AAA teams droping to AA

[TrueSouthFanInPburg]

In 2013 East Fairmont, North Marion, Fairmont Senior, Nicolas County, Bridgeport and Robert C Bird dropped to AA. In 2017 Point Pleasant, Shady Springs, Oak Hill, Lewis County, Nitro, Winfield,Lincoln County, Elkins and Logan County dropped to AA. So AAA has lost 15 teams to AA in the last 5 years. We need some of these teams back in AAA.This is really rediculos for football. With only 29 AAA teams and 16 going to the playoffs, you can sometimes get in the playoffs with a 4-6 record.

[matcoach90]

Until they change the rules about overall school enrollment, there's no way to change it. If overall enrollment was ignored as a factor, you'd have to find an alternate method of evaluating who should and who shouldn't be in AAA.

[Monarch1996]

It would seem that the best way to "ignore" the enrollment is to have a simple "the largest enrollment of X number of schools shall be AAA," but then you'd have to find a way to make it not change every other year. Perhaps a rolling 10 to 15 year average? I don't know, because as stated in the first post...16 out of 29 schools in playoffs for football is a bit silly. Further, the schools mentioned were/are competitive with the AAA schools they compete with in wrestling.

Of course, for wrestling...you could just go back to a single class like there was in the early 70s.

[aaacoach6]

Or perhaps instead up putting the largest AA schools into a AAA division with schools sometimes twice their size for all sports they should just change the football playoffs for AAA. If they made only 8 teams qualify for the playoffs and then made them have a consolation bracket which allows the winner of the consolation to play the winner of the Championship bracket you would only have one less game unless the consolation winner won and forced a second game then there would be the same number of games and they would be higher quality games with the potential for a rematch playoff game bringing in more money. The WVSSAC would make nearly the same amount of money and the timeline would work out to the same length of time.

[Lloyd Christmas]

It would seem that the best way to "ignore" the enrollment is to have a simple "the largest enrollment of X number of schools shall be AAA," but then you'd have to find a way to make it not change every other year. Perhaps a rolling 10 to 15 year average? I don't know, because as stated in the first post...16 out of 29 schools in playoffs for football is a bit silly. Further, the schools mentioned were/are competitive with the AAA schools they compete with in wrestling.

Of course, for wrestling...you could just go back to a single class like there was in the early 70s.

I am all for a single class state tourney. Have 8 regions of top 4 finishers or 4 regions of top 8 finishers. There would be a 32 man bracket and you could place 8. There would still be a AA and A team champ and outstanding wrestlers.

[rodneyjwv]

So Loyd no AAA team champion in your plan? Not sure why, sure it was just a typo.

[greencrush]

So Loyd no AAA team champion in your plan? Not sure why, sure it was just a typo.

Because the AAA champion and the overall champion will likely be one and the same (most people would feel comfortable making this assumption ~90% of the time). He was stating that there could also be an award for top AA and A school, so they can be acknowledged in their own right.

[rodneyjwv]

Thanks greencrush while the pendulum swings that way now, a coupe years ago there were a lot of coal country folks firm believers that they could handle the AAA champion in either dual or tournament format.
I like the single class in wrestling, then you have a true Highschool state champion who has wrestled the best the state has to offer to win the title rather than byes in the current AAA AA/A state tournament format.
Regardless of the format, Video Replay should be available in all State Tournament matches. Other states have been using it, you get a better officiated matches when the match is on video.

[Monarch1996]

Thanks greencrush while the pendulum swings that way now, a coupe years ago there were a lot of coal country folks firm believers that they could handle the AAA champion in either dual or tournament format.
I like the single class in wrestling, then you have a true Highschool state champion who has wrestled the best the state has to offer to win the title rather than byes in the current AAA AA/A state tournament format.
Regardless of the format, Video Replay should be available in all State Tournament matches. Other states have been using it, you get a better officiated matches when the match is on video.

I have no doubt that some AA/A guys could win in the AAA tournament. There are certainly teams that would be higher than many AAA teams. While I could look at all of the stats/data and make a past-history prediction, eyes do tell the story at times and I would have to think that many of the AA/A team champs would be in the top 10 for sure.

I have read many of the forums regarding video replay, apparently due mostly to a single very controversial match. I did not see it, but I would have to say that video replay--at the very least to get the score right--would be very helpful. I frequently run clock at the OVAC and the JM Invitational and have been asked a handful of times by an official if his hand hit the mat before or after time had expired. If pressured, I have to be honest that I'm not always 100% confident in my answer (and other time-related calls, too). I would not be offended in being corrected.

[Frank]

Given time it will be a single division tournament