Interesting LHSAA Agenda

[dawg80]

HD: The split was all driven by smaller schools when Evangel and Curtis were down in their classes. The principals at Many and Winfield in particular.

Yep! And Curtis has won exactly one Division I state title in the 10 years they have played with "the big schools." It's not so easy when you have to go through the grind of week after week of good opponents.

[Dawgpix]

. . . . It would be as if one or two teams were created using the population bases of Lincoln, Union, and Quachita parishes combined.

And I thought you were Louisiana literate.

[HogDawg]

HD: The split was all driven by smaller schools when Evangel and Curtis were down in their classes. The principals at Many and Winfield in particular.

Don't be silly, Historian. You know the root of that. Of course the small schools complained. I don't blame them. For crying out loud, they don't have large enough enrollments and enough resources to compete with Evangel and Curtis the way the 5A schools do. But it was the large schools that chickened out and FORCED Evangel and Curtis to play in the small school classes in the first place. The whole subject about kicking Evangel and Curtis out of 5A was initially raised by the Head Coach at Southwood High School in Shreveport, and some other 5A coaches who quickly jumped on board. Make no mistake, those big 5A schools (including West Monroe) were NOT happy about losing games and 5A State Championships to Evangel. Their whole argument was petty. The 5A schools have the enrollment and resources to compete with Evangel and Curtis, but preferred to push those schools back down to 1A and 2A, where the small schools would get slaughtered. Evangel and Curtis had already been "playing up" in class levels much higher than their enrollments. If Evangel and Curtis wanted to "play up" in class, they certainly should have been allowed to. It was absurd for the LHSAA to send Evangel from 5A back down to 1A.

[Dawgpix]

Don't be silly, Historian. You know the root of that. Of course the small schools complained. I don't blame them. For crying out loud, they don't have large enough enrollments and enough resources to compete with Evangel and Curtis the way the 5A schools do. But it was the large schools that chickened out and FORCED Evangel and Curtis to play in the small school classes in the first place. The whole subject about kicking Evangel and Curtis out of 5A was initially raised by the Head Coach at Southwood High School in Shreveport, and some other 5A coaches who quickly jumped on board. Make no mistake, those big 5A schools (including West Monroe) were NOT happy about losing games and 5A State Championships to Evangel. Their whole argument was petty. The 5A schools have the enrollment and resources to compete with Evangel and Curtis, but preferred to push those schools back down to 1A and 2A, where the small schools would get slaughtered. Evangel and Curtis had already been "playing up" in class levels much higher than their enrollments. If Evangel and Curtis wanted to "play up" in class, they certainly should have been allowed to. It was absurd for the LHSAA to send Evangel from 5A back down to 1A.

You both are right.
The Many principal was the driving force behind the select/non-select split.

(1) Curious happening earlier this year: BR Catholic was to play WM this fall (contract had been signed). However after the vote in January Cathoiic pulled out when WM did not vote the "select" way. Interesting the LHSAA did NOT enforce the contract. So WM, at this time, has one less game in the fall.

(2) John Curtis was to play WM this fall, but withdrew the handshake deal when WM did not vote the "select" way in January. WM did get a replacement opponent for this one.

[dawg80]

Rummel owns the last, true 5A state championship, from 2012 when we beat Barbe. Since then, the split has caused there to be two watered-down tournaments. Now, if the "5A" champ played the Division I champ the following week for all the marbles, well that would have gotten us closer to a true champion. But, ONLY the old way leads to a true state champion.

All this talk about Evangel and Curtis playing up in 5A, I say let 'em! Bring it on! If they win the state championship in 5A, more power to them. But as I mentioned Curtis has just one title in 10 years of playing with the elites in Division I. So, I wouldn't bet the mortgage that they would win the championship a bunch. If smaller schools want to play up, then let 'em. I do think large enrollment schools should not be allowed to play down in class, but small schools playing up? Go for it!