Washed_Up_Athlete

My understanding is that a 1.5 multiplier is what was discussed back when certain MAIS school(s) explored moving to the MHSAA.

Maybe, maybe not. We'll find out. MRA would either be on the top end of 4A or lower end of 5A (student population x 1.5 multiplier) if it were in the MHSAA, so perhaps it should lose to one of the larger 6A schools due to numbers. Apples to apples would be matching them up against MHSAA schools they would compete against if they were in the MHSAA.

MC and Northwest Rankin have refused to play MAIS schools on numerous occasions.

Jackson Prep vs. ______? MRA vs. ________? Hartfield vs. __________? PCS vs. _______? St. Joe (Madison) vs. _______? MRA is playing Oak Grove next year. Kudos to the schools for that matchup.

Give credit where credit is due. Prep's defense was incredible, particularly in the second half. Sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, fourth down stops.

Me too.

You could also argue that recruiting successfully and ensuring the league doesn’t enforce the rules against you is a part of what makes a good coach.

Herbert Davis at MRA and Doug Goodwin at Prep are both excellent coaches.

No clue about 1 and 2A. I’ll take Canton, Tri-County, Simpson, and JP.

My picks: 3A- Canton: GC is a bad football team. Canton has talent and is much better coached. 4A- ACCS: This is a fun division because ACCS, Tri-County, or GSJ could win it. They all have talent. My pick is ACCS because of its talented QB and skill players. 5A- Copiah: The most talented team in 5A. They play hard. But if Heritage's top players play up to their potential, Heritage has a shot. 6A- Jackson Prep: Prep has to beat Hartfield twice to get to the championship game, which is a tough task. But I think they're up to the challenge. I'd expect a score similar to the CalPreps pick. MRA and Prep are fairly evenly matched in talent - slight edge to MRA at QB; even match at RB; slight edge to Prep at WR; edge to Prep on the DL; slight edge to MRA at LB; DBs are even. The game should come down to preventing big plays and which team plays with greater intensity for 4 quarters. I think Prep has the edge here.

FWIW, Tupelo currently ranked as the #1 team in the state. If you're coming from LA, you may want to drive the extra few minutes.

I suppose Oak Forest could beat Mag Heights. That’s the most likely 5A upset I see.

Maybe, maybe not. Prep led the regular season game at the half by a point, and should've led by two scores. The game wasn't decided until deep into the 4th Q when John White (who is an excellent QB) broke his only run of the game on a QB scramble for a TD. The referees for the game were atrocious - Prep was penalized for 190 yards in the game, including a TD that was called back on a ridiculous unsportsmanlike conduct call. Coming into the game, Prep had been penalized for 100 yards all season in all games combined. I'd bet Prep hasn't been penalized much more than 100 yards since the game in all games combined. Because of the way the playoff rules work, Prep will be able to veto the awful refs should the two teams meet in the championship. With competent and even-handed refs, I'd anticipate neither team will get penalized that much. They are both well-coached and disciplined. The two teams are pretty evenly matched, both in talent and in coaching. In my opinion, the game will come down to offensive line play and good fortune. Whichever team can protect the QB better and has the fewest blown assignments will win.

3A-Canton Academy. 4A-ACCS - I really have no idea, except that I know ACCS has a good QB and few good skill players. It seems like Greenville St. Joe and Tri County should be in the mix too. 5A- Copiah. They are legitimately good. They played MRA to a draw in a preseason scrimmage and played Jackson Prep as well as any team this year. 6A-Jackson Prep. The defense is very good. The offense will find a way to score enough to beat MRA in a close, hard-fought championship game.

How does it reach the predictions? Algorithm?

Madison St. Joe is what I've been told by those who would know.

Prep is really good. I suspect Hartfield is too, but it's too early to tell. JA has a few players, especially in the 9th and 10th grade classes, but they're not as good as the others. I think they're going to struggle against MRA, Prep, Hartfield, and Parklane. It wouldn't surprise me to see them all (MRA, Prep, Hartfield and maybe even Parklane) beat each other in one way or another. But my early money is on Prep.

I’m not complaining. I’m simply writing the truth. I actually believe recruiting, tuition reduction, and sponsorship should be legal. But it isn’t. What I don’t believe is that it’s okay to write or say that’s something is legal when it plainly isn’t. That’s what you’re doing. It’s wrong and does a disservice to the readers of this board.

MAIS says nothing, so it hasn’t been enforced. Those are two very different things. Look, the rule is easy to violate and violations are easy to conceal (which is what differentiates the transfer rule). But they are violations nonetheless.

