A new football season has officially started for everyone. A few schools began workouts Monday July 26 (Zero Week) with their first games set for Friday Aug. 22 Saturday Aug. 23, including Mountain Pointe and Brophy for games in the annual Sollenberger Classic in Las Vegas.

Everyone else chimed in Monday Aug. 4 to prepare for their first game Friday Aug. 29 or Saturday Aug. 30. Another exciting season has fans salivating with anticipation. A few any way. Not enough.

Division I continues to be dominated by five schools -- Hamilton, Mountain Pointe, Brophy, Chandler and Desert Ridge. Division II is pretty much about Chaparral, Centennial, Salpointe and Marcos de Niza, Ironwood Ridge. A school here or there occasionally slips in to the mix like Desert Vista did in 2011 in D-I or as Mesquite did last year in D-II. Don't think transfers and open enrollment isn't effecting the other divisions, but the focus here is on D-I and D-II.

Coaches try to be excited about the dawn of a new season. I'm sure many are genuine to that end, but it's hard given today's climate of transfers spurred more often than not by selfish motives.  

When coaches respond to a preseason prospectus, it seems more and more these days they are identifying their biggest strength as "great attitude" or "hard-working group". What coach at any school, including those mentioned above, can count on having good/great players stick around and help his school freshman through senior year. That number is dwindling.

Pro athletes change teams for money. Big money. It's their livelihood. College athletes transfer, but they often have to sit out a year before they are eligible to play again. High school kids, often spurred by a parent(s), change schools quickly to escape a .500 program or below or one perceived not to be very good the next season. They exit for a school known to have a top-flight quarterback or a perceived weaknessor oportunity  at some position their kid just happens to play.

It's easy to transfer in today's high school world. Many schools and coaches want to see it limited, but lack the drive to put the clamps on it. Perhaps they've been  worn down by the lack of success in slowing transfers over the last decade or so in particular.

Schools tried to strike a blow to the revolving door of transfers a little over a year ago through AIA Legislatve Council action. A reasonable bid to put a transfer limitation on the books was offered, but at the last minute was sabotaged, some got cold feet or both.

So I'll make a plea I've made for some time again. Schools, administrators somebody, put something in motion regarding transfers in athletics in Arizona this year. Anything. A baby step would be welcome.

Absent that and with football the subject  maybe it is time to construct a super division since many of the top players open enrolling or transferring seem to gravitate to schools with the most success. Realignment is coming up again this fall by the way.

How about a 16-team super division (keep calling it D-I. Based on overall success and playoff trips to the quarterfinals or better the last five years, here's the new D-I. It's comprised of top D-I (5A-I) and D-II (5A-II) schools -- Hamilton, Chandler, Basha, Mountain Pointe, Desert Vista, Desert Ridge, Red Mountain, Brophy, Pinnacle, Westview, Centennial, Chaparral, Salpointe, Marcos de Niza, Ironwood Ridge and Mesquite.

Allow the top eight teams or maybe top 12 to qualify for playoffs. Split them into two eight-team sections. If top eight teams qualify, have a bye for all teams the week after the regular-season ends and then play three rounds seeded 1-8. If 12 teams qualify have top four seeds receive a first-round bye and contest four-pigtail games the first week to round out the quarterfinalists the following week. The remaining 19 D-I schools would shift over to D-II.

With a new D-I (super division) elite schools get competition they're seeking week-in and week-out, albeit to the max. Their programs, which are for the most part affluent, can handle it. Many of them don't want to play schools they routinely rout and the feeling is mutual. These are the schools freshmen who open enroll and transfers flock to so why not put them together to play together and maybe it even the playing field in D-II.

Open enrollment and transferring without penalty have tilted the playing field irrevocably. The former is here to stay and if the latter can't be checked, why not reshuffle the deck. Fans for more than 10 to 20 schools might then have something to be excited about when football comes around in August and have a more realistic chance of ultimate success in late November or early December. 

 

 

 

 

 

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