Post by coachbama15 on Oct 30, 2008 10:23:57 GMT -6
Change isn’t always good. Revisions to the Alabama High School Athletic Association tiebreaker procedures made in August have created a stir among several area football coaches who find their teams in a seemingly lose-lose situation in this week’s regular-season finales.
Typically, the majority of playoff spots are sealed at the conclusion of region play. But with region play completed in all classifications and one week of the regular season remaining, there’s more on the line.
Falkville High is deep in one of the biggest region messes in the state as it prepares to face county rival Danville on Friday.
“Lose, and we have a chance. Win and we’re out. The state is going to stand by their revised methods,” Falkville head coach Neil Estes said. “You tell people and they don’t really believe it.”
When making their 2008 schedules, Estes and other coaches were banking on the system that rewarded teams for non-region wins against teams with winning records, encouraging strength of schedule in the case of tiebreakers.
Instead, changes were made in August that have Class 2A, Region 7 hung on “the team whose defeated region opponents have the most victories.” Estes said he was told by representatives at the state office in Montgomery that several of the old methods were dropped to adapt to a computer generated system rather than figuring out postseason positions by hand as had been done in the past.
Falkville (5-4, 3-4 in region), Oakman (4-5, 3-4) and Addison (4-5, 3-4) are battling for the final playoff spot in their region. Since Oakman beat Falkville, the Blue Devils’ 2-0 record against non-region teams aids Oakman.
Simply put, Estes said, if Falkville wins, Oakman is in. If Oakman loses, it puts itself in the playoffs. If Falkville loses and Oakman or Addison wins, there will be a coin flip. Oakman is playing winless Parrish (0-9) this week. Addison plays Lynn (6-3).
Amid the controversy, Falkville doesn’t have just any ordinary game to play this week. A rivalry game with Danville is personal to players, and the Blue Devils’ seniors have a chance to make the playoffs three of their four varsity seasons, but Estes said under no circumstances would he compromise the integrity of the game for any reason.
“We still just go out and tell our players, ‘Beat Danville,’ ” he said.
Typically, the majority of playoff spots are sealed at the conclusion of region play. But with region play completed in all classifications and one week of the regular season remaining, there’s more on the line.
Falkville High is deep in one of the biggest region messes in the state as it prepares to face county rival Danville on Friday.
“Lose, and we have a chance. Win and we’re out. The state is going to stand by their revised methods,” Falkville head coach Neil Estes said. “You tell people and they don’t really believe it.”
When making their 2008 schedules, Estes and other coaches were banking on the system that rewarded teams for non-region wins against teams with winning records, encouraging strength of schedule in the case of tiebreakers.
Instead, changes were made in August that have Class 2A, Region 7 hung on “the team whose defeated region opponents have the most victories.” Estes said he was told by representatives at the state office in Montgomery that several of the old methods were dropped to adapt to a computer generated system rather than figuring out postseason positions by hand as had been done in the past.
Falkville (5-4, 3-4 in region), Oakman (4-5, 3-4) and Addison (4-5, 3-4) are battling for the final playoff spot in their region. Since Oakman beat Falkville, the Blue Devils’ 2-0 record against non-region teams aids Oakman.
Simply put, Estes said, if Falkville wins, Oakman is in. If Oakman loses, it puts itself in the playoffs. If Falkville loses and Oakman or Addison wins, there will be a coin flip. Oakman is playing winless Parrish (0-9) this week. Addison plays Lynn (6-3).
Amid the controversy, Falkville doesn’t have just any ordinary game to play this week. A rivalry game with Danville is personal to players, and the Blue Devils’ seniors have a chance to make the playoffs three of their four varsity seasons, but Estes said under no circumstances would he compromise the integrity of the game for any reason.
“We still just go out and tell our players, ‘Beat Danville,’ ” he said.