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Big news out of Boone today.
Hmm...well this is more or less what the people wanted. I suppose most coaches support this as well. Meanwhile, the players will continue to not mind either way, although some will probably miss getting that extra game or two in. They will always just want to play. But at the end of the day, the people have spoken, and the State listened.
Now if we could just get back to conference play...
Here's the problem with today's world. Take a topic, have a handful (or big group even) of people bark about it and all of a sudden they represent "the people." Was a survey taken? A vote? Maybe a majority of people would be in favor of this, but we don't know unless these steps are taken. And just because a majority of people want something doesn't mean it should happen. Funny how only 8 years ago the "people" wanted to expand to 32 teams.
And ask the 2009 State runner-up Pella team what they thought of the expanded playoffs.
First off 8 years ago the injury debate was not even on our minds. The issues of kids getting head injuries was not on our minds. We have learned just as we do with everything in time. In the future they could realize that 8 district qualifiers go to the dome...they could decide 64 teams will work. You change with the times and what you know.
First off 8 years ago the injury debate was not even on our minds. The issues of kids getting head injuries was not on our minds. We have learned just as we do with everything in time. In the future they could realize that 8 district qualifiers go to the dome...they could decide 64 teams will work. You change with the times and what you know.
It doesn't matter that everyone wasn't asked...everyone wasn't given an opportunity to state their opinions. The people that do know were given the information and went back to their constituents and they came up with a decision that they felt was best for everyone involved. From my understanding cutting back to 16 wasn't even a real consideration until the coaches got together and it was discussed.
As for 2009 Pella.....if you don't finish in the top two next year....tough. Don't finish third
I guess I still don't see the issue with playing games in a shorter period of time. It isn't ideal, but not a huge issue everybody makes it out to be. Basically, instead of having hard practices on Tuesday and Wednesday you are playing a game on Wednesday. Eh, not that big of an issue. Heck, technically there's nothing stopping a coach from going full-blown live just 3 days after a game if he chooses to. And head injuries shouldn't have a bearing in this discussion. If a kid has a head injury, he sits. Period. Are you insinuating that you are at greater risk for a head injury playing 3 games in 10 days as opposed to 3 games in 15 days? I'd like to see some statistics/research supporting that one. Maybe this format is worse for head injuries as it gives coaches a couple more days between games to push a kid to get cleared whereas in the current format he definitely sits the next game.
To me, it's another CYA knee jerk emotional reaction. "Hey, this sounds like it should be better for head injuries, so it must be better for head injuries, so let's do it!" Whatever...
The whole "don't finish third" thing is bad. I mostly follow 4A. I went through last year's numbers. The top two teams from Districts 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8 all would have qualified using the old point system. Districts 1 & 4 would have only qualified their champions. District 2 would have qualified their top four.
There's no way of knowing who's going to be the best when they align the districts. They cannot use the rigid rank-and-file, top two qualify rule. It's not fair overall. For one, as noted above, one District could be loaded and two deserving teams could be sitting at home while a team they may have beaten in non-district play go to the playoffs because they're in an easier district. For two, it would make ALL the games on a team' schedule count, not just four to six district match-ups with three to five glorified exhibitions.
This was not what 75% of the coaches wanted or expected. The football coaches assoc heads presented that we start one week early , keep nine game sched and have the same amount of teams qualify and still have the playoffs all on Fridays. The state did not make the decision it was the Iowa Board of control, because believe me the IHSAA does not want to lose money like they will by missing half the playoff games. This was a shock to the football coaches assoc as it was never a option presented to them. Don't be surprised to see $10 ticket prices and down the road possibly adding a class in football to make of for the lost teams.
It's all in response to the Des Moines Register going on a mission last fall and writing several articles about how bad it was that Iowa kids play frequent games over a short time frame. Heck, the NFL has teams play Monday night - Sunday - Thursday night. That's 3 games in 11 days. There is your research sample. What % of the athletes get injured in that 3rd game compared to the % of athletes injured in a regular 3 games in 15 days by going Sunday-Sunday-Sunday.
State soccer plays 3 games in 3 days and those games stretch 90 minutes with overtimes. During regular season, they never play on 3 consecutive days.
Volleyball teams will play 6 matches in a single Saturday tournament over an 8+ hour stretch. That's a grind and some teams do this 6 Saturdays in a row with a conference dual on either Tues/Thurs or both.
