Commish Al Carbone and SCC will be realigning divisions in 2016 (Photo Peter Hvizdak)
The four divisions for seven sports in the Southern Connecticut Conference will likely look a lot different come this time next year.
Not only are the names of the divisions likely to change, the teams that reside in them for boys and girls soccer, girls volleyball, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball will change drastically. Expect to see your favorite SCC school in different divisions for most of the seven sports.
Records for the last five years, including what happens this upcoming season, will determine the new division setup.
The league athletic directors voted in favor of the new proposal 21-2 last month. The league’s board of governors could finalize it next week. League commissioner Al Carbone said he would “be shocked” if it doesn’t pass for the 2016-17 school year.
“I was surprised it passed so convincingly in August because I didn’t think in previous discussions that people really grasped it,” Carbone said. “It sets our league up in a good position. Is there something better out there? I don’t know.”
The teams for each sport will be ranked from 1-20 based on the previous overall five year records. Once those determinations are made, the divisions will remain the same from 2016-18.
“We looked at the division record, the overall record, success in both league and state tournaments, a lot of factors,” Carbone said. “It wasn’t just based on pure record.”
Lauralton Hall’s placement in each sport will be determined on its first two years in the league and its previous success in the South-West Conference.
Carbone calls this two-year “pilot program” an “equitable schedule” after various failed attempts to try and realign the divisions.
“The divisions are not balanced. I don’t think anyone who knows anything about the league would argue that,” said West Haven athletic director Jon Capone, also the scheduling committee chairperson. “Having a balanced division is the most important thing for the league. When you balance the divisions, everyone has a fair schedule. It’s time for change and see where this takes us into the future.”
This is the biggest attempt at realignment any of the seven sports has undergone such a major realignment since 2004, when Foran and Law entered the SCC. That was when a fourth division, the Oronoque, was added to the existing three.
“We want all of our teams to play competitive schedules to get them ready for state tournament competition and be able to compete for a league championship,” Carbone said. “Nothing is about making everyone happy. It’s about what is best for the league.”
Mercy and Xavier were the two schools voting against the proposal. Mercy athletic director Tim Kohs points out that his schedule won’t change much – the Tigers are among the top five teams in each of the four girls sports that could change.
But there still exists the possibility of mismatches.
“Every schedule format you have a No. 1 team and a No. 20 team. That’s not going to change. This system doesn’t solve a lot of those problems,” Kohs said.
Another thing the new proposal doesn’t solve is the opportunity to play everyone over a given period of time. Girls basketball currently has a schedule in place where you play every SCC team at least once every two years.
The new format teams ranked No. 1, 5, 9, 13 and 17 in one division, 2, 6, 10, 14 and 18 in the next division and so forth for the other two divisions. There will still be eight division games, six crossovers and two interdivisional games (for the sports that play 20 games). That means those teams can go get four outside games – whether non-conference or within the league if needed.
And even with the outside games, teams have the opportunity to play your rival if the 16 games don’t provide that. It’s the issue of playing multiple games against former division rivals in those outside games where it may no longer be the case.
Kohs noted longstanding rivalries with both Sacred Heart Academy and Lauralton Hall, the latter long before the Crusaders entered the SCC.
“My biggest problem with this new system is loss of divisional rivals and loss of divisional identity,” Kohs said. “But we will support the league and will give it a shot because the majority of the league supports it. This is a drastic change and I’m hoping it all works out the way everyone thinks it will. I’m willing to look at it in a couple years and admit I’m wrong if it works out better than I think it will.”
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