I’m indifferent and could be persuaded either way, I have to believe in certain situations it would be beneficial for programs, a rebuilding in a sense. In the reality of it who will you be playing against? By leaving your district if you are now open in week 7,8,9 possibly even week 6, majority of teams will be playing district football. So would it just be bad football programs dropping out because they want to avoid the slaughter? You’d have a bunch of Caverna’s playing Ohio County with a 10 game season and just go home after?
 

I suppose my only rebuttal would be what would the kids in turn be playing for if you breakaway? Because no district play leads to no district seeding which means no playoff football. I think it would just cause more of a problem than opposed to believe you are solving it.
 

Another thing I’m not understanding is how would you even go about this, call into KHSAA and revoke yourself for multiple years without the knowledge of the future? I would hate to be in a situation where I felt as though the white flag was raised before the season even kicks off, but that’s what this question says to me.

1 hour ago, TheBallCoach said:

I’m indifferent and could be persuaded either way, I have to believe in certain situations it would be beneficial for programs, a rebuilding in a sense. In the reality of it who will you be playing against? By leaving your district if you are now open in week 7,8,9 possibly even week 6, majority of teams will be playing district football. So would it just be bad football programs dropping out because they want to avoid the slaughter? You’d have a bunch of Caverna’s playing Ohio County with a 10 game season and just go home after?
 

I suppose my only rebuttal would be what would the kids in turn be playing for if you breakaway? Because no district play leads to no district seeding which means no playoff football. I think it would just cause more of a problem than opposed to believe you are solving it.
 

Another thing I’m not understanding is how would you even go about this, call into KHSAA and revoke yourself for multiple years without the knowledge of the future? I would hate to be in a situation where I felt as though the white flag was raised before the season even kicks off, but that’s what this question says to me.

To your first question, that's exactly what you'd have. And these games would be more competitive, more fun, and better overall for those programs. The alternative, which we have now, is getting blasted in two or three district games, and then getting blasted again in the first round of the playoffs. I don't think there's any argument to which is the better option.

For your second question, yes, no playoffs. Which in most cases would be better than traveling on the road, getting running clocked, and finishing your season that way.

Lastly, the teams considering this option are typically teams that have no real history of success and are limited by finances, population, facilities and many other things that make fielding consistent winners on the football field very difficult, if not almost impossible. This isn't about raising the white flag or giving up. It's about putting your students/athletes in the best possible situation to have success. And success isn't always measured by state titles.

The last part is there is a deadline to send in paperwork to be removed from district play for two seasons. At that point you can either go nondistrict again for two seasons or return to play. If/when you return to play you will be placed into a 5 team district because you opted out. This is in case you opt out again the district will have 4 teams instead of 3. 
 

 

@rjs4470 What happens if you have a competitive team that could make a run in the State playoffs like some schools with no history do have time to time? Do you ask KHSAA to put you back in the district? Or will you have to tell your kids “we never thought we’d have success so we burnt a bridge.” Wouldn’t that make the suits in Lexington redo regions as a whole after multiple schools leave because they don’t want to play a powerhouse? What solution is really being answered is what I can’t seem to understand. I foresee more problems and changes that will not benefit anybody if the lesser programs just stop trying to play competitive football.

22 minutes ago, TheBallCoach said:

@rjs4470 What happens if you have a competitive team that could make a run in the State playoffs like some schools with no history do have time to time? Do you ask KHSAA to put you back in the district? Or will you have to tell your kids “we never thought we’d have success so we burnt a bridge.” Wouldn’t that make the suits in Lexington redo regions as a whole after multiple schools leave because they don’t want to play a powerhouse? What solution is really being answered is what I can’t seem to understand. I foresee more problems and changes that will not benefit anybody if the lesser programs just stop trying to play competitive football.

That's why you don't want to make this decision hastily. Basically those in charge need to have a high level of self awareness. And this shouldn't be considered by most schools that are playing football in the state. But there are more than a few programs (maybe a dozen or so) where this is a serious option that should absolutely be considered. I won't mention schools, but you really don't have to think all that hard about who would be a candidate. We are talking about schools that have either never had a sniff of even a few playoff wins, let alone a state championship. This option really doesn't have much impact on the KHSAA. It's currently an option for schools, very few take advantage of it, and I'm not aware of anyone that has ever "missed out" on a possible big season by sitting out district games. Remember, these are teams that are at the literal rock bottom. And the lesser programs that do this aren't trying to stop playing competitive football. They are already not playing competitive football. This is about trying to be more competitive.

And remember, this isn't necessarily about not wanting to play a powerhouse. This does a couple things.

