The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met for its regularly scheduled meeting at the IHSA offices in Bloomington on Monday, February 11, where the Board approved Advisory Committee Terms & Conditions recommendations from fall sports and activities.
A pair of changes brought forth by the Football Advisory Committee pertaining to playoff qualification were both approved by the Board.
The first change adds an additional playoff qualifying tiebreaker to the tiebreaking process. The new tiebreaker will take the tied teams and look at their games against playoff qualifying teams from the regular-season (the number of playoff teams for each tied school would be the same based on a previous tiebreaker). The team who gave up the fewest points in those games will win the tiebreaker. The new tiebreaker will be used prior to using a coin toss to break the tie.
“Given all that the coaches and players put into a season, we never like to see playoff qualifying come down to a coin flip,” said IHSA Assistant Executive Director and football administrator Craig Anderson. “This additional tiebreaker makes a lot of sense and doesn’t create concerns about team’s running up the score that could have existed had the committee decided to use points scored as a tiebreaker.”
In addition, the second recommendation approved by the Board was a universal tiebreaker for determining the automatic qualifier from each conference for the IHSA Football Playoffs. The tiebreaker is strictly for determining who receives the automatic berth to the IHSA Playoffs and the individual conferences will still determine their official conference champion or champions.
“This change simplifies the automatic qualifying process and also closes a loophole.” said Anderson. “Currently a conference could have two or more teams tied for the championship, but not all of those teams may be playoff eligible based on their record. It prevents a conference from choosing that school as its automatic qualifier, simply based on the fact that the other two schools have already qualified.”
Click here for the complete universal tiebreaker for determining the automatic qualifier from each conference for the IHSA Football Playoffs.
ACTION ITEMS
No action items.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
Minutes from all Advisory Committees can be viewed by clicking
here.
1. The Board approved the consent items from the Advisory Committees in the following sports & activities: Athletes With Disabilities, Athletic Administrators, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Sportsmanship, Sports Medicine, Student Advisory, Tennis and Volleyball.
Consent items are recommendations that received approval from the sport/activity advisory committee, the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee and the IHSA staff.
Consent items can be viewed by clicking
here.
Some items of note include:
Cross Country
1. Regional to Sectional advancement will be changed to the following:
In Class 1A, the first seven (7) teams and five (5) individuals not members of the first seven (7) placing teams will advance to the sectional competition.
In Classes 2A and 3A, the first six (6) teams and five (5) individuals not members of the first six (6) placing teams will advance to the sectional competition.
Golf
1. One assistant coach per team, in addition to the head coach, will be allowed to coach from tee to green during the State Series.
Tennis
1. The IHSA administrator shall have the authority to modify scoring methods for matches in the backdraw only to expedite the matches in the event of weather or daylight issues.
Volleyball
1. Approved the use of a red, white and blue volleyball as the official volleyball of the IHSA State Series. Schools can use a colored ball (red, white & blue, school colors, etc.) or continue to use a white ball.
APPEALS & ELIGIBILITY RULINGS
1. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on two students from Decatur (Christian). The students were ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.040.
2. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Rockford (Lutheran). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.040.
3. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Peoria (Notre Dame). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.040.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain items the Board discusses, but upon which no action is taken. The following is a report of those items from the February 11, 2013, agenda:
1. The Board continued discussion on ways to increase voting for IHSA Board elections and for the IHSA By-law Amendment Proposal process and reviewed statewide voting by division.
2. The Board heard a report from Assistant Executive Director Tracie Henry on the inaugural IHSA Competitive Dance State Finals.
3. The Board heard a report from Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha on a new series of PSA produced in conjunction with the NFHS and IADA that have been sent to every radio station in the state and will be utilized at IHSA State Finals.
4. The Board discussed the Legislative Commission’s recommendation to form a committee to review the IHSA Football Playoff format.
5. The Board discussed the IHSA’s programs for athletes with disabilities and the U.S. Department of Education’s recent ruling affirming equal access for students with disabilities.
6. The Board heard a report from Assistant Executive Director Stacey Lambert on the inaugural IHSA Boy’s Wheelchair Bowling State Finals that were conducted in conjunction with the Boys Bowling State Finals.