They played a tough regular season schedule. Weeping Water entered the playoffs with 4 losses, all to Division 1 teams.
I believe one of their best players missed the first 2 or 3 games of the season. They have quite a few weapons and have a darn good team.
Battle hardened early in the season and made some key personnel adjustments mid season to go on their tear.
I’m rootn’ for them. Something different for once.
Not true. They've been pretty healthy all year outside of their 3rd best DB
I read an article on this site that said a kid missed the first two games of the season because of injury. Pretty sure it said a hamstring injury.
You are right. Not sure what I was thinking. Forgot their RB missed some time at the beginning of the year
16 teams is the right amount. Hot take, but I’d love to see Class A and B go to 8 teams.
Seems like there is a team every year that is 5-3 or 4-4, plays a tough schedule during the regular season and makes a run in the playoffs.
That's why having the substate round of 32 is fine. Playoffs start at 16 teams in 8 man to me.
Excellent point! leave it at 32 "sub state" round and re-seed, kids can say they made the playoffs even though they did not "really". The format is fine, they just need to make sure the higher seeds play at home for the playoffs throughout, they have earned that.
The NSAA just needs to adopt the term substate for the round of 32. The playoffs start with the reseed.
With Weeping Water playing 4 tough teams in the regular season and now upsetting a couple of teams in the playoffs, it seems they have earned the right to a home game...
They don't deserve a home playoff game as the lower seed, they are playing well and continue, but the regular season means nothing if the higher seed doesn't host. Just like March Madness , many lower seeds make a run because they are paying well, not because of strength of schedule necessarily. Clarkson Leigh has played 4 playoff teams, 5 if you count this Friday and have to go on the road and Stanton has played 7 games against playoff teams, 8 if you include this Friday and have beaten two of the other teams in the quarters and have to go on the road as the #3 seed. There are also other examples, the NSAA has to fix this for next year.
Clarkson-Leigh shouldn't have to go on the road. They are the higher seed, they earned it by winning 7 regular season games. Weeping Water won four, all four against teams that finished below .500. They are hot right now, I get it, but the high seed should host at the end of the day. Period. I will say the same thing next week even if CL loses.
They absolutely SHOULD be on the road. The two teams haven't played. They have one common opponent. WW won. CL lost. WW in ANY but an alternative universe would be the HIGHER seed, Ask any wrestling coach. Therin lies the biggest danger of using flawed "seeds" to determine a teams fate. If those two reversed schedules the evidence indicates that WW would be 8-0 and CL no better than 4-4. WW on paper is the better team. Period. Your rewarding CL for playing a cushy schedule and punishing WW for playing a gauntlet.
I though you were against bus rides and travel? maybe the computer should determine the winner virtually?? that would save all the players and coaches the anguish of sitting in a bus and going to play football to try to win a state title. There is a system in place and seeding, the better seed should host, period.
Unneeded burdens, absolutely. You're right. There IS a system in place. And Weeping Water IS hosting. You seem to contradict yourself. My only point (I think I should explain it to you)in that post is that Weeping Water DESERVES a higher seed by any rational measure. WW handled, quite easily, a team CL couldn't beat and you want to punish THAT???
Rewarding for crap schedule only gives a home field advantage, then a quick exit. If you win all the games on your schedule, there is only so much you can do. In my poll I posted the other day most feel that there is no advantage to playing at your home field. But also, the length of the bus ride did come into account. Hitchcock County will travel to Elm Creek Friday to avenge a first-round loss at Elm Creek two years ago. In my opinion, Hitchcock will not even slow down whether this game was at home or at Elm Creek. Their mission is to play for a state title against the best team in the class. Let's fast forward to Friday already! Weeping Water will show up for their home game and continue their run in the playoffs, 50 - 22.Here are the 2 schedules for Weeping Water and CL.
In the regular season only (as that's how teams are getting their ratings/points/seedings), Clarkson Leigh played teams that finished: 8-0, 5-3, 5-3, and a 4-4 team... Then teams with losing records.
WW played teams that finished: 8-0, 7-1, 7-1, 7-1, and a 4-4 team... Then teams with losing records.
If WW played CL's schedule, they might go undefeated or 7-1, just like CL. Who knows?
If CL played WW's schedule, they might go 4-4. Who knows?
Schedules aren't fair, so rewarding teams for getting lucky with their schedule isn't fair... So by upsetting a team in the playoffs, you are somewhat proving that the seedings were incorrect and that you deserved a higher seed to begin with.
Yes, WW is hot now, but with so many teams in D1 and D2, how do you make a fair and balanced schedule for all teams? You can't. Therefore it's impossible to get the playoff seedings correct and why 32 teams is better than 16 teams.
# of teams (% of teams played in regular season)
Class A - 31 teams (30%)
Class B - 26 teams (36%)
Class C1 - 38 teams (34%)
Class C2 - 36 teams (26%)
Class D1 - 61 teams (13%)
Class D2 - 54 teams (15%)
Class D6 - 34 teams (24%)
The upper class teams have to be seeded better because they play 26% - 36% of the team's in their class (yes, many teams play a team out of their class). That's a much better sample size.
Class D teams play only 13% and 15% of the total teams in their class, so the ratings can't be seeded correctly based on schedule because the sample size is too small.
The percentages only move up to 15% and 17% after the first "playoff" game. Small sample size.
How can you truly earn a home field playoff advantage when you at such a small percentage of the team's in your class?
Again, why reward teams for playing crap schedules?
They don't deserve a higher seed based on who they have played, They were not playing as well at the beginning of the year and they got blasted by a D2 team that is already out of the playoffs and lost to quality D1 teams, but the games were not very competitive. With that being said, they are playing well now and they will continue their playoff run. If they lost close, one score games to quality opponents you may have an argument for a higher seed, they might get to avenge a loss in the next round and they can show their improvement. The regular season matters, maybe that prepared them for this run, but the points are gained for a reason and only A, B and C1 have it figured out, higher seed plays at home.
Clarkson-Leigh lost to the only team they played that had 6 wins or more (until beating a 6-win Crofton team a few days ago).
I wouldn't be surprised if WW wins either, but that doesn't mean they deserve a home game. Using the current point system, there is no reason the high seed should have to travel. In what world does that make sense?
In a world where teams only play 13% and 15% of the teams in their class, which doesn't allow for the playoff system to properly seed almost every team.
Don't say unfair schedule, You play who is on you schedule. Weeping Water got better throughout the year. They were blown out a couple of times and lost a couple other games to solid teams. They earned their seed based on their record. It is great to see them winning and playing well but you can't just forget blowout losses and not beating any of the good teams on their regular season schedule.
“You play who is on your schedule”, right….but you didn’t pick the schedule, sans maybe a mutually requested game. That’s the point. There’s too many teams and only 8 games in 8 man before the playoffs. (The percentages are above). You win on the road after the reseed in 8 man you should get a home game imo.
You can't say that, then give the team that played a whole lot of nothing- burgers the higher seed! WW would be seeded higher by any reasonable measure.
