Get Ready For Another Football Playoff System in MO..

First of all in my opinion, from 1988 through 2007 there was nothing wrong with Missouri’s high school football playoff system. Districts started in week #8. If you won in week 8 and kept on winning, you won a state title. A loss in districts wasn’t necessarily the end, but it meant trouble as far as November football was concerned.  The strength of this system was that every school from the likes of the great Monroe City and Palmyra teams of the 90’s, to the best of the heavyweights like Jeff  City and Kansas City Rockhurst to the most forlorn Class 1 team in the bootheel started from the same spot on week #8. Opponents of this system claimed the regular  season was meaningless as a result.  Basketball is no different. I don’t hear anyone say that the format used in Missouri and just about everywhere else renders the regular season meaningless on the hardwood. Everyone starts even when district play begins in late February or early March.
Allowing district runners-up into the bracket was a huge mistake.  At least that little experiment is over.
Now as I  climb down off the digital soapbox, here’s how this will work.
Under this new system, starting this season, teams are in eight team districts. Schools will continue to do their own scheduling through a nine week season. All those conference rivalries remain.  Seedings for districts are determined using a point system. 20 points for a win, 20 for a loss, 15 points for an OT loss,  10 points for playing up a class. Points are also awarded for strength of schedule and for margin of victory up to 13 points per contest. MSHSAA will be tracking the points and posting them each week on their website so we can keep track. This is not unlike what the folks in Illinois have been doing since the mid 1980's.
All eight members of the district pair off and play in week ten. 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, 4v5.
District semis will be on the following Wednesday in Classes 1 through 4.
District championship games will be on the next Monday.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will be on consecutive Saturdays with the Show Me Showdowns on Thanksgiving Friday and Saturday.
Hannibal’s district mates in Class 4 District 6 are Helias, Kirksville, Marshall, Mexico, Moberly, St. Dominic and Warrenton.
Class 2 district 6 consists of Palmyra, Monroe City, Highland, Mark Twain, Lutheran St. Peters, Clopton, Clark County and Bowling Green.
Class 1 district 5 includes Knox County, Louisiana, North Shelby, Paris, Schuyler County, Scotland County, South Shelby and Van Far.