The merit based system....

[VolunteerGeneral]

Swamp...I`ve heard of all those places, but since I`m no where near them, I`m just not familiar with the logistics there. However, I do believe that the TSSAA has already set a precedence by allowing current Div. II schools to travell long distances. If it is fair for them, then it should probably be fair for anyone. The other alternative would be to play up if that would be the more suitable thing. JCM is currently playing a lot of Memphis teams. That`s at least an hour away. When you consider campus to campus time, probably an hour and a half.

[CoachT]

I know that distance is a factor and regions should be set up as convenient as possible because of travel expense, fans, etc but I don't know that it should be THAT big a factor.

 

Lawrence County's closest region football game is 35 miles away. We have two that are 50 miles, five that are 70 miles, and one that is over 100 miles (White County. Swamp- if you want to try a long haul, go from Sparta to Lawrenceburg some night. ). Very little, and sometimes none, is interstate-driving.

 

I always find it amusing when I go to Memphis, or Nashville, and hear fans' comment that they wish they didn't have to drive all the way across town to the game!

[Edited by coacht on 6/29/02 10:00P]

[Edited by coacht on 6/29/02 10:05P]

[TheEgoHasLanded]

U heard right Volunteer general...every team in Division 2AA must play at least two opponents from Division 2-AAA (Some teams like Briarcrest choose to play 3)...ECS for instance had to travel to play Father Ryan in Nashville (that was their forced game across the state) and then it chose to play either MUS or CBHS (the other of the two being voluntary).

St. Benedict (who last year didn't win a game) was forced to play CBHS or Father Ryan (and lost 49-0) and then had to go to Chattanooga and play Notre Dame...a game they also lost...

 

Neither of these games count in anything towards the playoff race because Ryan and Notre Dame aren't in West Region...

 

Harding lost to Brentwood Academy and MUS and neither game counted towards the region because they were both D2-AAA

 

Basically the TSSAA forced the D2-AA schools to play 2 games against meaningless competition, and then travel across the state to play a game that means nothing as well...

 

I have noticed that the moderators and the public school people don't say anything about this...you guys make me laugh, you complain about playing schools your size who have kids who pay to go there...and then here are some D2-AA schools who have to play teams that are bigger, better (D2-AAA beat every D2-AA team this year) and we are forced to travel across the state to play them.

 

I will be very surprised if I receive any sympathy or even a comment about what I just posted.

[VolunteerGeneral]

CoachT...personally I hate for anyone to have to travel a long distance and I`m sure the TSSAA does as well, but there is no other choice in some cases unless you just divided schools up by proximity and with no regard to size...YUCK, that would be bad!!!

[VolunteerGeneral]

EGO...did you go to St. Benedict??? If so, I have some questions for you.

[TheEgoHasLanded]

nope I didn't but I played against them...if you would my email I will give it to you in secret, I could tell you more about how I really pull for and who I played for.

[CoachT]

VG- I agree on the distance, that it has to be considered, but if a team has to drive from Jackson to Memphis, or vice versa, two or three times a year, that should not be the only limiting factor.

[VolunteerGeneral]

Ego...I was just wanting to know if St. Benedict changed coaches. I know a few years ago St. Benedict was very good. That was when the coach (I don`t know his name) with the huge eyebrows was there. The last time they played, there was a new coach and to be honest, they really looked bad. No team chemistry. I heard that there were a lot of problems with the coach and that a lot of people were wanting the old coach back. Why did they get rid of the other coach to begin with?

[ELA]

Your plan has some merits, but until you abolish regions, your plan may not work because some teams will volunteer to move back up even though they can move down so they can remain in certain regions. Review what happened to AA two years ago when so many AA schools moved up to AAA to avoid playing in a region with Goodpasture and David Lipscomb.

[TheEgoHasLanded]

VG...

 

Yes in 1996 they went to the Class A finals I believe...that would have been I guess 5 or 6 years ago, then in 97 they dropped off a lot but were still pretty good...

 

I guess after that their coach left, and these have been the scorers since then

 

9th-42-14

10th-46-8

11th-34-12

12th-48-14

 

so they have definitely slacked off some since then, they hired a new coach who is hilarious to watch, they are going to a spread, I doubt it helps...they in all honesty have had lines that averaged around 300 pounds, and could bench over 400...im being totally serious, but the guys couldnt hit an egg with their helmets and they lack determination and athletes...

[VolunteerGeneral]

ELA...If regions stayed the same as they are now, including the teams that have moved up in order to avoid playing the class 2AA privates and Goodpasture and Liscomb are as dominating a people say they are, then within a few years, they would play themselves up to 3AAA and those other teams could move back down. I just feel that each class offers a certain level of competitiveness. I can live with a system that works to sort teams out based on how good they are and not what they are. It wouldn`t be a quick fix unless you retroactively went back over the last few years to work in whatever numbers were used.

 

Welcome back ELA

[Edited by VolunteerGeneral on 6/30/02 7:11A]

[swamp]

CoachT, I've driven the majority of that drive (not for sports). I go from Kingston to Fayetteville at least once a year, and that takes me from Sparta to Fayetteville. (FTR, I think Sparta being in that region is asinine!)