Our vote for No. 1

Well, for all the politicking, Power Point presentations and pie charts that go into the bizarre world of realignment, also known as the process by which who plays who in CMass football is sorted out, it seems pretty simple, really.

As Friday night proved, football really is no different than any other sport. You get a coach and some equipment and he or she chooses the best players from a particular school. It’s that simple.

No matter the size of the school, the kids are the same. Nobody is running a 4.2 40, nobody’s throwing up 500 pounds on the bench. On “any given Friday,” anything can happen.

Each local high school football team has some talented kids, whether the games are played in front 3,000 fans or friends and family.

As a matter of fact, while writing this masterpiece, we’re half-watching two CMass products go head to head in Big Boy college football, Emil Igwenagu of UMass, who played at Holy Name and Josh Droesch of UNH, who played at D3 West Boylston.

In a related note, the new playoff system is working to perfection. The idea was to give more kids the opportunity to play as many meaningful football games as possible. The playoffs start on Thanksgiving, as many spots in the postseason have yet to be occupied.

Finally, the most important election in history, at least since Nov. 4, takes place this weekend when we, along with nine colleagues, will decide who is the best team in CMass football via the T&G’s media poll.

There is no rule in the poll that states that any team deemed No. 1 must play in Division 1. That being said, this vote will go to a non-D1 squad as the top dog after losses by both Holy Name and St. John’s. The answer to your next question, if that question is, “What if they lined up and played head to head?” is “Nobody knows.” But, to say that a team like Auburn, Lunenburg or Tantasqua would have “no chance” against a school which happens to be private or located in a town with a larger population is preposterous.

Check back in this spot later this week when we reveal the greatest dynasty – yes, you can use that word to describe a high school program in this case – ever in CMass sports. It’s really not even close, so put on your debating pants and try to prove us wrong. Thanks for reading. Oh, and check around the site to win free things.