It wasn't too long ago that JCA and MC both failed to make the playoffs in the same year. Remember when JCA couldn't get past Mascoutah in the quarters a few years back? I can remember a few pretty lean years for Loyola post-Hoerster, and a lot of them pre-Hoerster. Remember when Montini was good, and then they failed to qualify for two straight years, and now they are good again? In recent years, lots of folks were bemoaning IC as one of those private juggernauts of which you speak. In the five playoffs held since 2019, however, they have won it all just once. They were quarterfinal knockouts three times, and they failed to qualify this year. Naz is on a great run, but I'm old enough to remember when they either didn't qualify or were perennial first round playoff knockouts.
Totally agree as long as all schools are balanced equally.
It is flawed and discriminatory. I'd rather see a different approach that treats all schools equally.
To your point about Montini and IC not qualifying, I absolutely agree that it shows a lack of success, but it doesn’t demonstrate a lack of ability for the level that they get placed in by current waiver standards.
Obviously it is hypothetical, but I’d venture that even those years that Montini went 3-6 in the CCL, if they’d have been allowed into the 3A bracket, they would have been favored over all but maybe a couple teams. On the flip side, the number of 3A teams that would have made the playoffs given the Broncos schedule would be near zero.
Similar situation for IC. One year knocked out by a fellow CCL team and the next year miss out at 4-5. They would likely running clock every 2A team, but that’s where they will be assigned next year if they can get to 5 wins. Maybe it’s a good thing for Chicago Christian to get the multiplier.
I absolutely agree with your premise to level the playing field for all. I happen to possess the quality of empathy and can certainly see how the private schools are feeling attacked. I also know that a suburban private school of approximately 500 has a much higher ceiling than a public one of the same size. Montini in their heyday was winning titles at the 6A level. Not even Byron could do that.
I remember really liking stonedlizard’s idea, but if I remember correctly it placed almost no emphasis on enrollment. What I don’t want to see is a 1A and 2A bracket that is watered down with mediocre (for lack of a better term) teams. I think it’s ok if the 4A champ could beat 95% of the 5A field, but at the same time it should be very abnormal or nonexistent for a team to running clock their way through an entire bracket, public or private.
