It IS a good thing.
All I'm saying is that they shouldn't have to move up again as part of some promotion/relegation simply because they've been successful.
Smaller classes are so different than larger ones in having a consistent talent pipeline.
Iowa High School BEDS count 24-25
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All I'm saying is that they shouldn't have to move up again as part of some promotion/relegation simply because they've been successful.
Smaller classes are so different than larger ones in having a consistent talent pipeline.
Yes and no, if you look at the teams reaching the dome year after year its generally the same group of teams. Most are not up and down, but go year after year. For the most part those teams all have the same combination of a good coach that has been at the school multiple years, has a program that is set up and gets kids out for the sport. Most of these schools do not have exceptional talented kids that are getting scholarships to Iowa and Iowa State, or even UNI, they are kids that are busting their butt every day, and the standard is to be better tomorrow than you are today. When the coach opens the weight room, he has 40 kids wanting to lift, at the programs that are struggling, the coach shows up and he has five kids. Kids want to win and will do what you ask when it happening, but if they are not successful they are not going to put in the time and effort to get that way.
The small Iowa schools lack some things but the chance to play sports is an upside. Reading this thread caused me to look at some numbers and my kids will end up in schools from 500 to 1000 kids larger than Valley. It definitely felt large, but yikes.
My experience in Iowa was 177 graduating seniors.
My experience in Iowa was 177 graduating seniors.
I'm generally of the opinion that a good, successful high school program is a direct result of the coach. There's nothing magical in the water in West Des Moines or Grundy Center making certain towns have better athletes than other towns. There are certainly other factors but the head coach matters and matters a lot. Telling a Grundy Center that after winning back to back state titles they need to move up a class isn't going to turn that program into a losing tradition any more than taking an 0-18 team and suddenly they're title contenders from dropping them down a class. If kids believe they have a chance to compete and be successful you'll see participation increase just like if kids think they're going to lose every game they play they'll just sit it out and find other things to spend there time on. Parity across the classes should be the goal for 75% of the schools. You'll always have winners and losers, no system will change that but having the same teams dominate or be doormats for years/decades isn't healthy or sustainable.
Totally agree, but its kind of a chicken and egg debate, you are not going to win without getting the kids out, and the kids are not going out if you are struggling. The programs that are successful have both, a quality coach and the kids out for the sport. Without one, you are not going to get the other, that is why when you get a coach that is successful, most of them are going to move up and eliminate many of the distractions that make it harder at the the smaller school.
The Register had a great story last week on the coach from Dowling, he started at English Valley, was there a few years and then jumped to a bigger program. Was winning at his 2nd stop and then heard about the Dowling job. He thought he would apply never thinking he would get the job, and he did. Now he had everything he would need to be successful, plenty of talented kids, a school that believed in him, and his own talent to bring out the best in the kids. Without a doubt he has been very successful, but would he have have achieved that same level of success if he had decided to stay at English Valley? I really doubt it, he would have been very good there, but would have lacked the kids to win multiple state championships like he has done at Dowling.
Yeah that was a weird point to make considering we already have teams move up regardless of current on-field success. Sorry Grundy Center might have to take a few more L's than they've grown used to.
Like most things the coach is crazy important but it takes everything.
You take the best coach in the state and stick them at Hoover or North let me know how it goes after 10 years.
I think that coach wins games but it's a whole lot easier to win at a school without the socio-economic challenges those more urban school districts have. Or take out the big school part of it and try and win at Oelwien, where they had to forfeit 3 or 4 games this year because they don't have enough kids out to start with and then you get a few injuries. Dropping a school like that down a class or two would be beneficial to those kids and the success of the program.
Hoover and North have kids that can play football, I'm sure. It's getting them committed and to go out. A good coach could do that, but it would take time and a longer commitment, for sure.
You'd have to run some sort of programs to get kids excited at the 7th/8th grade levels to get them to go out and stick it out.
I know the Hoover coach. He's a great guy. He's tried to do exactly what you said even before the 7th/8th level. I helped coach flag football teams in a league he organized.
It's extremely difficult and they are 0-9 and it's not for any shortage of effort or caring on his part. They've won 2 games over the last 3 seasons. He's not the best coach in the world I'm sure but I guarantee you he's not the worst.
105 started with this last 2 year grouping. It was 120 before and if you were under 120 the previous cycle you could stay at 8 man even if you were above 105. Looks like they will hard cap it at 105 next cycle outside of what the free and reduced lunch thing will do.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
Was 16 then transferred my senior year and had 50. Thought that was good sized, lol.
Eagle grove trying to convince forest city and garner to join the NCC. Forest city says yes and garner says no.
Interesting. just a fraction of a student difference put Winterset as the smallest 4A and Mt. Pleasant the largest 3A.
Thanks. So the cut is St Ed’s should be A and west Hancock 8 man. Hats off to North Tama for playing 11.
The cutoff is 105, yeah.
There are schools ahead of St Ed's who also 8-man but all those schools (including St. Eds) are playing this cycle on an "enrollment exception". I am not sure what that means.
You can also play up, so West Hancock could be 8 man by bed counts and maybe just playing up to A.
