Liberty Christian in VHSL?

I still don't get how this is within the VHSL guidelines.  If public schools are limited to a geographic region that limits their talent pool, how is it equitable to have to face a school that can recruit studs from all over.  If the VHSL, or the courts, are going to allow schools like this to participate in VHSL events then public schools should not be limited to geographic boundaries for their athletic teams.

It annoys me because it is tough enough for schools that are limited to a geographic region to put together a solid team, coach them up, and get on a roll to win a state championship.  Now to have to go up against what basically amounts to a regional showcase/travel team that has cherry picked the best talent, it makes it virtually impossible (or requiring a great bit of good fortune) to really have a shot at a state championship.

I mean...if you are going to let them play in the VHSL put them in the 6A class and pit them against schools with larger talent pools to pull from (since LCA's talent pool is unlimited).

This is kind of like a race at your local race track with all the local boys bringing their best cars, and then having Kyle Busch show up in his NASCAR Sprint Cup car....yah it will be a race, and there is a chance Kyle might wreck or blow a tire/engine...but all the smart money is going to be bet on Kyle. 

LCA is in my town and it is very clear they have the advantage agaist 3A and 4A schools which normally leads to complete blowouts on the scoreboard.

I agree with everyone's post about the current situation with LCA and VHSL.  However, I do wonder as I stated earlier if the talent pool will continue to relocate to LCA when the baseball schedule moves from 35 games to 18 and they can no longer play some of the best talented teams in the state.   Another factor is the huge advantage to re-classify by attending private schools.   I'm not sure LCA will be as attractive to a high school 9th grader looking to transfer with the lower game schedule and not being able to re-class.    When you take a look at teams like LCA and Greenbrier Christian who dominate private school baseball in Virginia, the number of players that re-classify is very high.   I'm not sure LCA when continue to attract the talent they have in the past.   I do know the coaching staff at LCA is not very happy with the move.

How long before we seen public schools join visaa? Only fair right?  Plus don't it bother anyone that schools like this can conveniently schedule Christian school two days a week slap up on 8th graders then slot up their stud against a public school and look better than they may be? Seems convenient.... Wish our school had that luxury.

Let me also add this is a non issue really..... Hanover will SMASH them if they get that far....�� Much respect.

brookfan posted:

Let me also add this is a non issue really..... Hanover will SMASH them if they get that far....�� Much respect.

I hope so. They post on Facebook how good they are like they are baseball gods because they can destroy 3a and 4a schools.

I'm laughing as I'm reading the thread on this, because it's very similar where we are from in Western PA.  We have a catholic school that dominates the public schools in football most years- kids from all over,  they had 12 D1 commits last year.   not so much in baseball.    But it is unfair, that being said, it's fun to watch a public school beat their butts every once in a while.  

It still boggles my mind that this was allowed. The purpose of the classification system is to group schools of like-size and similar talent pools into groups to provide parity in competition. In addition, each school has a specific geographic boundary from which they can draw players.

By allowing a school that has no geographic boundaries, and is also allowed to recruit players (which is forbidden by public schools), you totally undermine the classification system.

The biggest joke is that they are in 4A. We had 40 kids come out for our entire baseball program (JV/V) none of which were "recruited"...compared to the well over 100 that went out for a 6A program in our neighboring county.  If you are going to let them into the playoffs, they should at least have to go against teams that might have the talent pool to compete.

How many high schools have university grade training facilities to be used all year in any weather?

I agree with Buzzard.  Makes no sense to put them in 4A.  My son plays for a 4A power house program, and I know that even we won't have much of a shot if we were to meet them in regionals.  That said, I accept it as "it is what it is" and "life isn't fair, get used to it".  I have nothing against the program, and actually have gotten to know Coach Tomlin a little indirectly via travel program circles and am a fan.  But, based on principles here, I will be cheering for Hanover big time if/when they meet at Liberty.

Sounds like we sound like we are in the same boat bucsfan.... You are what you are and the region is deep. We all have a punchers chance... Pitching may decide many games in 4a west. Will be aight there... Good luck to you in this grinder... we all need some.

Infiekd posted:

You will not see any other school do this. They will want to go back after first season. 

 

Plus at $7,158 a year not many people are moving for $30,000 for 4 years of high school.

 

 

 

Up until just recently if you went to LCA you went to Liberty University for free, so yes there was an incentive.

 PS no one is whining it's just facts. If you want to make statement of your greatness there are games to be played..... and probably by your son not you..... I don't know you or your son but if you think talent exists only where he plays you are mistaken.

Teams (plural) from our county have participated in the state tournament final 2 of the last four years and as far as I know Hanover has won a few titles. You should tread a little lighter.You could be sorry as we were last year....

Plus nobody is beating on them or anybody...

Infiekd posted:

Have some wine with your cheese.. 

 

 

Btw...I think the appropriate play on words you were looking for here was "Have some cheese with your whine."  Good try, though.  Maybe next time, with a little more thought  

It is because of posts like this that I will likely stop visiting this great site when my son moves on to play in college in the fall. 

I'm not much of a wine guy....but I do lub me some cheese

I started this thread before Christmas and it caught fire today.... Its not like I started crying about it... It was something baseball to talk about in November. ��

I revived it a couple weeks ago when I found out about this...and yes I was crying about it.  Getting through 4A West is going to be tough enough without a team of ringers.

