By JOHN E. HOOVER Sports Columnist on Feb 7, 2013, at 2:46 PM Updated on 2/07 at 2:59 PM
GAME POINT
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Here’s a suggestion for the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association:
Instead of splitting Class 6A into two 16-school divisions — one of two possible scenarios for the 2014 season after a unanimous vote of the governing body’s board of directors on Wednesday to change the structure of Oklahoma's largest classification — maybe the OSSAA could just have one 30-team division and one two-team division.
In that model, Jenks and Union play each other 10 times during the regular season, then meet in a best-of-3 playoff series.
That way, nobody has to face Oklahoma’s best. Ever.
That way, schools that use average daily membership as an excuse for why they can’t win a state championship won’t have to aspire to be better at football. They won’t have to commit their district to improve at anything. They won’t need to consider fortifying their youth programs. They won’t need to ask their parents to vote yes on bond issues for capital improvements or any of that nonsense.
They can just chase their own gold ball while Oklahoma’s best continue to fight it out for state supremacy — in football and plenty of other areas.
In fact, how about the OSSAA just hand-deliver 30 gold balls each December to all the other schools in 6A? State title or not, playoffs or not, winning record or not — it’ll be the participation ribbon of high school football. Everybody wins.
Of course, a handful of schools would politely reject the OSSAA’s charity ball. Schools like Broken Arrow and Owasso, schools who aren’t afraid to stand up to the best, schools who embrace playing Oklahoma’s most demanding brand of football, schools who know that if they continue to follow the Jenks-Union model that has produced 17 consecutive 6A championships — and has thusly helped deliver immeasurable improvements elsewhere throughout those districts for an entire generation now — they, too, can lay claim to being the best of the best.
Forget the OSSAA. Forget the superintendents or the parents or even the coaches who want an easier path to the crown.
Take a poll of every high school football player in 6A. Ask them if they want to try to topple Jenks and Union, or if they’d rather have a paper championship.
Nobody wants a participation ribbon.
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