And that means we'll be hearing more and more about the injustice of the IHSA's assignments ... especially from the fans of the ranked teams (and there are more than a few) that don't make it past the regional ...

The epicenter of unhappiness will no doubt be in the southwest suburbs, where three-time defending Class AA champ Sandburg and Lincoln-Way Central will be battling for one team sectional berth at the Andrew Regional ... both teams are ranked near the top in Class AA by the Illinois Best Weekly (Sandburg's No. 4, LW Central No. 6) and have the horses to make a deep playoff run ...

And some hearts will also be broken at a couple of other nearby regionals: Minooka (No. 4 Providence and the No. 16 hosts battle) and Romeoville (No. 5 Neuqua Valley and No. 17 Lockport square off) ...

The problem, if you can call it that, is the concentration of talent in the southern and western suburbs ... that, combined with the IHSA's commitment to geographic balance at state tournaments, is a recipe for controversy ...

That's good for the traffic numbers on message boards ... whether it's good for the sport depends on your take on the state finals: Should they bring together the state's best teams, regardless of location, or should all corners of Illinois be represented?

It's a debate that plays out in almost every sport; the only difference is where the loudest squawks come from ... if we're talking golf or tennis, it's probably the North Shore ... for track and wrestling, the South Side and southern suburbs ... and that's the way it'll remain until the IHSA decides to change its criteria for picking state finalists (if that ever happens) ...