VIFL proposes new alignments

The new alignment for the 2013 and 2014 Vermont Interscholastic Football League seasons won't be a seismic shift, but it promises to be something more than a tweak.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20121127/SPORTS02/711279911

Published November 27, 2012 in the Rutland Herald VIFL proposes new alignments By Tom Haley STAFF WRITER WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The new alignment for the 2013 and 2014 Vermont Interscholastic Football League seasons won’t be a seismic shift, but it promises to be something more than a tweak. The VIFL and Vermont Principals Association will act on the proposal at a meeting on Dec. 6 in Montpelier. Nothing will be certain until after that session. Here are the main changes on the table: u Montpelier is unlikely to field a varsity team in 2013 and probably 2014, reducing the number of teams in Vermont to 33. “We have told Montpelier that they have to give us a firm answer by Dec. 6, but they definitely appear to be going that way,” VIFL scheduler/treasurer Mike O’Day told VIFL members on Monday evening in a meeting at Hartford High School. u Springfield and Otter Valley will be dropping down from Division II to Division III. u Spaulding will be going from Division I to Division II and St. Johnsbury might be coming down with them. O’Day said there had been a split at St. Johnsbury about whether to drop to Division II. If Spaulding alone goes down, that will leave D-I with 13 teams. St. Johnsbury’s move would give the division 12 teams. Brattleboro, Mount Anthony and Burlington were asked to go down originally and all declined, said O’Day. u There is also a proposal to have eight teams qualify for the playoffs in each division. The past two seasons, eight teams have qualified among the 14 in Division I but only four for Division II and four for Division III. There was also discussion about not tying the playoff structure to the alignment vote on Dec. 6 and making it a separate issue. There were some coaches in Division II and III who did not want to see the playoff teams increased. Mill River coach Art Peterson was most outspoken on the matter, wishing to cap the playoff teams in D-III at four. He also was among those not wanting to tie the playoff structure to the alignment issue. “I have mixed emotions on it,” Otter Valley coach Jim Hill said of his team’s move to Division III. He felt his Otters were competitive in Division II and liked the challenge. But he also liked the new rivalries and less travel in Division III. OV’s relocation to Division III gives that division four Rutland County teams: Mount St. Joseph, Mill River, Poultney and Otter Valley. “There are not many daunting road trips,” Hill said. “I am looking forward to renewing the rivalry with Mount Abraham. We are now playing teams we have good rivalries with in a lot of others ports. I think this gives us a real opportunity.” “Otter Valley gives us another local team in Division III,” Peterson said. O’Day said he felt the meeting on Dec. 6 could be tougher than usual with more teams submitting petitions to be placed in a division other than where the proposal has them going. Some at the meeting speculated that U-32 would petition to go down from Division II to Division III. “There always has been bubble teams and there always will be bubble teams,” said Bob Davis, who is in his final season as chairman of the alignment committee. “We put a lot of work into it and we try to do what is best for football in Vermont.” VIFL Executive Secretary Bob Hingston praised Davis for his work with alignment over the years. “He has done a great job and his legal background has been a big help,” Hingston said. “Bob was always the voice of reason.” Hingston said he knows not every school is going to be placed at the level they want to play at. “There is no perfect system. All 34 schools are not going to be 100 percent happy,” the Windsor athletic director said. CVU coach Jim Provost expressed his displeasure with the rule penalizing celebration. He used the example of one of his players who sailed 98 yards to a touchdown on a quarterback sneak, raised his hands just for a moment when crossing the goal line and was flagged for it. Provost said that, by the “letter of the law,” it was probably a penalty. But he argued that “intent” should be factored into the call or no-call. Once the new alignment becomes official on Dec. 6, O’Day will go about constructing the schedule for the 2013 season. He normally finishes the schedule over the holiday break. The meeting on Dec. 6 lends itself to debate and the possibility of becoming contentious. But O’Day and Hingston emphasized that by the time they leave Montpelier that day, the alignment will have to be firm. The Montpelier meeting will also include a discussion about how enrollments of co-op teams like the Mount Abraham-Vergennes football team should be factored into where those teams are placed. Right now there is no formula for enrollment numbers for co-op teams. Trophies were presented to Hartford in Division I, Rice in Division II and Woodstock in Division III for winning the regular season championships. All three went on to win their state titles. The Sportsmanship Award was presented to Bellows Falls and BFA-Fairfax. Hingston praised South Burlington officials for the way in which the state championship day was handled at their school. All three titles game were played at the turf facility. “We had three great games, big crowds and everything ran smoothly,” Hingston said.