SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

[FargoBison]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

And what is the general thought in ND regarding how many FB classes you have? Just right, too many or not enough?

For football there are zero complaints, everyone seems to like it.

[CatchEmAll]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

Read the article. I'm going to propose two possible solutions:

1. Everyone who signs up for football gets a state participation medal and AD's play a Yahtzee tournament to decide state champs. Don't actually play the season and save the $$$ for the school budgets.

Or

2. Build a better program so you can beat the big schools. It appears that O'Gorman would stay in 11AA, which doesn't seem to solve any problems because aren't they one of the traditional powers anyway?

I'll say this again, the school I coach at lost the state title game to a school with 1,500 more students in 9-12 this fall. You know what the coaches complained about...NOTHING. They got beat but thought they had a chance going in and weren't even concerned about the enrollment disparity. BUILD A BETTER PROGRAM from the early grades up if you want to compete.

[Nidaros]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

Read the article. I'm going to propose two possible solutions:

1. Everyone who signs up for football gets a state participation medal and AD's play a Yahtzee tournament to decide state champs. Don't actually play the season and save the $$$ for the school budgets.

Or

2. Build a better program so you can beat the big schools. It appears that O'Gorman would stay in 11AA, which doesn't seem to solve any problems because aren't they one of the traditional powers anyway?

I'll say this again, the school I coach at lost the state title game to a school with 1,500 more students in 9-12 this fall. You know what the coaches complained about...NOTHING. They got beat but thought they had a chance going in and weren't even concerned about the enrollment disparity. BUILD A BETTER PROGRAM from the early grades up if you want to compete.

or they could play bingo until everyone wins.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

Read the article. I'm going to propose two possible solutions:
2. Build a better program so you can beat the big schools. It appears that O'Gorman would stay in 11AA, which doesn't seem to solve any problems because aren't they one of the traditional powers anyway?

If this passes (which I hope it doesn't), O'Gorman has the ability to petition to play up a division.

[CatchEmAll]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

If this passes (which I hope it doesn't), O'Gorman has the ability to petition to play up a division.

I saw that. Interesting that they can do that. If I was them I'd stay down and just keep racking up the titles.

or they could play bingo until everyone wins.

Too funny.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

I saw that. Interesting that they can do that. If I was them I'd stay down and just keep racking up the titles.

I think there was a time where they could have played as an "A" school based on their enrollment for their other sports but they petitioned to play in the "AA" ranks.

[MikeHenriksen]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

I think there was a time where they could have played as an "A" school based on their enrollment for their other sports but they petitioned to play in the "AA" ranks.

That is true. At one time in the early aughts they could have been in the same basketball district as Chester, since Chester had a bunch of open-enrollees. I often use that as an example of the wide disparity of our enrollment issues in South Dakota.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

Talk all you want about building a better program, but schools like Roosevelt, OG, Washington, and Lincoln (and Brandon Valley to an extent) have so many resources available that building a consistent challenger in this day and age is not very realistic, IMO.

IMO Sioux Falls Schools will likely dominate the AA ranks for a long time. Will Brookings, Yankton, Watertown win a title every once in a while? Of course. But from what I've seen the last 10 years, Sioux Falls will take 4 out of every 5.

The fact that athletic directors and coaches are bringing this up is the biggest measure of validity. These are competitive people by nature, and would likely be the first to say "build a better program." The problem is that the smaller schools just don't have the student numbers, facilities, and off-season opportunities that the Sioux Falls schools have.

For the record, a Sioux Falls area school has won 13 of the last 15 class 11A championships. This year, all 4 semi-finalists were Sioux Falls area schools. But that's just because the other schools don't want to build a better program.

It would actually be funny if this reclassification happened and O'Gorman was forced to play in the smaller division. I could see them easily winning half or more of the state championships.

[jackmd]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

The fact that athletic directors and coaches are bringing this up is the biggest measure of validity. These are competitive people by nature, and would likely be the first to say "build a better program." The problem is that the smaller schools just don't have the student numbers, facilities, and off-season opportunities that the Sioux Falls schools have.

I remember hearing some of this talk when I was in high school in the northern part of the state. Needless to say we beat the Sioux Falls area schools and won 3 straight state championships. So, it can be done. The key, a program established by dedicated coaches beginning at least at the 7th grade level and a commitment from the student athletes to that program. Oh yeah, it helps to have some talented kids and a bunch of them but that is not the key. Not in my opinion. Right now, Yankton has the program and coaches in place but I don't see any dedication from the kids. Too many opportunities elsewhere, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. You don't have to attend a high school where the sports programs win state titles to get a good education.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

I remember hearing some of this talk when I was in high school in the northern part of the state. Needless to say we beat the Sioux Falls area schools and won 3 straight state championships. So, it can be done. The key, a program established by dedicated coaches beginning at least at the 7th grade level and a commitment from the student athletes to that program. Oh yeah, it helps to have some talented kids and a bunch of them but that is not the key. Not in my opinion. Right now, Yankton has the program and coaches in place but I don't see any dedication from the kids. Too many opportunities elsewhere, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. You don't have to attend a high school where the sports programs win state titles to get a good education.

Agreed. Although I would point out that high school sports have changed quite a bit in the last 10 years, especially in Sioux Falls. The off season training regimens in Sioux Falls are difficult to duplicate in Yankton or Brookings.

The reality is that Sioux Falls schools hold distinct advantages over the smaller AA schools, just like the smaller AA schools hold distinct advantages over the A schools. That isn't going to change anytime soon. Can those advantages be overcome, of course. But it will take a special coach, a special group of kids, and a special season to do it.

[2002jack]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

Parity is something all sports leagues try to achieve, (even NASCAR) but no one ever manages to attain it. Some teams have advantages because of economics, geography, facilities, or tradition, and it will always be that way. .

Parity is like the G-spot, it doesn't exist, except in concept only. You will never find it!

[JackJD]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

Is your use of the word "parody" intended to be a parody? Then your post is on parity with amusement. (Just having fun with your spell checker.)

[jacksdistance]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

People need to suck it up. When I was in high school running track and cross country my school of about 900 raced against Wayzata, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, etc. These schools are at least 3000 and are getting bigger. Size isn't everything and life isn't always "fair".

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

People need to suck it up. When I was in high school running track and cross country my school of about 900 raced against Wayzata, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, etc. These schools are at least 3000 and are getting bigger. Size isn't everything and life isn't always "fair".

Size of school matters a lot more for football than it does for cross country.

[MinneapolisJack]

Re: SDHSAA Considering More Football Classes - 11AAA

I think they should increase the enrollment for 11AA to 550+ (right now it's at 450+), this would put Huron, Douglas & Spearfish into 11A.

And than like most, I think 9-Man should move to 2 divisions instead of 3.

In general, I think more schools in South Dakota need to consolidate. There are way too many small schools that have tiny enrollments. Unless there are no other schools within 30 miles, public schools with enrollment of 50 or less should consolidate with another schools district. That would make for 35 schools in South Dakota.