Cutting classes will not make things more competitive at the district level. All it does is make the gap bigger between the largest and smallest schools. While you might pick up one more competitive game, you’re just as likely to pick up less competitive games. Classes exist because of disparity in size of schools. Cutting the number of classes doesn’t fix or address that problem.

 

I'd argue that cutting classes makes for LESS competitive games. But I can't prove it, I'd think though, that smaller classes will pair up teams with schools they don't need to be paired up with.

 

I know the "Beat who you need to beat" argument. But, those people don't live in reality. I think there are ways to IMPROVE the system, but I don't think 6 classes is the problem.

How would you feel to be stuck in a district with Trinity, St. X, Male, Manual, etc,

 

Non-competitive teams shouldn't be in the playoffs. Why add "insult to injury" to a program that struggles through the season. You could probably still have some at-large bids get in but teams that don't have winning records shouldn't be in the tournament.

Who cares about the number?

 

Then followed by “your job is not to make sure everybody gets a trophy”

Tackett must be losing his mind. This doesn’t make things better than they are, it worsens it IMO. It almost sounds like it’s enabling the schools whom struggle more to not improve. Tackett said that it’s not about more trophies when it clearly is.

 

I’d really like seeing things back to four classes again and the playoffs being the way they used to be, but I don’t think it’s happening.

This really feels like the horse has been beaten to death a dozen times....

People talk about everyone getting into the playoffs waters it down, but we have some very competitive 2/3 games and 2 4 seeds won this year.

People talk about blowouts in 1st round. There are blowouts in 1st round of many other sports post season tournaments.

People say 6 classes is the problem but I'm old enough to remember when 4 classes was the problem. Actually old enough to remember when they expanded playoffs to 4 teams getting in and you know what? Football has been growing for 25 years....

You want to fix football playoffs for real?

I'm gonna say it and probably get ridiculed for it. But take care of what the argument has really been over for all these years.

Split the Playoffs.

4 Public School Classes, distributed as evenly as possible by enrollment (4 population divisions) & 2 Private School classes Large Division & Small Division (2 population divisions). Heck I'd even allow an option for "realignment" every 4 years like we do now & allow public teams the option to play in the private division if they choose for a 4 year cycle as long as they played in the appropriate population division.

I haven't broken down the number of teams that would be in each class but feel certain Public School Districts would be around 5-6 teams per district with 4 Regions Geographically Split. Private Districts would likely be 4 team districts.

Let everyone in playoffs in the Private Division. Take top 4 teams from Districts in Public Divisions.

Could even do something pretty cool at the conclusion of the season at pit the Large School Public State Champion vs the Large School Private State Champion.

Kinda harkens back to the old Greater Louisville Champion & the At Large State Champion.

 

I don't know. I do believe that there is a way to continue to improve our HS football. I think it is important to continue to improve it. I believe very important lessons are still taught on HS football fields. The game is under attack from many angles. We should do everything possible to make sure we don't harm the sport from within.

This really feels like the horse has been beaten to death a dozen times....

People talk about everyone getting into the playoffs waters it down, but we have some very competitive 2/3 games and 2 4 seeds won this year.

People talk about blowouts in 1st round. There are blowouts in 1st round of many other sports post season tournaments.

People say 6 classes is the problem but I'm old enough to remember when 4 classes was the problem. Actually old enough to remember when they expanded playoffs to 4 teams getting in and you know what? Football has been growing for 25 years....

You want to fix football playoffs for real?

I'm gonna say it and probably get ridiculed for it. But take care of what the argument has really been over for all these years.

Split the Playoffs.

4 Public School Classes, distributed as evenly as possible by enrollment (4 population divisions) & 2 Private School classes Large Division & Small Division (2 population divisions). Heck I'd even allow an option for "realignment" every 4 years like we do now & allow public teams the option to play in the private division if they choose for a 4 year cycle as long as they played in the appropriate population division.

I haven't broken down the number of teams that would be in each class but feel certain Public School Districts would be around 5-6 teams per district with 4 Regions Geographically Split. Private Districts would likely be 4 team districts.

Let everyone in playoffs in the Private Division. Take top 4 teams from Districts in Public Divisions.

Could even do something pretty cool at the conclusion of the season at pit the Large School Public State Champion vs the Large School Private State Champion.

Kinda harkens back to the old Greater Louisville Champion & the At Large State Champion.

 

I don't know. I do believe that there is a way to continue to improve our HS football. I think it is important to continue to improve it. I believe very important lessons are still taught on HS football fields. The game is under attack from many angles. We should do everything possible to make sure we don't harm the sport from within.

 

Public/Private isn’t the issue either. There just aren’t enough private football playing schools in the state to justify their own “class”, let alone two classes. The large school private class would basically be Trinity, St X and maybe Cov Cath. Then you’d have a small school class of about 8 teams.

Been there, done that...have that tattooed on our foreheads at PRP. Next question?

Edited November 17, 20178 yr by mwthrasher
did not add the quote...

Been there, done that...have that tattooed on our foreheads at PRP. Next question?

 

How would you feel to be stuck in a district with Trinity, St. X, Male, Manual, etc,

 

Been there, done that...have that tattooed on our foreheads at PRP. Next question?

This really feels like the horse has been beaten to death a dozen times....

