Supporters of grid postseason proposal say it will create better playoff games

The way Massachusetts crowns its state football champions will change drastically Friday if the MIAA’s principals and athletic directors approve a two-year pilot program put forth by the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association.The proposal – passed in May by both the MIAA Football Committee (15-2) and the MIAA Tournament Management Committee (10-4) – would crown six true state champions at Gillette Stadium (there were 19 in 2011); eliminate Tuesday night playoff games after Thanksgiving; reduce the number of teams playing post-holiday from 74 last year to 12; and give leagues complete scheduling autonomy during the seven-week qualifying period in September and October.”There is no perfect plan but we (coaches) feel this answers the problems with previous plans. It will inspire better playoff games, it takes away the Tuesday night games, scheduling autonomy is left to the leagues and it’s very good for smaller teams that will play like-size teams in the playoffs,” said St. John’s Prep football coach and Athletic Director Jim O’Leary, who sits on both the Football and Tournament Management committees.”This proposal has passed every committee and every hurdle. I’ve heard the gripes but most leagues are wildly in favor of this. It’s not about what the coaches, athletic directors and administrators want – it’s about what’s best for the student-athletes,” said Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski.Leagues with five or more teams would automatically qualify two teams for the post-season; leagues with five or less automatically qualify one; and additional teams may qualify as wildcards under a power rating system. Teams would receive 12 points for a win over a team in a higher division, 10 points for a win over a team within the division and eight points for defeating a team in a lower division. Additionally, teams would receive three points for every win by a defeated opponent, and one point for every win by an opponent you lose to. Ties would yield half the value.Concerns voiced most often by those opposed to the plan regard the power rating system and the integrity of Thanksgiving Day games.Under the MIAA’s proposed realignment for 2013-14 through 2016-17 (http://www.miaa.net), St. John’s Prep and Peabody are the only schools in The Item’s coverage area assigned Division One North status. English and Classical would be classified as Division Two North; Revere, Salem, Beverly, Danvers and Marblehead as Division Three Northeast; Saugus, Swampscott, Lynnfield, Winthrop and St. Mary’s as Division Four North; Bishop Fenwick as Division Five North; and Lynn Tech as Division Six North.When the NEC reverts to two six-team divisions next year, Classical and English will both play up a division against Peabody but down a division against three other opponents. Rather than play each other within the league framework and then again on Thanksgiving, the better alternative may be to schedule non-league games against Division One or Division Two opponents looking to fill their schedules.Dembowski said a straw poll of NEC coaches indicated they were 11-1 against playing their holiday rivals twice. O’Leary said the Catholic Conference is unanimously behind the proposal and that The Prep will not play Xaverian twice, fleshing out its schedule against the likes of Everett, Brockton, Bridgewater-Raynham and St. John’s of Shrewsbury. While some holiday tilts inevitably determine league championships, O’Leary noted that approximately 50 percent of those games state-wide – including Peabody-Saugus and Winthrop-Revere – are non-league contests with no bearing on titles.”Thanksgiving Day is always going to be Thanksgiving. In most years, only 15 to 20 percent of those games impact league championships or playoff berths – most are decided before Thanksgiving. That day is about alumni, tradition and homecoming. I don’t see any impact on crowds or revenue,” he said.”We know that every team but 12 will be playing its final game on Thanksgiving. It’s