Aurora – Colorado’s greatly awaited reorganization for the next two football seasons is on its way to becoming official and assured of continuing its long-running debate.
What works best for Colorado schoolboy play?
The most popular game in the state, which is handled differently from 20 other sanctioned sports, will have an unusually high number of changes in classification and league assignments presented to the Colorado High School Activities Association board of control in January. Expected to pass, they will be implemented beginning with the 2006 season.
Developed in a report by the state’s Classification and League Organizing Committee (CLOC), all seven classifications will be modified.
But will it be enough?
Football committee and state officials, who have struggled for years with establishing a format that will work for an ever-changing region, said the proposal for the next two seasons was made with Colorado as a whole in mind.
But yes, they said, they know there will be questions.
“(The CLOC) had some tough decisions and reacted with the best interests of everybody in mind to try to ensure they were looking out for everybody,” said Bert Borgmann, assistant CHSAA commissioner who oversees football. “Will some individual schools be happy? Probably not.”
Wray coach Neal Rusher, who heads the football committee, had one of his own: “What does make sense?”
The process, he said, in which in-state schools govern themselves, “to me is very valuable. People have a chance to be heard, put in proposals and discuss ideas. I think it’s better than having some czar sitting up there. And I think they came up with a good plan.”
While the enrollment requirements will have minimal changes – none for big schools, which will keep the dividing line of 1,661 or more students – a push for more of a geographical alignment within the Denver area never gained any steam, and football again will not necessarily follow league assignments used for other sports.
But look for the following notable changes that are stirring arguments:
In Class 5A, the numbers of teams will drop to 39 from 48 despite the new 32-team playoff bracket. In addition, only three Denver Prep teams – East, Thomas Jefferson and Montbello – will play against big schools, the first time since the early 1990s that DPL teams will be split. They will join the Western Slope’s Fruita Monument for an odd four-team league.
It’s the same format used in the 1990s, when Grandview was grouped with three Colorado Springs schools and Grand Junction did likewise.
“Fruita’s the only 5A team over there, and what do you do with them?” Rusher asked. “The rest are along the Front Range, and you have to accommodate those kids.”
Thomas Jefferson coach Dan Turnbull saw it differently: “This whole thing stinks from the beginning. Nobody’s happy with it.”
Turnbull remains miffed that DPL schools won’t remain with large schools and called it ludicrous that his schools will have to play six nonleague opponents.
With the 32-team bracket, 5A schools will play only nine regular-season games.
While the eight-team Centennial wasn’t touched, the Front Range has Brighton dropping to 4A, giving it seven teams. Bigger news is Jefferson County joining Colorado Springs in a new South Metro League and the suburban Continental switching back from two eight-team divisions or leagues to one 10-team group.
“Instead of looking at the root of problem, we looked at the playoffs as a solution to that,” Arvada West coach Casey Coons said of the disparity in league sizes.
“(Officials) did not get to the root of the problem,” he said, referring to changing big-school enrollment numbers to include more of the better 4A teams, evening out the leagues and instituting leagues more geographically.
The next highest level, 4A, grew by 11 teams to 56 to become the largest class, mainly fueled by Denver schools no longer playing up. Also, Aurora Central and Hinkley, despite being over the 4A limit, will be permitted to play down in order to reattain competitive status.
In 3A, minor tinkering is slated in the Metro and Southern groups and will be spread out equally over three new leagues, but 2A will have even more balance, including major modifications to the former Metropolitan.
It could have been much worse, Kent Denver coach Scott Yates said. Earlier, there had been a proposal to put the private schools in the Metropolitan into their own league because of recent success. Critics have pointed to Metropolitan teams winning the past three state titles. They have three of this weekend’s four semifinalists.
Basically, the new proposal calls for six equal leagues as yet to be named. Five will have seven teams; the former Patriot will have eight. The Metropolitan will be spread over two and include Academy of Charter, Bennett, Colorado Springs Christian and Strasburg.
“We were going to be segregated into nothing but private schools,” Yates said. “That original thing didn’t bode well in some schools. But, today, it’s definitely a step in the right direction and I’m pleased with it.”
The lowest classes are tabbed for significant shuffling, too.
In 1A, which will welcome Highland and Lutheran dropping from 2A, there are changes in the former Southern Peaks; 8-man got almost a complete makeover in league outlay (six leagues have become eight); and 6-man went from one league to four.
Borgmann said teams are set to fill their 2006 schedules by Tuesday, when officials also will determine playoff outlays. There had been discussion about 4A opting for a 32-team postseason bracket, but all but 5A are expected to stay with a 16-team outlay.
The CHSAA board of control meeting will be Jan. 19.
“My guess is, everybody now will look for games to fill their schedules,” Borgmann said.
Said Rusher, “It was done with a lot of thought and with the best interests of football in Colorado.”
In acknowledging that one of the biggest problems in determining a statewide outlay can be handcuffed by “some who are self-serving and looking out for their own community and best interests,” Rusher added, “I don’t know if I agree with every part of this.”
Staff writer Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-820-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
