Coaches seem to embrace postseason changes

DES MOINES - Off guard, but on point.

The reactions to Iowa High School Athletic Association changes to the prep football landscape could be described by those two phrases Monday afternoon.

The IHSAA announced that the Board of Control voted in favor of a nine-game regular season and a reduction in playoff qualifiers from 32 to 16 teams, starting in the 2016 season.

Cedar Rapids Xavier Coach Duane Schulte was still trying to process the decision.

'I'm surprised,” Schulte said. 'I think it is the right thing to do.

'I didn't know they'd go back. We've always expanded instead of the other way.”

Activities Directors and Iowa Football Coaches Association were consulted before the Monday meeting. Multiple options were considered, including an eight-game regular season or a nine-game regular season with football beginning Aug. 1 and Week 0 play.

'It makes it tough on the kids,” said Cedar Rapids Washington head coach and AD Paul James, who led the Warriors to the Class 4A title game last year. 'I really think this may be a decision made in the best interest of the kids.”

The biggest concern was safety. Playoff teams faced short turnarounds, playing up to three games in 10 days and four in a two-week span on the front end. The postseason will provide more rest and recovery for the teams that advance, attempting to minimize players' risk for injury.

'Today's actions put in place a scenario for the football postseason which allows for one week between games,” IHSAA Executive Director Alan Beste said in a news release. 'The driving force behind this decision is player safety and keeping the best interest of our students at the forefront.”

The five-round format took its toll. Players and coaches adapted to it, even though the effects were noticeable.

'You kind of get used to the grind,” Schulte said. 'You still see the wear and tear going on.”

Competition has been in question since the addition of the round of 32. Blowouts have been more prevalent than nail biters or upsets. Since the playoff field doubled in 2008, 672 games have been played in the opening round of the postseason. Only 13.7 percent of those games have been decided by less than seven points.

'There are a lot of mismatches that first round,” James said. 'You run into schools with districts where a team that finishes third plays a team that finishes second and there are some good No. 3 vs. No. 2 matchups, but there weren't very many.”

Cedar Rapids Kennedy has been a postseason regular, qualifying every season of the expansion. The Cougars may not have reached the smaller field, but made the most of their opportunities, going 5-2 in first-round/substate games. Kennedy advanced to the quarterfinals in 2010 and 2013, beating Muscatine, 20-17, in the first round last year, despite a 3-8 overall mark.

'I think the new decision is a good thing, even though we benefitted from it in the past,” Kennedy Coach Brian White said. 'It makes qualifying for the playoffs that much more special for the 16 teams that do. It will be interesting to see how they determine who the 16 qualifiers are. That may lead to some interesting strategic decisions for our non-district games.

'Or maybe they decide to bring back conference play. I would love to see the Mississippi Valley Conference put back together. I guess I'm old-school with the MVC.”

Conferences aren't likely to return as the 16-team playoff field did, but questions still linger about how teams will make it and whether the bracket will be set. Currently, matchups are determined each round, making scouting and video exchanges a challenge.

'That's going to be interesting, too,” Schulte said. 'Last year, you didn't know who you would play next. In theory, you could be sending three scouts out as far as Sioux City, for all we knew.”

Players will get a whole week to rest, while coaches have a full week to prepare. Time was at a premium when transitioning from the second round to the state quarterfinal.

'It's tough to look at the kind of film you need to look at to get a game plan in a short amount of time,” James said. 'We all kind of felt the Friday-Friday-Friday scenario was coming down the pike.”

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