Can we finally admit....

[swires]

I feel what your saying. I was only using the point of bubble teams playing 11 man as an example. The reason most of the teams dropped to 6 man is because they couldnt compete at that level. I am saying for the most part the split between DI and DII 6 man is a lot the like the split between 2A DII and 1A DI. The numbers wont ever be perfect. Maybe the numbers need to be derived from just the number of boys you have in school. That would open a can of worms in our gender sensitive world!!! However, you could include any young ladies wishing to play in your numbers. As far as 8 or even 6 team districts with 2 teams, I wouldnt disagree. The exceptions are going to happen in West Texas. The original post was about weakened playoffs and travel expenses. I cant disagree with a lot of first round games with the 4 team districts. The travel is another story. Its a big state and travel is involved regardless of A's or divisions.

 

[LBK6manFan]

West Texas Schools will have to travel more but they could still have 6-8 team districts. They could play a district opponent twice for the non district games like we did with lefors and McLean when I played. It was all about costs/budgeting/scheduling. With one division, better competition in district and of course the playoffs. A district championship should matter like it used to. Plus teams cant run away from a scheduled team because they're afraid the other team. Forces the hand and makes scheduling A Lot easier for coaches.
*Plus a McLean vs Strawn rematch wouldve been awesome to watch last year if it were for the championship

 

[BoomerSooner]

It would be nice to bring back one division. I live in a small D2 town where usually you can get into playoffs with 2 wins and one of the schools usually has to forfeit by district time. So most years you have to win one district game and you may have lost all of your non district

 

[smokeyjoe53]

First I whole-heartedly support the 1 division and larger district concept. I would reluctantly support 2 teams from each district ( I would prefer only 1 team from each district) entering the playoffs but I’m an old f*rt who lives in the past.
Having said that, it will never happen. There’s too much money involved in the current system for the U.I.ofL to ever relinquish one penny of potential revenue .........
of course I may be just a tad cynical......

 

[insurance]

Another flaw with the 2 division split is the fact that UIL counts total high school students instead of just male students. For example:

School A has 50 kids in high school, 35 of which are male.
School B has 75 kids in high school, 25 of which are male.

School A gets to play division 2 and dominates whereas School B must play Divison 1. It makes no sense to count female students when determining football divisions.

 

[T-boneisGood]

Watered down as a justification is not an argument to make. There are large masses of people that believe sixman is just watered down football. Fine by me, just leave my favorite game alone. However, if watered down is justification for removing something it becomes a problem for my favorite game. Watered down would also suggest we don’t need a classification system at all. Schools just play whoever is geographically closest because that way nothing is watered down the best teams will win regardless of enrollment. Things used to work this way and then it got “watered down” by dividing schools into classifications. Occasionally a Hoosiers will happen and we will know it’s the right way....sarcasm of course

I also played in the old days, 1 playoff team, but I don’t get why the fuss over more playoff teams. 2nd and 3rd rounds still sorts out the best ones.

Cynical Father Time above is also correct, there is no way we are going to see less teams. I wouldn’t be surprised a day comes when all teams go. Still I won’t fuss about that either, couple rounds will sort the best teams out to play.

Isn’t it just an absolute great life us Americans have where we can sit around and worry about the best way to handle our games? Much of the world is worried about having doctors and food for their children.

 

[smokeyjoe53]

I guess we could just get Oprah to go to all the games and hand out little plastic trophies........ “you get a trophy, you get a trophy, Everybody gets a trophy!!!!!!!!!”

 

[Texlonghorn75]

Another flaw with the 2 division split is the fact that UIL counts total high school students instead of just male students. For example:

School A has 50 kids in high school, 35 of which are male.
School B has 75 kids in high school, 25 of which are male.

School A gets to play division 2 and dominates whereas School B must play Divison 1. It makes no sense to count female students when determining football divisions.

The whole idea of male head count doesn't work either. How many of the males today are more into computer games, skate boarding, motorcycle sports and rodeo instead of old head knocking football. Richland Springs probably has every male student out for the team hoping to get that state championship ring, whether he can walk and chew gum or not. Strawn probably the same situation. Winners bring out participants out of the woodwork whether they should be playing or not. You are aware that in many of the non winning schools that a lot of the males students find other endeavors to participate in. Things have changed, in most schools it is not cool to play on a mediocre team. There always will be exceptions but many D! and D2 schools do not have a strong football culture anymore. So the male headcount thing is a mirage.

 

[Texlonghorn75]

I seem to remember that Marathon played a round robin schedule with their district out west years ago. Played each team twice, whether both games counted as district I do not know. Old Bearkat or Young Blackwell would have the answer to that question.

 

[T-boneisGood]

I guess we could just get Oprah to go to all the games and hand out little plastic trophies........ “you get a trophy, you get a trophy, Everybody gets a trophy!!!!!!!!!”

Ahhh yeah smokeyjoe, I didn’t think about the trophy thing. I’m not a fan of the green ribbon either. Perhaps the custom should be to win a couple playoff rounds before we get a gold ball. Before long schools will need to pass a bond to build a trophy hall at this rate.

