5A meeting

[GoBigGreen]

Look out Slicker as Berkeley will want to be booked by many teams in the low country with the classification and the meaninglessness of non-region games. With an 8 team region in the low country, everyone will have 2 games to fill. I can see many wanting Berkeley to be one of those games. I saw the proposed regions somewhere and think the area region was:

Summerville
FD
AR
Wando
West Ashley
Stratford
James Island
Goose Creek

That would put Cane Bay in region 4A and another team that 5A schools could schedule to complete their full schedule. I am not sure how many teams are in the 4A regions in the area. Who can tell me where to look for the proposed breakdown?

[Rebel-Fan-74]

http://www.scpreptalk.com/viewforum.php?f=62" target="_blank

[FootballFan4343]

I agree the new system has its fair share of problems. The only way the scheduling nightmare is going to be resolved is if you pair two regions up who have have the same problem of having a shortage of teams. The unfortunate problem with that solution is that it may require a team to travel a good distance for a game or possibly force a mismatch between a 5A team and say a 3A team. Look I know a lot of the 4A people hate the new setup but as a lower class school I love it because now it opens up new scheduling possibilities. For instance now you can get those match ups that put someone like Dillon against someone like Dorman, Summerville, or Byrnes. Under the current points system those match ups would never happen because the 4A team wouldn't get the points bump needed for postseason. Now the smaller schools who produce great football can get the chance to show they can run with the big boys of the state.

You are right, the potential is there for Dillon vs. Dorman, but unfortunately that won't happen. The basis from the ADs who were FOR elimination of the points system was to eliminate travel. They wanted to play the 1A-2A-3A schools around them and not have to travel far distances where travel costs and poor gates were involved. So Dorman-Dillon is not a match-up that will happen. You might see Dillon play one of the bigger Florence schools, but outside of that, it won't happen. The new 5A schools will now either face other 5A teams in marrying with another 5A region and run the risk of playoff rematches (which coaches loathe) or they will play the smaller schools within a 50 mile radius of their school to keep travel costs down and hopes for a good gate. The problem with the "gate" idea is it will get old after a while and fans will stop attending 45-7 games and instead wait until region play. Plus, I am floored that 5A is GIVING up an extra game every year, which means giving up a home game every other year. Even the worst 5A school clears 15-20k on a home football game. So, its like the AD/Principals are talking out of both sides of their mouths. On one side, they want to "save money" by cutting travel costs and playing local teams, but on the other end they want to give up a home gate the 20k they would make every other year.
My opinion, money isn't the issue. I think its more so by the 35 or so schools who year in and year out do NOT compete at a statewide level. Instead, their goal is a playoff berth and winning record. So, in the projected scenario they can get both by winning 1 REGION game. Stack your non-region schedule with very winnable games (instead of playing bigger schools for points where you risk losing), you got 6-0 or 5-1 against the smaller schools. Then go 1-3 in Region play, BOOM, goal achieved. Winning record and playoff berth.

[GoBigGreen]

Completely agree! The advantage for scheduling larger schools out of state which would fall into the Big 16 criteria to gain that extra 1/2 playoff point now goes completely away. There simply is no reason for Summerville as an example to play a larger midlands team when they can simply play Berkeley, Cane Bay, Stall or Colleton County all of which will be teams in the area that will be 4A next year. The issue will arise with 8 5A teams in the area, they can not all play these same 4 teams as they will only have 4 non-region games they can schedule each year. We will have 8 5A teams looking to fill 3 games each or 24 games. We will have 4 Region VIII 4A teams nearby(excludes Beaufort and Hilton Head) looking to fill 4 games each or 16 games. This leaves 8 games to be filled by teams not in the area. If you did include all of the Region VIII teams we would have 6 teams * 4 games or 24 games which works out exactly right for cross bracketing. This assumes the 4A teams want to fill their non-region schedule with all 5A schools which we all know they will not. In short, many of the area teams will need to travel to the midlands, the Myrtle Beach area or the upstate to fill their schedule.

