The WIAA Executive Board announced Monday, among other items, the approval of a policy requiring high school football coaches to exchange game film during playoffs in a timely and structured manner.
The approval puts a rule behind a practice that many schools currently have long engaged in on an ad hoc basis.
Once the first round is seeded by the newly installed WIAA Playoff Seeding Committee on Sunday, Nov. 4, coaches have 30 minutes to send the opponent a copy of its three most recent games.
If the film has not been received by 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, “the coach in violation will be prohibited from coaching the ensuing game,” according to the WIAA press release. The punishment was meant to send a message were any coach to ignore the rule. Schools will be tasked with reporting to the WIAA if the rule isn’t followed.
According to WIAA Executive Board Vice President Greg Whitmore, the rule was first floated to coaches in early August when some suggested the RPI Playoff Seeding Committee would give teams less time to prepare for its first round opponents than in years past, when matchups could be projected weeks in advance.
“One of the things we heard from coaches around the state is, ‘we like the seeding committee but you better start mandating film exchange because we’re behind the eight ball,’ ” Whitmore said. “I posed the question to the committees on Aug. 12 and they unanimously said, yeah it’s the right thing to do for this process, the right thing to do anyway.”
Under the old system, some coaches would send individuals on the road to film a potential opponent during week 10. The widespread prevalence of online game footage databases, such as Hudl, has largely eliminated such efforts.
The RPI Playoff Selection Committee will meet at 9 a.m. and plan to have the brackets seeded by noon and announced by 1 p.m., per Whitmore, who is also the 14-year head coach at Lind-Ritzville.
For many coaches in Clark County, the new rule is welcome.
The postseason often presents a unique challenge for coaches when it comes to accessing film on opponents. In league play, coaches are required to share film amongst each other often due to a league policy.
Coaches reached by The Columbian were in unanimous support of the rule. One coach suggested the approved process will save time and energy for coaching staffs having to track down film. But some griped about the timeline.
“If you’re in the playoffs, we would have tape a week before the game, a week and a half, you’re talking about killing all these coaches on the weekend,” Camas coach Jon Eagle said.
As for the concept of regulating film exchange, Eagle said most teams — including his — have been in step with the rule for years. For most playoff games, he would reach out to the opposing coaches and ask to exchange film. But there exists a small contingent of coaches who not oblige.
“I can remember being a young coach and I called up a guy for film exchange and he goes, ‘no.’ I was just dumbfounded,” Eagle said.
Added another coach in a large area program: “We have been scammed about 10 times over film.”
The rule was part of the first set of actions taken by the WIAA Executive Board for the 2018-19 school year. The board is made up of 13 athletic administrators from around the state. District 4 is represented by Centralia AD Scott Chamberlain.
Four Washington schools set to join OSAA
The WIAA has approved the transfer of Bickleton, Glenwood, Lyle-Wishram, Klickitat and Trout Lake High School to join the Oregon School Activities Association for the start of the 2019-20 school year.
The four southern Washington schools requested the transfer during the 2017-18 school year in an effort to cut travel costs placed on the school due to proximity to opponents.
The approval is not official until approved by the OSAA.
The impending move would be unprecedented in Washington. Hermiston (Ore.) is set to compete in the WIAA starting in the 2018-19 school year, a decision also due rooted in a desire to curb travel.
3A, 4A baseball championship to stay in Pasco
Pasco’s Gesa Stadium was named the site for the 3A and 4A baseball finals, semifinals and consolation rounds through the 2021-22 school year.
