Not everyone happy with quick rematches

As high school football teams prepared this week for Friday's second-round playoff games, a number of coaches throughout the state didn't have to scramble for game film of unfamiliar opponents. And some of them aren't happy about it.

Due to a postseason format implemented by the AHSAA last season, playoff teams can now face rematches against region opponents by as early as the second round.

That will be the case this week for five area teams who must defeat a region opponent they've already played in order keep their seasons alive. Statewide, 18 of the 48 second-round games across all six classifications feature rematches.

The state high school athletics governing institution adopted the new format in an effort to reduce travel costs amid rising fuel prices in summer 2008.

Previously, region opponents could not meet again until the third round of the playoffs. Many coaches still prefer that format.

"I don't like it, and I don't know anybody who does like it," Russellville coach Doug Goodwin said of the current model. "There are five rounds in the playoffs and there's a chance that we can play somebody from our region in two of them. If you meet someone from your own region, it should be in semifinals."

Russellville's Class 5A, Region 8 is one of three statewide in which all four region teams will play each other in the second round.

The Golden Tigers have the tough task Friday of facing region rival Muscle Shoals, a team that has won five straight games, including upsets of two top-seeded opponents, since losing 20-0 to Russellville on Oct. 2.

Goodwin, who coached his team to a payback win against region rival Hartselle in the playoffs last season, knows the pitfalls of such a matchup.

"If you won the first one, there's always the chance your players will be complacent," Goodwin said. "There's a chance they'll assume they'll beat them the second time because they beat them the first time. If you lost the first game, the challenge is to convince them you can do things better."

Some coaches, like Deshler's John Mothershed, say that an advantage goes to the losing team in a rematch. But Muscle Shoals coach Scott Basden, who said he doesn't mind the current format, doesn't see any edge for his team Friday.

"It's pretty challenging when you get beat like we got beat," said Basden, whose team was held to four first downs in the loss. "I don't think there's any advantage. Maybe if it would have been a close game, we might have an advantage."

In Class 1A, Hackleburg might have to worry about that against Lynn, a team the Panthers beat 20-14 in region play.

The current playoff format differs from last season's in that winners in the top half of each bracket will switch places for next week's third round games, making rematches impossible in that round. That means if Class 4A Deshler wins its rematch against region rival Central, the Tigers would face the Alexandria-Midfield winner in the third round instead of North Jackson or Guntersville.

Rematches remain a possibility in fourth-round semifinal match-ups.

While he's not a fan of the format, Mothershed's not worrying about it. He's more concerned about Central, a team that has won seven of nine games since losing 33-3 to Deshler.

"We've stressed to our kids all week that we're not playing Central," Mothershed said. "We know their personnel and they know our personnel. But the way they're playing, they're definitely not the same team they were Week 2."

Bryan App can be reached at 740-5730 or bryan.app@TimesDaily.com.