Select schools question LHSAA playoff changes

Updated as of 2:09 p.m.

What started as one meeting evolved into three as the Louisiana High School Athletic Association invited select schools to its office Thursday to discuss plans for its new split football playoff format.

During an hourlong meeting in front of the LHSAA’s executive committee, school representatives discussed options for a select-schools playoff format, mentioning the possibilities of three, four and five classes. No decisions or recommendations were made.

The select group also questioned the constitutionality of the plan approved last month that splits schools for the playoffs into groups of nonselect/traditional public schools and select schools, which include private, charter, magnet, laboratory and some dual-curriculum schools.

Then the groups went into separate meetings, with many of the 116 select-school representatives on hand remaining in the LHSAA’s main meeting room. The LHSAA’s executive committee went on to meet in a separate boardroom. Reporters were not allowed in either of the separate meetings.

The select schools issued a statement after their meeting: “The representatives from the designated ‘select schools’ that attended the called meeting on Feb. 21 at the LHSAA office believe the articles passed related to splitting the playoffs for football violate the LHSAA constitution. In addition, many other points were raised at the meeting that call into question both the substance and speed of the LHSAA proposal to change rules that have served our student-athletes well for decades. We strongly urge the executive committee to exercise their authority and overturn the recent vote.”

LHSAA Executive Director Kenny Henderson received a copy of the statement.

“We are going to study what they requested and look at the constitutionality of what was passed,” he said. “And we’re going to go forward with some (online) surveys (for select schools) about playoff formats for the select schools. (LHSAA attorney Brad Lewis) is going to look at this, and he’ll more than likely consult a constitutional law attorney.”

The executive committee gave select schools until March 1 to submit select division playoff plans in writing. The executive meets March 20 and could decide whether to leave the select schools with two playoff classes or increase the number.

LHSAA President Todd Guice, of Ouachita High, told the group the first meeting was not about debating the merits of the split plan but was about discussing playoff options. That didn’t stop a number of speakers from expressing their views on the split, which was approved by a 206-119 vote of principals at last month’s annual LHSAA convention.

Several speakers questioned the constitutionality of the split proposal from a group of principals headed by Winnfield’s Jane Griffin, which amended only the football portion of the LHSAA’s bylaws, or Article 14. In the LHSAA’s base constitution, Article 8 deals with classification and states that football schools “shall be divided into five equal or nearly equal classes.”

Under the approved plan, the LHSAA’s select and nonselect schools would compete together in districts in five classes. For the playoffs, schools would be divided into five classes for nonselect schools and two for select schools. Thursday’s meeting was designed to discuss the possibility of the executive committee voting to add other classes for select schools.

“I used to be where you are,” said St. Louis Catholic Principal Ted Nixon, a former member of the executive committee during his years as a coach at Lake Charles Barbe. “One of the first things I was told was to know the constitution. You need to look at this.”

When Lewis told the group he thought the proposal followed the LHSAA’s bylaws because it has schools playing in five classes in the regular season, he elicited laughs from some in the crowd.

Archbishop Shaw Principal Louis Konopelski was the first speaker and drew applause after stating his case for five select classes to match the five nonselect classes the plan approved calls for. Another option discussed was combining 5A and 4A select schools and then allowing separate playoff classes for 3A, 2A and 1A schools. Each time a plan was discussed, the constitutionality issues resurfaced.

“You know, it’s not our intention to be combative,” University High Superintendent Wade Smith said. “There are questions that need to be answered. I can’t see how you can justify having seven, eight, nine or 10 football champions when your constitution calls for five.”

Comments

1) Comment by DeanoCruz - 23/02/2013

Postscript, I guess you think everybody who wins cheats. Do your research. Three of the 5A Semifinals teams were public schools. I guess they all cheated too. You sound like a coach who just can't win. Perhaps you can win the "Best of the Rest Title". I wonder if Coach Guillot or Coach Curtis would be a loser if they coached at a public school. As far as age of the players go, you must be kidding! Do your research! The average age of the public school athletes is always higher than the private schools. I can't even believe you would make a statement like that. Championships aren't won in December, they are won in June and July and in the weight room and gym. I don't believe the kids want to play in a lesser competition. I believe in kids in public school. My son plays for a public school and we compete with anyone. A ring for anything les than a true state championship is a sham! I have a ring from my playing days. I went to a public school and we won a true state championship.

