Aragon plays through pain

So there may have been extenuating circumstances Tuesday as the Aragon boys’ basketball team went on the road to Woodside, a matchup of the co-division leading Dons and the second-place Wildcats.

And in the first two quarters, the Dons played arguably their worst half of the season. The scored three points in the first quarter and had only 13 at halftime. Aragon did rally in the second half to post a key 46-41 win, eliminating Woodside from the Ocean Division title race.

But the Dons were playing with a heavy heart. Head coach Hosea Patton’s mother, Rosalyn, passed away Monday, causing Patton to miss practice that day.

He was, however, on the bench Tuesday night, but in a supporting role as assistant coach Eric Williams took the reins of the Dons.

“I was going to just sit there quietly,” Patton said.

And he did that for most of the first half — until the final minutes of the second quarter when he popped off the bench to scold one of his players. As the game came down to crunch time, Patton simply couldn’t help himself and he was in the middle of the team huddle during late timeouts.

Patton credited the fact that his team “banded together” to pull out the win, but that they also banded together to get through one of the toughest times in Patton’s life.

But he had nothing but confidence in his team and staff.

Williams is not just some random guy. He’s been a longtime Peninsula basketball presence, serving as the San Mateo varsity boys’ coach in the early 2000s.

“My assistant (Williams) said, ‘I could help,’” Patton said, which he gratefully accepted.

“The kids trust him. I trust him,” Patton said. “We’re only strong working together.”

***

At the end of each season, the National Federation of State High School Associations, the governing body for high school sports in the nation, holds national conferences to discuss — and usually implement — new rules for upcoming seasons.

And there are a lot of changes upcoming for football — some based on game action and others dealing with uniform issues.

So until this season, believe it or not, the NFHS wording of its rules made it illegal for defensive linemen to head slap offensive linemen. But apparently, offensive linemen legally could go upside a defender’s head. The NFHS now made it illegal for any head slapping by anyone, offense or defense, at any time.

That one just makes sense.

The other changes have to do with players’ play cards and arm sleeves. The play cards are a relatively new development as the high school game continually picks up the pace. Players will wear a series of laminated cards with the team’s plays on it, usually on their wrist or forearm, so players on the field can get all get the plays quicker.

Now players, especially quarterbacks, are allowed to wear the play cards on their belts.

Even the arm sleeves so many players now wear are subject to rules, as well. Starting in 2027, all arm sleeves — whether attached or unattached to a shirt underneath — most have the SFIA logo visible. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association has “developed the new football arm sleeve specification,” the NFHS said in a press release.

If you didn’t know, everything in the sport of football is regulated. Anything and everything a player wears has to conform.

Nathan Mollat has been covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal since 2001. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.