MHSAA Seeds, Regions Released

Over the weekend, the state’s high school athletic governing body released its pre-season seedings and regions for the boys lacrosse tournament this spring. You can see the full document here, but the important details:

Division 1 Seeds

1. Brother Rice
2. Holt
3. Ann Arbor Pioneer
4. Detroit Catholic Central
5. Rockford
6. Forest Hills Eastern/Northern
7. Clarkston
8. Brighton

Division 2 Seeds

1. Detroit Country Day
2. Forest Hills Central
3. East Grand Rapids
4. Cranbrook
5. Notre Dame Prep
6. Warren De La Salle
7. Haslett-Williamston
8. Dexter

That’s pretty much non-surprising all the way around. Sure, arguments could be made for Team A a little higher than Team B, but your heavy hitters of boys lacrosse earned approximately the expected seeds (except these “Brother Rice” jerks, what have they ever done to earn a 1-seed?).

Far more controversial, though buried in the press release, is the location for the finals of the 2013 tournament:

MHSAA Final: June 8, 2013 East Grand Rapids 2pm

There is much indignation from lacrosse’s old guard in the state that the final isn’t held at Seaholm or Cranbrook but… I don’t see it.

Allow me to mount my soapbox (and probably upset friend-of-the-blog Reg Hartner, but so be it):

For a group that seems to do nothing but complain about how “things just aren’t like they used to be” or “the level of play in the state is going down the drain,” what can possibly be the downside of a state tournament final on the west side of the state? That you have to drive an hour and a half from your Oakland County home to make it there? The Forest Hills teams and East Grand Rapids and Rockford have had to do that every year.

I simply can’t see a downside to exposing a new area to the highest level of play in the high school game other than “it’s a little inconvenient for me.”