'LHSAA Membership has sacrificed the Boys and Girls to the Game'
The LHSAA Constitution reads: ''To preserve the game for the Boys and Girls and not sacrifice the Boys and Girls to the game." Red River 100, General Trass 5; Homer 85, Ringgold 9; McDonough 35 travels 564 miles round trip to score 11 points and get beat by 55. Humiliating? What life lessons are taught by this dumpster fire of a playoff system that a majority of public school principals voted for? It's the public schools being humiliated; select schools have nothing to do with it.
The constitution of the LHSAA has been, once again, breached. As reported by Robin Fambrough on January 25, 2016, the LHSAA's legal team confirmed the proposal for 2013 was out of order. The legal team also confirmed the $10,000 outside legal opinion the LHSAA paid for in 2013 after the proposal was passed also stated the football split was out of order, 8.7.1 & 8.7.4. Both of the Articles breached have to do with classes and divisions. Why is the split such a tragedy to Louisiana's student-athlete? The classes and divisions simply do not work.
I can hear it now, if we go to 16 team brackets oppose to 32 that will solve the problem. Both humiliating losses were in 2A and 1A who have plenty of teams to fill the brackets, so how can you justify that will solve the problem. I'm assuming you would move select brackets to 16 team brackets? Why, they haven't done anything wrong. Their scores are within the norm of past years, public schools are not.
Until the residents, student-athletes, legislators and superintendents understand the problem lies within the association itself, nothing will be solved. Ever since this debacle of a split was passed in 2013, the membership has constantly had to tweak the classes and divisions. Initially the proposal that was passed asked for 5 classes and 2 divisions. This would have forced schools with an enrollment of 400 to play schools with an enrollment of 2000. Anybody knows classifications are important for safety reasons and for principals to pass such a dangerous proposal should have raised a red flag to everyone. The LHSAA's Executive Committee, due to pressure from select principals, came up with a 5/4 solution. In this solution Principals forced select 3A to compete against select 4A for championships while non select schools remain untouched. The reality of the LHSAA is student/athletes are being unfairly treated because of the schools they attend. Requiring a group of kids (select, in this case) to play at a higher level than another group of kids (non select) who are equals can't be rationally justified. Now with the extended split, you ask Class C to play up with Class B on the select side but they are separate on non select side.
In closing, I interviewed the Denham Springs Lady Jackets a few weeks ago; last season they lost to now select Mount Carmel in the championship, I asked 'who would you guys want to play in the championship?' Their response "Mount Carmel!" The LHSAA is about the student- athlete, so shouldn't their opinion matter?