I started this thread before Christmas and it caught fire today.... Its not like I started crying about it... It was something baseball to talk about in November. ��

Ok will lighten up. This is really no big deal. Enjoy 4a good luck to all . No kid playing just love the game.

I would be curious, if anyone knows the actual reasons, as to why the VHSL placed them in 4A.  Their school population would argue for a lower classification.  But they definitely recruit students using baseball as the magnet, so moving them up makes some sense maybe.  I just don't know what the actual reasoning was.

As to Hanover, that (if it should happen) would be a game to see.  I think Hanover has the pitching to create a dog fight, but who ends up getting runs on the board is anyone's guess.  Oftentimes, these games come down to one critical mistake by one side.  Or conversely, the team that doesn't make the key mistake wins.

Found the press release:

"Member private schools have the option of adopting the public school attendance zone where their campus is located or adding one additional contiguous attendance zone and being subject to a multiplier for the playoffs.  LCA will use the Lynchburg City attendance zones (Heritage and E.C. Glass High Schools) with a multiplier of 1.5 on LCA’s high school enrollment number to set its classification."

http://www.vhsl.org/news.rel-2...tlement-announcement

I think they just grabbed out of mid air, created that stupid multiplier that don't apply to any one else,  to get them into a class that is convenient for travel and rivalries (money). I still think it was really about attendance dollars for regular season games. (Football and basketball). Further showing VHSL ineptness to split teams and create schedules....GO BACK TO the old system!!!!

So much for same size schools playing each other....

Sorry....I think if you have the ability to recruit (legally) to build your teams, then you should automatically be placed against the best competition in the state (6A).

Buzzard05 posted:

Sorry....I think if you have the ability to recruit (legally) to build your teams, then you should automatically be placed against the best competition in the state (6A).

I would tend to agree, but in this case the whole reason for LCA seeking VHSL admission was to limit travel.  I do not think there are many, if any, 6A programs in the Lynchburg area.

Buzzard05 posted:

Sorry....I think if you have the ability to recruit (legally) to build your teams, then you should automatically be placed against the best competition in the state (6A).

Excuse me for stepping into a Virginia forum but FWIW...  

California mixes privates and publics regularly.  There is realignment every few years in effort to keep things reasonably fair.  I think it works pretty well, for the most part.  Privates typically have smaller student base than others in same division because of the recruiting/specializing issue.  With smaller student bases and the ability to recruit comes bigger cycles so, occasionally, a private will dominate a division for a couple years.  But, conversely, those privates can take a real beating in the down cycle years.

You can't say, universally, that a private that can recruit should automatically be in the highest classification.  MANY of the privates are the smallest schools and compete at the lowest level (at least in our neck of the woods), yet, technically, have the ability to recruit.

When a private dominates, there is natural tendency for publics to cry foul.   Same as when professional organizations spend the most money to buy the most talent.   Human nature.  I coach at a public, BTW.

Franklin County is the only 6A school near Lynchburg.  There are at least 5-6 4A schools with in an hour drive.

This private school is recuiting players that live well outside of the Lynchburg region.

We had a local private recruiting basketball players from out of the COUNTRY.  Coach even made a trip or trips.  This did become a problem.

I would disagree here.

I understand that private schools go in cycles, and in down recruiting years the private school may have a down cycle. The difference is, they can "fix" that by recruiting better players (offering more scholarships, etc. to attract athletes/students).

The public schools, on the other hand, are at the mercy of the talent pool within their school boundaries. They can't go out and "fix" the problem if there is a lack of talent. They are stuck with what they have.

In this case, placing LCA in with 4A teams puts those schools at a significant disadvantage due to the limited size of their student body/talent pool. If you put LCA in the 6A classification (where schools have much larger talent pools to work with), the likelihood of parity becomes much greater.

It's not the size of the school that's the problem is the size of the talent pool. Lynchburg is a pretty big area to choose from. My son's school has one quarter of a county to choose from. Plus it don't feed directly into a div 1 college. May be different than your average Christian school but I wouldn't know. I'm waiting for 804 Christian to open now.....

Regarding travel concerns I'll say this .... When you live in the sticks you travel.. if you don't like it move to the city. I went to AAA James wood in the Commonwealth District.. That was travel.

brookfan posted:

Let me also add this is a non issue really..... Hanover will SMASH them if they get that far....�� Much respect.

Hanover didn't smash them, but the Hawks did win 13-12 to win (I think) their third state title in four years. If there's a better program in Virginia, any classification, public or private, I don't know who that would be. Lots of talk about LCA recruiting...I think if I had a baseball playing son, I might be finding a house in Hanover County and sending him to a free public school. 

Emanski's Heroes posted:

brookfan posted:

Let me also add this is a non issue really..... Hanover will SMASH them if they get that far....�� Much respect.

Hanover didn't smash them, but the Hawks did win 13-12 to win (I think) their third state title in four years. If there's a better program in Virginia, any classification, public or private, I don't know who that would be. Lots of talk about LCA recruiting...I think if I had a baseball playing son, I might be finding a house in Hanover County and sending him to a free public school. 

Watched it on periscope Saturday. One of the best games I have seen in my life. Same with LCA v. Kettle run, great game too. Hats off to Hanover. Believe it or not it may have been the bunts they executed that won it. Put a lot of pressure on LCA.