OT: High School Classes / Divisions.

I didn't realize people were so ignorant about that school size has a lot to do with how good a school will be in athletics. I am "debating" several delusional basketball fans from Kentucky and Indiana that think class systems should be gone away with. In fact, Kentucky doesn't have a class system, and "that's how they like it".

It is extremely absurd for football, because putting a school with an enrollment of 150, that has 20 kids in their football program grades 9-12, up against a team like Detroit Catholic Central would just be asking for injuries.

On top of that, there is no way you can expect those games to be competitive. Muskegon Catholic Central is year in and year out the favorite to win the Division 7/8 MHSAA football playoffs. That is if their record qualifies them. They schedule bad Class A teams and average Class B teams and usually split with them. A team that rolls through Division 7/8 can't beat average Division 2/3/4 teams. Why? Because it is a game of numbers.

In basketball, there is a bit more parity, hence the 4 classes rather than 8. However, it is still a game of numbers. You can't expect a Class D school of 100 kids, that rosters a 6'4 or taller player once every 8 years to compete with a Class A school of 1,500 kids that has 7 to 8 6'4 or taller kids every year.

There are a lot of things I don't like about the MHSAA, but boy am I happy we don't have classless playoffs.

On a side note, I don't think it would be a bad idea to have a "Tournament of Champions" to crown the overall state champ.
Class A vs Class C
Class B vs Class D
Winners play.

(1) Division 1 vs Division 3
(2) Division 2 vs Division 4
(3) Division 5 vs Division 7
(4) Division 6 vs Division 8

(5) Winner of 1 plays Winner of 3
(6) Winner of 2 plays Winner of 4

(7) Winner of 5 plays Winner of 6.

Granted that would take 3 weeks longer and run into basketball season then, but it would be a much better way of determining the "true champion" than a classless system.

The playoff is actually a pretty good idea to crown an overall champion. It would definitely work with something like individual wrestling (team meets may prove too lenthy) because it could be done in a weekend. It's nothing to have 32 kids wrestle four to six times each over a two day span but to play four to six basketball games over that span would be tough to schedule unless they rotate courts and play several games at a time (like tennis) but where are you going to find a facility that houses two or three courts that accommodate that many fans in the same place?