 

[FCSA football]

Something else to add to the discussion of multiple teams from the same District going.
You remove two very important Elements: Fate and Chance. Several years ago in the crowded field arena, a team with only two wins made the playoffs from a small 5 team district. In those first eight weeks, kids, really Good Players got healthy the team was back at full strength and sailed all the way to the State Championship game I believe. I know coaches that don’t care about losses or rankings. They only care that they qualify for the playoffs and are 100% healthy when the play offs start. That’s something that multiple teams going to the playoffs mean, that and more gate receipts $$$$, Which obviously is an intended consequence of that system.
Back to the original point, do you want playoff teams that have fought, suffered and overcome in a single team system, or a roll the dice lets just get there system.
Just asking..........

 

[Blue Bird]

One division or two divisons, if you take 3 teams out of each district to the playoff system you are going to have byes in the playoffs. Byes are bad! I can live with any system as long as the byes are left out.

 

[Kramer]

The two divisions were discussed with ALL Superintendents and Coaches. From their the Superintendents took the advice of their present coaches at that time and it was voted to go with the two division format.

Uil sent out the proposal to ALL 6man schools and it came back with MORE IN FAVOR of going with two divisions.

Look at it this way, Marathon/Benjamin/Harrold has an enrollment of LESS than 24 HS students, while the larger schools such as Borden County, Garden City, Ira (only to name a few) all carry a JV team to go along with 16 to 18 players on their varsity squad. These school are pushing 90 plus HS enrollment.


Schools mvoing to 6man such as Irion County, Baird, Roby HAVE A CHOICE TO PLAY 11 or 6. Same as the Div. 1 and Div. 2 1A class.
You want what's best for your school/team. Schools with 20 students in HS will never compete with a school with 90 plus.

 

[FCSA football]

Good points. I agree totally. A team with 7-8 really good players can make it if they have an injury free season which is rare. Otherwise a team with 18-20 good players will run that smaller team into exhaustion. I know that their are examples of the smaller teams dominance and championships, but what you don’t see or hear is the smaller teams (in numbers) being run out of the stadium much more often. I believe the “Texas Country Reporter” did a segment several years ago about a similar under maned 6 man team and their inability to finish the season because they started with so few. I don’t see how anyone can honestly believe that, in the long run, teams with historically low numbers can compete with teams that have 20-30 players.
Just saying........

 

[LBK6manFan]

Yes, I want all of that including blood, sweat ,tears in one division. It's not like it hasnt happened before and we took 2 teams to the playoffs in our 8 team districts. I added the 3rd seed because hypothetically that could happen. Just opening up a conversation I think is relevant to the sport. Apathy has grown which kills sports, media is trying to kill football. UIL watered down every division.

As far as the superintendents and coaches that voted for the split in the past, I wonder if they have changed their mind now. It probably sounded like a good idea back then but look at the results. It has watered down 6man in general, no one cares about a district championship anymore. How long ago was the split? 2007? Ok now and do the research on district games and playoffs for D1 and D2 before and after the split.
The split has created a stigma and that's not good for life in general. You cant run away your adversity all the time, sometimes you have to face the giant. (And sometimes you win).
But yes, I stand firm on my opinion bringing back 1 division for 6Man only with 8 team districts. Wish something could be done about it.

 

[LBK6manFan]

The two divisions were discussed with ALL Superintendents and Coaches. From their the Superintendents took the advice of their present coaches at that time and it was voted to go with the two division format.

Uil sent out the proposal to ALL 6man schools and it came back with MORE IN FAVOR of going with two divisions.

Look at it this way, Marathon/Benjamin/Harrold has an enrollment of LESS than 24 HS students, while the larger schools such as Borden County, Garden City, Ira (only to name a few) all carry a JV team to go along with 16 to 18 players on their varsity squad. These school are pushing 90 plus HS enrollment.


Schools mvoing to 6man such as Irion County, Baird, Roby HAVE A CHOICE TO PLAY 11 or 6. Same as the Div. 1 and Div. 2 1A class.
You want what's best for your school/team. Schools with 20 students in HS will never compete with a school with 90 plus.

02 Fort Elliot, 2013 grandfalls, etc..
Not 6man but what about the giant killers known as the Phillips Blackhawks?

 

[Johnny South]

Lbksixman, you want only one division, but do you really want schools with 25 students trying to compete with schools with 104.5 students? You may need to rethink this.

 

[swires]

Exactly the point I was making previously. Why are Baird, Roby, Irion County, and Claude being discussed? Because they didn't have enough kids to play crowded field or they got tired of getting their butts handed to them. The same happens within the 2 divisions of sixman. Smaller number schools will not be able to compete with larger number schools, except on a few occasions where some stars or excellent coaches are involved.

I hope for the sake of our small communities that we will continue to be able to have sixman at all. I know that a lot of communities are dying off because of technology and a lack of jobs. I also know that folks in Austin have discussed for many years to force small schools to consolidate because of funding issues.

 

[LBK6manFan]

Lbksixman, you want only one division, but do you really want schools with 25 students trying to compete with schools with 104.5 students? You may need to rethink this.

Yes, it's already happened when it was a 99.5 cut off. Why is so hard to believe that D2 schools cant compete with D1 schools regardless of enrollment which is not the case. If you're in a school with 25 students in an 8 team district that's the cards you were dealt and try and compete. I proposed taking 3 teams to the playoffs to appease the D2 sympathizers even though a champ and runner up make the most sense. You have to admit it would make it easier for schools and coaches to schedule, traveling, and budgeting.

 

[Johnny South]

The 8 team districts are the only part that makes sense to me. But I've been preaching combining districts for several years. You will probably have about as much success with your "one division" as I've had with my "8 team districts".