An uphill battle

8/23/2018

Athens Football: The greatest challenges for the Bulldogs this season? Scheduling, small schools and math

Joey Flannery / For The Post

The scene at R. Basil Rutter Field was somber as the final seconds ticked off the clock in Athens’ final game of the regular season last year.

In a 52-26 loss to rival Nelsonville-York, the 8-2 Bulldogs’ season ended with no state playoff berth and no Tri-Valley Conference Ohio division title. Bizzare, one would think, that a team with a record of 8-2 couldn’t clinch at least a lower seed in the state playoffs.

Welcome to the harsh reality of Ohio high school football.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association football computer rankings system is based off a mathematical formula that involves first- and second-level points.

Losses aren’t taken into consideration when calculating a team’s final point average at the end of the regular season. Instead, wins are taken into full consideration, but the “quality of a win” is based on what an opponent’s enrollment numbers are. It’s not fully based on what the product is on the field. It’s complicated, to say the least.

In summary, if a team isn't winning or is only winning against smaller schools, that can be detrimental for the team in the long run — especially if the team is a larger school.

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Matt Starkeyc | FOR THE POST

Mikel Casteel (40) sings the fight song with the rest of his team after the Bulldogs' game against Alexander on Sept. 15, 2017. (FILE)


The system makes it easy for a team to finish with an 8-2 or 9-1 record and still miss the playoffs. It comes down to scheduling, and that’s where Athens’ problems have lied the past couple of seasons.

Athens is entering its third year in Division III, Region 11. Athens has had winning seasons for the past three years, but it has failed to qualify for the postseason each of those years.

The Bulldogs went 7-3 in 2016 and finished ninth in the playoff rankings. Despite their 8-2 record last year, the Bulldogs finished even lower at 12th in the playoff rankings, not even coming close to earning an outright bid.

So what’s ruining the Bulldogs’ postseason chances? Two things play a huge part, and they both originate from scheduling issues.

The Bulldogs only played two teams each in 2016 and 2017 that finished those seasons with winning records. In 2016, they played four teams that finished the year with three wins or less; last year, that number increased to five.

The other factor not helping the Bulldogs’ chances are the size of the schools they’re playing. In 2016, only three of their seven wins were against Division III or larger schools. Last season was the same story: only picked three wins against schools in Division III or larger.

Of the six other schools in the Tri-Valley Conference Ohio division, two are in Division IV, three are in Division V and one is in Division VI. Athens is the largest school in the conference, but it has to schedule these six schools each season in order to maintain its conference affiliation.

There are two changes to the Athens non-conference schedule this season. Instead of playing Canal Winchester and Watkins Memorial (two Division II schools), Athens will face off with Parkersburg South from West Virginia and Division IV Fairland.

The Bulldogs have a lavish mix of talent returning and are once again expected to compete for a playoff spot this season. But with their schedule, the Bulldogs will have another difficult task racking up enough points for a postseason bid — even if they win seven or more games.

Things change in Ohio year to year. It’s hard to tell whether scheduling will be a major component going forward for the Bulldogs. It ultimately depends on the depth of a region, so it can be out of the team’s control at times. If the Bulldogs continue to go 8-2 and 9-1 without making the playoffs, though, it might become time to make some scheduling changes.

Development by: Megan Knapp / Digital Production Editor

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