HAMPTON, VA (WTKR)- It seems unfeasible: a 104-0 final score in a high school football game. Even the biggest of regular season blowouts don't see scores of this magnitude, so how could this be the result of a playoff contest?
Let's be clear. This isn't a Phoebus problem or a Jamestown problem. The Phantoms are 10-0, have won 30 straight games and are seeking their third consecutive state championship. The Eagles are in a rebuild, having won two games since the start of the 2021 fall season. 2023 saw Jamestown finish 1-9 and grab the eight and final playoff spot in Region 4A.
The VHSL leaves postseason format and structuring to each individual region. Each region can have up to eight teams in its playoff bracket, but is not required to do so. Region 4A opts to have an eight team postseason field. This means that regardless of record, eight of the nine region teams will make the playoffs, setting up some lopsided meetings in the first round (lopsided meetings in the first round are not unique to just Region 4A).
Phoebus cruised to the top seed in the region and drew Jamestown as its first round opponent. Friday night saw the Phantoms score 20 points in the first 48 seconds and find the endzone on 11 of its first 13 plays. The Virginian Pilot reported that Phoebus volunteered to stop play after holding a 56-0 advantage after one quarter, then again when it led 84-0 at halftime. The two-time reigning state champs would go on for the 104-0 win.
Jamestown head coach Scott Lambin declined our interview request. We're awaiting a response from Phantoms' head coach Jeremy Blunt.
The VHSL opts not to take a position on how regions conduct their playoffs. We reached out to Warhill principal Michele Newcomb, who serves as the chair for Region 4A, who issued the following statement:
"The playoff structure for all sports is set at the regional level. Our region regularly considers what is best for all athletes, teams, and sports. I look forward to discussing with my colleagues the playoff structure that best serves all sports and teams."
It's safe to say that the current playoff structure did not best serve Jamestown, which has seen the score make its rounds on the national level. USA Today and MaxPreps reported on the final, while several national news programs discussed the game.
First round postseason lopsided scores are nothing new. Churchland downed Gloucester, 70-0, while Warhill took down Manor, 59-12, in other Region 4A action alone. It's the triple-digit deficit that drew attention to this particular contest and while Phoebus will shift its attention to its next opponent, Hampton, in its quest for a three-peat, one might wonder the longer-term effect the result could have on Jamestown's players.
Let's also point out that there's probably nobody in any official capacity with Region 4A who would ever wish humiliation upon any of its student-athletes. Playoff expansion was enacted in the early 2010's after several 9-1 team missed out on the postseason. The idea behind it was to make sure that teams with strong records would not be included, giving more student-athletes the chance to extend their seasons and experience the playoffs.
What's the solution? Perhaps a certain number of wins or minimum number of VHSL power points required in order to make the postseason. Smaller playoff fields might be the answer in some cases, because, let's face it, nobody gains much from a first round, non-competitive blowout. As recently as last year, Region 5B held a six-team playoff, with its first two seeds receiving first round byes.
Nobody quit, nobody played dirty, nobody set out with the intent of nationally embarrassing their opponents. The problem here lies not with anybody who took the field Friday night, but with a system that might need a little bit of retooling.