1. It gives both really good and really bad teams more control over their schedule that allows them to play more games that are mutually beneficial for the teams involved. Good teams can further challenge themselves against other good teams, and the less accomplished teams can play more competitive games and better position themselves to have some measure of success.
2. It prevents some of the long travel, lopsided first round playoff games.
3. It gives the teams that make this decision a chance to build a program, and learn how to win and perhaps start moving toward success.

 

The “lesser” teams are trying to play competitive football. They would be trying to play teams that are similar matchups. I’m just throwing teams out there but does anyone think Scott HS, Gallatin, Pendleton, Boone or any number of teams are going to make a playoff run anytime soon?

When you go nondistrict it’s for 2 years. You can get a pretty good idea where you might be in 2 years. 

There needs to be more that factors into classifying teams than boys in school. The above example of Grant County is a good start. 
 

“good old days” don’t exist anymore. Times are different. Every class has 5ish teams that are actually in the running for  a state title.

Kids of a school who care about the sport will leave or just stop playing, and eventually the program somewhere down the road would dissolve if schools decided to go this route. I just think it’s a bad look if you aren’t playing for anything, even if it seems impossible. However if the KHSAA is such a believer in the RPI I wouldn’t mind seeing no districts and just classes of teams and a condensed playoffs. The hope would still be there if you do have one of those special teams to come along at one of those type schools, schedule appropriately and give yourself an opportunity. Pretty wild to think about in the grand scheme, so many factors going into it.

2 hours ago, rjs4470 said:

What is it that they have to play for? Is a yearly 60 point loss in a game(s) you have zero chance of being competitive and a good chance of getting hurt really something to play for? District play hurts the really good teams and the not so good teams by forcing them to play games they get nothing out of.

Despite what people constantly say about how kids can learn from adversity and all the life lessons football teaches, these forced matchups don't teach anybody anything. Football is ultimately a game, and wasn't developed as a way to teach someone about life (although it certainly can). It's a game, and the purpose is to compete and have fun. These games are neither competitive or fun, and ultimately hurt participation in the schools that come out on the wrong side of these blowouts.

Dropping out of district at least allows teams to be able to better manage their schedule and put their players in positions where they have a better opportunity of having success.

If you are not in a district you literally have nothing to play for, and nothing to look at in regards to if you accomplished anything. Plus honestly you are telling your players that basically you don’t believe they can get better and giving up. 
 

Usually at most you may have two teams in your district that is just far and out better than you and  if you are in a very tough district which is very rare you may have 3. The other district games should be the ones though that you are working towards getting better at. Plus you definitely can’t schedule down in non district play to try to give your team some confidence. So use the non district part of your schedule to try to schedule wins. 
 

IMO Boone is the perfect example. Yeah the last couple of years they had no chance against Highlands or Cooper. However, Conner one year they were right there and barely came up short. Last year very Scott was a game they definitely could have won. They just fell short. If you don’t play in a district, I don’t think that helps get kids out at all, because they also then see that even the school thinks they aren’t good, so why play? In district play Boone has had a chance to get district wins and even make the playoffs, just fell short. If you go out of district, how do you even know if you are getting better to where you can then come back to district play? It is simple you don’t know. 
 

You start small and try to build. First try to get that first district win. Like for Boone their goal should be this year to say beat Scott and get that first district win. That is a step in the right direction to build off off. Then the season after that, try to make the playoffs. Doing stuff like that gets participation up more and saves the program more than dropping out of district play would. 
 

I know me personally I been through a rough stretch than probably anyone on here when I played. We were still 4 classes then, and was in a district with Two top 5 times in the state at the time in NCC and Beechwood and we had a 33 game losing streak and got pounded by those schools, and in fact got running clocked by almost everyone during that losing streak. My junior we got down to 13 players. I guarantee you if you dropped out of district play after that, the program would have folded and no players would have came out, because you were not playing for anything then. Instead of running away, we got a new coach that did slowly build it back up. First broke the 33 game losing streak, took our beat downs to Beechwood and NCC still, but found away to beat the other district teams to make the playoffs. That accomplishment and work saved the program and got even more kids back out. 
 

Running away out of district play is not helping kids, and it’s not helping a program. Getting out of district play isn’t going to help numbers grow either, because kids aren’t dumb. They know at that point the school doesn’t believe in them, and literally playing for nothing. 

