What "IF"...

[Raider6309]

Would they have made the play offs in those days if playing in the OVC?

Never in that league. I wanna say they only took 1 per region up until 1980. I wanna say Ironton went 10-0 in 77 and 9-0 in 78 and didn't make the playoffs.

[Inside/outside em]

Competitive Balance? What if the OHSAA finally separates the Catholic schools and puts them in a catholic division?

[TVC]

Competitive Balance? What if the OHSAA finally separates the Catholic schools and puts them in a catholic division?

I would throw a party

[formerfcfan]

Competitive Balance? What if the OHSAA finally separates the Catholic schools and puts them in a catholic division?

Got something against Catholic schools, pal?

You can separate them and you still have 40 (+/-2) OHSAA member schools that are private, non-Catholic in addition to several public schools in urban school systems that are selective admissions.

Separate the private schools and there is no need for seven divisions in football for the public schools. Five divisions would be very generous to the cause. No need for four basketball or baseball divisions, either.


Although to answer your "what if", I'm sure the schools that routinely put in to host playoffs/tournament games wouldn't care for the idea of the OHSAA separating 1/8 of its constituency (72 Catholic high schools + 40 non-Catholic privates) since that would mean less tournament games to be played and thus hosted to generate revenue for the hosting school. It would most likely result in less attention paid by college coaches and recruiters come post-season time for the hypothetical public school playoffs in favor of the private school competition instead. It's arguably more likely for a higher concentration of kids that have the skills, academic profile, and financial means to be a good recruiting candidate for the mid-major/FCS + good lower level schools (which, in 2016, you only really need two of those three things to be a good candidate for a Group of Five or FCS school) to be found in a private v private than public v public.

Separating the privates will most likely come with bigger first round blowouts in round 1 for the public v public seeing as how the separation would free up a few spots for inferior, less qualified squads to jump into the top eight at the conclusion of week 10.

[formerfcfan]

The OHSAA could separate the private schools and hell could break loose to where it would be a regrettable decision for the OHSAA and the public schools that were to cast the hypothetical "yes" vote. Separating the private schools would give enough leverage to the private schools in terms of negotiating the rules to play by that they might as well just abandon the OHSAA. The private schools could create their own federation with their own rules on when the season starts, rules regarding out-of-state competition & practicing out of state (i.e. a baseball team can go to Florida in late February or March and practice and/or play a tournament), rules on the promotion of athletics in literature and advertising, rules on tuition assistance for athletes, and rules on the "R" word: recruiting. If you think Ohio's private schools are sharks at recruiting (even though literally none of them south of I-70/east of Rt. 23 are), just imagine a federation of private schools that lets there be open season and free reign when it comes to recruiting students that happen to be good football or baseball players.

For most of SE Ohio, with the exception of Perry, Pickaway and to an extent Hocking County, and maybe even Scioto & Pike (ND) there probably wouldn't be any effect on the ability of public schools to offer a competitive product for student-athletes and their families in comparison to a neighboring private schools if the private schools were to separate from the OHSAA, given that there are so few in the area. But Columbus area, i.e. OCC land? Yeah, they'd take a hit. So would Southwestern Ohio. The Greater Catholic League with Moeller, Elder, and St. X would launch a full-court press in Mason, West Chester, and Sycamore. In Central Ohio you'd see St. Charles and Columbus Academy, et al make offers and pitches that families with strong students that are also good athletes couldn't refuse in favor what's become middle, "good... but not overly impressive" public schools they'd otherwise attend such as New Albany, Reynoldsburg, Pickerington, etc.

Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Toledo all have prominent single-sex schools with spectacular reputations for academics as well as athletics and other extracurriculars. Kick the private schools out or give them a reason to leave and the public school administrators and coaches are going to pull their fingernails out when they realize they'll have to do everything they can under OHSAA rules to entice kids to stay there as opposed to leaving for greener pastures in the schools that offer superior products and wouldn't have to play by the OHSAA rules. An Ohio where the public and private schools are separated makes for a Maryland or New Jersey 2.0 in high school athletics, where its the private schools big and small alike that have the national reputations for sports and not the public schools and where its the private schools big and small that get the talent and numbers.


The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

[EasternDspy]

What If -

Marietta
Waterford
Warren
Fort Frye
Frontier
Shenandoah
Caldwell
Monroe Central

Made an 8 team league with 2 Div
Fort Frye
Marietta
Warren
Monroe Central

Caldwell
Frontier
Shenandoah
Waterford


Yes Marietta and Warren would be much larger but it could build them up like Athens. Also most of the gates would be way bigger. The trips would be shorter. Warren and Marietta have already downgraded the schedule anyway. In Football you would play 5 league games a year all 3 in your div plus 2 crossover games with rotation.In basketball you would play div 2 twice and other side 1 time a year.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Would they have made the play offs in those days if playing in the OVC?

Never in that league. I wanna say they only took 1 per region up until 1980. I wanna say Ironton went 10-0 in 77 and 9-0 in 78 and didn't make the playoffs.

