King for a day: How I would change the IHSA

This just in … I’ve been crowned King of the Illinois High School Association!

But for one day only, and only in my wildest dreams.

Here we go with a list of things I’d change if I had a free hand in ruling the IHSA.

Seeding solution

The first thing I’d do is shift the football playoffs to a straight 1-to-32 seeding for all eight classes. No more dividing brackets by geography.

In 30 years of covering prep football, I’ve never heard a coach or player complain about a road trip for one game on a weekend. Just the opposite, in fact. Teams enjoy traveling to various parts of the state to compete and breaking up the monotony of seeing the same teams every postseason.

Ungrateful host

There would be no more set regional hosts for the team sports.

I’m tired of seeing top-four seeds — teams that worked all season to earn those seeds — sent to “neutral” sites for the start of the postseason. Too many good teams have been beaten by host schools that, for some reason, got the reward of home-court/field advantage.

Sectionals and supersectionals are different. Crowd sizes and other factors, especially in basketball, dictate those games take place at schools meeting the demands.

But for regionals, let’s go back to how it was. Top seeds get to host.

Double trouble

We’re in the midst of the baseball and softball playoffs, so this one’s on my mind … how about a double-elimination tournament, similar to what we see at the college level?

It’s not realistic because of the extra time it’d take, but the reasoning is especially sound for baseball. Too often a 25-win higher seed squares off against a lower-seeded team with maybe seven wins.

The problem is, one pitcher on that team is an ace who boasts all seven victories. He shuts down and beats the 25-win team. Then in the next game, the team gets trounced because they have no more pitching.

Double elimination solves the problem. The 25-win team gets another shot and likely wins because of its depth.

Alley way

An odd one, but how about coed bowling?

I realize separating the boys and girls provides more participation opportunities, but separating by gender doesn’t seem necessary.

While this year’s girls state champion averaged 228 pins per game, the boys champion averaged 231. Richards’ Ulyssa Garcia would’ve finished second in this year’s boys state competition. She would’ve been a state champion in other years.

Police work

Did I mention my budget for the day tripled?

I’d hire a team of statewide investigators with the sole purpose of researching transfer, residency and other IHSA violations.

The IHSA doesn’t have the resources to keep tabs on the rampant cheating complaints. The system relies too much on the honor system and reacting after the violations already have been exposed.

And One

I love the idea of an overall state champion. I’d create an “And One” tournament in various sports to have the different class champions compete against each other.

Imagine an expanded basketball season where the Class 1A champion plays the 2A champion, and 3A plays 4A. Then the winners play to crown a true state champion.

I can dream, can’t I?