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Call it a typo - the IHSA site is now corrected. The Class 1A finals will be played over a two-day period as has been the case in past years. But instead of pulling this blog down, I think it's still worth some thought.
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According to the IHSA site - ihsa.org - the Class 1A finals will be played in one day...this Saturday. This would be a first for the IHSA tournament. And before I officially call to find out why, I'm going to think outloud:
1. Keeps cost down by playing two games in one day. You don't need hotel rooms for teams and workers, and you only need workers for one long day. And maybe this will help Class 1A attendance. The past two years, the attendance for the Class A finals has been very, very poor. Makes sense.
2. With that said, forcing a team to play two games in one day is not going to produce the best soccer. It's not the end of the world, but I still don't think people making the scheduling decisions understand the game of soccer. And why do I say that? Because there isn't one person the IHSA staff that has a soccer background.
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Yes, there could be worse things in life than having to play two games in one day. But many, if not most ,players have been through a number of tournaments with club or high school teams where they have played two in one day. And it does probably save the schools, the teams ,and the state a substantial amount of money.
And in a different way it does show who is the best” team.” A team that is not in good condition and /or doesn’t rotate players in to keep people fresh will be “out of gas” by the second half of the second game. Soccer is a team sport and my impression is that when you play two in a day it is the best overall “team” that usually prevails.
Hasn't it been that way for the last several years in Class 3A(formerly 2A)? Quarterfinals on Friday (1 game each team); then Semifinals on Saturday morning with Championship (and 3rd place game) Saturday night--two games on Saturday for each team--which amounted to 3 games within 24 hours for the 2 championship teams.