Column: HS Football Open Division Playoffs Makes A Lot of Sense

The people wanted it.

The AIA made changes.

Starting in 2019, the top eight Arizona high school football teams in the 4A-6A divisions will participate in an open playoff to determine the true top team in the desert.

The AIA held a meeting on Tuesday morning and approved the playoff format with the remaining teams playing for conference championships.

No more wondering who would win between Saguaro and Chandler. Centennial won’t need to schedule a 6A power early in the year to prep for their playoff run. We’ll have a chance to see the best of the best go head-to-head in November.

For those thinking these big-time head-to-head games can be scheduled on their own, there are two problems with that: These games will more than likely happen early in the year. That means these teams are potentially not at their best, whether it be transfers not being eligible or a team finding its rhythm while playing a full slate of games. Scheduling top out-of-conference games became even tougher with the influx of out of state games being scheduled by many of these big schools, limiting the number of games available to teams.

The teams will now go head-to-head in a playoff format and will play for a state championship instead of an exhibition bowl trophy when players can be checked out or already signed with a college and not want to risk injury.

This change makes a lot of sense.

Perhaps the most promising thing about this change is it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction. The AIA has been collecting data on how football can be restructured and the results have been overwhelming, according to executive director David Hines.

I wasn’t upset when all six 2017 finals teams made it back to the same game the following year. Every year has turnover and every team is different. In the case of Notre Dame Prep, they had to replace roughly 35 seniors and they still found themselves playing in the last 5A game of the year. Chandler had to replace Gunner Romney. Chubba Purdy stepped in for his older brother Brock. Centennial replaced an entire backfield. Saguaro replaced multiple members of their passing game. Salpointe Catholic’s running game didn’t miss a beat replacing multiple offensive linemen.

It’s not easy to get there, but they did.

The thing is, these six teams were a part of a small group that were predicted to get there. There is a big gap between teams like these and even other playoff programs.

In last year’s 4A, 5A and 6A playoff brackets, the average margin of victory was 28 points. FOUR. TOUCHDOWNS. There were 45 postseason games played in those divisions, 13 of them were decided by 14 points or fewer. Eight of those games were decided by single digits. Those six teams I mentioned that made it to the final game had an average margin of victory of 35 points. 

There’s a clear elite class of high school football teams around the state who are a cut above. I’ll let you debate just how many of those fit the bill, but this new postseason format will create significant meaning to every game on every Friday, especially in the postseason, which, according to the numbers, haven’t been all that competitive except for a game or two per division.

Will there be issues? 

You betcha.

I’m sure this new system isn’t perfect. Is eight the right number? Should it be 12 so, in theory, the top three teams of each division make it? 

That’s for David Hines and his board to decide.

But while interviewing Director Hines over the years, it’s been apparent he is open to changing things when they aren’t working.

Which is exactly what they did. 

Time to get crazy, open playoff.