Twenty five years ago, I suited up one final time at home not knowing if this would be the final home game of my football career. That night we took on nemesis Gainesville Buchholz for the District 2-5A title, knowing one of us was moving on to the playoffs and one of us was going home.
After two straight years of missing the playoffs despite 8-2 and 9-1 seasons, we were determined to not let a third consecutive loss to Buchholz prevent us from missing the playoffs again. It didn’t happen as we prevailed finally in a 14-7 slugfest thanks to a late interception in the final minutes and rode that win all the way to the Final Four before a loss to Bradenton Manatee ended my career.
My point for bringing this up is some 25 years later seeing two really good state title contenders sit at home and miss the playoffs wasn’t fair back then and definitely is not fair right now.
The lacrosse districts were held this week and flag football districts are being held next week, yet only the top four teams in each district are allowed to play in it, with only the winner in each district advancing to the state playoffs for both sports.
A team like Mandarin (7-4) didn’t even make the district tournament in flag football because the Mustangs finished third in their own sub-district behind Fleming Island (5-2) and Oakleaf (3-2). The Mustangs lost to both teams 13-12 after unsuccessfully converting point after conversions.
Yet if the same rules that apply in girl volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball, boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball and softball, all 8 teams including Mandarin would have played in the district tournament giving every team a chance to possibly make the playoffs.
Instead only Fleming Island, Lee, Sandalwood and Oakleaf will be competing in the District 1-2A tournament at Atlantic Coast next Tuesday and the foursome of Mandarin, Atlantic Coast, Fletcher and First Coast seasons are all done. Is this fair one would ask ?
In girls volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball, boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball and softball, every team qualifies for the district tournament and is seeded based on how they fared in each of those district games. The top two teams in each district tournament in all of those sports then move on to the playoffs to compete for a possible state title.
So I ask is what’s good for the goose really good for the Gander too ?
I posed this question on twitter and was curious what other coaches, players and media thought about the difference in the playoff system in minor sports as oppose to major sports. In Part II of this story, I will look at how people voted and react to it with my thoughts.
Do you like the district and playoff format for lacrosse and flag football, that only lets district champion in the playoffs and only lets top 4 teams in the district tourney ?
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) April 19, 2018
Which got me thinking, if its good enough for both lacrosse and flag football is it good enough for girls volleyball, girls basketball, boys basketball, girls soccer, boys soccer, softball and baseball too?
Would u be in favor of all major high school sports, allowing only top 4 teams to play in district tourney and also only district champion make playoffs ?
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) April 19, 2018