I know in 78 that was a teacher strike either at meigs or logan that caused that. I think cape passed us in an ap poll.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

1977 Bob Lutz 8-2-0



Ironton Opp
Russell KY (A) 14 23
Portsmouth (H) 20 8
Dayton Jefferson (H) 33 0
Meigs (A) 9 7
Logan (H) 14 21
Wellston (A) 40 6
Gallipolis (H) 24 0
Jackson (H) 28 0
Waverly (A) 35 14
Athens (A) 23 0
Totals 240 79

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

so they had 2 losses in 77 Russell and logan. I am pretty sure Russell won the state that year in ky. billy ray cyrus was on that team.

[TRENCHFOOT]

1977 Bob Lutz 8-2-0



Ironton Opp
Russell KY (A) 14 23
Portsmouth (H) 20 8
Dayton Jefferson (H) 33 0
Meigs (A) 9 7
Logan (H) 14 21
Wellston (A) 40 6
Gallipolis (H) 24 0
Jackson (H) 28 0
Waverly (A) 35 14
Athens (A) 23 0
Totals 240 79

Logan got ya that year (77) Bait, in the Tank. I was there for that one. What a game!

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

1978 Bob Lutz 9-0-0



Ironton Opp
Ashland (H) 34 2
Portsmouth (A) 29 0
Washington Court House (A) 46 26
Athens (A) 35 0
Meigs (H) 35 20
Wellston (H) 36 7
Gallipolis (A) 36 8
Jackson (A) 41 8
Waverly (H) 66 14
Totals 358 85


here is the 78 team, this was my senior year. but I never played passed my sophomore year in 77. from a knee injury. but bob lutz has referred to this team as the best ever. they just were blowing good teams away.i see they had an open date as well. likely that's what cost them then. as they took a lot less teams back then. this was back in the 3 division days too, A,AA,AAA. with ironton being AA. the following year they upset ASVSM in akron to win the 1st of their 2 state titles

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

1977 Bob Lutz 8-2-0



Ironton Opp
Russell KY (A) 14 23
Portsmouth (H) 20 8
Dayton Jefferson (H) 33 0
Meigs (A) 9 7 Wellston (A) 40 6
Gallipolis (H) 24 0
Jackson (H) 28 0
Waverly (A) 35 14
Athens (A) 23 0
Totals 240 79

Logan got ya that year (77) Bait, in the Tank. I was there for that one. What a game!

Logan (H) 14 21
OH I REMEMBER IT WELL TRENCH.WHY IS THAT GAME NOT ON THERE. I MUST HAVE COPIED AND PASTED IT WRONG.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

1977 Bob Lutz 8-2-0



Ironton Opp
Russell KY (A) 14 23
Portsmouth (H) 20 8
Dayton Jefferson (H) 33 0
Meigs (A) 9 7
Logan (H) 14 21
Wellston (A) 40 6
Gallipolis (H) 24 0
Jackson (H) 28 0
Waverly (A) 35 14
Athens (A) 23 0
Totals 240 79

HOW'S THAT.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

DON'T RIGHTLY KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED TRENCH.

[TRENCHFOOT]

DON'T RIGHTLY KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED TRENCH.

Logan went 10-0 that year. Had a very good team. Scott Gasser was the QB. Team was pretty well loaded. If the play off system was the way it is today, I believe that team would have done some good. Only 4 could get in back then. The game went to the wire in the Tank. Logan. if I remember right, did a hook and ladder type play close to the end to take the W. What a dandy game it was, I'll never forget it.

[TRENCHFOOT]

Once again a thread contaminated with tales of 30 year ago glory days.

What do you expect Mr. grouchy?!!!!!!!! It's a what if thread!! Get up on the wrong side of the bed with a hangover or what?

[Dandy Don]

Once again a thread contaminated with tales of 30 year ago glory days.

What do you expect Mr. grouchy?!!!!!!!! It's a what if thread!! Get up on the wrong side of the bed with a hangover or what?

Ok, ok Trench...I will play along lol

What if it were 1977 and everyone's teams were good again?

Well there is no internet in 1977 so we can actually tell each other about it

The struggle is real, some traditional programs are indeed suffering.

[TRENCHFOOT]

Once again a thread contaminated with tales of 30 year ago glory days.

What do you expect Mr. grouchy?!!!!!!!! It's a what if thread!! Get up on the wrong side of the bed with a hangover or what?

Ok, ok Trench...I will play along lol

What if it were 1977 and everyone's teams were good again?

Well there is no internet in 1977 so we can actually tell each other about it

The struggle is real, some traditional programs are indeed suffering.

Hey, you can hop, skip and jump back to some real good Logan teams not to long ago. Teams get down, it happens. If you were there at the Tank back in 77, you would know why me and Bait are talking about it. Best game I've ever seen. It was a real Dandy, Dandy D.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

what if the 70's members of the SEOAL were still all intact. I loved that league, and the travel involved.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I think it was 77 trench that Ironton/logan tied in the SEOAL for the league title. because I remember our team coming up there for a league banquet. dang near 40 years ago. crazy ain't it.