LITTLE ROCK — Coaches adjust to system
Van Buren Coach Mike Lee said he tells his players that life is about monitoring and adjustments.
Just three weeks into the season, Lee has already had to adjust.
Lee said he didn’t know until Sunday that Class 6A Van Buren (3-0) had no points in the power rating system that Class 7A and Class 6A will use this fall to determine playoff seeds in two conferences, another bizarre twist related to geographical conferencing for the 2010-2012 cycle in the state’s two largest classifications.
Now, power rating points in Class 6A can only be accumulated in conference games that start this week.
All games were originally scheduled to count toward the 6A power rating, but Little Rock School District Athletic Director Johnny Johnson said principals voted months ago to tweak the system so it would mirror the power rating formula used in 7A.
The vote, however, was news to several media members around the state and, more important, to officials at Van Buren, which didn’t find out about the change until last week.
Jeff Holt, coach at Class 6A Russellville, also said he wasn’t aware of the change until Monday.
“With the regards to the whole process of realignment and then popular vote overturning the realignment and then voting on a specific protocol with regards to the playoff structure and then having that changed, it’s been a dumpster fire from Day 1 and will continue to be a dumpster fire,” Lee said.
“When you get to the point where subjective opinion overrules objectivity, this is the product of that. That’s the way it is.”
Van Buren had 35 power rating points under the formula for all games, including 10 points for victories over Class 5A Alma, Class 7A Rogers and Class 5A Harrison.
Van Buren also received one point for each victory by Alma and Harrison (a total of four) and a bonus point for playing a Class 7A opponent, Rogers.
Now, Van Buren has nothing.
Instead of traditional won-loss records, power ratings are being used because Van Buren and Russellville compete with six other Class 7A schools in the 7A/6A-Central Conference.
Another conference, the7A/6A-East, has two Class 7A schools, Little Rock Hall and West Memphis, and six Class 6A schools.
Following the regular season, Van Buren and Russellville will be placed with the six Class 6A schools in the 7A/6A-East and Hall and West Memphis with the six Class 7A schools in the 7A/6A-Central.
Teams with the six highest power ratings in each conference will advance to the playoffs.
Power ratings were created to address equity in the seeding process.
The 7A-West (all 7A schools) and 6A-South (all 6A schools) will continue to use traditional won-loss records to certify their top six playoff seeds.
Citing travel concerns, schools voted to place the state’s largest 32 schools in enrollment in four, eightteam conferences - based on geography - for conference play in all sports in the 2010-2012 cycle.
Schools will then split after the regular season ends and compete for state championships in a “big school/small school” format.
The largest 16 schools will compete for one championship, the remaining 16 schools for another championship.
The Arkansas Activities Association released conference assignments for this cycle in June 2009, but Class 6A Searcy won an appeal last fall - a 23-9 vote by Class 7A and 6A schools - to move six schools to different conferences.
The schools’ decision meant the four, eight-team conferences in the state’s two largest classifications are almost identical to whatthey had been before the original vote in the fall of 2008.
Lee said he had built his nonconference schedule on the belief that all games counted toward the power rating.
“We don’t have time to moan and groan,” Lee said.
“We have games to play and our mindset is the next Friday night and the next Friday night.” PULASKI ROBINSON
Early 7-4A test
Pulaski Robinson, No.
4 in Class 4A, will try to become the first team to score on Ashdown this fall in a 7-4A showdown Friday night at Dick Hayes Stadium in Ashdown.
Ashdown (3-0) didn’t allow a first down in a 55-0 season-opening victory over Little Rock McClellan, then beat Hope (27-0) and Marvell (37-0).
Ashdown is the only team in the state yet to surrender a point.
“I know their kids are going to play hard, and they’re confident,” Robinson Coach Todd Eskola said.
“They don’t expect to give up a yard. We’re going to go down there and try to make a first down, I guess.”
Robinson (3-0) enters the conference opener following victories over Hot Springs (42-21), Little Rock Fair (41-7) and Lake Village (49-14).
The Senators have yet to play a home game.
MILLS
Streaking Comets
Mills Coach Patrick Russell said he expects to find out much more about his team Friday night when the No. 6 Comets (3-0) open 5A-Southeast play at defending state champion Monticello.
It will be Mills’ first game this fall against a team outside the Little Rock School District.
Mills’ most impressive victory was over Class 6A Little Rock Parkview 28-20 on Aug. 31 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
“We feel like we’ve played pretty well, but don’t know how well,” Russell said.
“We’ll probably get a lot better measuring stick this week.”
Mills is led by senior quarterback Chris Hampton, who has returned strongly from a broken leg suffered in last year’s playoffs.
Against Parkview, Hampton rushed 26 times for 92 yards and 3 touchdowns (1, 9 and 13 yards) and completed 7 of 9 passes for 88 yards.
“He actually seems to be a little bit faster than he was before he got injured,” Russell said. “Looks like he gained about 15 pounds of muscle. He’s a little faster and a little stronger.”
CLASS 7A
POWER RATING FORMULA
(CONFERENCE GAMES ONLY) 1. 10 points per victory 2. 1 point for each victory by an opponent you beat 3. 10 points per forfeit 4. 1 bonus point for each Class 7A opponent 5. 10 points for a conference championship
CLASS 6A
POWER RATING FORMULA
(CONFERENCE GAMES ONLY) 1. 10 points per victory 2. 1 point for each opponent’s victory 3. 1 bonus point for each Class 7A opponentSuper Six CLASS 5A TEAM (REC.) NEXT 1. Camden Fairview (2-1) vs. HS Lakeside 2. Watson Chapel (0-3) vs. Crossett 3. Greenwood (2-1) at Siloam Springs 4. Greenbrier (3-0) vs. Harrison 5. Batesville (3-0) vs. Nettleton 6. Mills (3-0) at Monticello CLASS 4A TEAM (REC.) NEXT 1. Shiloh Christian (2-1) at Berryville 2. Pulaski Academy (2-1) at Pulaski Oak Grove 3. Nashville (3-0) vs. De Queen 4. Pulaski Robinson (3-0) at Ashdown 5. Booneville (3-0) vs. Subiaco Academy 6. Lonoke (3-0) vs. Heber Springs
Sports, Pages 23 on 09/23/2010