ATLANTA, Georgia--Earlier this month the Georgia High School Athletic Association (GHSAA), which governs high school sports in most of the state’s schools, agreed to allow its lowest classification, Class A, to have separate playoffs for public schools and private schools. The vote was 37-12. Publics and privates would still face each other during the regular season.
Why this ruling is significant is that it may set a precedent for other states to follow. Not surprisingly, this same public-private debate has been raging for some time throughout the country without a real resolution. All states differ in the way they handle things. Texas does split public and private leagues in football, but allows private schools to join public leagues in the other sports –with the exception of a few parochial teams in Dallas and Houston. Oklahoma thinks it has solved the problem by moving the top-rated private schools into a higher classification, thereby creating more parity. Colorado is much like Georgia and is looking at the Peach State’s most recent Class A ruling as a potential model for the future. In Ohio, the publics and privates play each other, but privates in Cleveland and Cincinnati usually finish at the head of the pack.
In fact, if you think of the big names in high school football throughout the country, they are often—too often for some fans liking-- private schools. They include such powerhouses as Don Bosco in Ramsey, New Jersey; De La Salle of Concord California; Cincinnati’s Moeller and St. Xavier; Shilo Christian in Arkansas; Regus Jesuit in the Seattle area; Trinity in Louisville and, of course, Savannah Christian and Landmark Christian, two of this year’s most highly rated teams in Georgia.
Best in the Nation
Don Bosco, which has now won 46 straight games and six straight New Jersey state championships, is the classic example. The Ironmen are so good that many schools, even other privates, don’t want to play them. In one of only four games they played against public schools in 2011, Bosco handily defeated New Jersey’s Clifton High, which had a 5-2 record at the time, 43-12-- after beating them the previous year 71-0. Bosco took mercy this time after leading 43-0 at the half. Outside of playing a few local schools each year, Bosco must go national to find opponents.
In Arkansas, the perception of private school dominance may be there, but the facts show otherwise. According to a special report in an on-line magazine called Progressive Arkansas, which deals with legislative issues (including who plays who in football), “of the 211 high school football teams in the state of Arkansas , 12 are from private schools…5.68%.” The report also says that “ of the 130…teams who made the playoffs last year (2010), seven were from private schools…5.38%.” Conclusion? In Arkansas being a private school doesn’t give you an edge. http://www.progressivearkansas.com/content/about-us.
Crux of the matter
Despite the Arkansas example, it’s a fact that private schools have several big advantages. The first and foremost is their ability to recruit. While public schools are limited by districts, private schools can acquire talented student athletes from throughout the area. Because of their success, privates garner more media attention-- something publics resent. And whether they admit it or not, the quest for high rankings may drive top teams to run up the score.
So what’s the answer? The answer should lie in what is best for the students. While many officials, fans and others differ even on that subject, having the best interests of the student in mind will at least guide the discussion and lead governing bodies to the right, if not the most popular, answer.
Quick take…another spinoff of the above discussion is what to do with home-schooled students. When in high school Tim Tebow was allowed to participate in football at his district’s school in Florida, even while being home schooled. Now Alabama wants the same opportunity for its students and is attempting to make it happen with the passage of what they are calling “The Tebow Act."
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