They had a good team, a good coach and a good program. The kids were well rested, playoff tested and seemed to be peaking at the right time.
So, naturally, they get routed in the Super Bowl. The final score wasn't much different than the score in the Thanksgiving game where they started the JV.
What went wrong?
Duxbury didn't choke, the coach wasn't outsmarted and we were not robbed by the refs. The other team, Springfield Central, didn't cheat. They were the better team.
The big flaw in the equation is "Duxbury vs Springfield Central."
Duxbury is a small town by any measure. There is one stop light in the whole town. There are 15,000 people in town, and the high school (9-12) has about 1000 kids. Most of the town is relatively affluent, and they are as white as a Trump rally.
Springfield has 150,000 diverse people. It is the state's 3rd largest city, trailing Boston and Worcester. There are several high schools in the city, although some are charter schools and Sci-Tech type schools. The Voke-Tech in town is bigger than Duxbury High, as is the Commerce School. Springfield Central, yesterday's opponent, has 2500 kids. It is the largest school in Western Massachusetts.
What in the name of Ditka was Duxbury doing up against a town with 150,000 people?
Duxbury is Division 3. So is Springfield Central. How is this so?
Western Massachusetts is an odd place, and the MIAA has to level everything. Western Mass has Springfield, Holyoke and... and a whole bunch of small towns. I don't mean Duxbury small, I mean "Monroe, pop. 112" small.
Springfield Central doesn't have many equals out there. They have to travel to find competition, taking on big eastern schools like Everett and Catholic Memorial. This article wouldn't exist if the Super Bowl was Central vs Catholic Memorial.
Springfield Central gets a big perk from the MIAA. Eastern Massachusetts is divided into 8 divisions, based on school size. They run 1 through 8. Taunton, which has 2500 kids, is a division 1 school. Hull, which has 389 kids, is Division 8.
Western Massachusetts has 4 groupings... Divisions 3, 5, 7 and 8. There is no Division 1, nor 2.
How can that be, when Central is larger than Division 1 New Bedford?
Central is benefited by a new rule. Urban schools with 50% high need (usually language based) and 40% economically disadvantaged students, or schools scoring 90 combined in these two categories, get a two division handicap. Division 1 schools become Division 3.
Duxbury, who should have been facing Longmeadow or Amherst based on school size, instead got to take on a school with 2500 kids. The result could best be described as a slaughter.
Duxbury, the MIAA would argue, offsets the population gap by A) Duxbury students and the coach all speak English, B) Duxbury kids are more likely to have healthier diets, C) Duxbury kids can afford Pop Warner and football camp, D) Duxbury kids are less likely to drop out and E) Dad is around throughout childhood to play catch.
I'd personally trade that for 300 pounders on the line and sprinter-speed wide recievers and cornerbacks. You can't teach size and speed, and you are more likely to find size and speed if you are choosing from 2500 kids instead off 1000.
I'm sure there are outliers to make a lie of this statement, but I'd rather live in somebody's garage in Duxbury than one of the better houses in Springfield. But if I had a football game to win...
What went wrong?
Duxbury didn't choke, the coach wasn't outsmarted and we were not robbed by the refs. The other team, Springfield Central, didn't cheat. They were the better team.
The big flaw in the equation is "Duxbury vs Springfield Central."
Duxbury is a small town by any measure. There is one stop light in the whole town. There are 15,000 people in town, and the high school (9-12) has about 1000 kids. Most of the town is relatively affluent, and they are as white as a Trump rally.
Springfield has 150,000 diverse people. It is the state's 3rd largest city, trailing Boston and Worcester. There are several high schools in the city, although some are charter schools and Sci-Tech type schools. The Voke-Tech in town is bigger than Duxbury High, as is the Commerce School. Springfield Central, yesterday's opponent, has 2500 kids. It is the largest school in Western Massachusetts.
What in the name of Ditka was Duxbury doing up against a town with 150,000 people?
Duxbury is Division 3. So is Springfield Central. How is this so?
Western Massachusetts is an odd place, and the MIAA has to level everything. Western Mass has Springfield, Holyoke and... and a whole bunch of small towns. I don't mean Duxbury small, I mean "Monroe, pop. 112" small.
Springfield Central doesn't have many equals out there. They have to travel to find competition, taking on big eastern schools like Everett and Catholic Memorial. This article wouldn't exist if the Super Bowl was Central vs Catholic Memorial.
Springfield Central gets a big perk from the MIAA. Eastern Massachusetts is divided into 8 divisions, based on school size. They run 1 through 8. Taunton, which has 2500 kids, is a division 1 school. Hull, which has 389 kids, is Division 8.
Western Massachusetts has 4 groupings... Divisions 3, 5, 7 and 8. There is no Division 1, nor 2.
How can that be, when Central is larger than Division 1 New Bedford?
Central is benefited by a new rule. Urban schools with 50% high need (usually language based) and 40% economically disadvantaged students, or schools scoring 90 combined in these two categories, get a two division handicap. Division 1 schools become Division 3.
Duxbury, who should have been facing Longmeadow or Amherst based on school size, instead got to take on a school with 2500 kids. The result could best be described as a slaughter.
Duxbury, the MIAA would argue, offsets the population gap by A) Duxbury students and the coach all speak English, B) Duxbury kids are more likely to have healthier diets, C) Duxbury kids can afford Pop Warner and football camp, D) Duxbury kids are less likely to drop out and E) Dad is around throughout childhood to play catch.
I'd personally trade that for 300 pounders on the line and sprinter-speed wide recievers and cornerbacks. You can't teach size and speed, and you are more likely to find size and speed if you are choosing from 2500 kids instead off 1000.
I'm sure there are outliers to make a lie of this statement, but I'd rather live in somebody's garage in Duxbury than one of the better houses in Springfield. But if I had a football game to win...
A school of 1000 means basically 500 boys and 500 girls. A school of 2500 has 1250 boys to choose from the student body to play football, a boy's sport!!!!
ReplyDelete