"The non-region games really don't mean anything." Gutshall
"Coach do you like that? Or do you think we should go back to the point system?" Bryson
"Oh I prefer the point system, I think when you have to go play where every game is important; also with schools like Dorman, we can't find anyone to play us. Teams don't want to play games that don't mean anything." Gutshall
"Why have we gone away from that Coach? Who thought this made sense?" Bryson
"Well I am sure at one time the lower state thought the upper state was too much of a super league and they were getting too many points but now the southern part of the state has been more dominant lately so maybe they will go back to it but I think it makes sense for the big schools, there is no doubt about it." Gutshall
Cole Bryson & Dave Gutshall discussed the point system Saturday (9/25/2021) on the Saturday Morning Scramble and as many coaches feel, Dave Gutshall also feels that we are currently doing it the wrong way.
I reached out to Tom Knotts, HC of Dutch Fork, and his response when asked if we should reimplement was, "I don't care either way."
Let's use the Byrnes Rebels as an example here. So far, the Rebels have played all of their scheduled games and have not had to cancel. So to begin the 2021 season, the Rebels had 10 games on the schedule, with 4 of those games being region games (5 team region). That leaves 6 slots that you have to fill with non-region opponents. The Rebels have had several key injuries through the first 5 games that will impact their success going forward in 2021.
To me, it seems odd that you play Greer, Chapman, Dutch Fork, Westside, & Gaffney and those games do not count for anything other than your regular season record. As a coach, why schedule tough non-region games when you have to now risk injuries. Yes, injuries are a part of the game, but what is stopping Reggie Shaw from now scheduling 6 games with much less competition? Nothing is. So to me, it makes little to no sense to play 6 games against the cream of the crop when you will not get any credit for those games when it comes time for post-season play. Yes, it helps you get better and it shows areas that you need to improve. I get that, but at the same time it is sickening to lose key players due to injury in games that do not matter.
I also reached out to Mark Hodge, who is the Head Coach of the Spartanburg Vikings in 5A but was previously the coach of the 3A Chapman Panthers.
When asked about the point system, Hodge replied with, "The point system best ensures the better teams are in the playoffs. It helps limit disparities in region strengths."
I also wanted to get the thoughts from a coach at a lower classification to see if the answer changed at all, so I talked to the Head Coach of the 2A Landrum Cardinals, Jason Farmer.
"If we are going to have playoffs, it needs to be the best 32 teams in the state. Period."
"In my first year at Landrum, it was an 8 team region where all of the teams played football very competitive, we finished 7th, so we were not in conversation, but Blacksburg was 5th and did not play in the playoffs. They were a very good football team. I looked at some other 4 seeds in 2A and thought man, Blacksburg is much better than these teams."
Jason Farmer also coached at Spartanburg when the Vikings were in the 4A classification and coached at 5A Woodmont.
"I have talked to athletic directors across the state who have told me that this requires too much work on the part of the South Carolina High School League. When I was at Woodmont we had to fill out our own playoff sheet when the season concluded." I think the non-region games should matter when it comes to the post-season.
As I have talked with other athletic director's and coaches, the common theme across the board is that non-region games should matter. I am reaching out to Jerome Singleton, Commissioner of the SCHSL to get his thoughts on this and I will post a follow up article after I speak with Mr. Singleton.
Some schools across the state moved region games up this season due to Covid concerns, but for the majority, region play is quickly approaching. Until the AD's meeting in March, we will continue to press on and hope for the best in games that mean absolutely nothing in terms of post-season play.