What could have been ... good first-round matchups

What intriguing first-round games would we have seen under the old playoff format, which saw teams take on schools from another district in the first round?

These are some of the matchups I would have liked to have seen this week:

Class A ... Russellville at Murray, Louisville Holy Cross at Danville, Newport Catholic at Raceland

Class 2A ... Trigg County at Owensboro Catholic, Elizabethtown at Corbin, Sheldon Clark at Breathitt County, Leslie County at Prestonsburg

Class 3A ... Franklin-Simpson at Hopkinsville, North Bullitt at Southwestern, Doss at Boyle County, Franklin County at Highlands, South Oldham at East Jessamine, Mason County at Bell County

Class 4A ... Graves County at Henderson County, Marshall County at Owensboro, Manual at North Hardin, Pleasure Ridge Park at John Hardin, Woodford County at Lincoln County, Scott County at Madison Central

You have entirely too much time on your hands, westie...

Maybe so, oneijoe.

Nevertheless, a lot of those games would appeal more to me than this week's slate ...

KHSAA should have left this alone, maybe draw the Regions in the state semi-finals. The first three rounds were fine as it was.

I'll take Manual @ St X and NCC @ Holy Cross over the games you listed for NCC and Manual. Plus I'll take a Dixie/Ryle and Boone/Campbell rematch over matching up with the Hardins, Meade and Nelson...

Originally Posted by gametime

I'll take Manual @ St X and NCC @ Holy Cross over the games you listed for NCC and Manual. Plus I'll take a Dixie/Ryle and Boone/Campbell rematch over matching up with the Hardins, Meade and Nelson...

Welcome to the minority party ...

The Lexington 4A district playoffs would have looked like this:

Madison Central @ Lafayette (1)
Montgomery County @ Henry Clay (2)
(3) Scott County @ GRC
(4) Woodford County @ Lincoln County

Originally Posted by westsider

What intriguing first-round games would we have seen under the old playoff format, which saw teams take on schools from another district in the first round?

These are some of the matchups I would have liked to have seen this week:

Class A ... Russellville at Murray, Louisville Holy Cross at Danville, Newport Catholic at Raceland

Class 2A ... Trigg County at Owensboro Catholic, Elizabethtown at Corbin, Sheldon Clark at Breathitt County, Leslie County at Prestonsburg

Class 3A ... Franklin-Simpson at Hopkinsville, North Bullitt at Southwestern, Doss at Boyle County, Franklin County at Highlands, South Oldham at East Jessamine, Mason County at Bell County

Class 4A ... Graves County at Henderson County, Marshall County at Owensboro, Manual at North Hardin, Pleasure Ridge Park at John Hardin, Woodford County at Lincoln County, Scott County at Madison Central

It would certainly feel more like the playoffs if Corbin had to face E-town this week, then if they won that game playing probably Larue Co. the following week. I just cannot see the Corbin fans getting very excited about playing two more district games(hopefully the players don't feel the same way)before getting to see someone new if they advance to the 3rd round.
I imagine the gate will be at an all-time low at Corbin Friday for a playoff game.

Maybe it's just me BUT something is missing this year.

Every year at playoff time part of the anticipation was playing against a team that you don't play every year or maybe have never played before. With the new set-up your first two games are definitely against a team that you have played previously and likely every year. IMVHO this reduces the chances for early round upsets and takes some of the excitement away from the playoffs.

Originally Posted by westsider

Class 4A ... Graves County at Henderson County, Marshall County at Owensboro

I mentioned to a couple of people that this certainly could have made life easier for Warren Central and Christian County. Owensboro especially lucks out, trading Marshall County for Grayson County.

Originally Posted by 4chs

It would certainly feel more like the playoffs if Corbin had to face E-town this week, then if they won that game playing probably Larue Co. the following week. I just cannot see the Corbin fans getting very excited about playing two more district games(hopefully the players don't feel the same way)before getting to see someone new if they advance to the 3rd round.
I imagine the gate will be at an all-time low at Corbin Friday for a playoff game.

