Regina doesn't rebuild, they recruit

[GoldenHawk313]

You can compare 2 different years of rosters side by side and miraculously find jr's and sr's on the team that never existed before. Ohhhh their parents got jobs and moved to Regina okay. Cause thats the excuse for EVERY kid. Oh that kids cousin's ex wife's brother in-law moved and he lived with him so he went to Regina. Oh okay that sounds legit to. Kinda chuckled the time Regina was put on the spot for an enrollment mix up over the past year. When one of the classes was reported as 45 students when it was actually 90. Let's just keep watching them buy state championships

 

[cidhawkeye]

You just keep getting better and better. I am sure you have the comprehensive list of these players that just arrive, and I am sure the newspaper articles about the enrollment issue. Keep up the great work. This kind of detective work will suit you well as you continue to fight that court case you are in.

 

[regaldad]

I think we can diagram what is happening here.3 days after the conclusion of the season reality is punching people in the gut.There team was unsuccessful, therefore it's somebody else's fault. Ghost, Goldy get over it. A nice long winter of discontent awaits you,please enjoy. As always make it a great day.

 

[PNation]

If Regina reported one of their classes at 45 and it was actually 90 that is something beyond recruiting probably would mean the difference between 1A and 2A.

 

[cyard31]

originally posted by PNation



If Regina reported one of their classes at 45 and it was actually 90 that is something beyond recruiting probably would mean the difference between 1A and 2A.


the "IF" is enough proof for me

 

[Pinehawk]

This is what it's like at the top of the mountain...
(to borrow from DT61)...

 

[cidhawkeye]

I have heard there was a bus of kids from Florida scheduled to visit Regina over thanksgiving to transfer in. Rumor has it that they told the 5 star recruits to stay home because they don't want to be too obvious. There are a corresponding amount of 'regular' students lined up to transfer out to keep the BEDS number down. The families are lined up to host them as well. A solid plan is in place.

Hey this whole not worrying about telling the truth, or being accurate or making sense is kind of fun. No wonder you guys do this so often.

 

[Liberty Hawk]

My son goes to Regina, plays football, and drives a 1998 Sentra. The recruiting incentives better improve or I won't encourage the five future all staters at my sister's daycare to send them to Regina in two years.

 

[cidhawkeye]

Are you trying to imply that some of these stud football players go to Regina for their entire education? Poppycock, ask around they show up for their junior and senior years. The boosters are willing to pay for two years of tuition, not the 12 years you are talking about. Crazy talk I say.

 

[Iabeastmode]

The recruiting is overplayed. They recruit, they have to, to have a school. What's not over played is the fact they sit in Iowa City. How good has City High or West been during this 5 year run? A Iowa City school competing against Calmar, Dike, or Leon is unfair. It is also a coaching issue. Marv Cook is an amazing coach. Take Cook away from this program Regina is the same old school they have always been. When he leaves they will be back to the same old school they have always been. What the school and its fans don't realize is the impact they are making on all other private schools. Their will be a modifier for private schools if Regina continues on this path. They should have never allowed the state to have allowed them in 1a. They would still have 5 championships in 2a but it would be different. It would have seemed a little more "fair". Iowa is a small town state and they are taking away from that. Something else Regina should be aware of is the IHSAA does not favor you. The IHSAA cares about one thing and that's money. I've been to the last 4 years of semi final games and Champioship games. Regina has the fewest fans show up of all the schools. I watched a semi final game between Mount Ayr and Logan Magnolia, both schools over 3 hous from Cedar Falls, both schools brought more fans then Regina. I was at the 8 man championship this year, both schools brought more fans then Regina. It's not surprising, it's not a community, it's a small school in a big town. The only fans are parents of the players and a few followers. I'm sure it's the same throughout the playoffs. I don't want to take away from what Regina has done, it's amazing. But it's getting to be a joke, a joke that will effect all the non 4A private schools in Iowa. I think Marv Cook understands that, and that is why he will step away to different challenges. And once he does 1A football will be back to what is was. This is a very passionate argument, I just wanted to bring a unbiased opinion to the table.

