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Regional life is tough for local 4A squads

BY JOANNA CHADWICK

The Wichita Eagle

Clearwater softball is having the kind of season that conceivably could lead to a Class 4A title.

If, that is, Clearwater gets out of its regional next week at Douglass.

"I would be hard-pressed to see how you could configure the teams and make that regional any more difficult," Clearwater coach Chuck Schrader said.

The Indians are in one of the state's toughest regionals in any class, with Andover Central, Augusta, Mulvane, Rose Hill and Wellington -- all will enter next week's play with winning records.

Douglass and Andover are the other two teams in the regional. All but Douglass are in the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League.

"There's four teams that could be state champions," Mulvane coach Charles Mason said of Andover Central, Augusta, Clearwater and Rose Hill.

Augusta coach Ray Aguirre laughed when asked how tough the Orioles' regional is. So did Mason. Andover Central coach Rita Frakes said it's "by far the toughest regional in the whole wide world."

"It's very, very frustrating," Aguirre said. "You like to see the eight-best teams go to the state tournament. That's what the state wants to have happen. Supposedly. But every year we send four, or at least two or three or more teams from our league to a regional to beat each other up and one team goes to state and the rest of us stay home."

That's what bothers Mason.

"It's just kind of a shame that we have to beat each other up during the season and then turn around and we're all together again," he said.

Francine Martin, an assistant executive director with the Kansas State High School Activities Association, understands the frustration. But she pointed out that softball regionals are grouped based on geography in relation to the host school.

"We don't look at records or what they've done in the past or rankings," Martin said. "Our executive board (of the KSHSAA) says to group geographically closest to that site."

El Dorado and Douglass are both hosting area 4A teams.

"Basically what I did with those is you've got the schools, like Andale, Buhler, Cheney, Haven, Burrton that are closer as a group to El Dorado," Martin said. "The other one is basically southern and will be closer to Douglass."

The coaches have heard such explanations before.

"There's got to be a better way to spread it out and have representation," said Frakes, who added that she'd be willing to travel anywhere to make regionals more equal.

Most coaches would prefer to see 4A seed its regionals, as Classes 6A and 5A do.

Classes 6A and 5A seed their teams in each grouping and then splits into two or three regionals.

But there are more schools in Class 4A than there are in 5A or 6A, which would make for much more travel.

"Someone's always going to complain," Mason said. "You still have to win three ballgames when you get there (to the state tourney).

"But good teams are left home."

Joanna Chadwick covers high school sports. Reach her at 316-268-6270 or jchadwick@wichitaeagle.com.