From the Bench: Lack of Common Sense Continues to Rule the Day for Prep Sports across West Virginia
By Jeff Toquinto on August 25, 2024 from Sports Blog
High School football season is less than a week from kicking off, but there is already news as it relates to the 2024 season. From the perspective of this blog, it is not good news.
Before starting, let me clearly point out one thing. Recent changes and recommended changes – from the transfer portal that is legal to the attempt to allow kids to play travel ball during the regular season – is not the result of foolishness of the WVSSAC.
It is, in fact, the West Virginia Legislature that brought us the transfer portal that, no matter how anyone tries to paint it, is a total mess. That is the same body that wanted to let kids play travel ball, and even worse, allow high school coaches to coach travel ball, during the 
season.
season.
I am betting that legislation will be back for the upcoming session. I digress.
That brings me to the latest mess involving sports governed by the WVSSAC. On August 16, the WVSSAC sent out a press release that a second batch of schools would go down, for football purposes only, a classification in the state’s four-class football system. That came on the heels of a previous announcement of schools dropping down a classification.
All told, there are 22 schools that have moved down. On social media at least, the number of folks blaming the WVSSAC for the move is easily 10 times that, and that is likely underscoring the actual number.
The most recent decision, like the transfer portal, was not approved by the WVSSAC. In fact, the WVSSAC voted against letting the schools move down. The decision is courtesy of the “Review Board” of the WVSSAC, which you may have noticed has been added to the WVSSAC graphic to help avoid confusion.
With that out of the way, this is not so much about whether the decision made for each individual school was right or wrong because the decisions may very well be just and those 22 schools have to look out for their best interest, but rather the timing. I will not delve into my thoughts of the blanket approval, but this decision could have implications for teams that are not part of the process approved by the Review Board.
How so?
As many that follow know, prep football’s postseason is determined by not just wins and losses, but by the strength of the teams they play and their schedule. There are also points based on playing teams in class or in a different class. Play a team in a higher class, more points. Play a team in a lower class, less points. As part of the mathematical equation, you can play a team in a lower class that is a powerhouse beating teams in their own and higher classifications, and still earn plenty of points, but the goal is to play teams in class or higher.
Bridgeport had a schedule, prior to the Review Board’s decision, which consisted of five Class AAAA teams and five Class AAA teams. After the decision, they have three in Class AAAA, six Class AAA foes, and one Class AA opponent.
Will it impact the Indians making the playoffs and, if so, will it impact their positioning? I do not think it is me pumping up BHS saying the 
team will likely make the playoffs since they have done so for decades. It could, however, impact how far the team advances in the Class AAA postseason if they are there because they may not get to host games if they have a banner season based on coming up short on the points formula.
team will likely make the playoffs since they have done so for decades. It could, however, impact how far the team advances in the Class AAA postseason if they are there because they may not get to host games if they have a banner season based on coming up short on the points formula.
They are not alone. Greenbrier East, Morgantown, Doddridge County, heck, pick a school and they likely have been impacted.
The worst part about the decision is that the schools remaining in their classification, those who have nothing to do with the changes, will face the impact. Teams will still get 15 points for a Class AAAA win, 12 for a victory over a AAA team, nine for a win vs. any Class AA opponents, and six for a victory against a Class A opponent.
However, it was my thought that, for this year at least, for the 22 teams that went down in class that those playing them who beat them would still maintain those points as if they were still in their prior classification. After all, the Board of Review’s decision has to be about fairness (and probably the term player safety got thrown about.)
Nope. It is not happening. You play a team that moved down you scheduled thinking they were in a certain classification the reward is you
get reduced points if you win.
get reduced points if you win.
This does not take into consideration the amount of time many athletic directors spend putting together a schedule. For some who thought they had things figured out for their schedule for the next few years, it very well could be back to the drawing board once again.
Sound fair? Of course not. Maybe it is a good life lesson that things are not always fair, but this is just stupidity to make this change and force the folks at the WVSSAC – the actual ones putting in daily work – to work around it. And as noted above, it is also going to make for a whole lot of changes to schedules next year that I imagine many athletic directors have already began looking at.
“The review board granted all (22) appeals. So, with that said, it came to our office … and we were left with having to move to make those changes this close to football season,” said WVSSAC Director David Price, who added “we didn’t have a choice in the matter,” during a radio appearance August 19 on The Sports Mix.
The worst part? Who knows where it ends? I may be wrong, but this sure smells like something facing a future legal challenge. And while the classification changes are only for football, it seems to me a legal challenge on why it is not being adopted for all sports – particularly if “player safety” was mentioned – might be successful.
In fairness, I am no legal scholar. Those reading this would probably say I am no scholar at all.
I am, however, a person that has been around prep sports in the state long enough when I see things that do not make a whole lot of sense stand out. From four classes in a state that does not need that number to legislatively mandated transfer rules and last second changes, a lack of common sense is the new normal.
Do you want abusdity? There are 16 teams left in Class AAAA. All 16 teams will be in the postseason. There are going to be horrendous early-round matchups and the very real possibility where player safety is not going to be as feasible as those involved would like.
As for the state of prep sports in West Virginia, things just keep changing for the worse, even if a change is merited for the 22 schools in this case, it still gets messed up. There is plenty of blame to go around. Just make sure this latest round of blame is placed at the feet of the Review Board of the WVSSAC and not the WVSSAC itself.
Editor's Note: Top image is the WVSSAC logo showing "Review Board" on it for the latest decision impacting prep sports and, in this case, football. Second photo are of the BHS seniors for 2024, while the next three photos show - in order - Preston, Buckhannon-Upshur, and Lincoln in games from 2023. All player and action shots by Joe LaRocca.
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