 

[BigDan21]

I'm just going to throw this out there. Regina was a rising power before Cook got there. He has helped tremendously, but if he were to choose to leave, many of the assistants would likely remain and the system would not change. There would still be talented football players at the school, and they would continue to win. I see this Regina streak continuing for at least 3-4 more years, or longer if the school can boost its low enrollment numbers at the lower grade levels.

 

[mHawk25]

I mainly lurk on here, but after watching this last game and seeing aftermath, I feel obligated to say my piece. First of all, why aren't we celebrating the championship game we had? WL and ICR played one helluva game. Many were expecting a blow out, but WL held stout when most other schools have failed. They did have a few key mistakes, but those were really the difference in the game. The players and execution were the cause of the final result, not the refs or anything else.

Second, ICR is a tremendous team. They were outmatched on the line, but had incredible skill players. Cook is a D1 player, but Brinkman showed they are more than a one trick pony. They showed this both by a dominant offense and a disciplined defense. This was a quality team, though WL showed that they were were not untouchable (though they also had their own D1 product in Newborg).

Third, I chose this thread because while we are praising or downplaying Marv Cook. Jay Rozeboom showed that a complete opposite staff can have a great coaching effort. I thought WL had better adjustments than ICR through the game. WL has had a tremendous program through the years as well. While Jay cannot boast 5 straight championships, almost any program would support 7 championship games in 25-ish years.

What we should be debating is how different the playing styles were. WL relied on a big line (from my understanding this is a genetic benefit they hold). From watching the games last year, they were down significantly from last year's skill heavy team despite Moser and co's tremendous effort. Yet despite that, they played up a class and had a heavyweight fight with a team that draws from the fourth biggest metro in Iowa. I would have loved for last year's WL team to face this ICR. I feel the team with Snyder and co was more talented to say nothing of Moser and Rozeboom's ability to shut down Brinkman in the second half. What I do not believe is that ICR could go 5 years of championship ball in the spread offense they have if they were not in a certain privilege.

Marv Cook is a great coach, but I cannot put him on the same pedestal as Twait, Bladt, or even Rozeboom because they take what they are given and create a community. ICR had tremendous athletes that were unquestionably well coached. That said, he gets a student body to choose from that all (100%) are invested in their children. He doesn't have X amount of farmers who want their children to do their chores and nothing more. He doesn't have a couple families who send their children off to school while they drink or do meth. He doesn't have English as a second language kids who are learning to amalgamate while the parents work at chicken farms and milking plants. Twait, Bladt, and even Rozeboom have made college-bound student athletes regardless of what they were given by their population. Great coaches sculpt the community around them. Tell me Marv had affected even a portion of IC .

Recruiting aside, we had a great game last Friday. We got to see an endemic program who fought to the last whistle against another power. I don't care that Iowa doesn't have a second division for parochial schools as long as WL and schools like it can put up shows like this weekend, but until Marv Cook can create a program at a school that he gets what he grows, I cannot call him one of the best.

 

[Iabeastmode]

BigDan you are wrong. Assistant coaches follow winners. No one wants to be the guy who loses the first championship. Regina was not a rising power before Cook, they were a good 1A team no different then other good 1A teams who are in the quarters, semis, or finals most years. What I hate about the Regins Vs the world argument is you get opinions from both sides that are so biased. Did West Lyon play them well, yes they did, I am not taking away from their kids or coaches. Were they ever in the game... No way. These two teams could play 10 times and Regina would win all 10. This was the worst Regina team I have seen in the last few years. The amount of turnovers in the semi and finals game was significant. I don't have a dog in the fight. I just love small school Iowa football. I watch a lot of different teams play and have for a long time. I know the history of most schools in the state, I know of all the coaches. What Regina is doing right now is because of a number of different factors. First is Marv Cook, would Cook have one 5 straight at West Branch, no he would not. That brings me to the second reason, Regina is a private school, they don't have to wait for good classes to come through, but private alone doesn't meen "easy", ask Waterloo Columbus. The third and final reason is because the school sits in Iowa City. They have 2 major metros to draw from IC and Cedar Rapids. You take any 1 of these 3 things out of the equation you have a couple state championships instead of 5 in a row.

