By ADAM VANKIRK - The Independent
May 15, 2008 01:15 am
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Just a year after realignment shook up Kentucky’s high school football playoff system, new changes are in store for the upcoming season.
While the simple crossing of districts for the first round of the playoffs won’t be nearly as complex as last year’s changes — when two additional classes were created — it has once again stirred varying opinions among area coaches.
Now, in classes 1A (the smallest schools) through 5A, odd districts will be pitted against even districts in the first round, starting with District 1 against District 2. District 3 will meet District 4 and so on through the last district of each class.
Class 6A, which doesn’t have any northeastern Kentucky schools in it, will work a little differently. It will match districts for the first round on a random draw.
The format is new for this coming season, but is the same as it was before the six-class system.
Just as last season’s new changes — which upped the teams making the playoffs from 128 to 192 (87 percent) — got varying responses around northeastern Kentucky coaches, the new format for 2008 is doing the same.
“To me, this way makes the regular season much more important,” Ashland coach Leon Hart said. “It took some of the importance away the way it was. It usually meant you had to beat teams twice in order to win the district. It just wasn’t fair to a really strong district that maybe has two teams that are really loaded. In the same regards, say there’s no strong teams in the district.”
The Tomcats play in Class 5A, District 6 with Johnson Central, Bryan Station, Woodford County and Montgomery County. Their district will go up against Class 5A, District 5, which includes Highlands, Covington Catholic, Dixie Heights, Scott and Holmes, in the playoffs.
The way districts will matchup is the No. 1 seed will play the opposite district’s No. 4 seed in the first round. The No. 2 seed will play the opposite district’s No. 3 seed. The No. 1 and No. 3 seeds from the same district are on the same side of the bracket, setting up a potential same-district matchup in the second round.
“I don’t know that there’s a great solution, except that you just don’t want to put everybody in the playoffs,” Hart said. “I’ve said for years, football is not a tournament sport. I say just let the top two teams in each district in. The playoffs should be a reward for having an outstanding regular season.”
One team that took full advantage of last season’s changes was Greenup County. Despite a 3-7 regular season, the Musketeers went deeper into the playoff than any other team in the area, winning the district championship and making the round of eight.
While coach Mike Sammons holds tight to what his team accomplished in 2007, even he says maybe they playoff run never should have happened.
“It’s pretty much watered down (in the playoffs),” he said. “We got in at 3-7 but probably shouldn’t have got in with that kind of record. Some teams could get in at 0-10 in a four-team district.”
While Sammons also likes the idea of only the top two teams in the district making the playoffs, he doesn’t like the crossing of district for the first round.
“I kind of liked it the way it was,” Sammons said. “Traveling in the first round now could be three or four hours. If I’m a No. 4 seed and have to play a No. 1 seed. I’d just as soon drive 20 minutes and take a beating as I would four or five hours. But the majority of coaches wanted it, so we’ll do it. We’ll live with it.”
Sammons likes the idea of going up against the same opponent twice in the same season.
“I always liked playing a team a second time,” he said. “It brings in different strategies and game plans the second time around after you’ve got a good look at them.”
To Sammons’ point: Greenup County lost by two touchdowns to Boyd County in the regular season last year, but beat the Lions for the Class 4A, District 8 championship in the playoffs.
Here’s how some of the other northeastern Kentucky districts will match up in the first two rounds of the 2008 playoffs:
‰Class 4A, District 8 (Greenup County, Boyd County, Lawrence County, Rowan County) vs. Class 4A, District 7 (Bell County, Knox Central, Madison Southern, McCreary Central, Rockcastle County).
‰Class 3A, District 7 (Russell, East Carter, West Carter, Lewis County) vs. Class 3A, District 8 (Belfry, East Ridge, Magoffin County, Pike County Central, Sheldon Clark).
‰Class 1A, District 5 (Fairview, Raceland, Lexington Christian, Nicholas County, Paris) vs. Class 1A, District 6 (Campbellsville, Clinton County, Lynn Camp, Williamsburg).
ADAM VANKIRK can be reached at avankirk@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2664.
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