Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

High school league revamps football scheduling for 2015


Recommended Posts

Posted

Quote:
High school league revamps football scheduling for 2015

By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune01/23/2014, 12:15pm CST

A new district scheduling plan, approved by the Minnesota State High School League, will group teams based on geography and enrollment.

Rather than fend for themselves in forging football schedules, Minnesota high school teams will be grouped together in pods starting in 2015 that will guarantee a full slate of regular-season games without requiring extensive travel.

The measure, known as district scheduling, was approved Thursday by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) in an emotion-laden meeting that capped years of struggle by schools trying to assemble schedules.

The plan would group large numbers of teams — at least 16 whenever possible — primarily based on geography and enrollment. While details of the groupings have yet to be worked out, the plan could affect the makeup of present conferences.

The plan was approved by a 19-1 vote at the league’s board of directors meeting in Brooklyn Center before an unusually large crowd of speakers and observers.

“Our Friday night lights are dimming in outstate Minnesota,” Staples-Motley activities director Mike Schmidt told board members.

He said long bus rides and his school’s 0-8 record in the Heart O’Lakes Conference are having ill effects on community and program morale.

A recent league survey of school officials found that 41 percent of schools reported difficulty with regular-season football scheduling in the past 10 years.

Scheduling challenges have been particularly acute for Lake Conference schools Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Wayzata. They have sometimes traveled out-of-state for games or played just seven regular-season games.

But activities directors from greater Minnesota voiced their support and “made sure it wasn’t a Lake Conference issue,” said Jaime Sherwood, activities director at Wayzata. “This affects more than five of our schools.”

Six activities directors, including Les Zellmann, former MSHSL board president and current St. James activities director, spoke in favor of district scheduling. Anoka-Hennepin associate superintendent Jeff McGonigal objected to having his five high schools (Andover, Anoka, Blaine, Coon Rapids and Champlin Park) forced to potentially align with more affluent and successful schools, both public and private.

Sherwood, whose school has more than 3,000 students and boasts the state’s largest enrollment, said: “I’m sensitive to that, but historically it’s gone on forever. In the 1970s Wayzata was a farm community getting drilled by St. Louis Park and Richfield.”

Additional testimony from Albert Lea, Blue Earth and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown activities directors about the need for a different scheduling approach “really drove the point home to the board,” Sherwood said.

Rosemount activities director Mike Manning cast the only dissenting vote. During board discussion, Manning said he would prefer the league address individual schools where schedule issues existed rather than create a new system.

Manning declined to comment after the meeting.

The next steps are creating districts and placing teams, said league associate director Kevin Merkle said. Enrollment data from the Minnesota Board of Education will be obtained in February.

Schools can make their case for classification, but once they are placed the decision will be final.

Merkle said he hopes to complete school placement by April 1.

What do you think of re-aligning conferences this way? This is going to be a BIG change!

Posted

I'd have to see a lot more information and some examples before I could even have an opinion. Right now it seems like a cluster to me.

