What the Playoffs would look like 1-16 Seeding

[eaglesinsider]

Something I do every year, here's what the MPSSAA Playoffs would look like if you took the top 16 teams statewide by point total and disregarded regions:

4A:
#1 Wise vs. #16 Paint Branch
#2 Old Mill vs. #15 Perry Hall
#3 North Point vs. #14 Northwest
#4 Quince Orchard vs. #13 Annapolis
#5 Howard vs. #12 Broadneck
#6 Sherwood vs. #11 Roosevelt
#7 Bel Air vs. #10 Richard Montgomery
#8 Mervo vs. #9 DuVal
Made Playoffs in 1-16 Format, not Regional Format: Perry Hall, Paint Branch
Made Playoffs in Regional Format, not 1-16 Format: Bowie, Blair

3A:
#1 Damascus vs. #16 J.M. Bennett
#2 Linganore vs. #15 Glenelg
#3 Franklin vs. #14 C. Milton Wright
#4 Seneca Valley vs. #13 Chesapeake (Anne Arundel)
#5 Dundalk vs. #12 Tuscarora
#6 Oakdale vs. #11 South Hagerstown
#7 Aberdeen vs. #10 Reservoir
#8 Potomac vs. #9 Douglass (Baltimore City)
Made Playoffs in 1-16 Format, not Regional Format: South Hagerstown, Tuscarora, C. Milton Wright
Made Playoffs in Regional Format, not 1-16 Format: Wheaton, Watkins Mill, Magruder

2A:
#1 North Caroline vs. #16 Queen Anne's County
#2 Eastern Tech vs. #15 Gwynn Park
#3 Kent Island vs. #14 Calvert
#4 Oakland Mills vs. #13 Walkersville
#5 Patterson vs. #12 Dunbar
#6 South Carroll vs. #11 Hereford
#7 Marriotts Ridge vs. #10 Patuxent
#8 Thomas Stone vs. #9 Elkton
The same 16 teams made the playoffs in both formats.

1A
#1 Fort Hill vs. #16 Ben Franklin
#2 Boonsboro vs. #15 Southwestern
#3 Edmondson vs. #14 Forestville Military
#4 Allegany vs. #13 National Academy
#5 FAET vs. #12 Smithsburg
#6 Havre de Grace vs. #11 Manchester Valley
#7 Cambridge-South Dorchester vs. #10 Kent County
#8 Forest Park vs. #9 Northern Garrett
Made Playoffs in 1-16 Format, not Regional Format: Smithsburg, Southwestern, Ben Franklin
Made Playoffs in Regional Format, not 1-16 Format: Bohemia Manor, Fairmont Heights, North Carroll

 

[camper21502]

I like this format...

 

[beall02]

Look, I have been the biggest proponent of the 1-16 format, but this year's 1A playoff picture is a prime example of why they will never go to that format. Since eaglesinsider has done the work for me already, lets take a look at the difference between the two formats, at least as it shook out this year.

1-16 playoff format: 732 total miles of travel

Fort Hill/Benjamin Franklin - 139 miles
Boonsboro/Southwestern - 65 miles
Edmondson/Forestville - 38 miles
Allegany/National Academy - 139 miles
FAET/Smithsburg - 74 miles
Havre De Grace/Manchester Valley - 52 miles
Cambridge SD/Kent County - 59 miles
Forest Park/Northern - 166 miles

Regional Format: 226 total miles of travel

Northern/Fort Hill - 35 miles
Allegany/Boonsboro - 76 miles
National Academy/Edmonsdon - 13 miles combined
Forest Park/FAET - 10 miles combined
North Carroll/Manchester Valley - 4 miles
Fairmont Heights/Forestville - 6 miles
Bohemia Manor/Havre De Grace - 25 miles
Cambridge SD/Kent County - 59 miles

*The reason you see combined for the two city school games is due to the fact those games are being played at Poly-Western so I took the distance that it would take for both schools to travel to Poly and combined those two distances.

The fact that several teams with losing records made the playoffs is sad. But is it enough of a reason to change the system to add all that travel. Every year will be different I understand that. But you will be hard press to find a year in which the 1-16 format would have less miles traveled than the regional format. This year it is over 500 miles just in distance. Imagine the fuel cost for just those extra miles. That doesn't take into count anything else.

Some also have argued that you would see closer games in the playoffs if we were to go to the 1-16 format. Looking at just the 1a West, I don't see where the 1-16 format would give a better competition than the regional format will, both Allegany and Fort Hill should win comfortably in both formats. Although the Boonsboro/Allegany game should be closer than a Allegany/National Academy game would be.

 

[MCsoccerplex]

With all due respect, beall02, I call your argument total B.S.

If the relatively poor (per capita income of $41,059) and geographically larger state (24,230 square miles) of WV can do it, than MD, one of the wealthiest states (per capita income of $67,600) in the U. S. and geographically a much smaller state (12,407 square miles) can do it. I simply don't buy the travel argument.