 

[BlameIt]

Originally posted by Iabeastmode:
It is also a coaching issue. Marv Cook is an amazing coach. Take Cook away from this program Regina is the same old school they have always been. When he leaves they will be back to the same old school they have always been.

you must not know much the Regina staff, I take it.

 

[Iabeastmode]

Blame reword your question and I will respond to the best of my ability.

 

[Vroom_C14]

Originally posted by cidhawkeye:
I have heard there was a bus of kids from Florida scheduled to visit Regina over thanksgiving to transfer in. Rumor has it that they told the 5 star recruits to stay home because they don't want to be too obvious. There are a corresponding amount of 'regular' students lined up to transfer out to keep the BEDS number down. The families are lined up to host them as well. A solid plan is in place.

Hey this whole not worrying about telling the truth, or being accurate or making sense is kind of fun. No wonder you guys do this so often.

Was that Rivals rankings or Scout? Might be able to let them in as the two usually differ on number of stars!

 

[cidhawkeye]

"Marv Cook is a great coach, but I cannot put him on the same pedestal as Twait, Bladt, or even Rozeboom because they take what they are given and create a community. ICR had tremendous athletes that were unquestionably well coached. That said, he gets a student body to choose from that all (100%) are invested in their children. He doesn't have X amount of farmers who want their children to do their chores and nothing more. He doesn't have a couple families who send their children off to school while they drink or do meth. He doesn't have English as a second language kids who are learning to amalgamate while the parents work at chicken farms and milking plants. Twait, Bladt, and even Rozeboom have made college-bound student athletes regardless of what they were given by their population. Great coaches sculpt the community around them. Tell me Marv had affected even a portion of IC ."

mhawk a very good post, I like the approach. I will however take a little issue with the paragraph above. To say that Regina doesn't have x amount of farmers or ESL kids is a bit of a stretch. I will say that Marv has impacted a portion of Iowa City, at least in my family. His locker room speech after the first championship is a great example. He talked about not letting a state championship be the highlight of your life, use it to become the best, man, husband, person that you can. He has a ways to match the exploits of the above coaches but to imply he hasn't had a deep effect on the kids he has coached is inaccurate.

 

[mHawk25]

Cid I did not mean to downplay Marv in the respect of impacting his players. Without question his kids have bought in to his program. Watching the championship game, the two participants were not only a celebration of football, but also of sportsmanship. That speaks to the level of character of both coaching staffs.

What I would like to know is your meaning behind the statement about ESL and farmers. I know this is highly contested, but having attended a 1A school, I have seen the impact that those who are not invested in a program can have. There are schools in the lower ranks with ESL kids that do not participate, but count towards BEDs. In my class we had 3 kids with unquestionable talent, that spent their time doing chores and working at a milking plant because that was their future. They were all-conference talents that did not participate in varsity sports.

ICR has a benefit in that those who contribute to their BEDs are all of families invested in their children. I have no doubt that if most of the families that send their children to ICR or other private schools of the like lived in a rural environment where it was not feasible to send them to one, the parents would be high ranking members of the booster committee. Being invested in your children in such a way does not magically create 5 time champions, but it does make a good coach's job a whole lot easier. While parents do not always teach sportsmanship and life lessons, they do impact how many of those kids are in the weight room and how many make it to 7 on 7's and summer camps.

Without a doubt, Marv has done the best with what he has, but it is a lot easier to succeed when you are given the raw materials rather than having to cultivate them. I am truly impressed with the technique and execution (Kirk Ferentz gulp) of the the kids. He is clearly a solid coach, just not sure if he is one of the greats yet.

