Further evidence that Western Kansas is dying off: the 2A-1A football playoff bracket(ing) is being cut from 32 teams to 16 teams in 2009.
The bracket will now look exactly the 8-man playoffs.
KSHSAA made the changes because fewer and fewer teams are competing in the 2A-1A classification. If a school consolidates with another, usually they fall into 3A class, and if they don't consolidate the school, assuming, they already play 8-man football anyway.
The fact that the playoff situation is being changed, brings up a larger issue. A census report confirmed that every county in Western Kansas has seen a decline in population since the 70's, and from living out here and visiting some of these towns, it's the truth.
The families in town raise kids, to keep the population going, but once the kids head off to college, they usually don't return.
So as the town population declines, the school population declines too. And as fewer and fewer kids fill the halls, they usually don't have the kids to fill out a football team, and consolidation is often the only option.
LaCrosse High School flirted with the idea of consolidating with Otis-Bison (a school that has already been consolidated) and becoming Rush County High. (one thing no one wants to admit is often when schools think about consolidate - the two towns often hate each other and don't want to consolidate.)
It makes me wonder if there will even be a 2A-1A football class in the future of will every little school play 8-man football??
The bracket will now look exactly the 8-man playoffs.
KSHSAA made the changes because fewer and fewer teams are competing in the 2A-1A classification. If a school consolidates with another, usually they fall into 3A class, and if they don't consolidate the school, assuming, they already play 8-man football anyway.
The fact that the playoff situation is being changed, brings up a larger issue. A census report confirmed that every county in Western Kansas has seen a decline in population since the 70's, and from living out here and visiting some of these towns, it's the truth.
The families in town raise kids, to keep the population going, but once the kids head off to college, they usually don't return.
So as the town population declines, the school population declines too. And as fewer and fewer kids fill the halls, they usually don't have the kids to fill out a football team, and consolidation is often the only option.
LaCrosse High School flirted with the idea of consolidating with Otis-Bison (a school that has already been consolidated) and becoming Rush County High. (one thing no one wants to admit is often when schools think about consolidate - the two towns often hate each other and don't want to consolidate.)
It makes me wonder if there will even be a 2A-1A football class in the future of will every little school play 8-man football??
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