2) Comment by postscript56 - 23/02/2013

DeanoCruz - West Monroe encourages junior high football players to repeat the 8th grade. It's not that West Monroe has avastly superior program or vastly superior players. They're just on average a year older and a year more physically mature hn their opponents. That's why so few West Monroe football players are elite college prospects. Don't take my word for it. Do a little research. From the conmments posted by opponents of a split when an article on this subject appears, I would guess most opponents have their children in private school and feel entitled to have their cake and eat it, too. In most states private schools and public schools are in dfifferent associations and don't play each other. In states like Texas and Mississippi it is the public school playoffs that generate all the interest and revenue. It will be the same in Louisiana. I hope that happens within the next few years. It will be better for all. Private schools can keep doing just what they are doing, but public schools won't be forced to play at a disadvantage. That's a win/win.

3) Comment by DeanoCruz - 23/02/2013

It is disappointing that the people who support the split have so little faith in their kids. Many of the same kids that go on to play major college football and some in the NFL. Look at the numbers. The kids in public schools are good enough to win. Look at West Monroe's dominance as a great example. If they are going to split the playoffs, split it all, regular season, other sports, etc. watch what happens then when all the revenue dries up. The private schools will dominate even more because kids and their parents will find a way to play on the big stage. We should all work together. We should play together. In this one, the adults look like the children!

4) Comment by postscript56 - 23/02/2013

Change the rules in order to get a trophy...that's what you think is happening here. OK. That's your opinion and you are welcome to it. But it only demonstrates how little you understand the issue. So let me try one last time. Private schools can voluntarily move up in classification anytime they want to. None of them want to. Some years ago some schools were forced to move up. Like tiny Evangel of Shreveport, with a student body of less than 200 students. The LHSAA moved them all the way to 5A and still they were going undefeated. There can be no doubt during that period of time Evangel was illegally recruiting players. The LHSAA didn't stop that. A schism among school/church leaders resulted in the creation of Calvary Baptist school and that's what slowed the Evangel juggernaut, though they still dominate 1A. The LHSAA has neither the the authority to tell a private school who can go to their school nor the resources to investigate the enrollment of every student athlete. Policing recruiting on the high school level just doesn't work. It's an honor system, mostly. So when a few schools (like Evangel, Curtis, Parkview, etc.) decide to use every built-in advantage they have to gain the upper hand there is little the LHSAA can do. Nor have they done much for the last decade but keep the issue alive, mostly by expressing to the schools that are trying to gain advantage that if you don't control yourself there will be consequences. But that didn't work so now we are seeing the consequences. This isn't about some egg-sucking, government-funded, liberal-teacher-union public school trying to win a few trophies for themselves. It's what happens in every walk of life when a few decide to abuse the system for their own personal gain.

5) Comment by HerbF - 22/02/2013

If the private schools were allowed to play in the highest classification, which is where they were before those schools decided that it was too hard to beat them, then the games would be much more competitive. It is probably true that the lower class teams have little chance of beating them. So, let them compete in the upper classes again. Good grief! Other states have had teams that have won state titles a number of years in a row. They didn't change the rules so they could get a trophy! And, that's exactly what is going on here. They should be ashamed of themselves.

6) Comment by postscript56 - 22/02/2013

My opinion has been stated previously. Select schools have a clear and distinct, built-in advantage in the make-up of their student body by virtue of the fact there are no residency restrictions placed on select school students but residency is the only determing criteria for attending public schools. Even without any other factors, that alone is enough to create separate divisions. But given that select schools do "invite" athletes to attend their schools, sometimes on scholarship with no cost to the parents, there is no dispute select schools are at an advantage to public schools. As to constitutionality, from what I've read the LHSAA constitution limits the number of classifications, not the number of championships that may be played. In theory the LHSAA could split into multiple divisions while maintaining no more than five classifications. If we're going to get technical about the language, then let's nitpick it to death. But here's something else those opposed to this split might consider. Most athletes take no pleasure in beating a clearly inferior opponent. If over a decade your private school wins almost 100% of their games against the public schools in their district because year after year athletes choose to come to your school when they would not be allowed to attend the public schools you play againt, how much pride can you take in those wins? Don't you, also, want to compete against the best? When the rules limit your opponents to fielding inferior teams aren't you denied your best competition as well? If it were me, I wouldn't want to brag about beating up on a bunch of teams that had no chance of beating me. And if those teams had no chance because that's the way we set the rules up, well that's just shameful.