimes, I think they just stop it to give them boys a breather. It is a long time for those kids to be runnin’. One time little Timmy hurt his leg and they just kept that clock stopped. And stopped it. My goodness it took a while.
So, even though they say each quarter is 12 minutes, that whole game takes a good long while. I reckon it’s close to two or three hours, maybe more if they got that overtime thing. I remember they called “overtime” and I almost fell off the bleachers because I thought it meant the whole thing would start again. No ma’am, I was not ready for that. But, if I remember rightly, it didn’t start the whole game again. Just another quarter. They got rules for all that, but I can’t keep them all straight in my head.
And you know, they got different rules for different levels. Like, them little ones, they play shorter quarters. I think they call it JV or something. My grandson told me they only do 8 minutes in a quarter, bless their hearts. I heard them varsity games is 10 minutes. But, yeah, high school football is usually 12 minutes. It’s all so confusing if you ask me. I just show up to cheer for my grandkids, that’s all I know.
They got these breaks between the quarters too. Just a couple of minutes, I think. Enough time for them boys to catch their breath and get some water. Then they got that big break in the middle, called halftime. That’s when the band comes out and does their thing. I do enjoy watchin’ them play their instruments. Reminds me of when I was a little girl and we used to have them parades down Main Street. They march around, play some music, and them cheerleaders, they shake their pom-poms. It’s a whole show, I tell ya.
Then, after all that, they gotta play the other half of the game. Two more quarters. By the time it’s all said and done, you’ve spent a good chunk of your day at that football field. But it’s worth it to see them kids out there, having fun and playing their hearts out. Even if it does take forever!
So, there you have it. High school football quarters, they say they’re 12 minutes long. But with all them stoppages and breaks, it feels a whole lot longer. Just remember to bring a cushion for them bleachers, and maybe a hat to keep the sun off your face. And if you get confused, just holler at me. I might not know all the rules, but I’ve seen enough games to know the gist of it!