This guy speaks the truth

“Aid to athletes coming from one source, or benefactor, over an extended period of time.” yes, it most certainly is illegal

1. The NCAA didn’t strike down the amateur designation. It allowed NIL payments from third parties. And that has nothing to do with the MAIS rules. 2. The MAIS rules are enforced against the school. The school cannot allow an ineligible kid to play. If it does, then the school faces punishment. But every school does or should notify its parents and kids that the school must comply with MAIS rules. It is supposed to be in every handbook. 3. You last point is partially correct. There is a component of mutually assured destruction at play, but not in every direction and not all parties have the same degree of power. Let Hartfield anger the wrong people at or affiliated with Jackson Prep long enough and just see what happens. 4. The notion that the MAIS can’t enforce rules that dictate how adults spend their money is just plain wrong. Every year, people move houses in the Jackson area in order to comply with the transfer rule. This many times costs families tens of thousands of dollars.

Uninformed? I’ve been called many things, but uninformed ain’t one. Dr. Emile Piccarella. Heath Jenkins. Shall I name kids?

1. Booster clubs are collections of people who donate money for a common cause. For instance, a booster club may buy a new scoreboard with funds raised. One or more of those same people may decide to buy players. It doesn’t matter whether their money passes through the booster club or not. It’s absurd to suggest otherwise. 2. Of course the totality of the circumstances must be considered. That’s what the rule calls for. If a kid is on financial aid for reasons in addition to just athletics, then the aid may pass muster. 3. Of course there are legitimate situations in which a parent pays a kid’s tuition. But that doesn’t excuse or have anything to do with the illegitimate ones. 4. You're just wrong if you believe a school can’t be held responsible for the acts of a third party. Read the rule. It happens all the time in the ncaa. It recently happened at Ole Miss when the school was held responsible for the acts of a single booster over whom it had no control. It all boils down to whether the MAIS has the resources and willingness to enforce the rule. History says it won’t unless the evidence is handed to it on a silver platter. And that’s the real reason why St. Joe and Hartfield feel comfortable enough to allow what is occurring.

MAIS Handbook Rule VH states that, "No student may be eligible to participate in inter-school athletics if he has been shown financial consideration by a school, or any of its associated organizations, on the basis of his value to the activity program of the school." The rule also sets forth certain " Signs of Misguided and Faulty Financial Aid". Among these are: (1) "A pattern of transfers into an athletic program receiving financial aid, especially at the senior high level," (2) "Shear numbers of athletes receiving financial aid," (3) "Aid to athletes coming from one source, or benefactor, over an extended period of time," and (4) "Consistent reports from other member schools that a problem exists with the competitions financial aid as it relates to recruiting." The rule could certainly be written more clearly, but it's meaning and intent seem apparent, at least to me. A student cannot be provided financial consideration by any organization associated with a school on the basis of his value to the football team (an "activity program of the school"). This gives rise to the questions - Must the organization be formalized, or can it be an informal group? Must the organization be larger than a single individual? The answer to these questions can be rooted out of the section titled, "Signs of Misguided and Faulty Financial Aid." Among them is, "Aid to athletes coming from one source, or benefactor, over an extend period of time." This sign speaks of a single source or benefactor - not a booster club, not a corporation, not even an informal group. A single benefactor. The fact that the Catholic Church provides tuition assistance to all kinds of students is irrelevant, and misdirects the point. Most, if not all, of the Jackson metro-area MAIS schools provide tuition assistance. Heck, that they do so largely enables the illegal financial aid schemes to flourish. Here's how it really works: School X has a normal annual tuition of $10,000. Prospective student-athlete applies for tuition assistance, and goes through the formal plan available to all students and prospective-students. School X determines that, based on the prospective student-athlete's ability to pay, he will have a reduced tuition amount of $5,000. Where does that $5,000 come from? The daddy of another player who, let's just say, sure would like to have his star QB son protected by a large, talented offensive lineman or sure would like for his star QB son to have a talented WR on the team. And, since the tuition price is cut in half, he can get two for the price of one. And, because his son played with a lot of talented players in youth football that are in public schools and would come to School X to play with star QB son if only they could afford it, daddy has access to players. BAM - just like that, a single benefactor has paid for two or more players to attend School X for the purpose of playing football. That violates the MAIS Handbook Rule VH. Now, let's place this scenario in real life. Hartfield and St. Joe have over 10 kids going to each school that are paid for by single benefactors. In each instance you have: (1) a pattern of transfers into an athletic program receiving financial aid at the senior high level; (2) you have 10 or more kids receiving financial aid; and (3) you have aid being provided by a single benefactor over an extended period of time (years in fact in both instances). What I don't know - but I have reason to believe it has occurred - is whether and which other member schools have complained. I do know this - MRA was ultimately investigated because the number of MHSAA and MAIS schools complaining about their open and obvious financial aid violations could no longer be ignored. Whether and if the MAIS gets there with St. Joe and Hartfield remains to be seen.