The drive to change the way leagues and schedules are decided in Section VI high school football has drawn great debate.
While the move has been put on hold for now, it's also created plenty of questions about what it all means.
Section VI is the governing body for public school sports in our region. For decades the Section VI football federation has taken care of making the schedules and choosing which teams play each other in divisions, by grouping together schools with a similar number of students — Class AA being the largest, Class D the smallest.
Last year, talk of changing to a different format picked up steam. Earlier this month, school districts in Section VI voted to give control over football back to individual leagues, which is the case in most other sports. The Erie County Interscholastic Conference, the Niagara Frontier League, the Niagara-Orleans League, and the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association are among the leagues that exist in other sports.
Those leagues would bring together teams nearby each other, even if there's some difference in student population.
The idea was cut down on travel times, reignite old local rivalries, and perhaps get more fans to go to the games. A points system would determine which teams make the playoffs.
Not everyone was happy with the idea. Among those against it are the Buffalo Public Schools and their five teams — Bennett, Burgard, Hutch Tech, McKinley, and South Park.
Those teams likely would've been separated from suburban and rural schools for league play under a new format.
Buffalo Public School teams did away with their century-old Harvard Cup league several years ago for the chance to join Section VI, play against other schools in the section, and compete for the playoffs.
Opponents of the plan say the new proposals are unfair and discriminatory against the BPS teams, making it difficult to find enough games to fill their seven-game schedules outside of the league.
They applied to join the Erie County Interscholastic Conference, but were denied. Some coaches also said it would put their athletes at a disadvantage when it comes to level of competition and even attention for college recruiting. However, those schools would still be able to make the Section VI playoffs.
Parents, community leaders, and politicians got involved, with some calling the proposal racial injustice in urging the section to reconsider.
On Monday, the Section VI executive committee decided those involved need more time to talk about solutions, pushing the change back for at least a year.
State Senator Tim Kennedy on Tuesday held a meeting with Section VI leaders, the state athletic association, and Buffalo Public Schools, calling it a positive step in a statement to media outlets:
This morning’s meeting to further discuss the status of Buffalo Public Schools’ intended role within Section VI and the Erie County Interscholastic Conference was a positive step forward. As part of the discussion, all major stakeholders, including Buffalo Public Schools’, Buffalo Public School Board members, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, Section VI leadership, and my colleagues in state, city, and county government, were given an opportunity to openly and fairly express their concerns, and more importantly, propose an equitable solution that prioritizes our city’s student athletes.
As a result of that conversation, Section VI has agreed to meet again with Buffalo Public Schools leadership, so that we can continue to find a permanent resolution that ensures Buffalo’s youth have access to the same opportunities to excel and compete that are afforded to other students across Western New York.
In the meantime, it's back to the status quo for now. That means the Section VI football federation will again form divisions based on school-size, and the Buffalo Public Schools will be in those divisions along with suburban and rural schools.