 

[cidhawkeye]

I am not sure that doing something that has never been done before whether it is with advantages(there are) or not should warrant a 'solid coach' label. One of the most impressive aspects of this run is the people that he has surrounded himself with. People talk about how he doesn't call the offense or defense which must be an issue. How smart is it to put high quality people in those spots? Very. To address the farmer, ESL angle, Regina has a very large group of farm kids, some in sports, some not. They lift at 6 AM and then get their farm work done. Regina also has a large Korean student population, without them the school would probably be class A, imagine that out cry. Now I realize it is not the migrant farm worker ESL but it does impact their BEDS count. So there are those challenges as well. Will Marv move past 'solid' for your standards? No idea. Has he for me based on his impact on my children? You bet.

 

[Pinehawk]

To think that all of Regina's kids are participating in athletics in incorrect. There are a good number of families there strictly for the academics with zero interest in sports. And I know from my time there that we had kids that didn't play sports and Regina was their last chance before some type of boarding school or something. I think some parents used it hoping to shape up their troubled kids.
During Basic Skills standardized testing I had a kid in my class that five minutes after the test began said 'done!' and turned in the test after just filling in random bubbles.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Originally posted by Pinehawk:
To think that all of Regina's kids are participating in athletics in incorrect. There are a good number of families there strictly for the academics with zero interest in sports. And I know from my time there that we had kids that didn't play sports and Regina was their last chance before some type of boarding school or something. I think some parents used it hoping to shape up their troubled kids.
During Basic Skills standardized testing I had a kid in my class that five minutes after the test began said 'done!' and turned in the test after just filling in random bubbles.

nice you had "a" kid. Go to a public school and watch 10-15% of the kids do it. A kid.....lol.....

 

[Greenvapor]

I find it offensive that people are saying private schools do not have farm families in their schools. Look at any of private schools in northwest Iowa and you will see lots of farm families in them. And, yes, many of them still have choirs do when they finish practice and what not. Without many of these farm families, many of these private schools would not exist.

Second, I can assure you private schools do have parents that do Meth and are drunk before their kids go to school. I now of one instance where a mother was killed while driving to her son's game because she was drunk. Try and live with that one for all your life. Private schools have the same social problems public schools have. It is part of the society we live in.

What makes a person great in life, is who they surround themselves with. Marv Cook is a great coach because he surrounds himself with great people. When you surround yourself with great people, all kinds of opportunities open up for you that might not otherwise.

And I can assure you THERE WILL NEVER BE A MULTIPLIER IN THE STATE OF IOWA!!!!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pinehawk]

Originally posted by Bulldogs1974:

Originally posted by Pinehawk:
To think that all of Regina's kids are participating in athletics in incorrect. There are a good number of families there strictly for the academics with zero interest in sports. And I know from my time there that we had kids that didn't play sports and Regina was their last chance before some type of boarding school or something. I think some parents used it hoping to shape up their troubled kids.
During Basic Skills standardized testing I had a kid in my class that five minutes after the test began said 'done!' and turned in the test after just filling in random bubbles.

nice you had "a" kid. Go to a public school and watch 10-15% of the kids do it. A kid.....lol.....

Not at a 1A school or that would be 7 kids out of the 50 in class and that would pull their test scores down a lot further than the numbers show. Great exaggeration though.

 

[cidhawkeye]

Pine don't let the facts get in the way of a good discussion. I would think you knew that already.

 

[Cardinal2012]

The Regina coaching staff isn't great at everything. They haven't had an Academic All State football player in at least 6 years (2007-2013). Interesting that kids choose to go to their school for academics and they have a great football team year in and year out, yet they can't put the two together.

Of course, just because I mentioned it they'll probably have 2-3 make it this year. Before anyone asks I went 2007-2013 because those years are readily available. I would also like to shout out to FDSE for having several names on there. Lastly, yes this is on the coaches, not the teachers. If they can coach all the little things of football that well the kids can be reached. Perhaps stress academics a little more than athletics? Or that winning a title is done about every year, if you really want to distinguish yourself put 2-3 guys on that list with a title.

