1A Scheduling - Who Are These Teams Playing?

[OldSchoolLion 1,806]

Below are 15 Class 1A teams.  By each team name is the number of teams from each classification that they scheduled this year.  On average, each team is scheduling 4.7 1A teams this season.  If the justification for having such a class is that these rural schools cannot effectively compete with other schools, it seems a bit odd that some 1A schools have scheduled almost all of their games with teams from upper classes(Madison County, Port St Joe, Crescent City, Pahokee) and not other 1A schools.  If they are able to effectively compete with schools in other classes during the regular season, why are they unable to do so in the playoffs?  And if those schools have overcome the challenges of being a rural school, why can the other 1A schools not do the same?  ...just asking. 

Port St Joe-1A-1, 2A-2, 4A-4, 5A-2

Hawthorne-1A-5, 2A-1, 4A-3, 5A-1

Baker-1A-5, 2A-2, 4A-2, Ind-1

Chiefland-1A-8, 2A-1, 4A-1

Madison County-1A-1, 2A-1, 3A-3, 4A-1, 5A-3, 7A-1

Blountstown-1A-6, 3A-1, 4A-2

Sneads-1A-7, Ind-1

Crescent City-1A-1, 2A-1, 3A-2, 4A-4, 5A-1, Ind-1

Vernon-1A-6, 2A-1, OOS-1

Lafayette-1A-5, 4A-2, Ind-2, OOS-1

Dixie County-1A-5, 3A-3, 4A-2

Wewahitchka-1A-6, 2A-1, 4A-1, Ind-2

Franklin County-1A-6, 2A-2, 4A-1, Ind-1

Liberty County-1A-7, 2A-1, 4A-1, Ind-1

Pahokee-8A-5, 7A-1, 6A-1, 4A-2, 3A-1...1A-0

[Sharkbait 509]

I know PSJ would love to play more 1A schools but can't get games I imagine Madco has the same issue.  Luckily for St Joe we are in an area where the 4A and 5A are pathetic. St Joe would not be able to compete with true 4A playoff teams year in and year out. As far as why the other 1A teams will play Blountstown and not PSJ i dont know. Baker gets lots of 1A games but they pay extremely well.

[s1nglewing 58]

 

Several rural small public schools were threatening to withdraw from FHSAA if forced to continue playing against urban, often private, schools and offered the 1A Rural suggestion to FHSAA who then amended and approved it. The classification was never about the schools being unable to compete, but about the perception of fair competition. Rural areas rarely, if ever, have athletic transfers in the volume that urban schools do.

 

Additionally, the new playoff format rewards small enrollment schools playing larger class schools, and there you go. 

[OldSchoolLion 1,806]

4 hours ago, Sharkbait said:

I know PSJ would love to play more 1A schools but can't get games I imagine Madco has the same issue.  Luckily for St Joe we are in an area where the 4A and 5A are pathetic. St Joe would not be able to compete with true 4A playoff teams year in and year out. As far as why the other 1A teams will play Blountstown and not PSJ i dont know. Baker gets lots of 1A games but they pay extremely well.

 

30 minutes ago, s1nglewing said:

 

Several rural small public schools were threatening to withdraw from FHSAA if forced to continue playing against urban, often private, schools and offered the 1A Rural suggestion to FHSAA who then amended and approved it. The classification was never about the schools being unable to compete, but about the perception of fair competition. Rural areas rarely, if ever, have athletic transfers in the volume that urban schools do.

 

Additionally, the new playoff format rewards small enrollment schools playing larger class schools, and there you go. 

This year, PSJ  is traveling 75-100 miles each way to play 3 Class  4A schools and 100 miles each way to play a 2A school.  In the meantime, Franklin County, Blountstown and Liberty County, all 1A schools within the same region and 30-50 miles away, are not on the schedule.  Franklin County and Liberty County are both playing 4A North Bay Haven Academy. In fact, North Bay Haven is playing 6 Class 1A schools this year.  

An irony is that Franklin County likely drives right through Port St Joe and then has to travel another 40 miles to get to North Bay Haven.   ...just as PSJ likely drives past Blountstown and Liberty County on its way north to play 4A Marianna.  PSJ last played LIberty in 2012 and Franklin in 2014.

I don't mean this to sound critical of anyone because I don't know the facts.  Am just pointing out that from an "outsider" perspective, the above scenario is a bit perplexing, especially with all the talk today of excessive travel times and expense.  ,Based on what s1nglewing stated, it appears that 1A was at least in part a workaround to avoid certain schools.   

[s1nglewing 58]

Franklin probably had about as much desire to play PSJ as PSJ had to play Franklin. Neither team has anything to gain from playing the other. 

[Original1 74]

12 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

Below are 14 Class 1A teams.  By each team name is the number of teams from each classification that they scheduled this year.  On average, each team is scheduling 4.7 1A teams this season.  If the justification for having such a class is that these rural schools cannot effectively compete with other schools, it seems a bit odd that some 1A schools have scheduled almost all of their games with teams from upper classes(Madison County, Port St Joe, Crescent City) and not other 1A schools.  If they are able to effectively compete with schools in other classes during the regular season, why are they unable to do so in the playoffs?  And if those schools have overcome the challenges of being a rural school, why can the other 1A schools not do the same?  ...just asking. 

