High School Sports

#178      
TentakilRex
#180      
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
Opening round games involving central Illinois teams:

1A
Athens at Carrollton
Triopia at Havana
Sesser-Valier at Winchester West Central
Nokomis at Carlyle

2A
Eastland-Pearl City at Beardstown
Pleasant Plains at Farmington
Georgetown-Ridge Farm at Warrensburg-Latham
Oregon at Westville
Riverton at Carlinville
Sangamon Valley at Hamilton County
Piasa Southwestern at St. Teresa
Jacksonville Routt at Auburn
Marshall at Moweaqua Central A&M
Shelbyville at Carmi White County

3A
Robinson at Tolono Unity
PORTA at Greenville
Staunton at Fairfield

4A
QND at Bethalto Civic Memorial
Effingham at Decatur MacArthur
Lincoln at Highland
Waterloo at Taylorville

5A
Springfield High at Carbondale
Danville at Oak Forest

6A
Champaign Central at East Moline United
TF South at Quincy
Chatham Glenwood at Chicago Brooks
 
#182      
TentakilRex
IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
Opening round games involving central Illinois teams:

1A
Athens at Carrollton
Triopia at Havana
Sesser-Valier at Winchester West Central
Nokomis at Carlyle

2A
Eastland-Pearl City at Beardstown
Pleasant Plains at Farmington
Georgetown-Ridge Farm at Warrensburg-Latham
Oregon at Westville
Riverton at Carlinville
Sangamon Valley at Hamilton County
Piasa Southwestern at St. Teresa
Jacksonville Routt at Auburn
Marshall at Moweaqua Central A&M
Shelbyville at Carmi White County

3A
Robinson at Tolono Unity
PORTA at Greenville
Staunton at Fairfield

4A
QND at Bethalto Civic Memorial
Effingham at Decatur MacArthur
Lincoln at Highland
Waterloo at Taylorville

5A
Springfield High at Carbondale
Danville at Oak Forest

6A
Champaign Central at East Moline United
TF South at Quincy
Chatham Glenwood at Chicago Brooks
Click to expand...
Awesome work but in 1A you missed Pleasant Hill Coop at Oakwood, P Hill is a WIVC team in the 217 area code. Casey-Westfield at South Fulton (Astoria) might also qualify with South Fulton being between Rushville and Havana.

Yeah this new system is hard on everybody.
 
#183      
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
TentakilRex said:
Awesome work but in 1A you missed Pleasant Hill Coop at Oakwood, P Hill is a WIVC team in the 217 area code. Casey-Westfield at South Fulton (Astoria) might also qualify with South Fulton being between Rushville and Havana.

Yeah this new system is hard on everybody.
Click to expand...

Eh it is what it is. I might have added the Pleasant Hill/Oakwood one you mentioned.
 
#184      
Bacon Butkus Swanson
IlliniUnited said:
What is your problem with it? Every other sport allows every team in. There is a massive difference between competing in some conferences compared to others. The playoffs are full of blowouts until the semifinals and a lot of times the championship games are not competitive. The top teams are getting byes so let the other teams get a playoff win before they get blown out.
Click to expand...

In no way does it prepare these young men for real lifeā€¦ā€¦ Besides, playing another game against obviously bigger/faster players subjects them to injuries they will have to deal with the rest of their lives.
 
#185      
AnnoyedWithGarza
#187      
IlliniUnited
Bacon Butkus Swanson said:

In no way does it prepare these young men for real lifeā€¦ā€¦ Besides, playing another game against obviously bigger/faster players subjects them to injuries they will have to deal with the rest of their lives.
Click to expand...
Your injury claim makes no sense. Those bigger/faster teams are going to have a bye. A team with 2 or 3 wins could face them if they win their opening round game against a team that would have played those bigger/faster teams in the first round. Also a few years ago Naz was 4-5 because they played a ridiculously difficult schedule yet they still won the state title.
 
#188      
therealmiket86
IlliniUnited said:
Your injury claim makes no sense. Those bigger/faster teams are going to have a bye. A team with 2 or 3 wins could face them if they win their opening round game against a team that would have played those bigger/faster teams in the first round. Also a few years ago Naz was 4-5 because they played a ridiculously difficult schedule yet they still won the state title.
Click to expand...

Naz winning state at 4-5 was a huge outlier. Thatā€™s literally the only time a 4 win team has won state or to my knowledge has won a playoff game. Thatā€™s also a team loaded with d1 talent. Most 2-3 win teams will just get blown out
 
#189      
Curbelo Fanboy
Football is a much more physical game than any other team sport. As such the better team wins at a higher clip than in other sports. Bigger, faster, stronger matters more in football. It matters in other sports, but those sports have much more randomness & it makes more sense to let everyone in the playoffs. Also, it isn't a taxing physical toll for say in basketball a team to play a regional game on Monday as the worst seed & if they pull of an upset, play again on Wednesday & Friday.

When regionals start, the field is whittled down from 200 or more per class to 32 regional winners by that Friday night. In football that process takes a few weeks to complete. Even in the old format with 32 teams a team making the title game would play more than half of the length of it's regular season in post season games (5 vs 9). That seems more than enough IMO. This expansion may allow in a few 3 or 4 win teams from really tough leagues that were technically playoff worthy teams from a power rating standpoint but we all know the real reason this move was made. $$$$$$.
 
