Apopka A.D. criticizes new FHSAA playoff plan
Apopka athletic director Russell Wambles sent an email to each of the Florida High School Athletic Association’s A.D. advisory committee members urging his peers on that panel to take a long look at a controversial proposal to restructure the state playoffs when they meet today in Gainesville.
“We’re talking about doing away with district tournaments and district championships,” Wambles said when contacted by the Sentinel on Monday night. “When you start saying no districts, you’re saying district championships mean nothing. That’s crazy.”
Wambles has ties to most of the FHSAA staffers who authored the proposal, which would reduce classifications and use power rankings rather than school size to place teams into state tournament divisions for the 2019-20 school year and beyond in the sports of basketball, girls volleyball, soccer, baseball and fastpitch softball.
He is now on the state athletic directors (FIAAA) board, but formerly was a longtime elected FHSAA representative on its board and other committees.
The FHSAA announced Tuesday that it is streaming the A.D. meeting live at 9 a.m. on its FHSAA YouTube channel and via GoToMeeting.com. Instructions are posted at FHSAA.org.
“I firmly believe that this FHSAA is more transparent than ever,” Wambles said. “They’re also more open-minded and willing to think outside the box, and I applaud that. We should always look at ways to do better. I just don’t think this is a good idea at this present time.”
An endorsement by the A.D. committee would maintain momentum for a measure scheduled to go to the FHSAA board of directors for discussion on Sept. 24, and to a vote by that group on Oct. 29. The committee could choose to not give its stamp of approval today or suggest revisions to the proposal.
Staff members have said change is needed to correct a system that has seen interest wane and attendance and revenue drop at FHSAA state tournaments.
They added that eliminating districts, which are realigned by the association in a painstaking process every other year, would free schools to schedule regular season opponents that best fit each of their sports programs.
“We’ve continually heard from schools that they can’t compete within their district in some sports,” administrator Justin Harrison said to the Sentinel in a June interview at FHSAA headquarters.
Wambles is joined by a number of coaches in suggesting that maintaining districts and simply cutting back from nine to six or seven classes – one element of the FHSAA plan – could go a long way in solving the issues of competitive balance and interest in state championships.
In his email, Wambles wrote:
“One of the issues that is rumored to have fueled this proposal was that the basketball state tournament is watered down with blow-outs and too long. And attendance is down. So if that’s the case why don’t we revert back to the days when attendance was awesome and we had many great, competitive games? It was a proven formula.”
The Florida High School Athletic Association is scheduled to hear appeals today by former Timber Creek football players who were ruled ineligible for athletic participation this fall after transferring to Winter Park.
The four players in question will go before a sectional appeal committee individually beginning at 11 a.m. at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala.
Standout running back Peter Hayes-Patrick, wide receiver Kendall Innis, defensive back Brendon Lightsey and defensive lineman Anthony Nixon Jr. each were ruled ineligible by the FHSAA two weeks ago.
Two of the transfers were found to have provided false residential information during the enrollment process.
Two others were said to have been provided housing by a parent of a current Winter Park player, which falls under an impermissible benefits state policy.
The FHSAA sectional appeal committee is made up of an attorney, representatives from public and private schools, and a school board member or superintendent.
Each party is granted a hearing of 20 minutes before a vote is rendered by the committee.
Hayes-Patrick, the younger brother of Florida State running back Jacques Patrick, entered the 2018 season as the 12th-ranked senior on the Sentinel Super 60 recruiting rankings. He is a coveted prospect with more than 10 Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offers.