Port St Joe-1A-1, 2A-2, 4A-4, 5A-2

Hawthorne-1A-5, 2A-1, 4A-3, 5A-1

Baker-1A-5, 2A-2, 4A-2, Ind-1

Chiefland-1A-8, 2A-1, 4A-1

Madison County-1A-1, 2A-1, 3A-3, 4A-1, 5A-3, 7A-1

Blountstown-1A-6, 3A-1, 4A-2

Sneads-1A-7, Ind-1

Crescent City-1A-1, 2A-1, 3A-2, 4A-4, 5A-1, Ind-1

Vernon-1A-6, 2A-1, OOS-1

Lafayette-1A-5, 4A-2, Ind-2, OOS-1

Dixie County-1A-5, 3A-3, 4A-2

Wewahitchka-1A-6, 2A-1, 4A-1, Ind-2

Franklin County-1A-6, 2A-2, 4A-1, Ind-1

Liberty County-1A-7, 2A-1, 4A-1, Ind-1

Don't forget about Pahokee. I think some people forget Pahokee is a 1A team.

8A-5, 7A-1, 6A-1, 4A-2, 3A-1...1A-0

[Jags904 131]

I wouldn’t mind seeing 1A & 2A combined and 3A & 4A combined. The 1A champ the past 5 years has more often than not been better than the 2A champ. 

[ColumbiaHighFan2017class 2,514]

1 hour ago, Jags904 said:

I wouldn’t mind seeing 1A & 2A combined and 3A & 4A combined. The 1A champ the past 5 years has more often than not been better than the 2A champ. 

Yeah but again the fhsaa isn't going to risk losing those 1a schools to independent 

 

You are far more likely to see 2a and 3a combined then 1a and 2a

[Muckcitypride1 40]

I know Pahokee don't schedule 1a schools because the nearest one is over 2 and half hours away, which is Frostproof. It is easier to play larger schools in this area and play on an even playing field in the playoffs, even if we are banged up. We become battle tested!

[Hwy17 435]

38 minutes ago, Muckcitypride1 said:

I know Pahokee don't schedule 1a schools because the nearest one is over 2 and half hours away, which is Frostproof. It is easier to play larger schools in this area and play on an even playing field in the playoffs, even if we are banged up. We become battle tested!

Do Pahokee and Moore Haven ever play?  I ask this because I don't understand why Moore Haven is 2a.  Seeing how y'all right across Lake Okeechobee, I would have thought it would be a rivalry of some kind.  See thread about 4a, similar to this one. 

[561_Fan 314]

20 minutes ago, Hwy17 said:

Do Pahokee and Moore Haven ever play?  I ask this because I don't understand why Moore Haven is 2a.  Seeing how y'all right across Lake Okeechobee, I would have thought it would be a rivalry of some kind.  See thread about 4a, similar to this one. 

No. We usually play Clewiston, but not Moore Haven, Labelle, or Okeechobee

[Trelle 86]

What about Glades Day, what happenedto them?

[Sharkbait 509]

7 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

 

This year, PSJ  is traveling 75-100 miles each way to play 3 Class  4A schools and 100 miles each way to play a 2A school.  In the meantime, Franklin County, Blountstown and Liberty County, all 1A schools within the same region and 30-50 miles away, are not on the schedule.  Franklin County and Liberty County are both playing 4A North Bay Haven Academy. In fact, North Bay Haven is playing 6 Class 1A schools this year.  

An irony is that Franklin County likely drives right through Port St Joe and then has to travel another 40 miles to get to North Bay Haven.   ...just as PSJ likely drives past Blountstown and Liberty County on its way north to play 4A Marianna.  PSJ last played LIberty in 2012 and Franklin in 2014.

I don't mean this to sound critical of anyone because I don't know the facts.  Am just pointing out that from an "outsider" perspective, the above scenario is a bit perplexing, especially with all the talk today of excessive travel times and expense.  ,Based on what s1nglewing stated, it appears that 1A was at least in part a workaround to avoid certain schools.   

PSJ and Blountstown play every year the game this year was scheduled for two weeks ago.  St Joe and Liberty were district foes for years and last played in 2014 with liberty winning the regular season matchup

[Jags904 131]

6 hours ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

Yeah but again the fhsaa isn't going to risk losing those 1a schools to independent 

 

You are far more likely to see 2a and 3a combined then 1a and 2a

Oh no I agree, I just think that 2a is consistently the weakest class in the state and the 1a teams would be wise to play them more often...rather than complain. 

[Jags904 131]

And I’m certainly not saying all 1a teams complain about it (I’ve got friends from Madison Co and Pahokee who certainly say otherwise) but I’ve heard some things that didn’t sit well with me. 

I think the average 1a team is considerably better than the average 2a team & the same with the top teams.