The high school football world is heading for a shake-up in 2012 as the playoff format will undergo a face lift for the second time in the past decade and local conferences are on the verge of a shake-up.
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No longer will district play consist of three pre-determined games in weeks eight, nine and 10. Instead, teams will play nine games, accumulating points based on the results from those nine games. Week 10 will host the first round of an eight-team district tournament. Seeding for the district tournament, which will resemble the eight-team district tournaments in basketball, will be determined by the points accumulated in the nine-game regular season.
“I think the new system will work and I think it is a good move for the state,” Trenton Athletic Director Kris Ockenfels said. “I think it will make it easier to advance early, but more difficult to become a district champion because now you will have to win three games to become a district champion as opposed to two in the old format. It gives everybody a level playing field. Everybody is in, seeded one through eight, and everyone has a chance.”
All teams will still play at least 10 games in the new system, with the first round of the district tournament taking place in week 10.
“One of the best things about the new system is that it eliminates a meaningless game,” Ockenfels said. “That week 10 game between two teams that have no chance of making the playoffs won’t happen anymore.”
The change in the playoff format will go into effect in 2012, so next season will still be played under the old format.
Another change in the works for 2012 is conference alignment. Trenton’s district foe Hamilton has placed an application to join the KCI Conference. The KCI is expected to make a decision on whether or not to let Hamilton in by the end of April. Assuming Hamilton is accepted by the KCI, the GRC would be left with an open spot. The options for the GRC would be to play on as an nine-team conference, seven in football as Worth County and Stanberry play eight-man, or add another team to replace the Hornets.
Enter the Trenton Bulldogs, who have been independent since the early 90’s, when the school left the Midland Empire Conference, which had outgrown Trenton as far as enrollment numbers go.
“I have been in contact with some of the athletic directors from the GRC, knowing that we have some interest, (to see) if they have some interest in filling that spot that Penney (Hamilton) vacates,” Ockenfels said. “Trenton would love to be in a conference; it’s just going to have to be a good fit.”
And that might be what stops Trenton from getting back in a conference for the first time in 20 years. Trenton had a high school enrollment of 403 when classes began last August. Many of the schools in the GRC have enrollments of under 200. Hamilton currently has a high school enrollment of 247.
“Sometimes when you get into a conference like the GRC that has quite a few schools with enrollments under 200, that makes it tough to invite somebody who has an enrollment of 380 or 390,” Ockenfels said. “We have interest, though, and I have let some GRC schools know that we have a little interest and would like to sit down and talk about it for sure.”
Grand River Conference President Bruce Johnson of Stanberry said no decision would be made on whether or not to replace Hamilton, if they leave, until the conference’s May superintendent’s meeting. By the time of the meeting, Hamilton’s future in the GRC would be determined.
“I really can’t speak on behalf of all the superintendents,” Johnson said. “I believe Trenton was a school that has tried to enter the conference in the past, but at the time we had enough teams and the general concensus was that they were too large. I don’t know now, however, how the other schools would feel about it. It would just be something we would have to talk about.”