Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Current HS football playoff system has positives

If the season were to end today …Believe it or not, we only have two more weeks to go in the regular high school football season before the playoffs begin. But before we commence to our weekly status reports leading up to the first post-season weekend (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), let?s state a few things.First, for those who moan and groan about the system, let?s look at some of the positives, beginning with one of our own teams: St. Mary?s. The Spartans lost their second straight game Saturday, and were it not for this system, they would most likely be playing out the string in a year that began with so many possibilities. Now, they?ll probably make the playoffs and get a second chance. Ditto Peabody. The Tanners lost for the first time last Friday, but under the old system, they?d have to pray every week for a Winthrop loss and win out themselves for a chance at the post-season. Now, unless they fall on their faces, they should be OK.At any rate, here?s the lineup as of today, in all six divisions (with thanks to Jim Clark of the Boston Herald, who tirelessly does these ratings … obviously these change week to week):Peabody is the fifth seed in Division 1 and would play old Greater Boston League rival Malden if all remains the same from hereon out. St. John?s Prep is third, and would have — we?re sure — an appetizing rematch with No. 6 Lowell, whose 40-0 trouncing of the Eagles last year bounced them from the playoffs.In Division 2, Classical is still alive at No. 6 and would play Newton South in the first round. It would behoove the Rams. English is off the board at the moment, sitting at No. 9, with games against both Beverly and Marblehead on the horizon … not an enviable position at all.We?re loaded with potential in Division 3 Northeast, with Marblehead, Beverly, Danvers and Revere all alive. That?s half the draw, at this point.Marblehead is No. 2, even though it?s perfect at 6-0, behind 4-1 Tewksbury. If all goes according to Hoyle, the two teams could stage a rematch of last year?s epic regional final. Danvers and Beverly are Nos. 5 and 6 and Revere is eighth, just ahead of Gloucester. It could be a tough row to hoe for the Patriots, with road games at Peabody and Classical, whereas Gloucester hosts Swampscott Friday and then has a bye.Three more teams are in the hunt in Division 4, starting with No. 1 Winthrop, which has a huge game Friday at Classical and then one at Danvers a week hence, and would play No. 8 North Reading. Lynnfield, one of three 5-0 teams in the division, is third at the moment and would face No. 6 Saugus (and that would be one heck of a game!). Swampscott looks pretty well out of the money at this point, at No. 14.St. Mary?s back-to-back losses has pushed it all the way down to No. 5 in Division 5, with Lowell Catholic looming as its opponent; while No. 1 Bishop Fenwick would have to play Austin Prep again (the Crusaders just beat the Cougars Saturday).Finally, in Division 6, Lynn Tech squeezes in there at No. 8, a hair behind Marian/Keefe Tech. The Tigers? projected opponent would be No. 1 Dorchester. Former English star Brian Vaughan?s Boston English Eagles are No. 2 in Division 6, by the way.So what do you do when your team appears to be out of the running, especially when it?s early October and things just haven?t gone your way?You keep playing, says English coach Peter Holey.For the second straight week, the Bulldogs were in a position to win, but lost instead. This time, Holey thought the Bulldogs had time for one more play in their desperate quest for a late touchdown to beat Gloucester. But the referees thought different, and whistled the game over. Holey, who is unfailingly good-natured and even-tempered regardless of what happens in a game, wasn?t so afterward — certainly a rarity.Yet, he called The Item a few hours later — too late, as it turns out, to make our deadline — and explained. And took the occasion to compliment his players.?They played their tails off,” he said. “I was proud