 

[IAHSFBALL]

I don't post a lot, but I have commented on several of these debates over the years and always leave the discussion due to ridiculous claims by one side or the other. Do I believe private schools openly recruit athletes, falsify BEDS, or cheat the system overtly in any way, NO. I have said it multiple times. Do I believe some type of multiplier is necessary in HS sports, YES. I know the argument is going to be that other states research has shown that a multiplier has not affected the number of state titles won by private schools. I could care less about number of state titles won, I'm looking at creating more parity in individual classes, this is what they were designed to do. No one should deny that recent trends have shown that public schools have excelled athletically more so than in the past. If not, why else would other states be trying multipliers and different classifications for privates? It is obvious to the average fan, such as myself. No one can deny this! Can you use obscure stats to skew opinion in your favor, sure, but simple math shows that private schools win more than public if you compare wins to the ratio between public and private schools. It is overwhelming. The reasons why have been touched on. Some are ridiculous claims, such as recruitment and BEDS falsification. Even the farm kid excuse bears little advantage in my opinion, with today's farming practices very few kids are needed by there parents to do chores. Even 15-20 years ago when I attended a very rural 2A school our rural kids were still doing chores before or after practice/lifting/plyos. It did not stop them from playing. I can not think of a single kid in all my years that was not allowed to play by his or her folks because of farm work. Does it happen? Probably. Is it relevant? No. My 65 year old dad had to chose between arts and sports, this is really the only era where this was an issue. The advantages private schools have that cannot be contested are simple. Population and Socioeconomic advantages. I have yet to see a good argument as to how these two things are not advantages. I hear that why aren't the W'loo Columbus or similar teams winning titles, for one they have in recent history. They also do not consider population and socioeconomic differences in the two communities. Draw a 25 mile circle (reasonable driving distance) around W'loo and IACity and look at the population difference. My guess is that its more than double that of Wloo, Sioux City, and other urban areas of the state other than DesMoines. Drawing from that large of an area is advantageous. Couple that with the demographics of the area and you have more families able to $5k+ for each of there children to attend school. I've already been long winded enough, so I will not go into the details of how socioeconomics plays such a huge role, google it, there are plenty of articles that discuss this. Cid/Pine you guys are intelligent and I'm sure you will find a way to argue your side of the story like arguing that several of the bedroom communities in your area are full of well to do families so they have the same opportunities. I agree living in these areas are are advantageous to kids too, but they are a far cry from private school. The only part that is unfair about all of these threads is that they continue to pick on ICR, but your success has made you the target. I applaud the success. I believe they played by the rules and succeeded within them. I just feel that the rules are flawed. Also, the multiplier should take many more factors into account, it should not be an across the board number. Each school would have a different multiplier based on population, BEDS, tuition cost, income, etc. Some schools may not qualify for a multiplier at all, others may get bumped in my system. I don't know what is right but I I'm entitled to an opinion as much as the next guy. Sorry for the long post, hope it makes sense. After all, I'm just a poor public school farm kid.

 

[rogerfrank]

All this pissing and whinIng about private schools is a bunch of B.S.. How about the suburban schools that sone would say greatly benefit from the influx of the families with money. Those families who can afford all these traveling teams and camps. I don't hold it against those who can do this for their kids. So why does everybody else. I went to a small Catholic school and so do my grandkids. And I have never seen any recruiting. Maybe these public schools should stop making excuses and just playv the dang game. It is still just a game right.

 

[L N D]

I have a question to ask everyone on this board.

Do you really think private schools only recruit athletes?

It seems to me they "the private schools" recruit any and every student possible. Which is what they have to do and should do to keep the doors open.

And just my opinion - I think all schools should recruit. Public (open enroll) or private (recruit). Not for athletics, but for any and everything a school can offer that the next school may not. Why not be Pro-active?

Schools are consolidating. High schools in rural areas are going to keep consolidating or at least combine for extra -curricular activities. BEDS go up and go down. Athletes come and go. Parents, Families and Communities need to get involved and maybe something good will come of it.