League championship football games? Crossovers? Kansas tiebreakers? Playoffs, explained.
Some high school football leagues in the South Sound are playing league championship games next week in Week 9. Others are playing division crossover games, but are not pitting division champions against each other. Other leagues aren’t playing league championship games at all.
It’s all a bit confusing, so your friends at the Tacoma News Tribune are here to help you cut through the noise. Next week, Week 9, is the final week of the regular season in Washington. Week 10 is the opening round of the playoffs. Here’s an explainer of Week 9 formats, league tiebreaker scenarios and Week 10 playoff allocation numbers.
4A NPSL
In Class 4A, WIAA District 3 (think geographic districts along the lines of The Hunger Games, but less violent) includes the 4A North Puget Sound and 4A South Puget Sound leagues. The district receives 11 total Week 10 playoff allocations. This year, four postseason spots go to the 4A NPSL.
The eight-team league does not have separate divisions and as a result, will not have a Week 9 division crossover or league championship game. The entire league schedule will be played through the end of the regular season. Kennedy Catholic should take the No. 1 spot again this year, while Tahoma (4-1), Stadium (3-2), Kentwood (3-2), Auburn Riverside (2-3) and Auburn (2-3) are vying for playoff spots behind the Lancers.
In the event of ties, the league’s tiebreaker is head-to-head record. In the event of a three-way tie, the next tiebreaker is ‘Power Point tie breaking.’ Each win has a point value attached to it. A win against league champion Kennedy Catholic, for example, would be worth eight points. A win against the last-place team would be worth one point, and so on and so forth. The third tiebreaker is point differential against common opponents, capped at +14 (if Team A beat Team B by 50 points, for example, Team A would cap out at +14 from the win).
It’s likely that any tiebreaker scenario would be neatly settled by head-to-head record, the first tiebreaker.
4A SPSL
In Class 4A, WIAA District 3 includes the 4A North Puget Sound and 4A South Puget Sound leagues. The district receives 11 total Week 10 playoff allocations. This year, seven postseason spots go to the 4A SPSL.
The 4A SPSL ballooned to 12 members this year, which meant the league needed to split into two divisions, the North and South. The division format means not every team in the league plays each other in the regular season, so the league’s members decided to hold a Week 9 division crossover game in Week 9.
In the 4A SPSL, it’ll be a true league championship game: the North winner faces the South winner. Right now, it looks like that’ll be Sumner vs. Graham-Kapowsin. The crossover games are:
- No. 1 vs. No. 1 (both advance to playoffs)
- No. 2 vs. No. 3 (both advance to playoffs)
- No. 2 vs. No. 3 (both advance to playoffs)
- No. 4 vs. No. 4 (winner advances to playoffs, loser out)
- No. 5 vs. No. 5 (consolation)
- No. 6 vs. No. 6 (consolation)
In the event of a standings tie ahead of Week 9 crossover games — which looks probable in the South, at this point — a ‘Kansas Tiebreaker’ will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at a neutral site location, which is to be determined. In the South, Spanaway Lake (2-2), Olympia (2-2) and Bethel (1-3) are vying for playoff berths.
This week, Graham-Kapowsin plays Spanaway Lake, Yelm plays Olympia and Bethel plays Bonney Lake. If the favorites (Graham-Kapowsin, Yelm and Bethel) all win those games, it would leave Spanaway Lake, Olympia and Bethel all with identical 2-3 league records in the South Division and would put the Kansas Tiebreaker into motion.
The Kansas Tiebreaker has to be held at a neutral location, so it can’t be played at Art Crate Field (Bethel School District) or Ingersoll Stadium (Olympia School District). Sparks Stadium in Puyallup is the most likely host. In the Kansas Tiebreaker, each team gets two offensive possessions starting at the opponent 25-yard line.
The biggest luck comes with the pre-game draw. Teams that draw the ‘A’ and ‘B’ spots get to play in the opening game, while Team ‘C’ has to wait to play the loser of the first game. If Team C loses the ensuing game, it is eliminated. Teams A and B, meanwhile, would have two chances to win.
3A NPSL
In Class 3A, WIAA District 3 includes the 3A North Puget Sound and 3A Puget Sound leagues. The district receives 10 total Week 10 playoff allocations. This year, four postseason spots go to the 3A NPSL.
The nine-team league does not have separate divisions and as a result, will not have a Week 9 division crossover or league championship game. The entire league schedule will be played through the end of the regular season.
Decatur should win the league, with Enumclaw taking the No. 2 spot. White River (5-1), Federal Way (4-2) and Todd Beamer (3-3) are vying for playoff spots. The league shares the same tiebreaker rules as the 4A NPSL.
3A PSL
In Class 3A, WIAA District 3 includes the 3A North Puget Sound and 3A Puget Sound leagues. The district receives 10 total Week 10 playoff allocations. This year, six postseason spots go to the 3A PSL.
The newly-formed 3A PSL includes 12 teams this year and as a result, split into two six-team divisions: the Narrows and the Nisqually.
The league will not feature a true crossover league championship game — which is a shame, because we’d love to see Lincoln and Lakes square off — but will have crossover games in Week 9. They are:
- No. 1 vs. No. 2 (both advance to playoffs)
- No. 1 vs. No. 2 (both advance to playoffs)
- No. 3 vs. No. 4 (winner advances to playoffs, loser out)
- No. 3 vs. No. 4 (winner advances to playoffs, loser out)
- No. 5 vs. No. 5 (consolation)
- No. 6 vs. No. 6 (consolation)
In the event of a tie, head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker. The second tiebreaker is point differential in games played against each other (also capped at +14).
2A SPSL
In Class 2A, WIAA District 3 includes the 2A Olympic and 2A South Puget Sound leagues. The district receives nine total Week 10 playoff allocations. This year, four postseason spots are guaranteed for the 2A SPSL, with the potential for a fifth playoff team.
The top four teams in the 2A SPSL will receive Week 10 playoff berths, while the No. 5 team will play the No. 5 team from the 2A Olympic for the ninth and final playoff spot.
In the event of a tie, head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker. The second tiebreaker is point differential (+15 cap) in games played against each other.
2A EvCo
The 2A EvCo, which includes Tumwater, actually resides in WIAA District 4, which includes the 2A EvCo and the 2A Greater Saint Helens League. The district receives seven total Week 10 playoff allocations. This year, two playoff spots are guaranteed for the 2A EvCo, with the potential for a third playoff team.
The top two teams in the 2A EvCo receive Week 10 playoff berths, while the No. 3 team plays the 2A GSHL No. 5 team in a pigtail game (modified game) on Tuesday, Nov. 5 for the seventh and final playoff berth. The format for the pigtail game is two 12-minute halves. The 2A EvCo No. 3 seed will host the game this year, while the GSHL No. 5 will host in 2025.
A tie isn’t possible in the 2A EvCo this year. The winner of the W.F. West vs. Tumwater game will be the league’s No. 1 seed, while the loser takes the No. 2 spot. The winner of Aberdeen vs. Black Hills game will take the No. 3 spot.
1A Nisqually
In Class 1A, WIAA District 3 includes only the 1A Nisqually League. The league receives three Week 10 playoff berths. Life Christian (4-0) and Cascade Christian (3-0) should both represent the South Sound in the postseason. They’ll face each other in the regular season finale, which will be the league championship game, on Saturday, Nov. 2.
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 1:12 PM.
