For all the grief I give the MHSAA and MAIS

[615dawg]

Texas let a 1-9 team in the playoff and got this result:

In MHSAA 7A, the Region 2 teams swept the Region 1 teams and Ocean Springs pulled out a 24-17 win over Northwest Rankin to avoid Region 3 sweeping Region 4. Its ridiculous what we are dealing with. Regions 1 and 4 are atrocious.

MAIS 6A - All six teams made the playoffs. Final Four was again Prep, MRA, Hartfield and JA. Prep and Hartfield play for the state title.

Realignment is happening next year in both MHSAA and MAIS. Looks like MHSAA 7A will be 25 teams instead of 24, with Harrison Central making the move up. Region 4 will have seven teams.

PCS has announced they are going to MHSAA, so it will be interesting what MAIS does with its largest classification. 5 teams, all in Jackson Metro? Do they drop the charade that St. Joe can keep up with the other four in anything? (St. Joe was outscored 326-40 this year against other 6A schools) Does St. Joe go back to the MHSAA?

 

[OG Goat Holder]

System has to change. It’s ridiculous. MAIS big 4 won’t do shlt. They like fake winning against each other. It’s good for Facebook.

 

[patdog]

A few years ago MHSAA had a playoff game between a 2-8 team & a 3-7 team. Virtually everyone makes the playoffs. 4 out of 6 teams in the larger classes & 4 out of 5 in the smaller ones. Ridiculous.

Hearing MAIS may move to a “super” 16 or 20 with 4 divisions of 4 or 5 teams. Presumably the big 4 would be split into separate divisions.

 

[patdog]

System has to change. It’s ridiculous. MAIS big 4 won’t do shlt. They like fake winning against each other. It’s good for Facebook.

The big 3 could compete very well at the 6A level in MHSAA.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

The big 3 could compete very well at the 6A level in MHSAA.

They need to just make them 7A. You recruit, play big boy ball.

Either stay still, or step up.

 

[patdog]

They need to just make them 7A. You recruit, play big boy ball.

That would be wild. They’d be in the 2 strongest (by far) 7A divisions.

 

[615dawg]

Alabama is the model. The problem is they made the change in 1996 so we are nearly 30 years behind.

Here is Alabama's solution to the private schools. Its perfect

https://www.ahsaa.com/Portals/0/PDF's/AHSAA/AHSAA/Re-Classification/2020-22/CBF%20Year%202%20Proposal.pdf?ver=2019-08-01-080022-803

So a school like St. Paul's in Mobile is 7A in volleyball, 6A in football, and 5A in most other sports.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Alabama is the model. The problem is they made the change in 1996 so we are nearly 30 years behind.

Problem is when the MAIS teams start winning titles, like MUS in Mobile. That’s why you do away with multipliers and say, play 7A or don’t.

if private schools dominate, deal with it then. This stuff is ever evolving. They won’t win one for many years anyway. Prep may beat Oak Grove in a one off, but they won’t win a state 7A title for many years.

God forbid the Prep parents not be able to make their “headed to state” Facebook post yearly after the first round.

 

[patdog]

Alabama is the model. The problem is they made the change in 1996 so we are nearly 30 years behind.

Essentially you let the private schools come in where they land. If they win two straight state championships, you move up a classification. So a school like St. Paul's in Mobile is 7A in volleyball, 6A in football, and 5A in most other sports.

What Id like to see & will never happen is promotion & relegation. You win your district you move up. You finish last you move down. You’d quickly sort out the best teams in the top divisions & the worst ones in the bottom. Classifying schools by number of students just leads to a lot of blowouts & not many competitive games.

 

[615dawg]

Problem is when the MAIS teams start winning titles, like MUS in Mobile. That’s why you do away with multipliers and say, play 7A or don’t.

if private schools dominate, deal with it then. This stuff is ever evolving. They won’t win one for many years anyway. Prep may beat Oak Grove in a one off, but they won’t win a state 7A title for many years.