22 minutes ago, TheBallCoach said:

Kids of a school who care about the sport will leave or just stop playing, and eventually the program somewhere down the road would dissolve if schools decided to go this route. I just think it’s a bad look if you aren’t playing for anything, even if it seems impossible. However if the KHSAA is such a believer in the RPI I wouldn’t mind seeing no districts and just classes of teams and a condensed playoffs. The hope would still be there if you do have one of those special teams to come along at one of those type schools, schedule appropriately and give yourself an opportunity. Pretty wild to think about in the grand scheme, so many factors going into it.

Again, the schools who would make this move aren't really playing for anything now. If getting thrashed in district games year after year hasn't wiped the program out, how will pulling out of those games lead to the demise of the program? Is getting running clocked in district games and not making the playoffs really a better look than playing more competitive games and not making the playoffs?

43 minutes ago, barrel said:

The “lesser” teams are trying to play competitive football. They would be trying to play teams that are similar matchups. I’m just throwing teams out there but does anyone think Scott HS, Gallatin, Pendleton, Boone or any number of teams are going to make a playoff run anytime soon?

When you go nondistrict it’s for 2 years. You can get a pretty good idea where you might be in 2 years. 

Your numbers aren’t going to go up if you play non district. Players aren’t dumb, they would then know their own school doesn’t believe they can do well. So why even play, especially when playing for nothing at that point? Plus how do you even know if you go non district if you are then ready to play in district in two years. If your whole schedule is water down, you have no idea. 
 

It is simple you water down you non district schedule to build confidence, then you find out where you are at during district play. Dropping out of district is not going to help with much of anything and most likely will hurt the program and numbers. 

It is a very sticky situation by opting out.

Do you lose some players to other schools, which further softens your squad?

Do kids just not play at all?

It will certainly be harder for the school and staff to build a team if they opt out of district play/playoffs.

3 minutes ago, rjs4470 said:

Again, the schools who would make this move aren't really playing for anything now. If getting thrashed in district games year after year hasn't wiped the program out, how will pulling out of those games lead to the demise of the program? Is getting running clocked in district games and not making the playoffs really a better look than playing more competitive games and not making the playoffs?

Personally I think they are both bad spots to be in and would like to not have to choose either option. 

1 minute ago, futurecoach said:

If you are not in a district you literally have nothing to play for, and nothing to look at in regards to if you accomplished anything. Plus honestly you are telling your players that basically you don’t believe they can get better and giving up. 
 

Usually at most you may have two teams in your district that is just far and out better than you and  if you are in a very tough district which is very rare you may have 3. The other district games should be the ones though that you are working towards getting better at. Plus you definitely can’t schedule down in non district play to try to give your team some confidence. So use the non district part of your schedule to try to schedule wins. 
 

IMO Boone is the perfect example. Yeah the last couple of years they had no chance against Highlands or Cooper. However, Conner one year they were right there and barely came up short. Last year very Scott was a game they definitely could have won. They just fell short. If you don’t play in a district, I don’t think that helps get kids out at all, because they also then see that even the school thinks they aren’t good, so why play? In district play Boone has had a chance to get district wins and even make the playoffs, just fell short. If you go out of district, how do you even know if you are getting better to where you can then come back to district play? It is simple you don’t know. 
 

You start small and try to build. First try to get that first district win. Like for Boone their goal should be this year to say beat Scott and get that first district win. That is a step in the right direction to build off off. Then the season after that, try to make the playoffs. Doing stuff like that gets participation up more and saves the program more than dropping out of district play would. 
 

I know me personally I been through a rough stretch than probably anyone on here when I played. We were still 4 classes then, and was in a district with Two top 5 times in the state at the time in NCC and Beechwood and we had a 33 game losing streak and got pounded by those schools, and in fact got running clocked by almost everyone during that losing streak. My junior we got down to 13 players. I guarantee you if you dropped out of district play after that, the program would have folded and no players would have came out, because you were not playing for anything then. Instead of running away, we got a new coach that did slowly build it back up. First broke the 33 game losing streak, took our beat downs to Beechwood and NCC still, but found away to beat the other district teams to make the playoffs. That accomplishment and work saved the program and got even more kids back out. 
 

Running away out of district play is not helping kids, and it’s not helping a program. Getting out of district play isn’t going to help numbers grow either, because kids aren’t dumb. They know at that point the school doesn’t believe in them, and literally playing for nothing. 

Using Boone as an example, if they were to pull out of district they could still play Scott and Conner if they wanted to. But them playing Cooper, Highlands and Dixie aren't games that are going to help them, at least in this cycle. This is all about having better control over your schedule and trying to build.

Just now, TheBallCoach said:

Personally I think they are both bad spots to be in and would like to not have to choose either option. 

I agree. It's not an easy call.