I've shared this scenario before, and I'll share it again. In track and field in MD, it is conceivable that the absolute slowest 1600 or 3200 runner participating in any regional track and field meet can make it to the state meet because the region only has the maximum of four qualifiers participating.

So what does this mean? It means this: A 1600 or 3200 meter runner could run a time one minute faster in the 1600 run two-three minutes faster in the 3200 meter run than the fourth competitor in the region with only four runners. The issue here is the much faster runner placed 5th, 6th, or 7th in his region, so he did not qualify for the state meet. However, the slowest runner in the state participating in the regional meet qualifies only to be lapped and embarrassed by the field at the state meet. All the while, the participant who didn't qualify because he was in a much tougher region sits at home.

Is that fair? "H" "E" double hockey stick it is not fair.

Guess what? It happens more years than not.

I can tell you also it wasn't too many years ago that the 1A West Regional Track and Field Meet was held at Manchester Valley High School. That school wasn't within 60 miles of any other school in the 1A West. It was approximately a four hour trip for the student-athletes from Southern High School in Garrett County. Did anyone at the state level care? No, they didn't.

Once again and with all due respect, beall02, your argument is lame at best because you are trying to justify that which is unjustifiable.

 

[52 to victory]

The state does what they want because they can. I too believe that the travel is a lame excuse. It should be the top 16 in each class. Period. Another stupid thing the state does is group all four classes together in tennis. 1A can play against 4A in the regionals and states. Makes no sense. Very unfair. And then to move the Mountain Ridge girls soccer to 1A for the playoffs instead of leaving them in 2A. Some excuse about the numbers of schools in each region. Nothing they say would be a good, fair reason to me. Again, the state gets away with whatever they choose to do.

 

[beall02]

I will start out by stating that the above mentioned argument is not mine. I am simply stating the one that the State of Maryland uses as to why they do the regional format. I have been the loudest proponent of change in our playoff system. I think that the argument that the State chooses to use is as lame as you do. If you look at it from the State of Maryland's prospective... why would they shell out that additional money for a 1-16 format when they don't have to? They want to make a bigger profit like everyone else does.

As far as the track and field example you have... you have to remember that this was a rare year in which two Carroll County teams (Manchester Valley, North Carroll) were in the same region as the rest of the far Western Maryland teams. It is not normal for that kind of distance to be between schools in the same region. Sometimes it happens in order to balance out the regions. As an example, two Howard County teams are in the 2A West now. Another thing is that was the regional championship correct? There is a big difference between a site for a regional track and field championship and the first round of the State Football Playoffs.

 

[LHSlancerFAN]

I will agree with Beall02 that the matchups in 1A leave a bit to be desired, but I think that is in part due to the fact that its really 2 or 3 teams and then everyone else. If I were a fan of a 1A team, I would much rather have your better games be in the state semi's and finals as opposed to the regionals. If you look at the other 3 classes, you have some fantastic first round games, Sherwood/ER, Wise/Paint Branch (and that's a 1 vs. 16), South Carroll/Hereford, etc.

I keep harping on 3A as the example. In the 1-16 format, the 3A West puts in 6 teams, all of which I think are deserving, compared to the 3A South which would put in 1 (Potomac), which is probably the only one that is deserving of being there. Ask the teams that got left out if they mind traveling as opposed to the alternative.

The State needs to suck it up and fix it because its becoming a joke. 3-7 North Carroll should not be in the playoffs and the fact that there was even a chance that a 2-8 team could have snuck in says it all!

 

[mountainmoe]

So in the 1-16 format, Alco is really playing the #2 rated team in the state in the first round this weekend?

 

[RedFootball]

So in the 1-16 format, Alco is really playing the #2 rated team in the state in the first round this weekend?

Yes, while Fort Hill plays the #9 ranked team. See the problem. 1 - 16 would be the best games, if memory serves me right didn't Moorefield get one of there first state championships by being the 15-16 seed.

 

[Seasoned Lettuce]

It was Musselman that won the WV AA State Championship in 1995 as the 16th seed, against Bluefield.

 

[LinemenWinGames]

If traveling is a problem don't enter the playoffs. Is it fair that Balt. City teams don't have to travel at all? This current system creates the same old matchups year in and year out. The best team usually wins regardless but if you are the 2nd best team in a classification and you finish 2nd in your region then you have to go through the potential champ in a playoff game instead of possibly meeting them in the final in a 1-16 format. I would rather have the chance of winning a state championship against the number 1 team instead facing elimination in a regional championship when a team that would be ranked lower gets an easier path into the final.

 

[beall02]

It isn't the schools, fans, or teams that want this regional format. The State made it this way and they are the ones who will change it if they want to. As long as the State of Maryland is paying for the playoffs you will have it the same format that it is now. Sad to say. I am sure that just like on here, you will have some schools, some coaches, who choose this format while most would choose the 1-16 format.

 

[cumbfanatic]

Allegany is the best team in 1A, they will prove that in 2 weeks

 

[camper21502]

I wanna see a format where Alco can play FH in the State Championship almost every yr. like it should be lol...