#190      
fuddrules
therealmiket86 said:
Naz winning state at 4-5 was a huge outlier. Thatā€™s literally the only time a 4 win team has won state or to my knowledge has won a playoff game. Thatā€™s also a team loaded with d1 talent. Most 2-3 win teams will just get blown out
Click to expand...
So what. Also, very few 4 win teams have ever had the opportunity.

Change 4 to 5 and it's a different story.
 
Last edited:
#191      
IlliniUnited
therealmiket86 said:
Naz winning state at 4-5 was a huge outlier. Thatā€™s literally the only time a 4 win team has won state or to my knowledge has won a playoff game. Thatā€™s also a team loaded with d1 talent. Most 2-3 win teams will just get blown out
Click to expand...
They could win it again this year with a losing record. St. Francis might win with a 4-5 record. Before the playoffs expanded to 8 classes, a team with a losing record never would have qualified. There will be 2-7 teams that win the opening round game. Prairie Ridge is going to be Comer. Would I be shocked if Andrew beat Buffalo Grove, Lake Park beat Hinsdale Central, Benet beat Moline, Rolling Meadows beat Addison Trail? They are all going to get blown out in the first round just like how almost all first round/second round and most quarterfinals have been blowouts under the old format. Carmel is 3-6 and they are going to win. If they played in a lot of other conferences then they would be 6-3.
 
#193      
Curbelo Fanboy
IlliniUnited said:
Who do you think is making money off this?
Click to expand...
Primarily the IHSA with more inventory of playoff games to collect $ at the gate. To a lesser degree the schools that host games. I'm sure these first round games won't be as well attended but will add some.
 
#195      
fuddrules
Curbelo Fanboy said:
.. but we all know the real reason this move was made. $$$$$$.
Click to expand...

It's really not. The IHSA admin didn't make the change. A proposal from, I believe Roxana, was voted on by all IHSA members. It passed.

Roxana did not propose this change for money. Members that voted yes didn't do it for the money. These games aren't that lucrative - at least the vast majority of the games.

There were scheduling issues, conference realignment issues, unreasonable "pressure" to win issues and probably a few more. Some similarities with what is happening at the NCAA level. I don't know that this passed proposal will help any of that but it's done and over. Time will tell.

Since we are here, enjoy an added week (early season) of HS football and an expanded playoff. More teams have an opportunity to win. Most won't that otherwise wouldn't, but so what, is it really that critical?

It sure beats the 70's and early 80's where you had to win your conference and then got slotted into the playoffs based on your conferences average enrollment. 8-1 teams were left out.

It's 2026 and HS students and fans are far better off, IMO since that time.
 
#196      
fuddrules
ChiefGritty said:
PR went 2-7? šŸ˜¬

Man, they're even worse than when I played there!

But since when can you make the playoffs with a losing record?
Click to expand...

2001 - went to eight classes football. Playoffs went to 256 slots that had to be filled with the "best" teams.

2026 - 384 playoff spots to be filled.
 
#197      
ChiefGritty
fuddrules said:
2001 - went to eight classes football. Playoffs went to 256 slots that had to be filled with the "best" teams.
Click to expand...
My memory of my time as a player was that you had to get to 5-4 to make it in, but perhaps that was just the informal assumed line for qualification.

PR was a new school and nobody really cared about the football team at that time, it's amazing what has happened since.
 
#198      
fuddrules
ChiefGritty said:
My memory of my time as a player was that you had to get to 5-4 to make it in, but perhaps that was just the informal assumed line for qualification.

PR was a new school and nobody really cared about the football team at that time, it's amazing what has happened since.
Click to expand...

That 5-4 record is probably accurate but not technically correct. Some 5-4 teams were actually left out back in those years.

Since that time you have had consolidations, co-ops and 8-man football (not part of the 384 I listed, but they have a playoff). Maybe a change at CPS and/or prep bowl????? My guess is you had less inventory to fill the 256 slots over the years.

Football is different than most other sports. Football fills a pre-formatted bracket that is set. The other sports (largely) have a fixed number of teams that varies by class and the bracket fluctuates to accommodate the number of teams.
 
Last edited:
#199      
therealmiket86
fuddrules said:
lSo what. Also, very few 4 win teams have ever had the opportunity.

Change 4 to 5 and it's a different story.
Click to expand...

Realistically what other 4 win teams couldā€™ve won state. That Naz team was defending state champs and loaded with d1 talent. All that will happen is a 3 win ccl team will win playoffs and people will cry about that
 
#200      
fuddrules
fuddrules said:
That 5-4 record is probably accurate but not technically correct. Some 5-4 teams were actually left out back in those years.

Since that time you have had consolidations, co-ops and 8-man football (not part of the 384 I listed, but they have a playoff). Maybe a change at CPS and/or prep bowl????? My guess is you had less inventory to fill the 256 slots over the years.

Football is different than most other sports. Football fills a pre-formatted bracket that is set. The other sports (largely) have a fixed number of teams that varies by class and the bracket fluctuates to accommodate the number of teams.
Click to expand...


I need to add, and this is where I suspect some 4 win teams made it:

If your conference had at least 6 members and you had 4 wins and won the conference, you qualified for the playoffs.
 
Back