Gilroy
– California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials and
section representatives will vote on 11 different proposals Friday
regarding California high school sports – including one that would
give football a state championship beginning in 2006.
Gilroy – California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials and section representatives will vote on 11 different proposals Friday regarding California high school sports – including one that would give football a state championship beginning in 2006.
According to that proposal, the format of the football state playoffs would be carried out similarly to how it is now, only taken a step further. Of the 10 section champions, a committee would select two teams for the championship bowl – one from the north and one from the south – for each of three divisions determined by enrollment.
Schools with 1,910 students or more would be placed in a Division I, those with 901 to 1,900 would be Division II, and those with less than 900 would be Division III schools.
Computerized rankings would be used for the selection of the championship game pairings.
“I think it’s a neat thing,” said Gilroy head football coach Darren Yafai. “Look at (other states), like Texas, where football is the best and biggest. They have state championships.”
Hollister athletic director Tod Thatcher is also in favor of having a state championship. However, he would prefer a playoff format all the way to the title games.
“I would rather see a playoff than some sort of BCS formula,” Thatcher said, referring to the much-maligned selection process for the Bowl Championship Series in college football. “I always think going head–to–head is better than formulas.”
The proposal has the very first championship games set for Dec. 16, 2006 – which would extend the football season two weeks longer than usual for the participating teams. A site for the bowl games has yet to be determined.
Other proposals up for consideration involve steroid prohibition and wrestling weight management.
Currently, the CIF recommends each school has a steroids policy. The new proposal has steroids banned by the CIF, instead of by individual schools, and requires that each school have student–athletes and their parents agree to the ban in their athletic paperwork.
The wrestling proposal recommends that beginning in the fall, all wrestlers must follow a mandatory weight management program that would encourage healthy and safe weight loss. The program would become binding in 2006–2007.
“I’m all in favor for proposals that protect kids,” Thatcher said. “The intent is to protect kids, which is what we’re all about.”
All 11 proposals up for consideration can be viewed on the CIF Web site, www.cifstate.org. The voting results will also be posted there by about 6pm Friday.
