Can I say while I mostly agree with you. The list for D2 next year should,include many more current D1 teams that will perform much better being placed with schools in similar situations and enrollment rather than battling the monster 2000 enrollment kid schools and soccer powers. Your lists are also off balanced in that they may or may not have teams on them or teams omitted that should be there. But I do agree with you for the most part. Traditionally name wise (and of course title achievement wise), D3 is the much more competitive division but that's the way the soccer ball bounced with enrollment. We at BC, actually are second smallest D2 school and barely missed being in D3 as well as Ben Franklin who only had 1 more student on enrollment numbers than us and was third smallest in D2. The more we can add at lower ends, which is where growth will happen over next decade, then we can make moves like 32 teams back to playoffs (I would think once we get to 45-50 teams per division we can do this) or hopefully maybe even add a 5th division or go by classification like other sports and be in main districts as other sports are. But dreams, but possible. Just need a lot of great things to continue on both then LHSSCA/LHSAA side of things along with LSA growth into rural and small town areas that would lead to high schools adding the sport doen the line. That is one of my main goals as I am on board of both sides and wouls,love to eventually have soccer be classification sport like the big sports instead of divisions. Or at least to get to 5 divisions worth of teams in numbers in the next decade. Who would have thought we would be at 4 divisions maybe even 5-6 years ago? I know the executive director didn't think we would have numbers just 4 years ago. We passed his threshold a couple years later. It's working. Just gotta keep going. I think if USA gets to host 2026 World Cup (which is said to be a sure thing) or goes on a semifinal run in a world cup. It's all going to also help in our quest to achieve this goal.
To answer questions on D2 without looking it up. I think STM and Ben Franklin are the only schools on your list with a title while Capt Shreve and Beau Chene were both runners up in recent years and a few of those schools are perennial semifinalists or quarterfinalist. It's also going to be a majority public school division which will lead to some balance in school type and enrollment and school zone types and also creat some new rivalries.
your d3 lists includes St Louis, Vandy, Teurlings who have all won multiple titles in last decade, Episcopal BR and Lusher who have won 1 title recently and Loyola and St Michaels (as Bishop Sullivan) won each one in the decades before last decade. Those teams above have also been runners up recently (not St Mikes) along with Uhigh being a multiple time finalist. And a few more of those being perennial quarter finalist or semifinalists. Really. The st Louis and Vandy pairing is what tips the scales title wise to the new D3, especially as of late, and of course some deeper quality in the quarterfinalists and semifinalists of recent years.
Do you remember how bad D2 was in mid 2000s? D3 was always the better divisions until late 2000s when d2 became the deeper division of the those 2 in quality.
The biggest question is. Will this change cause you to have to change your name? Will you now be d3soccer2015?
. I know on historic archives board you can pull the finalists info and see the real numbers as new D3 does have a lot more finalists in your list but I don't have time to look it up right now. But from memory. The above info is what I know.
This is a really Good topic though. Would like to see it compared with new Div IV also. Division I actually may be more competitive now.
. I know on historic archives board you can pull the finalists info and see the real numbers as new D3 does have a lot more finalists in your list but I don't have time to look it up right now. But from memory. The above info is what I know.
