DII-AA teams need to leave TSSAA NOW!

[Mtnwalker]

I will speak up on this, who wants to play a bunch of all stars piled up in one place. Privates and Open Zone Schools playing a public school with zoning restrictions is like shooting fish in a barrel. Signal Mtn had to vacate 6 wins last year due to a kid playing on their team and not living in their zone. And the playoff system mixes privates and Open Zone schools in with public schools with Zoning requirments. This system sucks bad. Public schools should not be mixed with these for the State Championships.

[Mtnwalker]

I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. I have had boys play for state championships on both public and private sides. There needs to be a complete split between publics and privates (can still play each other but no impact on their playoff standings). Then the publics need to fix the open zone issue as well.

 

It makes no sense for them to compete within the same system as it makes no sense for NASCAR to compete against Formula 1. Nothing bad about either but just two different animals.

[MJ0625]

That is not what happens right now, TSSAA atleast has some say so with what the private schools can do. If there is a complete split they would be able to do as they want and take all the players they want without any consequences, and no they do not get away with everything right now. Public school football is horrible in places like Pennsylvania and Other states up north that have this exact thing. Catholic leagues dominate by picking all the kids they want and leaving the rest. Hurts academics as well.

 

 

That already happens! You speak as there are restrictions on this now.

 

The only folks that get spanked now are public schools with a zoning requirement.

[shakinthefat]

TSSAA at least has some say so with what the private schools can do.

They do have some "say".....But do they support private schools like public schools. i.e. playing football championship on a week night, making it hard or working parents. Public plays championship games on Friday/Saturdays. Never has there been an plan to alternate the game nights.

The new Division I playoff criteria penalizies Division II teams trying to schedule DI teams. Is the TSSAA focusing on a solution? Probably not....time to succeed from the TSSAA.

[MJ0625]

I agree with you on that and I realize changes need to be made but I think once you get more schools to enter D-II it will start to get a little better. If in the next couple years changes aren't made I am all for a complete split.

[big red big blue]

Remembering when publics and privates (alot fewer) played in the same classifications (QUOTA RULE - ruled unstitutional - for privates who gave financial aid, there was a quota (limit) on the number of players who could participate in varsity games (4 in football); and then remembering the LAWSUIT and the ultimate SPLIT into DII -- and now, the big privates especially in an arms race competing for the best players and coaches - and trying to always upgrade any facility that a competitor may have gotten first. All this makes me think about the process: Who have been the winners and who have been the losers? Sure, I will agree that some kids have been introduced to private school education who would not have been without recuiting for football. But in my opinion, the real tragedy is the effect that the SPLIT has had on the city public high schools. The city schools are pathetic in every way. Any parent who can (pay for) get their kid out of the public school system and into a private will do this. Many of the better athletes have left the public schools over the last 18 years (more and more). But many great families with great kids (leaders) have left for the privates for reasons other than athletic. Disclaimer: certainly, there still are many great people in the public school system but I am sure we all will agree that the problems are almost insurmountable. Something I also do not like that private education seems to develop (unintentionally) is the sence of entitlement and priviledge that many kids develop.

 

you make a lot of good points....can you blame these public schools for refusing to play us? Esp in Middle TN? 10-15 years ago it was a legitimate complaint. Now? not so much....this summer, a kid in a Hillsboro jersey knocked on my door...he (and others) were going door to door raising money for the football program. Meanwhile, MBA and Ensworth are building SEC-level facilities (haven't seen inside of BA in many years, but would assume it's the same). Hillsboro was our biggest rival outside of Father Ryan when I was playing; now, I can't blame them at all for refusing to play us at all.

 

I suspect eventually at MBA, the only local non-D2 teams we will get on the schedule are the teams like Pearl Cohn, whom we have to pay to come play at MBA....because they are so desperate for $$.

[WesVLT]

Imagine a league with these teams:

 

 

Ensworth

Brentwood Academy

MBA

Father Ryan

MUS

Christian Brothers

Briarcrest

St. Benedict

McCallie

Baylor

 

Trinity (KY)

St. Xavier (KY)

Lexington Catholic (KY)

St. Xavier (OH)

Elder (OH)

Moeller (OH)

La Salle (OH)

Westminster (GA)

Lovett (GA)

Marist (GA)

Briarwood Christian (AL)

John Carroll Catholic (AL)

 

 

Tennessee's private schools would likely not break away from the TSSAA unless they could join a group of out-of-state elite private schools doing the same thing. I have no idea whether these schools would be interested in leaving their respective state associations, but it makes for fun dreaming.

