Speaking of Sports Column Archive

Speaking
of
Sports

by
Bernie
Fratto

#3 in the State,
#1 in our Hearts

11/2/06

When Livonia Stevenson lines up to face Traverse City West this weekend to decide the Division I State Men’s soccer championship on Saturday, the outcome might be moot. I am writing this column, intentionally, 24 hours before kickoff.

For those that follow soccer, a case could be made that the real State Championship game was played between Novi and Livonia Stevenson back on Oct. 17th. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when it comes to assembling District playoff matchups, the MHSAA has got to look past simple geography.

This is nothing new. I lamented back in 2003 that two 10-0 football teams, Adrian and Novi, should have to play each other so soon in the postseason tournament. Novi won, that part was great, but afterward I called Adrian’s Head Coach Bill Kohn to express my opinion and to let him know how impressed I was with his team and their effort. Why would a 10-0 team have to travel an hour in Round 2 to play another 10-0 team?

Is there no reward for a great regular season? How about Muskegon and Lowell? These are two 10-0 football teams that also have to play each other this weekend for the right to advance to Regionals. In truth, either school is capable of making it to Ford Field.

Back to Novi-Stevenson. Since advancing, Stevenson has outscored their last 3 opponents 8-1, and in fact it was Novi that had given them their toughest fight. That game wasn’t decided until the very end, and although the Spartans prevailed 1-0, Novi dominated play for a good portion of the game.

It is still a rewarding year for the Hometown Cats. In the beginning of the year, no one even picked them to win the KVC, much less to be #3 State ranked in soccer-rich Michigan.

I look for Stevenson to capture the title, and Lowell over Muskegon in football. Next week, we’ll see if I know anything.

But I do know this, if there was a way Novi was playing in the State Finals tomorrow, I would know the MHSAA would be doing the right thing by not clustering powerhouse schools in the same District.

The Cats may not be State Champs this year, but they deserve to be respected as such.

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Bernie Fratto is a freelance writer, radio personality, and motivational speaker. His passion for sports comes in part from his experience as a former Cincinnati Red farm- hand. "Behind every sports story lies the hearts and minds of real human beings" said Fratto. "These athletic endeavors often serve as a metaphor for the game we call life."

Bernie is also on the broadcast team at Live 97.1FM talk-radio, and is a frequent co-host on the popular "Parker & The Man Show," a nightly sportstalk show which airs Monday-Friday from 7-11pm.