A broken chain of tiebreakers

"When you think you've got all the answers, I change the questions!"--Roddy Piper.

The late wrestler-actor's boastful quote goes back some 35 years, but it certainly applies to Section II football.

We told you how there was a four way tie for 3rd overall in Class AA after Friday's action. Instead of a traditional head-to-head tiebreaker, Section II suits opted to use the quarter points system to decide the 3rd & 4th place finishers in the league.



On Friday, CBA beat Guilderland, and leapfrogged past the Dutchmen and Bethlehem to claim third place and a date with Shenendehowa, while Guilderland will have a rematch with top seeded Shaker. That means CBA won't have its usual Battle For The Sabre with LaSalle after all. I'm pretty sure Bethlehem supporters feel the Eagles were screwed because they beat CBA earlier this season.

Common sense tells us the chain of head-to-head tiebreakers would have Guilderland playing Shen, and Bethlehem at Shaker. CBA had to have racked up enough quarter points to move up in beating the Dutchmen. But, as outlined on Saturday, Guilderland played their entire schedule inside the league, with no non-league opponents, contrary to the rest of the league.

None of that matters to the Section II football committee. By the end of business on Friday, it won't matter anyway, unless CBA upsets Shen, which would further upset the applecart. Bear in mind, though, that many of the players also play basketball, which should make for some interesting storylines in the Suburban Council come December.