As regular seasons go, this may be the most irregular of any season in the history of high school football in Trumbull County.

How so?

When the Trumbull County Coaches Association holds its annual Player of the Year banquet in November, it also presents a Trumbull County Coach of the Year award.

Typically, coaches are eligible for the award if their team finishes 8-2 or better or wins a league title. Since those guidelines were established decades ago, there has never been a year in which no coaches met the criteria.

Not until this year, that is.

Entering week 10, it’s already a given that no team in Trumbull County will finish with a better than 6-4 record. Six county schools currently stand at 5-4. Four of those schools play in a pair of head-to-head matchups tonight, meaning that no more than four Trumbull County schools will finish 6-4. Between 11 and 13 of the 15 schools will finish with a .500 record at best.

No Trumbull County team will win or share a league title.

Now, here’s the kicker.

In an historically bad year for Trumbull County football, there will be a record number of Trumbull County schools qualifying for the Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament.

Heading into the final week of the regular season, nine Trumbull County schools have already clinched a playoff berth. Hubbard (4-5) and Warren John F. Kennedy (2-7) can join the party with a win tonight.

If a debate was to be held in a courtroom regarding the absurdity of the expanded playoff format, well your honor, I rest my case.

We should have all seen this coming. When the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association was openly and sternly critical of the decision to double the playoff field to 448 schools in 2021, it should have raised red flags. Coaches, more than anyone, would seemingly benefit personally from playoff expansion. Yet as a whole the OHSFCA knew this was a bad idea, and an idea based solely on greed.

Yes, there is the counter argument that in every other high school sport, all teams qualify for the postseason tournament. And, the Ohio High School Athletic Association, when it went against the wishes of the OHSFCA, stated that its decision was based on the belief that, “Our philosophy is more participation, not less participation.” It went on to state that “the revenue aspect of expanding the playoffs was not a factor.”

The OHSAA then made permanent its 2020 decision that participating schools would no longer share a part of pregame playoff ticket sales. Early round playoff ticket prices have since been raised to $12 (presale) and $15 (at the gate).

While it’s true other sports are all-inclusive when it comes to the playoffs, football is a different animal. A bigger playoff field is neither better for the sport nor for the student-athletes who play the sport.

The truth is, the expanded playoff format has done more harm than good, both to the players and to the charm of the regular season, which up until two years ago meant much more than it does today.

With a six-week tournament, the regular season is now kicking off in mid-August. High school football is being forced to compete against family vacations, county fairs and other summertime activities. For schools which don’t resume classes until after Labor Day, three games are often played before students return from summer break.

There’s something awkward about 30% of a season taking place before students even step foot in a classroom.

As for the “all-inclusive” argument, there’s also something awkward about asking 16 and 17-year-old student-athletes to play up to 16 consecutive weeks without a break.

College football programs generally play a 12-game schedule, with a bye week in the mix. Even those who play in a conference title game then advance to the national title game play just 15 games, with a bye and an extended break prior to the playoffs. The NFL provides a bye week to all teams at some point throughout the season.

Here’s the most troubling part for those who love the intensity of Football Friday Nights throughout the fall.

In trying to sell the idea of an extended tournament field, the pitch was that more playoff participants would equate to a much more exciting regular season with a plethora of meaningful games.

Just the opposite has occurred.

So many teams are now reaching the tournament, playoff spots are being clinched as early as the fourth week of the season. By week six this year, 14 area teams had already clinched a playoff berth. Nine others were all but guaranteed a spot.

Prior to 2021, every week, every game was significant. Now, very few late season games have playoff implications.

Entering week seven, Niles was 5-1 and at the time its next four opponents were Poland (5-1), South Range (5-1), Struthers (4-2) and Girard (4-2). Prior to 2021, those four games all would have had huge playoff implications for all parties involved. In 2023, the playoff picture – other than seeding – was a foregone conclusion for all five teams by midseason.

The scenario has played out throughout the Mahoning Valley during the last four weeks of the season. Playoff chatter has been an afterthought.

Tonight’s week 10 area slate is largely void of must-win situations. Columbiana (4-5) and Valley Christian (4-5) will square off with the winner all but assured of advancing, while the loser will end its season. Warren John F. Kennedy (2-7) needs a win over Southeast (6-3) to greatly boost its chances. Hubbard (4-5) is in a similar situation as it faces South Range (8-1).

Beyond that, playoff drama will have to wait until next week. The expanded field has all but removed the playoff tension from the regular season.

Again, a shining example of how bigger isn’t necessarily better – except for those who benefit financially from the expansion.

sports@vindy.com