Are larger programs better than smaller counterparts?

Sports leads to interesting debates and a constant comparison between different teams, sports and eras in an impossible quest to determine who is best.You have seen it when so-called experts compare Babe Ruth to modern-day home run hitters or Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan. Prep football doesn't necessarily need to be exempt. Just ask yourself a couple questions. Would Solon have won three straight titles in Class 3A or 4A? If they were in Class 2A or 1A, would the likes of Cedar Rapids Washington, Xavier, Linn-Mar or Marion be able to match the achievements of some of the smaller schools?Those questions lead to a bigger query whether bigger means better when comparing prep football programs and their accomplishments in the Iowa High School Athletic Association's five 11-man classes. Comparisons will likely start again as teams from across the state will compete in Week 1 of the prep football season Friday.It serves as conversation for fans. Don't expect coaches or players to get caught up in the topic.“It's one of those subjects that people like to talk about," Linn-Mar Coach Bob Forsyth said. "It makes good for good coffee-time talk, but as far as what we're focusing on is the schedule put in front of us.”The Solon Spartans have been in the center of the discussion recently. The Spartans have won 41 straight games, claiming three straight Class 2A state titles. Last season,  many debated Solon could be a team talented enough to compete with some of the biggest schools in Eastern Iowa. Solon Coach Kevin Miller was aware of chatter, but doesn't buy in to it."Last year, there were several comparisons made between Solon and (Iowa) City High and (Cedar Rapids) Washington. I don't even like to discuss those type of things," Miller said. "It's a schedule. We're talking about a season here. Not a one-and-done type of thing. The grind not only of the nine-week season, but the playoffs and going all the way to the championship that takes its toll on you."That is where the difference lies according to Miller. It can be as simple as a numbers game. Smaller schools just don't have as many kids to ease the strain of a taxing schedule. Sure, depth is a key factor in success, but only 11 players take the field at a time. If you have 11 talented players, theoretically, you'd be able to play against anybody."I think there's some credence to that, however, again, it's that grind," said Miller, referring to the Mississippi Valley Conference as a prime example for how demanding a 4A schedule can be. "You're playing a formidable opponent weekly at the 4A level."Quantity doesn't assure quality. Forsyth a number of intangibles influence a program's success, and even though 4A programs do have a larger pool to pull talent from the players have to be there.“You certainly get a good chance to choose from it, but that doesn't guarantee you that you'll have those good football players in each class,” Forsyth said. “While it's a numbers game for 4A schools, I've had a chance to coach in college and I've seen good football players at all levels.”North Tama Coach Brent Thoren said all programs face a similar battle, trying to get athletes to participate. He said more opportunities in bigger cities where larger schools reside provide a distraction and could keep some from joining football, however, small schools rarely benefit from athletes being able to focus on one sport.“You get to have kids that are sports specific, whether they play just one or two sports,” Thoren said. “Now, for us, we've got kids that have played four sports. We have kids out for football who play fall baseball on Saturdays.”Coincidentally, City High and Solon are represented on the University of Iowa football team this season. A.J. Derby, an all-state quarterback, led the Little Hawks to a Class 4A state title last season before enrolling for the spring semester at Iowa. All-stater James Morris was a key component in Solon's four straight state finals appearances. They've gone from different classes to teammates to the highest level of amateur football.Talent is talent and can be found anywhere. Take Aplington-Parkersburg which produced four NFL linemen in Jared DeVries, Aaron Kampman, Brad Meetser and Casey Wiegmann, while winning 1A state titles. Derby said he believes good high school players can be competitive in any class. Morris is one of those players.“We really haven't had a chance to talk about it, but Solon obviously was a great team," Derby said. "They won state pretty easily and he's a great player.”Morris proved to be one of the best players in the state, regardless of what class he competed. How would the Spartans do if they suited up to battle Derby's Little Hawks?“It's impossible to say. Impossible," Morris said. "We would have come out and played Solon football. We would not have known what the match ups are because we did not have any similar opponents. Both were good teams in their own right and that's how they are going to be remembered.”It's hard to say whether the feats of Solon or North Tama, which shut out 10 of its 13 opponents on its way to the Class A state semifinals last season, could have been done in the class with the largest enrollments. Naysayers might discredit the achievements based on which level teams play."There might be a little bit," Miller said. "It probably does happen. We don't discuss those type of things."Some light might be shed on the topic as Solon jumps up to Class 3A for the first time. They open against DeWitt Central on Friday. Morris isn't worried about his former team taking on bigger schools."As far as Solon this year, they'll be fine," Morris said. "They have an awesome coaching staff.”Coaching is consistent throughout the classes. Cedar Rapids Xavier Duane Schulte certainly proved it can be done on any level. He led Cedar Rapids LaSalle to small-school playoffs before guiding the Saints to the 2006 Class 4A state title. Schulte said they're are good coaches and players in all classes, and one of his biggest tasks was merging LaSalle and Cedar Rapids Regis programs.Many coaches attend clinics together and often engage one another, even college coaches, in how to improve. Thoren said he and his staff are proactive in reaching out to other coaches.“We take it from the standpoint that we're going to be very progressive,” Thoren said. “We have a philosophy in an offensive and defensive system we believe that works. We're always looking for something else or a new wrinkle to add to that. That's just our mentality.”Fans will be left to wonder and argue about how teams in different classes would stack up against each other. The question will never be definitively answered.“There's all kinds of good programs,” Forsyth said. “There's programs at big schools that do really well. There's programs at small schools that do really well. As far as matching them up against each other, that's a hypothetical that will never happen.”