God forbid the Prep parents not be able to make their “headed to state” Facebook post yearly after the first round.

Look at the PDF I just linked.

 

[bulldoghair]

Realignment is happening next year in both MHSAA and MAIS. Looks like MHSAA 7A will be 25 teams instead of 24, with Harrison Central making the move up. Region 4 will have seven teams.

So how many teams will be in each classification?

 

[8dog]

The MAIS has proposed 4 districts with each district having 5 teams (the 20 largest schools) and one of them being a Jackson team. The top finisher in each division would go to its own 4 team playoff- essentially the Jackson schools most of the time. It creates ridiculous travel in basketball and increases blowouts. But the Jackson schools don’t want a 4 team top division. Everyone else wants them too. Mhsaa likely is not currently going to allow them in even if they wanted to make that move.

Related and unknown the impact- Mais head Shane Blanton stepped down this week.

 

[615dawg]

The way it was put to me is the Big Four in the MAIS have three options for long term "survival"

1. The next level of MAIS has to get a lot better, very quickly. This is highly unlikely, as there are MAIS 4A and 5A schools whose entire school budget does not equal what JA pays its coaching staff.

2. Join the MHSAA. The MHSAA schools do not want them, and the MAIS schools do not want to play certain schools.

3. The MAIS is going to have to go more regional and create better championship opportunities for the Big Four. The problem is Alabama schools are mostly AHSAA and Arkansas schools are getting there quickly. The TSSAA and LHSAA aren't thrilled with schools playing out of state either. The option lies in Texas and Florida with the IMG Academy type schools.


I believe the Jackson anchor proposal is going to go through. Travel is going to be ridiculous and it doesn't solve the problem. The playoff will always be the Big Four.

The other thing to watch in all this, and this is a legislative issue - but if school choice is passed in Mississippi, some of these second level private schools are going to be able to pick up some athletes.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

They like fake winning against each other. It’s good for Facebook.

It's all for the glory of God.

 

[patdog]

The MAIS has proposed 4 districts with each district having 5 teams (the 20 largest schools) and one of them being a Jackson team. The top finisher in each division would go to its own 4 team playoff- essentially the Jackson schools most of the time. It creates ridiculous travel in basketball and increases blowouts. But the Jackson schools don’t want a 4 team top division. Everyone else wants them too. Mhsaa likely is not currently going to allow them in even if they wanted to make that move.

Related and unknown the impact- Mais head Shane Blanton stepped down this week.

I think this is the best MAIS can do. The top 4 get 4 district games + 3 non-district games bd each other. Then have to fill in 3 games vs MHSAA, out of state or other MAIS schools willing to play them. The next 16 only have to take 1 blowout loss.

 

[dawgstudent]

There is zero reason for a MHSAA team to play MRA, prep, JA, Hartfield etc. It’s like State playing usm except in this example, those 4 schools can win.

Nothing gained. A lot to lose.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

3. The MAIS is going to have to go more regional and create better championship opportunities for the Big Four. The problem is Alabama schools are mostly AHSAA and Arkansas schools are getting there quickly. The TSSAA and LHSAA aren't thrilled with schools playing out of state either. The option lies in Texas and Florida with the IMG Academy type schools.

MAIS has tried the regional format before with the LISA (Louisiana private) schools and having 3-4 Memphis area schools in it. Rossville returned but Fayette, Tipton-Rosemark, Northpoint are in the TSSAA.

Patrician out of Butler, Alabama, had a two-year spell in MAIS in the 90s too.

For it to work, travel costs have to be reasonable. And as we know, that’s often not the case.

I believe the Jackson anchor proposal is going to go through. Travel is going to be ridiculous and it doesn't solve the problem. The playoff will always be the Big Four.

Playoff travel will be crazy as usual.

A part of me wishes it could become more regional but the football playoff format is actually pretty fair as is. I’d limit playoff participants though since Cinderella stories rarely happen in MAIS.