I have a reputation for being one of the CIAC’s most outspoken critics, but today is an occasion to give the governing body for high school sports in Connecticut full praise for fixing a huge problem by adopting a new postseason format for football.
Instead of the current six classes, there will now be four. Instead of four teams in each class, there will now be eight. The state will add quarterfinal round games and an extra week to the season. Thirty-two teams instead of 24 will now qualify for the CIAC Tournament.
The CIAC board of control yesterday morning unanimously approved a proposal made by the football committee two weeks ago.
It was widely expected that the state would adopt a change, but the timing was unanticipated. Under the current system, there are six one- or two-loss teams in Class LL that are out of the playoff race, including Greenwich, Cheshire and Hamden.
“I was very surprised that it passed like this, but I’m glad it did,” said New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli, a committee member who last night was inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. “Every time we would make a proposal, they would throw something back and want us to do something else.”
If I have one minor quibble, I would have preferred three divisions instead of four and really reward excellence. Interestingly, Marinelli has a contrarian viewpoint.
“I tried to get six,” Marinelli said. “Why not? Look at how many kids go to postseason tournaments in other sports. We’re still under what everybody else does. Why not have more kids who play than in any other sport get the same opportunities as other sports?”
One other minor criticism discussed has been why the state decided to add a week to the end of the season, rather than start a week earlier. Football players who participate in a winter sport will have virtually no transition time.
Marinelli said there was a bigger consideration that has been forgotten.
“It might look good on paper, but one of the big obstacles is the league championship games and Thanksgiving Day games are a tradition in communities,” Marinelli said. “The only way to avoid this is to go one extra week at the end.”
As one reader to this blog pointed out, the additional week will only affect eight teams.
If the new format in my eyes is not 100 percent perfect, they got it 95 percent right. There will now be more true champions that had to navigate more difficult tournaments with more compelling matchups.
“As long as they keep spring football and have that schedule, a kid playing football in Connecticut is far better off than playing in New York or Massachusetts,” Marinelli said. “They will be able to play as many as 14 or 15 games, like the better states like Texas, California and Florida.”
Next thing you know they will get rid of the 50 point rule and go with a running clock in the second half if the score is over 35 points at halftime. But this is a good start!
Comment by SWC fanatic — November 20th, 2009 @ 2:45 pm