 

North Division

 

Trinity (KY)

St. Xavier (KY)

Lexington Catholic (KY)

St. Xavier (OH)

Elder (OH)

Moeller (OH)

La Salle (OH)

 

Central Division

Ensworth

Brentwood Academy

MBA

Father Ryan

MUS

Christian Brothers

Briarcrest

St. Benedict

 

South Division

 

Westminster (GA)

Lovett (GA)

Marist (GA)

McCallie

Baylor

Briarwood Christian (AL)

John Carroll Catholic (AL)

 

While this is for entertainment purposes only, it paints an interesting picture of what the private school landscape could look like if these schools decided to break away.

[Twing]

Big Red Blue - the rich get richer and the poor get poorer it seems, in every way....weight rooms, uniforms, # of coaches, a certified strength coach (Ensworth has 3 or 4 on staff now), new pads ?? and Ur right, the teams who play city publics just write them a check and they play.

 

Wes - you make a good argument for a great league; but the league would need some kind of governing body, officials things like that - I would be in favor of

[WesVLT]

Big Red Blue - the rich get richer and the poor get poorer it seems, in every way....weight rooms, uniforms, # of coaches, a certified strength coach (Ensworth has 3 or 4 on staff now), new pads ?? and Ur right, the teams who play city publics just write them a check and they play.

 

Wes - you make a good argument for a great league; but the league would need some kind of governing body, officials things like that - I would be in favor of

There's enough money and know-how to put in place a good structure and hire excellent officials. To me, the biggest issues are funding catastrophic insurance and finding out-of-league teams to play. The league would be self-sufficient in football, but if the TSSAA prohibited its schools from playing teams in the new league, it could make other sports' lives difficult.

[WesVLT]

Imagine a league with these teams:

 

 

Ensworth

Brentwood Academy

MBA

Father Ryan

MUS

Christian Brothers

Briarcrest

St. Benedict

McCallie

Baylor

 

Trinity (KY)

St. Xavier (KY)

Lexington Catholic (KY)

St. Xavier (OH)

Elder (OH)

Moeller (OH)

La Salle (OH)

Westminster (GA)

Lovett (GA)

Marist (GA)

Briarwood Christian (AL)

John Carroll Catholic (AL)

 

 

Tennessee's private schools would likely not break away from the TSSAA unless they could join a group of out-of-state elite private schools doing the same thing. I have no idea whether these schools would be interested in leaving their respective state associations, but it makes for fun dreaming.

 

North Division

Trinity (KY)

St. Xavier (KY)

Lexington Catholic (KY)

St. Xavier (OH)

Elder (OH)

Moeller (OH)

La Salle (OH)

 

Central Division

Ensworth

Brentwood Academy

MBA

Father Ryan

MUS

Christian Brothers

Briarcrest

St. Benedict

 

South Division

Westminster (GA)

Lovett (GA)

Marist (GA)

McCallie

Baylor

Briarwood Christian (AL)

John Carroll Catholic (AL)

 

So let's have some more fun. Let's pretend the playoffs included the top four teams from each division for a total of 12 -- four first-round byes. Based on this year's records, what would the postseason look like?

 

North Division

1. Trinity (9-1)

2. Lexington Catholic (8-2)

3. Elder (7-3)

4. Moeller (7-3)

 

Central Division

1. Ensworth (10-0)

2. Christian Brothers (9-1)

3. MUS (8-2)

4. Brentwood Academy (8-2)

 

South Division

1. Marist (9-1)

2. Baylor (7-3)

3. Lovett (6-4)

4. McCallie (4-5)

 

Byes: Trinity, Ensworth, Marist, Christian Brothers

 

MUS vs. Lovett

(Winner visits Trinity)

 

Lexington Catholic vs. McCallie

(Winner visits Christian Brothers)

 

Baylor vs. Moeller

(Winner visits Ensworth)

 

Elder vs. Brentwood Academy

(Winner visits Marist)

 

Some fun matchups. Thanks for indulging my nerdiness.

[midtnmale]

I say either combine all schools or a have full split. This current system is wishy-washy, at best. I will still support my school, Maplewood, either way. Clearly, if all privates schools formed a separate league I see those public schools in the big cities (where most private schools are located) suffering the most. But the greatest community support usually come from the rural schools anyway. So I'm guessing most students and causal fans in the big cities wouldn't even take notice.

 

Question: Would a player be required to sit out a season if he transferred form one private to another?

[TheBigRedDog]

Wes, I like where you're going with this. Somewhat akin to the old Mid South league.

 

In Texas, they split private schools. Most play in the Texas Association of Private & Parochial Schools (TAPPS). They have their own governing body, officials, you name it.

 

Some of the older and more academically-prestigious schools (ex. St. Marks, ESD, FW Country Day) are members of the Southwest Preparatory Conference.

 

I could see Tennessee following one or both of these paths.