Another year, another playoff expansion proposal

By Sheldon Shealer

On the heels of the MPSSAA football committee's recent proposal, the topic of playoff expansion again has become a hot topic. The latest pitch is a six-divisional alignment with eight teams advancing in each division for postseason play.

Currently, eight teams advance to the playoffs in each of the state's four classifications.

Last year, the football coaches association -- not the committee -- pitched a nine-game regular-season format with the 10th game being either a first-round playoff contest or a late-season addition for non-playoff teams, which would allow 16-team playoffs in the four classes. The idea, rightly and quickly, was shot down.

The most recent proposal is born from the football committee's desire to somehow, someway, expand the playoffs while rattling as few cages as possible.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm very much in favor of expanding the playoffs -- just not in this fashion. If Maryland is going to expand the playoffs, do the right thing -- keep four classes and invite 16 teams! (I'll get into this later.)

Every year, talk of playoff expansion seems to boil down to the number 13. That's all we hear. Whatever happens to football must be contained within 13 weeks. Adding a week early or late has its problems -- so basically, 14 is out of the question (so they say). It's gotta be 13 -- and the new proposal for expansion allows for 16 more playoff teams, still in a 13-week season.

But let's look at the six division proposal for what it is.

It waters down the value of a state title. Of course, saying that will be a hard sell to the players celebrating, crying and holding up a trophy at season's end. But let's face it, playoffs, in their nature, are designed to showcase the elite teams playing in highly anticipated matchups. This seems as good as place as any to interject that under the new proposal, Patuxent, Seneca Valley and Urbana would have been in three different divisions last year!

Here's another fact to consider when I say six divisions decreases the meaning of a state title: Six state champs also means six state runners-up. Run the numbers on this one. Slightly more than seven percent of all MPSSAA teams will either be a state champ or runner-up!

Being a numbers person at heart, I took the proposal and mapped out the new boundaries for greater understanding. I used last year's enrollment figures and results to arrive at these conclusions: (like the stock market, of course, past performance is no guarantee of future performance -- but for this issue, at least it's a starting point).

1. There is a belief that every team 7-3 or better would make the playoffs. Wrong! I count at least four teams that had three losses last year that would be sitting at home. (There would be even more 7-3 teams left out if regional champs are guaranteed playoff berths like the current system.)

2. Depending on where the line would have been drawn (one playoff school was on the borderline), 1A runner-up Oakland Mills would not have made the playoffs in 2001.

3. A majority of schools that would have qualified for postseason play would have been the 8-2/7-3-type teams from weak conferences (i.e. conferences that don't fare well in the postseason -- you know the ones).

Here's one more random element for thought:

One supervisor pointed to North Carolina, a state with a similar number of schools, going from four to eight classes for football. He used N.C.'s situation to justify six divisions in Maryland. But let's really look at that situation. In North Carolina, school sizes range from tiny -- as in smaller than Hancock -- to mega schools, like Providence and Independence with 3,000-4,000 students. Additional divisions in a state whose enrollments are that varied makes perfect sense for competitive reasons. Maryland, on the other hand, is nothing like that. Yes, there are a handful of large schools (i.e. Roosevelt and Blair) and small schools (like Hancock and Washington), but a majority of schools in this state are designed to house between 1,200-1,500 students. In fact, the state has gone to great lengths for these type of "manageable" enrollment figures, which has led to the explosion of new schools in the past decade. To put this in numeric form, the difference between the largest 1A and the smallest 3A school is a three-grade enrollment of 279 students, half of which would be female. The same size gap separates the largest 2A from the smallest 4A. Simply put, we're a state dominated by mid-sized schools, and additional divisions cannot be justified for any competitive reason. Besides, for every N.C. with eight classes, I can point to neighboring West Virginia (about the same number of schools) with three classifications or Pennsylvania (with 650+ members) with four classifications.

I could go on and on with this topic, but it seems like I'm rambling. I have long advocated the expansion from eight to 16 teams in the four-class system -- even more publicly since the open playoff system was adopted for other sports. The reasons are simple: the size of our state fits a four-class system, and growth in the state since 1985 begs for a increase from eight to 16 teams. Since the current point system fails to recognize quality of competition and rewards only wins (a fact we are reminded of every time a 6-4 Oakland Mills smacks a 9-1 Forest Park, 47-6, or any P.G. 4A school meets up with a Balt. City opponent), we must expand the playoffs to include the quality teams that are currently being pushed aside by the sub-par teams with impressive win-loss records.

