Each week the Sun Journal sports staff will pick high school football topics to discuss — sometimes the discussions will turn into spirited debates. Agree? Disagree? Let us know via Twitter (@WilTalkSports and @_Lee_H) or email (wkramlich@sunjournal.com and lhorton@sunjournal.com).
Sun Journal sports editor Lee Horton Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
LEE HORTON: On Saturday night at Harlow Park in Dixfield, the Mountain Valley and Dirigo football teams played a fantastic game. The offenses refused to be stopped, but the defense refuted to break. It was definitely one of the best football games I have covered. Mountain Valley won 32-24 and locked up the top seed in the 8-man Small School South playoffs, which begin this week. Meanwhile, Dirigo entered Saturday as the No. 2 team and the way the Cougars played Saturday backed that ranking up, and then some. However, by losing they fell into a three-way tie for second with Maranacook and Old Orchard Beach.
The three-way tie was broken with a coin flip, which seeded Maranacook second, Dirigo third and OOB fourth.
A coin flip. How do you feel about that?
Sun Journal assistant sports editor Wil Kramlich Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
WIL KRAMLICH: I certainly don’t love that the postseason-positioning of three worthy football teams came down to the flips of some coins.
Is it fair? Yes. Because all three teams were involved and doing the same thing. But, to me, it just feels wrong that a coin flip determines the final ranking of three teams who just spent the past seven weeks battling on the field. There has to be a more fitting way, right?
I know margin-of-victory attracts unnecessary running up the score, but how many points one team beats another team by seems like one indicator of superiority (yes, I realize that there are many things that happen in a game that factors into the final score). Maybe margin-of-victory in the three matchups between those three schools would be a better tie-breaker.
HORTON: There probably isn’t a completely fair way to break a three-way tie, if head-to-head doesn’t do the trick. In Washington state, when none of the many tiebreakers broke a three-way tie, they did something called the Kansas City Tiebreaker. I thought it was cool because I love anything that sounds like the name of a long con, or like it was made up by mobsters.
I googled it, and it appears there are a few completely different things that are called the Kansas City Tiebreaker. This how it is done in Washington and many other states: The three teams meet on a neutral field, usually on a Tuesday. Numbers were drawn or coins were flipped to decide which teams went first, and faced off for a half —I think the quarters were shortened from 12 to eight minutes. The team that had the lead after those two quarters moved on to face the third team in the “second half.” The score was reset to 0-0, and whichever team led after the second two quarters moved on to the postseason.
It was fun. Weird, but so fun. But, truthfully, it wasn’t necessary. The team that didn’t have to play the first half had the advantages of fresher bodies and of being able to scout a team that was holding nothing back only minutes before facing it. And how as that third team decided? By a coin flip or by drawing numbers. While I like the idea of settling it on the field, maybe it is better to save three bus trips and the need to play midweek football and let the coin flip decide who moves on to the postseason. The Kansas City Tiebreaker might be perfect for a four-team tiebreaker, though.
You might be on to something with the idea of using the point differential of the regular season matchups between the three teams, though.
KRAMLICH: I can’t imagine the Maine Principals’ Association would be in favor doing the Washington state version of the Kansas City Tiebreaker, and I don’t know that many coaches would either. Having to play more football in between two games in a week’s span is asking a lot out of kids.
In the 8-man Small South scenario, those three teams aren’t losing or gaining much from the coin flip. Maranacook, “winner” of the No. 2 seed, gets the supposed easiest first-round matchup, and a second home playoff game if it wins this weekend. But all three teams still made the playoffs and get a home game in this week’s first round. It’s not like the coin flip knocked a team out or meant the difference between playing at home or on the road this week.
I’d love to hear what coaches could think of for a “better” three-way tiebreaker than a coin flip.
HORTON: It better be a good idea, because I’m solidly Team Coin Flip right now.
I think more of the impact of the 8-man Small School coin flip than you do. The No. 2 seed means a home game in the semifinals (with a quarterfinal win, of course). Also, the soonest Nos. 2 and 3 will play at top seed Mountain Valley is the regional final.
The coin flip also has a specific effect on each team. Being No. 3 means Dirigo has to face Boothbay again. The Cougars’ 14 points in their 14-12 win over Boothbay was their lowest offensive output of the season. Maranacook and Old Orchard Beach have to face the same teams they played last week, Sacopee Valley and Telstar, specifically. OOB routed Telstar last week, but the Rebels have enough good players to be dangerous in the postseason.
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