New playoff system getting mixed reviews from local coaches

The 2015 postseason playoff system for high school lacrosse in the state of Utah has changed to a new ranking procedure and a new process of defining the brackets.

Traditionally Utah high school lacrosse has been divided into two divisions, Division 1 and Division 2. Division 1 was designed to be for the more experienced, larger and better overall teams. Whereas Division 2 was for the smaller and sometimes weaker schools to compete in, creating a more level playing field for all schools.

That system no longer exists, and this year the Utah Lacrosse Association announced that there will be no more divisions during the season and the playoff brackets will be decided by power rankings at the end of the season. The top 16 teams in the rankings will be placed in a separate bracket and compete for the first state championship. Then the teams ranked from 16th to 32nd will play for a second state championship and the remaining teams after that to play for a third.

“I can see what the ULA is trying to do with the new system,” said Logan High head coach Clay Christoffersen. “I have mixed feelings about it, and I guess we won’t know how successful it is until the end of the season.”

Sky View head coach Troy Oldham also said that he is interested to see how it goes and likes the idea that his team can now have an opportunity to play the old Division 1 teams. Teams that he said they use to not be able to play.

“I think that the playoff system is fairer and it eliminates the hierarchy and season-to-season posturing of Division 1 or Division 2,”Oldham said.

On the negative side, both Oldham and Christoffersen expressed concerns about being in the middle of the pack and either playing a tough first round matchup against the top teams in the state, or dropping to the second tier and being a top seed with a much greater opportunity to win the second state championship.

“It would be a tough situation,” Christoffersen said. “You want to do what’s best for your kids and having them make the top 16 and then lose in the first round would be difficult, especially knowing that they could’ve possibly won the other state championship.”