Massachusetts high school football should be ashamed of itself

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

College football fans are upset because they don't have the opportunity to watch a tournament. Massachusetts high school football fans should be upset that they have too many to watch.

Massashusetts is one of only two states in the COUNTRY that does not have a true state champion in football. In the past, the top teams in Western Mass. and Central Mass. would play each other for a regional championship, while Eastern Mass. would feature the top representatives from Northeast Mass. and Southeast Mass.

This year, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association began a trend moving in the wrong direction, splitting Western and Central Mass., giving each of them a regional tournament. under the new alignment, the top four teams in each division play a semifinal, with the winners playing a final game for regional bragging rights. It's old news at this point as this realignment was actually announced last year, but it's certainly fresh in my mind after covering a Western Mass. football playoff game last night.

The worst part is the MIAA has the gall to call these games Super Bowls. While there's nothing wrong with claiming yourself champion of your region, wouldn't it mean more if you could at least have the reward of playing for a state title?

Much larger states in terms of area and population manage to hold statewide championships. Why can't a state like Massachusetts? Bottom line is money. The MIAA can get more gate by holding multiple tournaments at multiple sites. Massachusetts might not have the best talent in the nation, but there is passion for the sport here and teams come out. With regional playoffs and championships, the MIAA knows that the odds of natural rivals facing each other in games, or teams that played classics earlier in the year, are way up and both are a huge draw. That was proven correct this week with matchups between regional rivals such as Palmer vs. Ware and St. John's vs. Shrewsbury as well as Frontier and Athol, who played a thriller earlier in the season.

Those will make an argument that this at least gives the perceived weaker teams from Cenral and Western Mass. a chance to win a championship, that they wouldn't have a chance to compete with the Eastern Mass. powers. Maybe that's true, but shouldn't they at least have a chance? Isn't that what a tournament is all about?

I am reminded of a time when I was working in Southwest Vermont, covering area high school sports, as well as a couple teams just over the border in New York. That year Cambridge, a town of less than 2,000 people, beat two teams from towns up to three times their size to go to the state championship. Granted, they lost in the title game, but it illustrates my point that in tournament play, anything can happen.

Massachusetts has sacrificed having the best teams from each area playing each other for a real title so that they can have more tickets sold by having the parents of 4-6 teams pay to watch in the slim hopes they can win a phony title.

Congratulations, Massachusetts.