Something to this whole private school issue?

[heathwaldrop]

Out of 24 teams remaining in the state playoffs across all classifications, six of them (a quarter) are private schools: Catholic (AAAAA); Pulaski Academy, Shiloh Christian and Central Arkansas Christian (AAA); and Harding Academy and Episcopal (AA).

I don't know what the percentage of football-playing private schools is statewide, but it sure shooting is NOT 25 percent. So the private schools have a far greater representation in the playoffs, considering their ratios, than do the public schools. And bear in mind that there are no private schools competing in Class AAAA football at all.

My question is, what do you attribute this to? Clearly there is a significant amount of pressure there from the AAA's member schools (by that I mean the activities association, not Class AAA), which is why the private school multiplier was created and then expanded. But what is at the source of that successful strong-arm tactic? Clearly there must be something. You can't just say arbitrarily "Oh well, these teams are doing way better than everybody else is, so we're going to handicap them." There has to be some logical and legitimate reason for that, otherwise it probably could not be done legally. But what is that reason?

Some would have you believe that the reason is recruiting. Clearly that can't be the reason. I don't doubt that some recruiting goes on but it has to be mild compared with what some are suspecting. Most of those schools don't have great athleticism as you would see at a place where recruiting is taking place. Most of the time those schools cannot compete on a purely-athletic level with the teams that they play against, yet they still win. Besides, recruiting is outlawed by the AAA already, whether by private schools or public ones, and most of these private schools have been investigated for it at one time or another. None of them ever has been found guilty of any wrongdoing. For years the AAA has required that any player who transfers to a private school must sit out the next season; that alone should shield any recruiting.

So it can't be recruiting. Then what is it? Clearly it's nothing against AAA rules or the AAA would be sanctioning the schools already for other violations, and the multiplier wouldn't be necessary. It has to be something intrinsic to private schooling that the AAA believes provides an unfair advantage.

Any ideas?

[Bohoppa]

I think it has to do more with recruiting. The kids are usally brought in in the junior high program. Evangel christian in shreveport is a prime example. Their high school enrollment is only about 400 Students yet they competed in 5a football for the past few years winning about five state titles and nationally ranked for the majority of that time. That is very significant because they are competing with schools that have enrollment up to 3000 students. This year the 5a schools voted them out and back down to 1a where thier enrollment takes them.

[heathwaldrop]

I have no doubts that Evangel Christian in Shreveport recruits, but the recruiting rules are more lax (or loosely-enforced) than in Arkansas.

Most of these private schools have had fairly few Division I recruits. Shiloh Christian has had I think two, possibly three, D-I signees since it starting having its good run around 1996 or 1997. One of them went to Tulsa, not exactly a powerhouse. Only one of them (Wes Murphy) had NOT been there since elementary school, and he didn't even get to play his senior year because of eligibility issues. Harding Academy has had one (who was the son of one of Harding University's coaches and had been there since kindergarten). Episcopal didn't even have a football program at all until two or three years ago. Catholic hasn't had a Division I signee in probably 20 years or more, if ever. CAC never has had one.

Pulaski Academy is the only one that has had a fair number of high-level recruits in recent years.

So if it's recruiting, then why aren't these teams getting great players? Moreover, why aren't they getting great athletes? Shiloh has become fairly athletic, and Catholic and PA are solid in that department too. But the other ones aren't what you would call athletic at all. CAC especially. Probably isn't a player in that program who can clock faster than about a 4.7 40 time, and CAC is the defending state champ.

[greeneagle]

....sole reason is not recruiting.....some parents will go the extra mile to place kids of some physical talent in private school....so that they can play....where if they stay in the public sector,,,,these kids may not make any team...coaches will not work with them...if they did it would be mininum........I sure that these school did not spring up over night....for example...HA...been around almost as long as Harding University.....CAC and PA took there hard knock in the '70s and I contribute to that...at that time they was classify as Easy wins....but not now.....better equipment, facilities, coaching and of course talent.

[Outlaw85]

I firmly believe recruiting is involved when it comes to private schools. To what extent I'm not sure but it does happen. Most of the privates in Central arkansas benefited from the poor funding of the public schools. Pulaski County and LR Special School district put very little money into athletics. NLR is the exception. Parents are looking for other options in the private schools. Better teaching and student to teacher ratios.

You can't really discount recruiting by saying that not many D-1 kids have been produced. Alma, Batesville, Greenwood and Wynne aren't exactly filling the D-1 ranks up themselves.

Most of the privates are running passing offenses. Traditionally Arkansas has been a running state. PA and Shiloh started passing and became successful. If you look I would guess almost all the privates are passing now. None of the privates have been successful above AAA level. Next year will be the first time a private has been in anything above AAA.

[heathwaldrop]

But again, athletically-speaking, these private schools are nowhere near a Wynne or Batesville (which have produced higher-level college talent consistently in recent years...Wynne has been more loaded up with D-I talent than any other program in AAAA for about the last five years). And nearly all of these kids have been at these schools at least since grade school, a lot of them since kindergarten. You'd have to be one hell of a recruiter to be able to spot future football talent in a second grader.

And again, if you transfer to a private school the AAA demands that you sit out a season, whereas if you transfer to a public school you're eligible immediately.

My personal feeling is that a number of factors are involved. Mostly it has to do with discipline, parental support, superior coaching, player intelligence and certain factors that private schools can work around such as practice time.

[DR]

Batesville has had decent talent for years. It wasn't until they started winning that some of their players signed with D-2 schools. Maybe it's the extra exposure with being an upper program, I guess.

As for Wynne, every single one of our signees (except for Lee Walker, and he was here for awhile) has been in the district for years. However, we didn't start really sending kids to the next level until the program went from upper-middle tier to elite status, back in 1999.

[bruth]

Some of it may be recruiting. Some may be parents moving an exceptional athlete to a private school. A lot of is the attitude and motivation of the kids. In general (especially in large cities) kids in private schools tend to be harder working and more motivated. I read that in the ArDemGaz once last year, I think. Made sense to me.