The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that LRA has been disqualified for this and next year's tournaments. They were found to be in violation of several bylaws regarding the recruitment of athletes from Regina. According the the OHSAA, LRA did not enroll the former Regina players within the rules, and there were problems with how the funded their education with scholarships.

This has huge implications for every team who will play in the regional at Perry HS in Massillon. From the moment I became aware of LRA, and that they would essentially be Regina in DIV, I assumed there was no way schools like Hiland or Shadyside would be able to get past them and come out of that regional.

The Hiland-Shadyside game on Tuesday in Gnadenhutten was already a big game. Now it is huge. The winner probably becomes the favorite to come out of Perry. Amazingly enough.

I was aware they were being investigated. Definitely changes the DIV landscape. I wonder how many of the new editions will be on the team next year.

I wasn't aware they were being investigated, but I'm not surprised in the slightest. On one hand, You'd think they would know better after what happened last year. On the other hand, it seemed a little too tidy/easy

Good.

Tom Jenkins told me back in the summer that LRA would have 10 players on their roster, pretty much all from Regina, who were DI college prospects. Just think about that for a moment. They start 5 and all of those are premier players, and then anyone they bring off the bench is in that same general talent level. Hiland has made a name for itself by beating more talented teams by being deeper, more fundamental and by out-coaching them. But there is a talent gap that cannot be overcome by those things. When the gap gets too wide, the weaker team cannot overcome it. Angel, Ricola, Pitman, MSpark, and I can beat a bunch of 1st graders. We would just be too tall, strong, etc. I'm sure we could beat some jr hi kids. But if we took on the Hiland boys, the talent gap would flip the other way, and beating them becomes impossible - even on our best day combined with their worst. Tom described LRA as "the most talented team, any division." To me, that said that no mortal DIV team had a chance of getting past LRA.

Harvest Prep went from a program that was building a few years ago to the best in DIV last year. LRA went from completely off the radar to, in one off-season, the primary challenger to HP. These kinds of miraculous gatherings of talent in a short time show the problem we have with competitive balance in terms of having these privates going against publics. If HP or LRA were competeing in DI, the impact would be less, but when they play in DIV, the talent gap is just way too large. Teams like Hiland, Shadyside, Minster, Ottoville, Ft. Loramie, etc. represent what we all should recognize as the best of what true small school excellence looks like, but they will not win state championships as long as that talent gap is represented by schools like HP and LRA.

The OHSAA (while I'm sure it wasn't their intent) made DIV more competitive by sanctioning LRA. But HP is still there. Anyone want to bet that HP is not in the championship game this year? And therein lies the larger problem.

you sure we could beat the 1st graders?

Yeh, most can't get the ball up to the rim and I am sure you could slop one in to win it

Pariah;691442 wrote:Tom Jenkins told me back in the summer that LRA would have 10 players on their roster, pretty much all from Regina, who were DI college prospects. Just think about that for a moment. They start 5 and all of those are premier players, and then anyone they bring off the bench is in that same general talent level. Hiland has made a name for itself by beating more talented teams by being deeper, more fundamental and by out-coaching them. But there is a talent gap that cannot be overcome by those things. When the gap gets too wide, the weaker team cannot overcome it. Angel, Ricola, Pitman, MSpark, and I can beat a bunch of 1st graders. We would just be too tall, strong, etc. I'm sure we could beat some jr hi kids. But if we took on the Hiland boys, the talent gap would flip the other way, and beating them becomes impossible - even on our best day combined with their worst. Tom described LRA as "the most talented team, any division." To me, that said that no mortal DIV team had a chance of getting past LRA.

Harvest Prep went from a program that was building a few years ago to the best in DIV last year. LRA went from completely off the radar to, in one off-season, the primary challenger to HP. These kinds of miraculous gatherings of talent in a short time show the problem we have with competitive balance in terms of having these privates going against publics. If HP or LRA were competeing in DI, the impact would be less, but when they play in DIV, the talent gap is just way too large. Teams like Hiland, Shadyside, Minster, Ottoville, Ft. Loramie, etc. represent what we all should recognize as the best of what true small school excellence looks like, but they will not win state championships as long as that talent gap is represented by schools like HP and LRA.

The OHSAA (while I'm sure it wasn't their intent) made DIV more competitive by sanctioning LRA. But HP is still there. Anyone want to bet that HP is not in the championship game this year? And therein lies the larger problem.

So then they are to girls bb what Ursuline was to football?

I agree with the premises and conclusions of the following article:

http://www.cleveland.com/timstake/index.ssf/2011/02/lake_ridge_pays_price_for_seek.html

Pariah;695877 wrote:I agree with the premises and conclusions of the following article:

http://www.cleveland.com/timstake/index.ssf/2011/02/lake_ridge_pays_price_for_seek.html

Any thoughts as to where those girls will go now?

hopefully not all to the same place lol... they can't transfer without moving at this point without penalties.

Are you sure about that Angel? I thought the penalties applied to the school only.

Any school that takes them, en masse, has to understand that they are assuming the responsibilty of taking on the reputations of Diulius, Regina, LRA, et.al.

Maybe they all end up back in their local home districts, or there might be some housing in Holmes county or even Wayne county

I think we have room for a highly talented player or two without a school to play for. But I don't think they will be recruited or paid.

Baltimore Chop;696122 wrote:Any thoughts as to where those girls will go now?

Back to the state/country where they came from hopefully.

Anybody see the Dalton-Max Hayes score.....If I am correct, Dalton played them because of the DQ of Lake Ridge. If a middle of the WCAL Dalton team was up 46-2 on Max Hayes, I wonder what Lake Ridge and their new all-star team would have done to them!

Actually LRA played Max Hayes last week and won 79-10 after beating Canton Heritage in the first round 95-12, then they had to forfeit the Max Hayes game.

Pariah;697455 wrote:Are you sure about that Angel? I thought the penalties applied to the school only.

Any school that takes them, en masse, has to understand that they are assuming the responsibilty of taking on the reputations of Diulius, Regina, LRA, et.al.

Well, yes, penalties apply to the school, and they could of course go home (imagine that), but I don't see how they could transfer to Hathaway Brown without penalties themselves at this point.

tfloangel;701955 wrote:Well, yes, penalties apply to the school, and they could of course go home (imagine that), but I don't see how they could transfer to Hathaway Brown without penalties themselves at this point.

Wouldn't they have to sit a year and give up their eligibility?

Anything new on this?

Pariah;691442 wrote: Teams like Hiland, Shadyside, Minster, Ottoville, Ft. Loramie, etc. represent what we all should recognize as the best of what true small school excellence looks like, but they will not win state championships as long as that talent gap is represented by schools like HP and LRA.

Really?

yes, really

Any updates?