Attn: Missouri high school football fans

[GatewaySnayke]

Has anyone else heard about the new system that MSHSAA has implemented for 2008? Apparently they think that the high school football playoffs need to be more like the NBA and NHL, and will add the second place team in the district to the state tournament. I have heard nary a coach who thinks this is a good plan, and most agree that it will water down the playoffs to a high degree.

Most of the teams I know that finish second place in districts can't hang with the first place team. I'd love to see what Webb City would do to one of these teams.

[Radio_Bugtussle]

Credit the mindless whiners with a win on this one.

I don't think it waters things down. It does add some monkey motion to things.

Under the system adopted in 1988, All football playing schools are in the playoffs and the playoffs begin in week 8.

Everyone from the likes of KC Rockhurst, Jeff City, Webb City, Hannibal and Palmyra down through the most forlorn freshman and sophomore laden, injury riddled Class 1 team has the same crack at the hardware when when play begins in week 1 of district play.

If you're not good enough to win the three district games and four in a row once the field of 16 is set, you're not good enough to be a state champ.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no difference between losing in districts and losing later on.

Just watch, the same whiners will be bellyaching within two years about how unfair this new and unnecessarily complex system is.

[stretch]

It seems pretty pointless to me.

If the two teams from the stronger district both win their opening round playoff games they will just meet again? Is this correct? What is gained with the extra game then?

[GatewaySnayke]

Your guess is as good as mine.

MSHSAA finally took notice that the football playoffs were interefering with basketball tournaments to start the season. The Owensville Dutchmen played in the Class 3 state championship the Saturday after Thanksgiving while their basketball team was forced to play a tournament at St. Francis Borgia without roughly 10 of their guys. So they got smart and will start the season a week earlier. So I guess they think that with the extra week they can cram more teams into the playoffs. No one has accused MSHSAA of being the brightest bulbs.

The system is fine for the upper classes who don't have that many teams in the playoffs to start, but not in Classes 2-4.

[Radio_Bugtussle]

I didn't like the move to six classes.

Splitting the old Class 5A sure looked like an attempt get around the virtual title monopoly held by Jeff City and various KC area schools.

Lo and behold, Ray Pec pops up in Class 5.

McCluer North and Hannibal have had the same problem at Borgia. Hannibal in effect fielded their JV team at the Turkey Tourney last November. It actually benifitted the Hannibal basketball program later because a couple bench guys developed.

If the basketball coach is any good, this works to the basketball team's advantage by February.

[GatewaySnayke]

It worked out OK for Owensville, too, because they got the number one seed in their district, but did not win.

I think something will eventually have to be done about the way the western side of the state is killing the eastern side in football. I think they tried to level that out when they were going to make two separate championships -- one for private schools and one for public schools. Then Blue Springs can have all the championships they want without embarrassing St. Louis.

That proposition failed miserably though.

[stretch]

Having attended a parochial school, I wouldn't care for separation of championships - public/private.

There are enough shenanigans going on all over -- public and private.

[dangerous]

In Southern California league champions and runners-up make the playoffs plus 2-3 at large teams. Sometimes a team with 2-3 losses beats an undefeated team in the post season. There are 13 divisions of 6-7 leagues in each.

[Radio_Bugtussle]

I think something will eventually have to be done about the way the western side of the state is killing the eastern side in football. I think they tried to level that out when they were going to make two separate championships -- one for private schools and one for public schools. Then Blue Springs can have all the championships they want without embarrassing St. Louis.

That proposition failed miserably though.

If the STL area schools don't like all those trophies winding up in Jeff City and assorted KC area locations, perhaps the STL area schools should do something about the overall quality of play,.

The public-private thing is a loser's excuse. KC Rockhurst doesn't exactly have a monopoly in C6 thanks to Blue Springs, Blue Springs South and Jeff City.

Before the gawdawful multiplier, Class 2 teams like Palmyra, Monroe City and Centralia held their own quite nicely against the likes of John Burroughs and Lutheran North.

[lukethedrifter]

I never did see the logic in there being half as many schools competing for a championship in two largest classes.