People talk about everyone getting into the playoffs waters it down, but we have some very competitive 2/3 games and 2 4 seeds won this year.

People talk about blowouts in 1st round. There are blowouts in 1st round of many other sports post season tournaments.

People say 6 classes is the problem but I'm old enough to remember when 4 classes was the problem. Actually old enough to remember when they expanded playoffs to 4 teams getting in and you know what? Football has been growing for 25 years....

You want to fix football playoffs for real?

I'm gonna say it and probably get ridiculed for it. But take care of what the argument has really been over for all these years.

Split the Playoffs.

4 Public School Classes, distributed as evenly as possible by enrollment (4 population divisions) & 2 Private School classes Large Division & Small Division (2 population divisions). Heck I'd even allow an option for "realignment" every 4 years like we do now & allow public teams the option to play in the private division if they choose for a 4 year cycle as long as they played in the appropriate population division.

I haven't broken down the number of teams that would be in each class but feel certain Public School Districts would be around 5-6 teams per district with 4 Regions Geographically Split. Private Districts would likely be 4 team districts.

Let everyone in playoffs in the Private Division. Take top 4 teams from Districts in Public Divisions.

Could even do something pretty cool at the conclusion of the season at pit the Large School Public State Champion vs the Large School Private State Champion.

Kinda harkens back to the old Greater Louisville Champion & the At Large State Champion.

 

I don't know. I do believe that there is a way to continue to improve our HS football. I think it is important to continue to improve it. I believe very important lessons are still taught on HS football fields. The game is under attack from many angles. We should do everything possible to make sure we don't harm the sport from within.

 

You were off to a good start and then that public/private thing jumped in there. Talk about a horse beaten to death a dozen times ... :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse:

You were off to a good start and then that public/private thing jumped in there. Talk about a horse beaten to death a dozen times ... :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse:

 

I know. And honest to goodness I agree with you. When I was typing that it made sense in my mind but perhaps didn't come out exactly the way I wanted.

I do feel like that no matter how many ways we look at splitting up football classes, populations divisions, districts, regions or what ever, the tendency is to always look out for what works out best for "me and mine" as opposed to what is good for the sport.

In other words, what I shared at top was a way to look at what I believe to be the root of all the different conflicting opinions that have led to all the different concepts over the years. The public/private debate.

I honestly think what we would find if the public/private thing ever did happen is a new gap would form. The gap of true financial support. The gap of which public school systems value athletics as a major part of their educational process and are willing (and able) to financially support it, and which ones just want to offer sports and have teams.

Not everyone should win a trophy.

 

Sometimes the value of the lesson in not getting a reward might be the Lord's way of teaching you how to prepare for a larger reward down the road...

 

Life Lessons.

 

Hi-yo Silver.....

4 state Championship 1 for the super class aka bowling green, Cov Cath, Trinity, etc. 1 for small school super class beechwood, mayfield, paintsville, Danville etc. 1 for large school Boyle, Johnson Central, Belfry etc 1 for small school Russellville, Walton-Verona etc. use a ranking system based off of yearly school enrollment, strength of schedule, and margin of victory. So if you want to pad stats through the season guess what you’ll pay for that come playoff time. Meaning less blowouts all together. Teams shouldn’t have to get out of district play because someone decided that they are in a district with teams that they cannot compete with yeah I’m sure many of you will be like that school needs to work harder etc but look at some of these schools they never will be able to compete with Trinity.

This really feels like the horse has been beaten to death a dozen times....

People talk about everyone getting into the playoffs waters it down, but we have some very competitive 2/3 games and 2 4 seeds won this year.

People talk about blowouts in 1st round. There are blowouts in 1st round of many other sports post season tournaments.

People say 6 classes is the problem but I'm old enough to remember when 4 classes was the problem. Actually old enough to remember when they expanded playoffs to 4 teams getting in and you know what? Football has been growing for 25 years....

You want to fix football playoffs for real?

I'm gonna say it and probably get ridiculed for it. But take care of what the argument has really been over for all these years.

Split the Playoffs.

4 Public School Classes, distributed as evenly as possible by enrollment (4 population divisions) & 2 Private School classes Large Division & Small Division (2 population divisions). Heck I'd even allow an option for "realignment" every 4 years like we do now & allow public teams the option to play in the private division if they choose for a 4 year cycle as long as they played in the appropriate population division.

I haven't broken down the number of teams that would be in each class but feel certain Public School Districts would be around 5-6 teams per district with 4 Regions Geographically Split. Private Districts would likely be 4 team districts.

Let everyone in playoffs in the Private Division. Take top 4 teams from Districts in Public Divisions.

Could even do something pretty cool at the conclusion of the season at pit the Large School Public State Champion vs the Large School Private State Champion.

Kinda harkens back to the old Greater Louisville Champion & the At Large State Champion.

 

I don't know. I do believe that there is a way to continue to improve our HS football. I think it is important to continue to improve it. I believe very important lessons are still taught on HS football fields. The game is under attack from many angles. We should do everything possible to make sure we don't harm the sport from within.

 

Exactly

I do believe that there is a way to continue to improve our HS football. I think it is important to continue to improve it. I believe very important lessons are still taught on HS football fields. The game is under attack from many angles. We should do everything possible to make sure we don't harm the sport from within.

Amen

We should attach a poll to this. I would love to see who supports this.