An Ohio High School Athletic Association committee in Columbus wants to handicap schools according to how much success they've had in the state tournament, but what would that mean for prestigious football programs such as Mooney and Ursuline here in the Valley?
"People are just sick of seeing Ursuline and Mooney win," said Jim Vivo, head coach at East High School. "I mean, that's the way it is. And Ignatius, and all the way down."
"When you get matched up with them, and it's supposed to be a level playing field, I just don't feel like it is," said Paul Cusick, head coach at Crestview High School.
Northeast Ohio is a fierce battleground in the public versus private debate.
Perennial powers Youngstown Ursuline and Cardinal Mooney represent the Mahoning Valley year after year in the state playoffs.
Since 2000, Mooney has gone to the state finals six times and won four state championships, including last year.
Ursuline won back to back to back state titles from 2008 through 2010.
"Success breeds success, and whose fault is that?" said P.J. Fecko, head coach at Cardinal Mooney. "Does that make competitive balance, or do you have to figure out a way to breed success in your program, and in your school?"
Some coaches in the state feel smaller division private schools often have bigger, stronger athletes and other advantages over their public school counterparts, which force schools like Mooney to "schedule up," or "play up" during the regular season and face the best big schools in the state and country.
"If they're going to play a Division 1, Division 2 type schedule, then maybe they should be bumped up in the playoffs," said Cusick.
"As far as the argument of we play up, and we play all these people week in and week out and then get into the playoffs, and we play our own division and that kind of stuff -- is a foolish argument," said Fecko. "Based on the fact that everybody has the opportunity to play who they want."
Former Ursuline head coaches Richard Angle and Vivo now coach public school teams at Howland High School and Youngstown East High School, respectively.
They said sustained success should be something all schools, public and private, should strive for on the field.
"If you want to be the best, you have to play the best," said Angle. "We can't win the championship because we're in a division with a Catholic school. I say make your program better."
"And they hold us all to a higher level," said Vivo. "It's kind of tough to be in the same town with Mooney and Ursuline, because as a coach, we have to be successful or they're going to find another coach here, probably."
This is the second in a three-part series. Part three will address what role, if any, open enrollment plays when it comes to competitive balance.
