Football teams only get three timeouts in a half, as far as I can figure.

Maybe Canadian football might be different -- scratch that -- I know it's different. But you still only get three timeouts per half.

Worth County coach Chuck Borey challenged that notion on Friday night, late in the first half against Mound City. With his team hopelessly behind and star quarterback Kyler Hiatt injured, Borey chose to put in his junior varsity players.

Mound City coach Brian Messer didn't immediately return the favor.

The first-year head coach brought about half of his starters out, but that didn't include middle linebacker Patrick Treece. Worth County's second-stringers tried to move the ball with 5-foot-6 junior Zach Harmening winging passes down field.

One of them, on a third-and-long play nearly got sophomore Adam Summers decapitated. Summers ran a short seam, and Treece -- a lock for all-state -- layed a vicious shoulder into the young receiver.

Summers held onto the ball but left the field unable to catch his breath.

That seemed to be the last straw for Borey, who began lobbying the officiating crew for a timeout.

Problem was, he'd already spent his three timeouts. When he couldn't get a fourth for himself, he asked the officials to grant him one of Mound City's remaining timeouts.

That request was also denied.

Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and Mound City took possession with 35 seconds left and twice took a knee to run out the first half. Borey and Messer chatted for an extended period after they agreed to stop the game at halftime.

It's hard to tell now, but the incident could add some fuel to an already competitive rivalry. Worth County might not have anything for Mound City this year, but the Tigers might remember this loss for a few years to come, waiting for a chance to put it on the Panthers.