Comments on: Imperfect playoffs http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/ The inside scoop on Kansas high school sports. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:21:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: RTate http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-431 RTate Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:30:52 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-431 Take a look at the IAHSAA.org website. Iowa High School football is the best setup I have seen. If you have a losing record you shouldn't be in the playoffs. In Iowa, they play 2 non-district games and 7 district games. The Top 2 from each district move to the playoffs. Kansas needs to keep the same class structure, but reconfigure the districts. Make a the district play more important. The Kansas setup is dumbest I have ever seen. Who is running this show? Take a look at the IAHSAA.org website. Iowa High School football is the best setup I have seen. If you have a losing record you shouldn’t be in the playoffs. In Iowa, they play 2 non-district games and 7 district games. The Top 2 from each district move to the playoffs. Kansas needs to keep the same class structure, but reconfigure the districts. Make a the district play more important. The Kansas setup is dumbest I have ever seen. Who is running this show?

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]]> By: ProphetCat http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-394 ProphetCat Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:23:34 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-394 Here in Texas, there are five classes for eleven man, and two classes for six man. In 1A-4A, the top three teams from each district go to the playoffs. The school with the largest enrollment is put into Division I and the remaining two schools are put into Division II. 5A takes the top four from each district, the two with the largest enrollments going into Division I and the other two into Division II. Six man is already split into divisions like Kansas eight man is, and they take the top two from each district into the playoffs. The downside to adding all these schools into the playoffs is that the season extends until Christmas. For most schools in Kansas where the athletes play both basketball and football, this will affect their basketball season. The first weekend of the playoffs here is the weekend of the eight man state championship and eleven man substate games in Kansas. Six man championship games are played Dec 13-15, and Eleven man championship games are played Dec 20-22. Makes for a long season. I can relate to the crappy teams getting into the playoffs. My freshman year (1990) we lost five games in a row. We then won our three district games, putting us in the playoffs. We won our first round playoff game then got demolished by Moundridge in the second round. There was probably a more deserving team in our district (Oxford, Udall, Kiowa-South Barber, and us, Caldwell). Here in Texas, there are five classes for eleven man, and two classes for six man.

In 1A-4A, the top three teams from each district go to the playoffs. The school with the largest enrollment is put into Division I and the remaining two schools are put into Division II.

5A takes the top four from each district, the two with the largest enrollments going into Division I and the other two into Division II.

Six man is already split into divisions like Kansas eight man is, and they take the top two from each district into the playoffs.

The downside to adding all these schools into the playoffs is that the season extends until Christmas. For most schools in Kansas where the athletes play both basketball and football, this will affect their basketball season. The first weekend of the playoffs here is the weekend of the eight man state championship and eleven man substate games in Kansas. Six man championship games are played Dec 13-15, and Eleven man championship games are played Dec 20-22. Makes for a long season.

I can relate to the crappy teams getting into the playoffs. My freshman year (1990) we lost five games in a row. We then won our three district games, putting us in the playoffs. We won our first round playoff game then got demolished by Moundridge in the second round. There was probably a more deserving team in our district (Oxford, Udall, Kiowa-South Barber, and us, Caldwell).

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]]> By: Mark http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-356 Mark Sun, 28 Oct 2007 13:47:44 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-356 Monkeyboy is right. Everybody is already in the playoffs. Just view the districts as a four-team pool that opens the playoffs. Maybe you get an easier pool, maybe you get a tougher pool, but you have the chance to finish in the top two and advance to the next round. Eventually you will have to beat everybody if you want to be the champ, whether in pool play or in bracket play. Going to 8-team districts would indeed even out some of the inequities of the pools (though there would still be some districts tougher than others), but would destroy the leagues for football. And since the leagues are a viable structure for everything else, I don't see the current football system as bad enough to merit a change that won't let the leagues function in this sport too. Going to fewer classes is another issue. I think four classes (plus a separate 8-man class for football) might be better than six, but I see zero likelihood of that happening, so maybe there are more significant issues to talk about. Monkeyboy is right. Everybody is already in the playoffs. Just view the districts as a four-team pool that opens the playoffs. Maybe you get an easier pool, maybe you get a tougher pool, but you have the chance to finish in the top two and advance to the next round. Eventually you will have to beat everybody if you want to be the champ, whether in pool play or in bracket play.

Going to 8-team districts would indeed even out some of the inequities of the pools (though there would still be some districts tougher than others), but would destroy the leagues for football. And since the leagues are a viable structure for everything else, I don’t see the current football system as bad enough to merit a change that won’t let the leagues function in this sport too.

Going to fewer classes is another issue. I think four classes (plus a separate 8-man class for football) might be better than six, but I see zero likelihood of that happening, so maybe there are more significant issues to talk about.

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]]> By: Homer http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-332 Homer Sat, 27 Oct 2007 02:45:08 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-332 Thats just alittle to long for me to read monkeyboy. You need to tone it down a little please. Thats just alittle to long for me to read monkeyboy. You need to tone it down a little please.

