When the privates draw / recruit all-stars teams from the entire region and even country in some cases, even teams that have their best "community" group, coincidentally, going through the program, get blown out like the game I originally mentioned.
When a public has that kind of talent and goes undefeated, only to be blown out by an all-star team, it's time for the state to take steps to stop that practice or place these teams in their own division.
In summer BB we qualified for the Connie Mack state tournament at Cene Park with the Massillon varsity team. We played in leagues that were mainly community teams, as well as ones that were made up primarily of all-star teams.
We came close to qualifying for the regionals at Amelia, where Midland was the host team and perennial national qualifier / champion. The situation became worse as you moved up in the tournaments, as far as the all-star team composition. From all-star teams based on regional talent you went to teams like Midland that drew players from all over the country.
When Taiwan was being touted as having surpassed us in our national past time, a expose was done in Sports Illustrated revealing their teams were school based, practicing all year and drawing from much larger areas.
When I wrote Creighton Hale, the LL executive director, about the "problem", all he could respond was how successful and popular LL BB had become since Taiwan's success. Taiwan was finally suspended, till they complied with the rules but their teams success in leagues where teams were composed like theirs were was no greater than any other program.
I support any program using similar means (open enrollment) to even the playing field.
Those that mock teams like Massillon's tradition because they currently can't compete against these all-star teams are amusing. If Massillon uses open enrollment to even the playing field, these trolls mock them like their fans are so ignorant, that they would accept there is a chance to compete with these all-star teams with traditional community teams!
To try and draw an analogy to poll champions (where these titles were as legitimate as playoff ones), because the polls reflected "on the field" records against all challengers to those titles. Any team winning a poll title was challenged by other schools and scheduled, which validated that title. Massillon played in the best conference in the state and would scrimmage challengers they couldn't schedule. Their schedule's quality (massillontigers.com) unquestionably validates those titles. Check Massillon schedule and poll titles and tell me "ANY" team that challenged those titles, that they ducked and didn't schedule within the next few seasons.
You think Massillon's coach, who coached and won the state title under the current conditions doesn't get it, as do the Massillon administrators? Nate Moore is evening the playing field and will break through the roadblocks that are stopping Massillon's winning a state title. He is smart enough to see what the other coaches didn't or ignored. Previously Massillon went to the state with a few transfers and an outstanding group coming through the program.
Moore knows what it takes to be competitive every year (this years schedule is a meat grinder), if you didn't have the talent to be competitive, otherwise it's another building block, on the road to a state title.
No one with any sense would criticize him because he is doing what it takes, to be competitive in the current system!
To see Massillon go to three consecutive finals and still be short of the requisite talent, to not be out classed by these all-star teams tells you it's time to even the playing field, in this out of control situation. Those games tell you what kind of team you need to "harvest" to be competitive with the all-star teams.
We get it! Don't try to troll the tired argument about not being loyal to your community's kids. Show us where these all-star teams are yearly drawn from a traditional community and that's it's possible to consistently compete with them with those teams. These players aren't denied the chance to transfer and play elsewhere because their parents are aware of the competitive situation in state high school sports.