Probably because they had to play schools like Walton-Verona twice last season so the competition level leading up to the Final 4 was scarce + having to travel 4+ hours to a tough environment doesn't help either. Home field advantage counts for 1.5 - 2.5 points in most football games, especially when the teams are relatively even, give or take a few athletes. What do you know, Beechwood lost by 1 last year. Who knows, maybe a neutral site or home game would've ended differently. Hopefully they get another crack at O Cath this year... time will tell.