Crowning a state champion won out over Thanksgiving tradition.
Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association member schools Friday voted to keep the current football playoff format 161-105 at the 39th annual MIAA Conference and Business meeting in Milford.
Voters chose between “yes” to keep the playoff format the state has used since 2013, which crowns sectional champions that eventually meet in state semifinals and a championship game much like other sports, or “no,” which would put the playoffs in the hands of the football committee and only ensure that the regular season would end on Thanksgiving.
“I’m kind of surprised. I thought it would be closer (than 161-105),” Frontier Regional athletic director Marty Sanderson said. “It seemed like there was quite a bit of support in the room with the people who wanted to do away with the playoffs.”
Most opponents pointed to the historical relevance of the Thanksgiving rivalry games.
They are potentially diminished under the current system if one of the participants is playing in a state championship game on the first Saturday of December. That was the case last season with Chicopee Comp, which reached the state Division 4 Super Bowl. The Colts played backups on Thanksgiving against South Hadley.
The opponents “said it took away from the big game feel of the Thanksgiving Day game,” South Hadley athletic director Tad Desautels said. “It happens to some communities. It doesn’t happen for every community because a lot of schools don’t make it that far.”
That potential decrease in interest caused financial concerns for schools, Sanderson said.
“That was one of the major arguments. Interest in the Thanksgiving game wasn’t what it had been, and it was costing them financially with the gate receipts from those games,” he said. “Weeks eight, nine and 10 for those teams not in the playoffs are also tough games to get much interest in in the eastern part of the state.”
Keeping the playoff system also means that teams not in the postseason will continue to play those non-playoff games between the end of the regular season and Thanksgiving.
The opportunity to keep his team on the field and developing helped Smith Vocational athletic director Jeff Lareau vote yes.
“I just feel that it’s fair for the smaller schools to be able to play those non-playoff games. It allows us to play somebody on an equal playing field that has a similar record,” he said. “Some of the bigger schools were bringing up the rivalries and the Thanksgiving games. Most teams that have a rivalry for Thanksgiving games, they want to win that game no matter what.”
Having fewer teams play after Thanksgiving also benefits winter coaches, whether intended or not.
“This system makes it so when the basketball season starts, there’s very few football teams still playing,” Sanderson said. “Selfishly being an old winter coach, I feel the playoff system is a good thing. When the winter season starts, there’s very few teams left.”
Coaches supported the move to keep the state championship games in play.
It allows them to measure themselves against top competition and provide incentives for their teams to continue to compete.
“I’ve been involved with the football team for quite some time, my kids have played in it too. I’ve seen all the different angles,” Easthampton coach Matt Bean said. “I have seen it firsthand all the different ways. I do believe this is the way to do it.”
While supporting the decision to keep the playoff format, most coaches also lauded the move in February to align the football divisions based on size.
“The state playoff is fine. I think you need to have a state champion. The regional Super Bowls from years ago, those were antiquated, and they might have seemed out of date. I just think that the alignments based on enrollment is the way to go,” South Hadley coach Scott Taylor said. “That’s a level playing field. Why should a school our size play a school twice as big as us because we’re successful and they’re not, or vice versa? Teams always asking for relief and everything is ridiculous. I think alignments should be based on enrollment. You have to get better.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com.