Cover story: 4A dilemma

CEDAR  RAPIDS -- Resigned to the notion that this will be the last year of Mississippi Valley Conference football?Don't be.So says Todd Tharp, assistant director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association."I'm pretty confident that the current system on the east side of the state will continue (beyond this season)," Tharp said.In the world of Class 4A football, there are two different qualifying systems for the playoffs.* In the West, 24 teams are divided into four divisions of six teams each. Four teams from each division qualify for the playoffs.* In the East, 14 teams compete in the MVC and 10 play in the Mississippi Athletic Conference. The 16 teams with the highest point total earn the playoff berths, then are seeded."It certainly seems goofy that the West has it one way and the East has it another," Tharp said. "But because of geography and travel, each system works for each side of the state."The current 4A system was adopted in the winter of 2012. The district deck is reshuffled every two years, and this is the second year of the current cycle. Many assumed the entire state would adopt the concept of divisional football in 4A (the other classes have had districts since 1992) in time for the 2014 season."I would be surprised if they don't (go to divisions)," said Cedar Rapids Kennedy Coach Tim Lewis. "We may not have a choice, but whatever they decide, we'll live with."Tharp said the IHSAA is not encouraging a shift on the east side of the state."We have no plan to go to the MVC and the MAC and say, 'Hey, we're breaking up (the current system)," Tharp said. "Somebody would have to approach us."(In 2012), schools on the west side said, 'We can't come up with a schedule. We need your help.' In the end, schools on the east side said, 'We're fine as we are.'"And that's what I would expect again."Currently, three East-side schools -- Cedar Rapids Xavier and Dubuque Wahlert from the MVC and Davenport Assumption from the MAC -- have enrollments under the 700-student limit (grades 10-12), and are currently playing "above class" as part of their conference affiliations. In other words, if divisional football was enacted, those three schools would be assigned to Class 3A.North Scott's enrollment is 713.On the other hand, Xavier has proven it can compete successfully with the big boys. The Saints were 4A state champions in 2006, reached the finals last year and quite possibly will be ranked No. 1 to start this season."I think a lot comes down to what the parochial schools want to do," said Paul James, athletics director and coach at Cedar Rapids Washington. "It would be nice to keep our conference affiliations. I don't want to see the rivalries go by the wayside."Lewis said, "I kind of go back and forth. The Valley is great competition and I love the rivalries. On the other hand, the playoffs are fun because we get a chance to play teams like Muscatine and Bettendorf."I'm sure that if we do go to divisional football, we'd still be playing Washington and Jefferson each year."Enrollment numbers will be provided by the schools after the football season, then Tharp will start work at constructing districts and schedules for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.