We received an email from a PR official who is upset with three things: 1. I didn’t rank his school’s program even though they made it to the state finals one year; 2. I didn’t put a player from that program on the all-area team; 3. He was upset that I spoke about teams being forced to play three games in a 16-hour period.

Just because you make it to the IHSA-YSO’s state finals doesn’t mean you are an “elite” team. It’s not the Elite Eight - period. There have been times when Lyons has advanced to the state finals on the girls side in recent years, but the Lions weren't ranked at the end of the year. The IHSA will tell you that it’s a geographic tournament not based on rankings. I refer to it as a participation tournament these days, along the line of what the AYSO is based on.

When you have Top 10 teams facing off in the regional finals in one sectional, while another team doesn’t play a rank team until it makes it to the state finals (if even then) – I mean, seriously, do you really need me to sit you down and explain rankings 101 to you? That's why it helps to play an above-average schedule during the year.

On that note, making it to the state finals doesn’t mean you have one of the best players in the entire Chicagoland area or even one of the top 33. Sometimes, it comes down to filling a position where one position may have hundreds of possible players, while another position only has a few. It is a team, so each position should be represented.

And do I really need to address three games in 16 hours? Many already have. There is a word in the dictionary that describes three games in 16 hours – stupid. Some can argue that club plays multiple games at weekend tournaments, but mind you they didn’t play four or five games earlier in the week.

Trying to defend this situation is just...(the word of the day)...stupid.

- Joe Trost