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]]> By: Monkeyboy http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-310 Monkeyboy Fri, 26 Oct 2007 21:58:12 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-310 The one thing people don't seem to comprehend about the playoff system in Kansas is that the playoffs don't really start AFTER districts are over. Districts ARE the start of the playoffs. Afterall, what separates the playoffs from the regular season? It's the fact that you have to keep winning to keep playing. Win and you go on, lose and you go home, REGARDLESS OF OPPONENT. The same can be said for districts. If you don't win your games, you don't go on. What happens if you win your district and get a tough first round game in the playoffs and lose? Are you going to whine that someone else got an easier matchup than you? What if you lose in the second round? Complain someone else played an easier team? That's ridiculous! Stop focusing on the regular season record. If you win all your district games, you go on to the next round. Period. You go until you lose. If you happen to lose in districts, then you really don't deserve to go to the next round of the playoffs. If you're the third best team in a 4 team district, what makes you think you'll do any better when you get to the playoffs? If you want to be the state champs, then you're going to have to beat the best teams at some point. Whether it's in the first week of districts or the championship game, you still have to beat the best to be the best. The one thing people don’t seem to comprehend about the playoff system in Kansas is that the playoffs don’t really start AFTER districts are over. Districts ARE the start of the playoffs. Afterall, what separates the playoffs from the regular season? It’s the fact that you have to keep winning to keep playing. Win and you go on, lose and you go home, REGARDLESS OF OPPONENT. The same can be said for districts. If you don’t win your games, you don’t go on.

What happens if you win your district and get a tough first round game in the playoffs and lose? Are you going to whine that someone else got an easier matchup than you? What if you lose in the second round? Complain someone else played an easier team? That’s ridiculous! Stop focusing on the regular season record. If you win all your district games, you go on to the next round. Period. You go until you lose. If you happen to lose in districts, then you really don’t deserve to go to the next round of the playoffs. If you’re the third best team in a 4 team district, what makes you think you’ll do any better when you get to the playoffs?

If you want to be the state champs, then you’re going to have to beat the best teams at some point. Whether it’s in the first week of districts or the championship game, you still have to beat the best to be the best.

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]]> By: RikRok http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-297 RikRok Fri, 26 Oct 2007 20:37:15 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-297 Only problem with expanding districts is trying to keep the integrity of league play. If there were no leagues, it would fall together much easier. :) Only problem with expanding districts is trying to keep the integrity of league play.

If there were no leagues, it would fall together much easier. :)

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]]> By: CueballKS http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-273 CueballKS Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:35:06 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-273 Three classes, district winners. How would that be divided up? 2A, 1A and 8-man football? I assume 2A would be 6A through 4A. That means teams like Wichita Northwest will playing teams like Circle. Uh, that wouldn't be good. Teams like Garden Plain would play teams like Oxford. Not good either. I think the current system is fine, but let's expand the district to eight-team districts and bring in four teams to the playoffs. That way more of the regular season would be meaningful and seeding would make the playoffs more equitable. Three classes, district winners. How would that be divided up? 2A, 1A and 8-man football?

I assume 2A would be 6A through 4A. That means teams like Wichita Northwest will playing teams like Circle. Uh, that wouldn’t be good.

Teams like Garden Plain would play teams like Oxford. Not good either.

I think the current system is fine, but let’s expand the district to eight-team districts and bring in four teams to the playoffs. That way more of the regular season would be meaningful and seeding would make the playoffs more equitable.

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]]> By: RikRok http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-237 RikRok Fri, 26 Oct 2007 01:39:46 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-237 Well, if you're not even the best team in your district, then quit complaining. The playoffs aren't about being "one of the best," it's about being THE BEST. Your team was eliminated without wasting any more time on football and now it CAN get ready for basketball. It's only three people fewer than you need for basketball. Well, if you’re not even the best team in your district, then quit complaining.

The playoffs aren’t about being “one of the best,” it’s about being THE BEST.

Your team was eliminated without wasting any more time on football and now it CAN get ready for basketball.

It’s only three people fewer than you need for basketball.

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]]> By: Scott http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-231 Scott Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:30:34 +0000 http://blogs.varsitykansas.com/blog/2007/10/25/imperfect-playoffs/#comment-231 You got to be kidding me? Waverly 8-1 will be staying at home this year because there district is the toughest in the state in Div:1 8-man. There is a team out there that will have way below a five hundred record that should have gone to the playoffs? This is a crazy system. Good job HSHSAA for another screw up! Waverly is one the best 8-man team in the state but they will have to get ready to play basketball, instead. You got to be kidding me? Waverly 8-1 will be staying at home this year because there district is the toughest in the state in Div:1 8-man. There is a team out there that will have way below a five hundred record that should have gone to the playoffs? This is a crazy system. Good job HSHSAA for another screw up! Waverly is one the best 8-man team in the state but they will have to get ready to play basketball, instead.

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