State golf plays 36 holes in 2 days despite never playing more than 18 holes in 2 days during any other stretch of the season.
At that point of the season, practices are far less intense. I'm far more concerned about a kid suffering heat exhaustion in August or having severe muscle cramps/kidney failure in a first or second week game than I am about injuries in November.
Now, if they want to talk about the change being due to lost academic time due to early outs on Wednesday and Monday for travel followed by an entire night in which studying cannot occur on each of those, then they may find a sympathetic ear.
Those first 3 or so are non-district games for a reason. That way, any athlete academically ineligible only hurts himself by not playing but does not hurt his teammates by not playing in games that "count"
UNI securing the Dome for a potential playoff game is the sole reason for the schedule. The only possible alternative would be moving the Championship outdoors or go to an 8 game season with week 9 set up for playoff qualifiers. Then, the non qualifying teams would probably play a sister district game for the 9th game.
I could see changes down the road as it will only take a couple years of a 7-2 Des Moines burb team being left out of the playoffs to get something adjusted. I'm not saying that in any type of negative manor....its just that if you only go back a couple years, there would have been some of that. In looking at only the West side of the state....if you have eight teams making the playoffs....those teams not named Dowling, Valley, Waukee, are going to battle mightily for five spots. When you think of SEP, Johnston, Urbandale, Both Ankeney's, Ames and even Sioux City East......a couple good teams are going to be left out of the playoffs. And if SEP gets back to where they have recently been.....now you are looking at four spots.
Personally, I think I'm going to need a year or two to see how this all shakes out. I can see both sides of the argument: Playoffs should be something very prestigious..something honorable. But on the other hand a 1-29 basketball team has the opportunity to try and get to the state tournament, a horrible wrestler gets to go to sectionals (or Districts at 3A), and bad soccer and baseball teams play for state as well. I know these teams don't go far......but they have a chance...one in a million....so you are telling me there is a chance...I get it.
If the state continues to play district football and put one of the "Big Boys" in each district........the reality of the year is that your whole season might come down to one or two games as you have to finish second to have a shot at the playoffs......and each district has one or two really bad teams that everyone beats, and few people beat Valley, Dowling, or Waukee that are not named Valley, Dowling or Waukee....so your whole season could come down to one or two games.
Think about the "Districts" if they were based on geography: Dowling, Valley, Waukee, and Urbandale being four of six in one district?????? The Ankeneys, SEP, Johnston in another......no one would ever do that because of equity.
I follow SC East. Last year, they lost in OT to CBLC....LC scored a TD with under 40 seconds left to send it into OT. Had East won, Johnston, East, and LC would all have finished with 7-2 records behind Dowling. I know it didn't turn out like that, but you had better believe those situations come up a lot. I just guess I'm old school enough to think that a 7-2 record should get you into the playoffs....but under this new system....two and maybe all three get left out.
In thinking about the smaller schools........they are going to have a lot of teams left out. I just don't see the new system lasting a long time. And let's address the elephant in the room.....the Boone is going to miss out on a lot of playoff money and I can't see them sitting still on that for very long. They can talk all they want about player safety......but money speaks to them more than anything.
I'm just throwing this out there....why is football different?
Whoa there SC East fan. You are looking at the LC game? Yeah that was great if the season ended in week 6. Are you saying that because East lost to LC at the end put them where they should be equal to Johnston and LC? Wait a minute....let's look at this....East lost to LC - granted good game and close but East LOST! Johnston A$$ whooping. So saying that East would have been as deserving as LC or Johnston because they were all 7 - 2 is insane. All 3 were 7 - 2 and East was obviously the weakest of the 3 so things would have worked out perfect. East would have been buying tickets.
I can see you totally missed the point of the post, so either you have an axe to grind or you suffer from not being able to see the forest through the trees. I'm guessing it's both. So if east was the weakest..LC had to have a miracle TD to tie the game...but that makes east the weakest...then I guess both east and LC were weak. And you don't see east crowing about beating Johnston in the playoffs from the year before...and east did it with their third QB....so there is your axe I guess
Point being...and I'll slow it down for you....some decent teams are going to be left out of the playoffs....and I think things like playoffs offer kids a good experience and more opportunities to play football.....and that should be a consideration. As I mentioned...but you didn't comprehend it....football is the only athletic endeavor that has become exclusive. No one complains when bad teams or individuals compete in other sports at tournament time...but football has become an exclusive sport. What you could not understand is...why?