It sure looked good when it first came out. Now we have questions, disgruntlement and arguments.
Of course, you knew that was coming. Perhaps just not this soon. Things can still change. Divisional play remains two weeks off.
Yet, it appears we're going to have some disparity with the divisions this fall in football. We've seen a lot of mismatches and blowouts, creating concerns for the future of some programs.
Keep in mind that the numbers for most football programs are already down.
A league title or section crown should not warrant a call up to the big leagues. Now we can't predict coaching changes, injuries or players transferring.
At the same time, you can't wait until league play to divide your divisions, as one coach suggested.
Right now Gilroy does not look like a good fit for the Gabilan Division, having been outscored 119-28 in the preseason.
You can make the same argument for Seaside, who is winless. Alright, so who should be in there?
You can bet Carmel's name will be a conversation piece if it runs the table, having already beaten Salinas. But can a program with just two levels and 70 kids survive in the Gabilan?
In one word. NO. At least not on a weekly basis.
No one could have seen the fall of Soledad, who had gone 17-5 over the last two years. Or were we just not paying attention.
The Aztecs lost a record setting quarterback and running back, along with one of the best athletes in the county. That's a lot to replace, along with a popular head coach who stepped down.
In hindsight, Soledad looks like a better fit for the Cypress Division instead of the Mission, although I wouldn't right them off just yet. Slow starts have become a tradition there.
Seeing Gonzales close last season by winning three of its final four might have been an indication for a move up. The 3-0 start against teams in higher divisions this fall is not a fluke.
This is what you deal with when you have multiple divisions. Don't get me wrong. You're still going to see some great races in all four divisions.
But you're also going to see some lopsided results, bringing parity back to the forefront, as well as the safety of kids.
The real problem is there just isn't enough power teams for the Gabilan. It's the same four teams each year. Which means some programs become sacrificial lambs.
John Devine has been writing about high school sports in Monterey County since, well, practically since he was an athlete at King City in the days just after leather helmets. In PrepNation, John has even more in-depth analysis of the latest results and news he's brought to you in The Herald and in his weekly videos.
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2 comments:
Step one toward fairness. The Gabilan Division should NOT be an 8 team league. Being a 7 team league means one fewer Seaside, Gilroy or Alvarez would be thrown to the wolves every year. And if CCS/CIF rules allow it, what is wrong with a 6 team league? Put Seaside and Gilroy in the Mission Division and move the "lowest" Mission team down to the Cypress Division. Gabilan has 6...Mission 8...Cypress 8. Right there (whether the Gabilan is a 7 team or 6 team league) you begin to make things more "equitable".
Step two. Set a school size requirement to play in the Gabilan. Must have at least 1,450 students...plus private schools or smaller public schools can petition to be in the Gabilan Division each year. Here is why this is important? We all agree Seaside shouldn't be in the Gabilan...they simply don't have the depth to compete. And over the future years I think most generally agree that declining student interest in playing football is going to make it harder for the small schools to compete. Now this does "force" schools like Gilroy or Alvarez to play in the A league (unless a small school or multiple private schools opt up) but given the size of their schools they should be able to field teams with enough players to make it through a Gabilan league season.
Step two A. And I realize I am one of few who see this as a big issue, but small schools competing against big schools not only has implications at the varsity level but perhaps even bigger implications at the JV leave. Small school JV teams generally are 50% to 70% freshmen. Big schools JV teams are all sophomores. Big school JV teams should consistently beat small school JV teams. And when the small school JV program is getting beat on by the big schools, how do incoming freshmen and their parents react to decisions about playing football? Does this become one more reason not to let Johnny put on the pads?
Step three. John Devine should do some investigative reporting and let us know how the season ending evaluations and placement of teams for the following year is done. I want to believe it takes into consideration both objective and subjective factors and most importantly that it is apolitical.
Agree with Carmelkyd about the number of teams in the Gabilan. It just makes no sense for the league to have 8 teams. That means more small and medium schools that are overmatched, and it also means fewer opportunities for the Big 4 to schedule tough opponents to help bolster their resumes for regional bowl games. The Gabilan should have 6 teams and the rest should have 8 (once Rancho San Juan fields a varsity team). Also agree that the smaller schools should be protected from being forced to the Gabilan.
But I think the equity league is working great for the Mission, Cypress, and Santa Lucia.
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