[wave 80]

Completely agree! The advantage for scheduling larger schools out of state which would fall into the Big 16 criteria to gain that extra 1/2 playoff point now goes completely away. There simply is no reason for Summerville as an example to play a larger midlands team when they can simply play Berkeley, Cane Bay, Stall or Colleton County all of which will be teams in the area that will be 4A next year. The issue will arise with 8 5A teams in the area, they can not all play these same 4 teams as they will only have 4 non-region games they can schedule each year. We will have 8 5A teams looking to fill 3 games each or 24 games. We will have 4 Region VIII 4A teams nearby(excludes Beaufort and Hilton Head) looking to fill 4 games each or 16 games. This leaves 8 games to be filled by teams not in the area. If you did include all of the Region VIII teams we would have 6 teams * 4 games or 24 games which works out exactly right for cross bracketing. This assumes the 4A teams want to fill their non-region schedule with all 5A schools which we all know they will not. In short, many of the area teams will need to travel to the midlands, the Myrtle Beach area or the upstate to fill their schedule.

We could start the season with the JV team playing Stall, Woodland,Bishop England or maybe even a homecoming game the 3rd week against Pinewood Prep.

[Viking9987]

Here's another idea, lets have all classes play 11 games then take the 16 best teams in each class and let them battle it out for the state championship. The top 2 teams in each region make up your playoff field. I figure under that formula all of the teams that have a realistic chance of winning it all would be in the playoffs and then it would add value to being able to claim that you are a playoff team. Also I think having 32 teams in the playoffs is to many and round 1 ends up being filled with a ton of blowout games usually.

[FootballFan4343]

Here's another idea, lets have all classes play 11 games then take the 16 best teams in each class and let them battle it out for the state championship. The top 2 teams in each region make up your playoff field. I figure under that formula all of the teams that have a realistic chance of winning it all would be in the playoffs and then it would add value to being able to claim that you are a playoff team. Also I think having 32 teams in the playoffs is to many and round 1 ends up being filled with a ton of blowout games usually.

Unfortunately that isn't the case. There have been occasions when a 3rd place team from some of the upstate regions wins the state title. In your scenario, the assumption is being made that all regions are equal, which we know isn't the case. So there would be some years in say, the new Region 3 that Byrnes might lose a close game to Spartanburg and Dorman, therefore doesn't make the playoffs. While a Wando team that finished 2nd in their region would get in the playoffs. So, unfortunately that scenario wouldn't get the true best 16 teams. Again, I still don't continue to see how any proposal is better than what currently stands.
For your point about 32 teams, that equals revenue. The High School league does NOT want to give up 16 games of revenue as they get half the ticket revenue from each playoff game. In addition they receive tv and radio fees for all playoff games. Assuming a playoff game will sell 4000 tickets for a (5A) playoff game, at $7. Thats $14,000 per game, multiplied by 16. $224,000 plus any additional media fees. That's BIG money that goes a LONG way towards the SCHSL annual funding.

[Rebel-Fan-74]

Using this seasons 10 games as a guide (they didn't all play each other to get the exact records, but some did)

R1-1 Westside
R4-4 Rock Hill

R2-2 Hillcrest
R3-3 Dorman
_____________________________________

R4-1 Northwestern
R1-4 Woodmont

R3-2 Byrnes
R2-3 Laurens
_____________________________________

R2-1 Greenwood
R3-4 Gaffney

R1-2 TL Hanna
R4-3 Fort Mill
_____________________________________

R3-1 Spartanburg
R2-4 Mauldin

R4-2 Nation Ford
R1-3 Easley
UPPER STATE BRACKET
==============================================================================
LOWER STATE BRACKET
R5-1 Dutch Fork
AL Blythewood

R6-2 Conway
R7-3 Goose Creek
_____________________________________

R5-2 Lexington
R7-5 Summerville

R6-3 South Florence
R7-4 West Ashley
_____________________________________

R6-1 Sumter
R5-5 White Knoll

R7-2 Ashley Ridge
R5-4 Irmo
_____________________________________

R7-1 Fort Dorchester
R6-5 Socastee

R5-3 Spring Valley
R6-4 Carolina Forest

[GoBigGreen]

Possible NW vs Byrnes match-up in the 2nd round . Yeah, I am certain there would be no talk about these two teams meeting in the 2nd round.