Gee, that wasn't the way it was supposed to work ...

I hear you, westsider, and here is another example.

This past Friday night was the smallest crowd I have seen at a Belfry game in many years. The weather was the biggest reason, no doubt, but nobody expected a close game.

The game turned out to be a snoozer, Belfry beat Shelby Valley 49-0. They built a halftime lead of 42-0, holding the Wildcats to negative yards and 1 first down, then played the JV and freshmen the rest of the way.

Now considering these same two teams play again this Friday, and coming off that type of game, how many of the regulars will take a week off and skip the game this week?

Originally Posted by Watusi

I hear you, westsider, and here is another example.

This past Friday night was the smallest crowd I have seen at a Belfry game in many years. The weather was the biggest reason, no doubt, but nobody expected a close game.

The game turned out to be a snoozer, Belfry beat Shelby Valley 49-0. They built a halftime lead of 42-0, holding the Wildcats to negative yards and 1 first down, then played the JV and freshmen the rest of the way.

Now considering these same two teams play again this Friday, and coming off that type of game, how many of the regulars will take a week off and skip the game this week?

The flip side would be at places like Ryle and Boone Co. The crowds will be a lot larger because of the new format...

I think some things are lost with the change to a new playoff system. As a fan, I like seeing how adjacent districts compare to each other with the head-to-head matchups. I think coaches and players get more excited over a first-round game against a team they don't normally see (and everyone I've talked to feels that way).

We've always have some rematches in the playoffs, but they were because both teams earned their way to a rematch, and (in most cases) one of them had to do it on the road.

Originally Posted by gametime

The flip side would be at places like Ryle and Boone Co. The crowds will be a lot larger because of the new format...

I agree and I know the thinking is that two local teams playing each other will draw a bigger crowd than a 1-4 matchup where a big underdog has to travel an hour or two for the game. And for the most part, that thinking is probably true.

This situation with Belfry is magnified because they just played each other in week 11.

As a fan, I would still rather see the northern teams pair up with the eastern Jefferson County teams ...

Originally Posted by westsider

As a fan, I would still rather see the northern teams pair up with the eastern Jefferson County teams ...

Good for you. I'd rather see 4 teams that are very evenly matched have a playoff for the district title. And do so in front of packed houses. I've called more than a few of the 1st round games you get excited about, and the visiting crowd was all but absent...

Originally Posted by 4chs

I imagine the gate will be at an all-time low at Corbin Friday for a playoff game.

Look for somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 people coming from Garrard! Truthfully though, the crowd would have been about the same if the Golden Lions had been going to Louisville Western. You're big problem at Corbin will be a small second round gate, which certainly wouldn't be the case in the old system.

Originally Posted by gametime

Good for you. I'd rather see 4 teams that are very evenly matched have a playoff for the district title. And do so in front of packed houses. I've called more than a few of the 1st round games you get excited about, and the visiting crowd was all but absent...

That's fine, and good for you, too. I can see why some in northern Kentucky 4A like the new format, given the schools' proximity to each other and the likelihood that they may have a better chance to advance in the playoffs, given their lack of success against the other district over the years.

Under the old format, we could easily have had those "evenly matched" remaches next week, if both teams could post wins in the first round.

Originally Posted by westsider

That's fine, and good for you, too. I can see why some in northern Kentucky 4A like the new format, given the schools' proximity to each other and the likelihood that they may have a better chance to advance in the playoffs, given their lack of success against the other district over the years.

Under the old format, we could easily have had those "evenly matched" remaches next week, if both teams could post wins in the first round.

If T was still there in round 3 it wouldn't matter either way, right? The Region Champ would be the same both ways. And since I don't have ties to any 4A school, I'm speaking as only a fan of area teams in general. I just get the feeling some hate change way too much...