Wednesday, November 21, 2001
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Wednesday, November 21, 2001 |
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Another perspective on middle school playoff uproar Several letters have been written to local newspapers within the past three weeks sharply criticizing the Metro Middle School Athletic League (MMSAL) for their won-loss record tie-breaking procedures in deciding which two teams go to the football playoffs. I offer this information to counter their concept that the MMSAL is an out-of-control monster that deprived their school of a chance to go to the football playoffs. The MMSAL is a democratic organization run by the coaches and administrators of each of the 11 member schools. Each school has one vote on all matters presented to the League. Generally, the League follows Georgia High School Association rules and guidelines except where the members have voted to establish their own guidelines based on local conditions or on what they consider best for middle school aged student athletes. The league operates under a written constitution approved by the member schools. This document can be changed by a two-thirds vote of the members present at one of the three annual League meetings announced in advance, providing the proposed change was presented at the previous meeting. At most meetings each school has at least one coach or administrator present, sometimes several coaches or administrators from a school may be present and enter into discussions, but decisions are made by one vote per school. The MMSAL has seen several changes in membership over the decade of its existence until its present configuration that includes the six Henry County middle schools and the five Fayette County middle schools divided into two regions, East (Henry County) and West (Fayette County). Because of the difference in the numbers of teams, each region has the authority to determine tie breakers in football and basketball. The present conflict occurred during the 2001 football season when one team with a better overall record was denied entry to the playoffs. This is the rationale behind the tie-breaking system used by the West Region (Fayette County) as voted into place by the five member schools. It was decided to count only the last four games of a six-game season to determine the region winner and runner-up. Four of the Fayette schools play one game against a Henry County team and they play one Fayette school twice. The remaining Fayette school plays two Henry County teams. The schedule is completed in the spring meeting and is based on random selection (the number you draw out of the pot determines your schedule). Now, one of the Henry teams has lost only two regular season games in the past 10 years. Statistically, if your school draws this team you are already saddled with a loss. (Did the ACC kick FSU out of the league because it wins too many football games?) Another Henry team is usually very weak four out of any five years. If your school draws this team, statistically you can most likely count on a win. With this history of the relative strengths of other schools, the West Region voted to count only the last four games as mentioned above. This year there was a three-way tie for first place with each school having three wins and one loss over the last four games. The West Region called a meeting of the three schools to determine a tie-breaker. Each team had lost to one of the other three: Fayette beat Flat Rock, Flat Rock beat Rising Starr, and Rising Starr beat Fayette. The first tie-breaker is head-to-head competition. We still have a tie. The second tie-breaker is a coin toss. Flat Rock tossed the coin, knowing that they might be out. As luck would have it, Flat Rock lost the toss and their chance at a playoff spot to a team with a worse overall record. The fact that they tossed the coin would seem to indicate they knew the procedure. Only after the unlucky toss did the uproar begin. There is a protest mechanism in the League constitution. It does not include parent input. The League commissioner (selected by the member schools), Mr. Byars, was correct in conducting a closed session among the member schools to decide the protest. The rule had been voted into place before the season began. The region voted correctly to uphold the rule and deny the protest. A similar incident occurred in the 1996-97 basketball season. Booth lost to Flat Rock by two points then beat them by 20 points later in the season. Booth beat Henry by 19 points, then later lost to Henry by six. We have a three-way tie for first place seeding in the tournament. Booth loses both coin tosses and winds up in third place because MMSAL has a rule that eliminates the differences in scores as a tie-breaker. Sound unfair? The rule is in place to keep basketball coaches from running up the score every chance they get. Booth accepted the unlucky coin toss that put them playing the strong teams early in the tournament instead of in the finals. No doubt the parents have a vested interest in their middle school student and his activities. If they want a measure of control over athletics then they should keep their kids in the recreation leagues where they have a say in governance. If they choose public school athletics, this is the time when they must abide by the decisions of governing bodies that control the extra-curricular activities in which their students participate. It will be a very grave error to pull Fayette out of MMSAL over this situation. Playing in-house will sharply curb the level of competition presently enjoyed within the league. How boring will it get with the possibility of playing a team three times in a football season and four times in a basketball season? Leave the Metro Middle School League alone. It has the best overall interest of middle school athletes in its decisions. Its conflicts are settled democratically. Its commissioner performs his/her duties with no compensation. It is obviously a thankless job. This writer believes most of the schools in both counties appreciate the efforts of the present commissioner, Mr. Byars. Jere Key Retired coach, Booth Middle School
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