Repeat Title Holders Must Move Up
As I sit here today Alcoa is dominating Westview as they go for their 10th straight 3A championship as CPA won their 7th state championship yesterday. In Division II McCallie won their second consecutive championship with their comeback win over Baylor Last night. The boarding schools are dominating Division II and it’s not going to stop,
Is this good for High School football in Tennessee? It is certainly great for these schools but it stinks for everyone else. In the case of CPA and Alcoa they play where their enrollment says they should play. They certainly don’t play where their talent dictates. For reasons we all know about, for years these teams have dominated their classifications. Are they afraid of the competition or just greedy?
I contend they are doing their own players and other schools a disservice. Wouldn’t their players improve so more if they were playing better competition. What do their players get out of 60 point victories? I won’t answer that. What kind of moral victory do other schools get when they hold them to 30 point victories? NONE!
Yes, Alcoa will go up to 4A next year but it will be the same. They have proven they have 6A talent so I don’t think much will change. CPA is going up to Division II Class AAA, but they aren’t going without kicking and screaming. Why? Enter the boarding schools into the equation. State Championships will be hard to come by now. Maybe a little humility will broaden their horizons.
In 1998 and 2000 I remember my son walking off the field with the Championship trophy and the MVP trophy in each game. How great was that? I remember saying out loud that I wished every parent had the opportunity to experience the feelings I had those nights. In class 3A Alcoa is the only East Tennessee team that has even played in the Blue Cross Bowl for the last 10 years. Congratulations, you have ruined the dreams of many kids.
This must change. It’s simple. If you win 3 championships in 4 years you need to go up a division. The TSSAA please help make dreams possible for all your schools. It’s about time!