High School football/new (yet old) NJSIAA football playoff proposal
By STEVEN FALK
STAFF WRITER
ROBBINSVILLE … A proposal that would eliminate the power point system in football and leagues like the Shore Conference for football purposes is now two steps away from becoming a reality.
The proposal, which is sponsored by the Sussex County Interscholastic League, was approved, 6-4, by the NJSIAA's Advisory Committee Wednesday.
It will now be voted on by the NJSIAA Executive Committee at its May meeting. If it is approved by the Executive Committee, it will then be voted on by the NJSIAA membership at the association's annual business meeting in December.
If a majority of those at the membership meeting approve the proposal, it would take effect for the 2008 season.
Even, if the Executive Committee does not vote for the proposal, it can still be placed before the membership in December if 20 principals sign a petition.
The plan is similar to one that Wallkill Valley athletic director Mike Van Zile proposed in 2000. That plan was soundly defeated by the membership in December, 2000. Wallkill Valley is a SCIL member.
Van Zile said the difference this time is he has the backing of most of the schools in his league and that he has listened to input from schools in other areas of the state.
"It's been well thought out,'' Van Zile said.
The SCIL wants to create a system where to qualify for the playoffs, Group IV schools would play just Group IV schools, Group I schools would play Group I schools, etc. etc.
The 10-team SCIL consists mostly of Group II schools and has been dominated in recent years by non-public power Pope John of Sparta.
"We're looking for parity and equity in the entire state,'' said Kittatinny Regional athletic director and SCIL president Chris Carroll.
Many conferences around the state already try to align their divisions and create schedules for teams based on comparable group size. The Shore Conference has a computer scheduling program for each of its football-playing members.
Teams currently qualify for the playoffs based on a power-point formula of 2x the group size plus the number of wins of each school it has defeated. That formula has been in existence since 1975, the second year of the playoffs.
Currently, the top eight teams with .500 or better records in the power points through eight games in each group of the four NJSIAA public school sections and four statewide non-public groups qualify for the playoffs.
The SCIL proposal would classify public schools and non-public schools into two divisions … East and West … per group and section. For example, Central Jersey Group IV would have an East and a West Division.
A school's schedule would consist mostly of schools in their division. The season would begin the second weekend in September. Thanksgiving Day games would still be held.
The top four teams in each division through eight games, provided they are .500 or better, would qualify for the playoffs.
The playoffs would be conducted on a cross-divisional format. The first place team in the East would play the fourth place team in the West and tThe first place team in the West would play the fourth place team in the East, etc. etc.
Southern athletic director Kim DeGraw-Cole, who chaired the Advisory Committee meeting, voted for the proposal to be presented to the Executive Committee, but voiced some concerns to both Van Zile and Carroll.
"It doesn't stand a chance of rectifying the situation because they've muddled two issues … the public and the parochial issue and the football,'' DeGraw-Cole said.
"If you want to solve the football problem, infuse your parochials in. Otherwise, I really don't believe you can eliminate your parochials only in football, and not in all the sports.''
Meanwhile, a propsoal by the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) that would try and put public schools and non-public schools in separate leagues, was defeated by the Advisory Committee, 6-4.
However, that proposal will still come before the NJSIAA membership in December if 20 principals sign a petition.
STAFF WRITER
ROBBINSVILLE … A proposal that would eliminate the power point system in football and leagues like the Shore Conference for football purposes is now two steps away from becoming a reality.
The proposal, which is sponsored by the Sussex County Interscholastic League, was approved, 6-4, by the NJSIAA's Advisory Committee Wednesday.
It will now be voted on by the NJSIAA Executive Committee at its May meeting. If it is approved by the Executive Committee, it will then be voted on by the NJSIAA membership at the association's annual business meeting in December.
If a majority of those at the membership meeting approve the proposal, it would take effect for the 2008 season.
Even, if the Executive Committee does not vote for the proposal, it can still be placed before the membership in December if 20 principals sign a petition.
The plan is similar to one that Wallkill Valley athletic director Mike Van Zile proposed in 2000. That plan was soundly defeated by the membership in December, 2000. Wallkill Valley is a SCIL member.
Van Zile said the difference this time is he has the backing of most of the schools in his league and that he has listened to input from schools in other areas of the state.
"It's been well thought out,'' Van Zile said.
The SCIL wants to create a system where to qualify for the playoffs, Group IV schools would play just Group IV schools, Group I schools would play Group I schools, etc. etc.
The 10-team SCIL consists mostly of Group II schools and has been dominated in recent years by non-public power Pope John of Sparta.
"We're looking for parity and equity in the entire state,'' said Kittatinny Regional athletic director and SCIL president Chris Carroll.
Many conferences around the state already try to align their divisions and create schedules for teams based on comparable group size. The Shore Conference has a computer scheduling program for each of its football-playing members.
Teams currently qualify for the playoffs based on a power-point formula of 2x the group size plus the number of wins of each school it has defeated. That formula has been in existence since 1975, the second year of the playoffs.
Currently, the top eight teams with .500 or better records in the power points through eight games in each group of the four NJSIAA public school sections and four statewide non-public groups qualify for the playoffs.
The SCIL proposal would classify public schools and non-public schools into two divisions … East and West … per group and section. For example, Central Jersey Group IV would have an East and a West Division.
A school's schedule would consist mostly of schools in their division. The season would begin the second weekend in September. Thanksgiving Day games would still be held.
The top four teams in each division through eight games, provided they are .500 or better, would qualify for the playoffs.
The playoffs would be conducted on a cross-divisional format. The first place team in the East would play the fourth place team in the West and tThe first place team in the West would play the fourth place team in the East, etc. etc.
Southern athletic director Kim DeGraw-Cole, who chaired the Advisory Committee meeting, voted for the proposal to be presented to the Executive Committee, but voiced some concerns to both Van Zile and Carroll.
"It doesn't stand a chance of rectifying the situation because they've muddled two issues … the public and the parochial issue and the football,'' DeGraw-Cole said.
"If you want to solve the football problem, infuse your parochials in. Otherwise, I really don't believe you can eliminate your parochials only in football, and not in all the sports.''
Meanwhile, a propsoal by the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) that would try and put public schools and non-public schools in separate leagues, was defeated by the Advisory Committee, 6-4.
However, that proposal will still come before the NJSIAA membership in December if 20 principals sign a petition.
posted by Tony Graham at 5:12 PM
1 Comments:
I like it.
It will probably never go though but I, personally, want a playoff system that eventually extends to individual Group champions as in most NJ high school sports.
Plus it'll be less taxing on the brain (especially mine) without power points.
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