Pitch problems and rank rankings

It’s been a busy month for me in and out of the office with soccer playoffs under way and the volleyball season wrapping up.

But here are a couple quick observations I’ve recently made:

First: Home-field advantage has taken on a new meaning in the boys soccer playoffs.

Imagine going to a volleyball playoff game only to find that your team has to play on sand.

Sure, the difference between sand and a high school gym floor may be a bit more dramatic than the difference of natural grass and the turf surfaces that have been popping up more and more steadily, but there still is a significant difference.

Soccer teams that are used to playing on natural grass for most of the season (which a little more than half of the teams I cover in the Macomb Area Conference do) often find themselves at a distinct disadvantage when they play a team that’s been on turf all year in a postseason game played on turf. And vice versa.

While I understand not every school and playoff host can have the exact some playing surface, it’s just too bad and a bit unfair when a team’s season comes to an end on a surface that they’re playing on for the first time.

Most coaches don’t like to use that as an excuse, but I know that was a key factor in the outcomes in a few district games in the area.

Second: I just saw the most recent volleyball rankings from the coaches association — and not a single MAC team (and just one OAA squad – Clarkston) is ranked. Not even an honorable mention.

Granted, I know there are some talented teams across the state, and more often than not those schools a bit closer to Lake Michigan tend to enjoy some decent success in the state tournament.

Apparently the MAC Red being even more competitive and balanced than maybe ever before — with five teams out of six still in the running for the division title with two games to go — is a negative for what many would consider the top division in the state.

I have a feeling that beating up on each other and facing top-caliber competition (whether other coaches around the state feel that way or not) all season long will pay off for teams such as Fraser High, Grosse Pointe North, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse, Macomb Dakota and Marysville High once the playoffs roll around.