Misguided principal sees lopsided losses as fair?

All night long Friday, I waited with much anticipation for the score of a Class 2A playoff game.
 
Top-seeded Many High School was playing the 32nd seed, General Trass. Could those vaunted Tigers somehow claw their way past an 0-10 team that had lost its last two regular-season games by a combined score of 99-26?
 
Many won 57-6. What a relief (LOL)!
 
The first round of the Louisiana high school football playoffs was contested last weekend. And, a total sham they were.
 
For every great game, such as Newman’s 41-40 win at Dunham, there were a dozen bad ones.
 
For all the public schools that preach so much about “fairness” in the playoffs, tell me what is fair about the following: In Class 5A, eight of the 16 games had victory margins of 30 points or more. Only two games were won by four or fewer points.
 
In Class 4A, six first-round games were won by 30 points or more. In Class 3A, the victory margin for six games was 30 points or more. In class 2A, the margin of victory for seven games was 30 or more points. In Class 1A, six games were won by 30 points or more. What a joke.
 
In an interview after the football split between public and private, Many principal Norman Booker lauded the split. “The split has been great for the state,” said Booker. “More kids get a chance to play for a championship.”
 
Great. What about the children at Sophie B. Wright, who had to travel almost three hours to lose 55-8 to Welsh?
 
What about the children at Lakeview High School, who traveled 3 1/2 hours to get pummeled, 57-0, by St. Helena Central?
 
What about the young boys at Delcambre High School who traveled to Madison Prep and lost 76-0?
 
Is that fair?
 
This Friday, the top seed in Division II, the De La Salle Cavaliers played a second-round game against the Lusher Lions. De La Salle beat Lusher 34-0 in the regular season. And, the Cavaliers had a bye in Week 1, so, they had two weeks to get ready.
 
In Division I, three of five games were decided by 30 points or more. Every team in Division I makes the playoffs.
 
Rummel and Jesuit used to be a much-anticipated game, but that rivalry has been diminished greatly by this fact: The Raiders and Blue Jays have played six times in the last three seasons.
 
So, this past Friday night, as I returned from a high football game, I waited with much anticipation for the latest update as those vaunted Many Tigers made their inexorable march to the Superdome.
 
In the second round, the Tigers were surely to be tested by a West St. Mary team that won three games in the regular season and scored six or fewer points in four of their nine regular-season games.
 
Let’s be honest. The anticipation is downright unbearable.
 
Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].