The hang up in this simple concept for expansion to 16 teams all trickles back to the No. 13. Going one week earlier is at odds with certain per diem issues in one county. Going one week later pushes football deeper into the winter practice season. Either way, a 14th week seems impossible. There are several other bylaw issues that come into play, as well.

As a longtime supporter of football in this state, I think it's time for the sport to stand up for itself and takes what's deserving. Playoff football is a moneymaker, let's cash in. So what if it goes a week later? Basketball and wrestling can be rescheduled accordingly, and in fact, every basketball team already qualifies for postseason. (Besides, when was the last time you ever heard about Damascus, Seneca Valley, Urbana, Suitland, Sherwood and Hereford in basketball?) For years, football has taken a back seat -- in essence stuck in the 1980s -- while other sports have expanded schedules and expanded playoffs. Come on football, do the right thing, stand up for yourself and propose -- four classes, 16 teams, 14 weeks!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Calvert has won 17 of its last 18 games, and a big reason for this year's offensive success is tied to RB Dervon Wallace. The senior rushed for 335 yards and four touchdowns in last week's 39-10 victory over Great Mills. Wallace's 335-yard effort rates as the 14th best single-game performance in state history.

IN CASE YOU WHERE WONDERING

The last time DeMatha, currently 3-2, had two losses during the regular season was in 1994. After a 3-0 start that season, the Stags lost three in a row and for the only time in state poll history fell out of the state rankings. The team then put together a five-game win streak to claim the conference championship and finish at 8-3.

AROUND THE STATE (Week 4 Notes)

Rising Sun has forfeited its first two wins for using an ineligible player. Coach Bill Muehleisen said Tuesday the player in question was a reserve sophomore who played sparingly in big victories over Tower Hill (Del.) and Unionville (Pa.). Coupled with a loss to Joppatowne and undefeated Elkton looming this week, Rising Sun -- a playoff team last year with high expectations in 2002 -- has an uphill battle to reach the 1A playoffs. ... St. John's at Prospect Hall sophomore Keith Ricca completed 22 of 28 passes for 375 yards and six state touchdowns in the team's 60-22 win over Maryland School for the Deaf. The 375 yards rates as the sixth-best performance in state history. The six TDs ties a state record. Higher numbers have been reported, but an experienced stat keeper happened to be covering the game and recorded the official stats. Some of the errors come in recording football oddities, like the hook and lateral play -- which is not all passing/receiving yards. ... Both Bowie, the defending 4A state champion, and Urbana, the defending 3A champion, won for the first time in Week 4. ... FSK has won 20 games over the last two-and-a-half seasons. FSK won only 21 games combined from 1993 through 1999. ... Hereford's regular-season win streak is at 35 games.

STREAK BUSTERS

Atholton ended its losing streak at 13 games with a 13-7 victory over Mount Hebron. ... City College's 16-game regular-season win streak was snapped in a 10-0 loss to Lake Clifton. ... Bullis lost to a team other than Georgetown Prep for the first time since 1999 with Saturday's 20-12 defeat at St. Albans (D.C.). On Nov. 6, 1999, Bullis was defeated by Peddie School (N.J.). Bullis went 10-0 in 2000 and 9-1 (losing the finale to Prep) in 2001. ... Parkdale's win streak was ended at six games in a 13-6 loss to Suitland. ... Bohemia Manor's four-game win streak was ended win a 14-13 loss to Elkton. ... Loch Raven's five-game losing streak was ended in a 35-14 victory over Sparrows Point. ... J.M. Bennett snapped a four-game slide with a 34-12 win over Snow Hill. ... Northern Garrett also ended a four-game losing streak with a 53-8 win over Turkeyfoot Valley (Pa.). ... Churchill's four-game slide was ended in a 23-0 victory over Walter Johnson. ... Southern-Balt. defeated Douglass-Balt., 18-8, to snap a six-game slide.

LOOKING AHEAD

Sherwood at Damascus, Friday. The winner here has the inside track at the 4A West Region title and home field in the state playoffs. Sherwood is rated No. 5 in the state and Damascus is No. 6.

Gaithersburg at Seneca Valley, Friday. This classic Montgomery County rivalry figures to be another blood bath. Seneca Valley is rated No. 3 in the state. Gaithersburg is No. 13. The two schools have combined for 14 state titles and 27 playoff appearances since 1976.

Largo at Calvert, Friday. The best in the SMAC meets a top-level P.G. school. Plenty of playoff points are in the balance on this outcome.

Other Games of Note: Friday: Northwest at Paint Branch, Georgetown Prep at Landon, Patterson at City College. Saturday: Bowie at Parkdale, Calvert Hall at Mount St. Joseph.