Postseason picture cloudy for Dixie

You won’t find too many fans out there of the current Region 9 split which has put three teams in 4A and left the other four in 3A. But the biggest critics of this arrangement could end up being the Dixie girl’s soccer team.

Despite sporting a 12-2-1 record – which includes a preseason win over Springville – the Flyers have to beat a 6-6 Pine View team on Thursday just to qualify for a spot in the 4A playoffs. And the Panthers, who have two more losses than Dixie and Snow Canyon combined against Region 9 competition, have a chance to be the #1 seed in next week’s 4A tournament if they can sweep both Snow Canyon and Dixie this week.

Unfortunately, I’m not making this cockeyed scenario up.

Because of the way Region 9 is set up, only Dixie’s games against Snow Canyon and Pine View count toward determining seeding and qualifying for the playoffs. As it stands, the Flyers have a 1-1-1 record in those games going into Thursday’s home finale against Pine View. The Panthers have a 1-1 record, while Snow Canyon, with a 2-0-1 mark, is assured of claiming the region’s no. 1 seed for the 4A tournament if it beats Pine View today.

If Dixie loses on Thursday, the Flyers will be out of the playoffs despite having the best record against Region 9 opponents and the best overall record in the region because of Region 9′s quirky alignment and it’s even quirkier way of determining who qualifies for the playoffs. And even if they win, the Flyers can do no better than claim a second seed in the 4A tournament.

If Region 9 were set up like any other region in the state, the Flyers’ 28 points against region competition would have clinched them a region title and no. 1 seed as early as last week. Instead, one more loss could see a team that won 12 games sit at home for the playoffs.

Needless to say, Dixie soccer coach Burt Meyers is appalled that a playoff berth should even be up in the air for his team at this point. Frankly, so am I. This whole situation offers the best proof yet of how this 4A/3A split in Region 9 is a profoundly bad idea.

Travel costs are cited as an issue for not putting Dixie, Snow Canyon and Hurricane in a region with other 4A schools. I attended high school at South Summit where bus trips to places like Blanding and Moab were the norm. I can guarantee travel costs for 4A schools to St. George wouldn’t be more of a hardship than what most 1A or 2A schools experience on a yearly basis.

There has to be a better solution to the Region 9 puzzle rather than the current alignment. It is ridiculous to think one of the better 4A girl’s soccer teams could be an upset loss away from missing the 4A tournament entirely because only four games count toward determining its postseason fate.