The past 17 years I have written about high school sports for newspapers in three different states.
On many different occasions, I have said it is a good thing we do not have a power rating system to determine the playoff teams in Mississippi. Only division matchups count toward the playoff standings.
It was the same way when I worked in Arkansas for six years.
During my one year in Louisiana, I saw how the power rating system worked. In a very brief summary, a power rating system means every game a team plays has some impact on the playoff standings.
I did not care for the power rating system because it gave teams that were not as skilled the opportunity to schedule easy opponents and boost their chances to make the playoffs.
I was reminded of the freedom not having a power rating system gives our coaches have to play any team when I saw Clarksdale High School’s football schedule.
The Wildcats are hosting Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill out of Cedar Hill, Texas Saturday, Oct. 31. Former NFL great Deion Sanders is the offensive coordinator and his son, Shedeur Sanders, is the team’s quarterback and going into his senior year.
The Tigers finished 2019 13-1 and won the state championship.
The Wildcats coaching staff will have the opportunity to play more athletes when the Tigers come to town and in all the other non-district games.
Will Clarksdale High School beat Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill? I do not know the answer to that question. As the old cliché goes, that is why they play the games.
What I do know is, win or lose, the Wildcats will be better for playing the game and more prepared for the playoffs in November. They can just focus on the game without worrying about a loss hurting their spot in the postseason the next week.
That is the way it should be and our athletes and community will get a better experience at the same time.
Things were very different when I was in Louisiana.
One football team I covered in Louisiana started the season 4-1, but went just 1-4 in district play for an overall record of 5-5. Many of those district losses were convincing yet the team was still in the playoffs. The team was bounced out with a lopsided first-round loss, but just making the playoffs was a win in the eyes of the players and coaches.
That would have been great if the team was worthy of making the playoffs, but the coaches just manipulated the first half of the schedule.
Here in Mississippi, since the non-district games do not count toward the playoff standings, there is a level playing field in each division. The best teams are decided on the field, not by the coaches playing chess with the scheduling.
The district games mean a lot more when those are the only ones that truly matter.
Three of our four high school football teams advanced to the playoffs in 2019.
Lee Academy had by far the most success advancing to the state semifinals. The Colts had just two district opponents since one school in the division did not have enough athletes and was forced to forfeit all of its games.
As a result, the two division games Lee played meant a lot more. Everything was on the line. One bad night in a division game could have completely turned their season upside down.
Fortunately, in those games, Lee rose to the occasion and won the district.
Clarksdale has been a playoff team every season since Henry Johnson became the head coach in 2013.
The Wildcats went 3-1 in district play in both 2017 and 2018. The one loss each year came to Greenwood.
Clarksdale was expected to compete for a district title in 2019, but a loss at Rosa Fort High School in Tunica changed everything. The Wildcats were still in the playoffs. However, they went 2-2 in division play and lost on the road in the opening round of the playoffs.
Everything changed because of that one bad night at Rosa Fort. That shows how much division games matter.
Coahoma Early College High School also made the playoffs in 2019. While CECHS does not have a football program in 2020, it is good to know the Tigers ended things on a positive note.
It all happened because of two wins in district play. The first one got them into the playoffs and the second one moved them to the No. 3 spot. Again, every division game mattered.
I do not know what will happen in 2020 with the coronavirus, but not having a power rating system could have an added benefit.
If an athlete on a team comes down with the coronavirus and the program has to shut everything down for a little bit, non-district games will not have to be made up.
The Mississippi High School Activities Association already cancelled the first two weeks of the season for the public schools. Since nothing is on the line for those games, schools can pick up where they left off Sept. 4 without worrying about the impact on the standings.
There is no doubt 2020 will be an interesting football season, but I am glad we are living in Mississippi where the power rating system will not be an added obstacle.
