Wreck it for us, please.

[heimer]

We hope you have enjoyed two thrilling state title games in the North Dakota "AA" football division in 2009 and 2010, with one decided in overtime, and the other on a field goal with three seconds left.

Apparently, the games have evoked some jealousy in the ranks of "AAA" coaches, and, if they get their way, you may not see it again.

North Dakota's four-class system of football, one that has worked incredibly well over almost two decades and has built an increased excitement and awareness of the game statewide, is under attack, and the proof can be found at the North Dakota High School Activities Association's website.

Class "AAA" coaches, unable to sit down with pencil, paper, and basic math to work out a schedule, are appealing for another increase in the class size, stating in a December, 2009 meeting of the football advisory committee that "AAA likes 16 for the number of schools in that division."

The biggest schools in North Dakota, driven by egotistical activities directors bent on making our state a mirror image of Minnesota, have already hijacked football, forcibly moving Devils Lake back to "AAA" in the interests of basic math, practicing reverse racism by allowing all native american schools to play down a class on the rationale of "free and reduced meals", and most recently, shrugging off the availability of the Alerus Center to cram four state title games into one day at the FargoDome.

I hope you like state title football with your eggs and bacon, and I hope nine-man coaches like the reward of taping ankles at 6:00 a.m. for guiding a team to a state championship game. Fargo certainly will love selling the extra hotel rooms fans will have to get since leaving for the games the day of will be an option only for the AA and AAA schools.

Despite the best efforts of the football committee, high school football is on course to resist destruction and have one of it's best seasons ever. About 10 of the 16 teams in the AA level have a legit chance at winning a conference, A schools with nine-man enrollment continue to beat the odds and opt to play in a division higher, the only sport in the state where that happens.

After all, you don't see any Class "B" basketball teams deciding 10 straight district titles is enough and moving up to play with the big boys. They like winning, and if someone new crashes their party, they do their best to kick them out. That is, however, a longer story.

The AAA coaches, dismayed by the long distances between their communities, have opted for another path, one that will force more schools to join them so they can have a shorter drive to kick the crap out of someone instead of going down the road another hour or so and play someone they should be playing.

At least college teams pay someone to come get beat up for a day. Not schools in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, and Minot. They get the NDHSAA to do their dirty work for them.

The AAA division has 10 schools with male enrollments between 499-1098 (North Dakota Department of Public Instruction male enrollments--http://www.ndhsaa.org/files/11_12_FB_Division.pdf). Ten schools equals a school and nine opponents, and nine opponents equals a regular season.

Basic math the big school coaches refuse to acknowledge. After all, it takes work to beat schools in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, and Minot. Why put in the work when the state will gladly serve you Wahpeton and Devils Lake on a platter?

The next 10 largest schools have enrollments between 155 and 487 (same graph). Ten schools equals a school and nine opponents, and nine opponents equals a season. Basic math that, again, the AAA coaches refuse to acknowledge. After all, it takes work to beat.....well, you get the idea.

As someone from Valley City, I should point out that, even if a 16-team AAA division were re-established, Valley City would be spared. Wahpeton and TMCHS (Belcourt) would be added to the current 14, and once the new West Fargo team is established, one of those would be sent back to AA.

There's no personal gain being requested here. This is simply informing football fans in the biggest cities in the state about the path to victories the coaches and activities directors at some of these schools would prefer. It involves running down hill over smaller teams, instead of rising to the challenge their school size and market area should demand of them.

Besides, Valley City will be needed in the west pretty soon. After all, they tried to move the Hi-Liners to the west region of AA this past season, and only Fargo Oak Grove dropping to A allowed the Hi-Liners to be spared that fate. As a life-long resident of the state, I'm still adjusting to Jamestown being considered the start of the state's western region.

But why not do the incredibly absurd and make Valley City the west, seeing as how that 60 miles to the Red River can really seem like a long drive?

The NDHSAA is a dinosaur that has outlived it's usefulness. They can't recognize a change they desperately need to make (reference a three-class basketball system, or a super-two class system, or realignment of basketball, also a longer story), and, with this move in football, they can't resist the opportunity to wreck the best thing they have going.