Posted

This may lead to fewer teams with undefeated records getting blasted in the playoffs because they have cupcakes in there conference. There have been some schools essentially doing this for a number of years like sartell st Stephen. It will probably help some of the outlier schools schedule but not too sure about the result.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • carlsonmn
      That was a better study compared to last winter when they setup the vertical tube nets and tried to release exhausted fish from being studied and expected them to be able to swim straight down a 3' hoop net.     That lake's crappie population from this latest video was pretty deep at 40-50', and no doubt from those depths that is barotrauma for most.  That is deeper than most crappie holes but certainly how some are. However from helping give fish a good release from the 35' and less range and tracking them with live sonar most of them swim at a shallow angle back to the depths and I watch them rejoin the school and be active.  Uncut Angling's video helped counter some of the initial narrow findings.  
    • SkunkedAgain
      If you fished with me more often, you'd never have to make this statement...   38" of ice - love it. I'm really going to have to dig around for my auger extension. I don't think that I've needed it in over a decade.   Too bad nobody has a locomotive chugging across the ice to do some logging, like the good old days.
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  Ice fishing remains strong across the south shore of Lake of the Woods out on Big Traverse Bay.  Resorts and outfitters on some parts of the lake have ice roads extending over 16 miles staying on nice schools of walleyes and saugers.  Many fish houses are over deep mud.  Some are on structure.  It is always fishing of course, but overall, February has been very productive for most anglers.   Extensions are being used on ice augers as the ice continues to thicken.  The thick ice this year will be good for the extended ice fishing season Lake of the Woods enjoys with fish houses out through March 31st, walleyes and saugers open through April 14th and a pike season that never closes. Most fishing activity is taking place in 26-32 feet of water.  Anglers are finding a healthy mix of walleyes and saugers, with a good number of jumbo perch in the mix this year.  Some big eelpout are also showing up.  Anglers are reporting plenty of fish for fresh fish frys and usually extra fish to bring home.   The one-two punch of a jigging line and deadstick is the way to go.  On the jigging line, jigging spoons with rattles tipped with a minnow head have been consistent.  Lipless crankbaits and jigging rap style lures also doing well.     Lures with a light have been working well in the stained water.  Please remember, in MN, lures with a light or water activated light can be used as long as the battery is mercury free and the hook is attached directly to the lure and not as a dropper line.     On the deadstick, a plain hook or a small jig with a live minnow 6 inches to a foot off of the bottom.    Some days, mornings are better, other days, it's the afternoons.  There is no distinct pattern, they could come through at any time. On the Rainy River...  The start of the day and end of the day have been best for those targeting walleyes on the river. A jig and minnow or a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head is also producing some fish. Some big sturgeon being iced by ice anglers targeting them.  It is a catch-and-release sturgeon season currently.   Although ice conditions on the river are good, they can vary significantly due to the current, so anglers should always consult local resorts or outfitters for the most up-to-date safety information and fishing advice. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing has been strong in the islands area of Lake of the Woods. Resorts continue to move their fish houses around, staying on the best schools of walleyes.     Anglers are catching a nice mix of walleyes, saugers, and jumbo perch with an occasional pike or tullibee as well.     Big crappies are still being caught just over the border.  Fish houses are available, check with a NW Angle resort for info on crappie fishing.   Lake of the Woods enjoys an extended ice fishing season with fish houses on the ice through March 31st and walleye and sauger seasons open through April 14th. Perch, crappie, and pike seasons remain open year-round.    
    • leech~~
      Maybe you should put rattle wheels down, if your going to sleep for 6hrs! 🤭 😆
    • JerkinLips
      Monday was my worst day of winter fishing on Vermilion in the last 4 years.  Caught only one 14" walleye in nearly 8 hours of fishing.  Missed two other bites and was marking very few fish.  Maybe the fish were taking Monday off after a big weekend.   No more water came up on the ice under my house.  Think it was because I haven't banked snow around it for a couple of weeks so the bare ice around the house is getting very thick.  I measured 38" of ice under my house and the Ion barely made it through even with the extension installed.  Needless to say I banked around the house this time.  Another lesson I learned today is don't drill holes if ice is frozen on your blades.  I did that on one hole and it didn't center properly and drilled at an angle on the edge of the opening.  Hope I can correct the location and angle on my next trip up.   Not much change in the surface lake surface conditions.  The drifts may be a little higher and are definitely harder.  There are still a few bare ice spots on the lake.  Very little activity on the lake today.  There are about 3 dozen houses from McKinley Park out to Birch Island.  Another person pulled there house off today, and I am sure many more will pull theirs off this coming weekend.  Only 13 days left of walleye season.    
    • leech~~
      A good start for never picking up a bow!   IMG_1910.mp4
    • leech~~
      Um, #metoo   leech~~ Author 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders Posted January 26 My whole goal for the rest of this season.  Is to watch KC lose and Taylor cry!  🥳
    • smurfy
    • Wanderer
      Smurfy is happy.
    • Dash 1
      Great looking food. So far not much of a game and I thought the halftime show was worse I've seen. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.