RAPID CITY - Blow-out football games in Class 11AA could be shortened next year by a version of the "mercy" rule that already exists in the smaller classes, if a proposal by a state activities committee is approved.

The committee also recommended a playoff seeding system for all classes of high school football similar to the one begun this year by Class 11AA. And it recommended that Class 11AA contests be limited to 16 schools. That would move the 17th school - currently Douglas High School in Box Elder - back to Class 11A.

The recommendation by the South Dakota High School Activities Association's Football Advisory Committee would mandate a running clock in the second half of 11AA football games in which one team leads by 40 points or more.

"You'd hope in AA football we wouldn't have to use this very often," Central High School Activities Director Darren Paulson said Wednesday. "I think we had one of those years this year."

There were a number of blow-out games this year in 11AA, a class that typically produces more evenly matched games than some of the smaller classes. Those other classes already have a mercy rule that mandates a second-half running clock when one team leads by 35 points. That mercy rule also ends the game when the second-half lead reaches 50 points.

If approved, the 11AA mercy rule would shorten the game but not include a termination point.

"These teams don't want to end up traveling 300 or 400 miles and playing half a game," Paulson said.

Paulson, who serves as chairman of the advisory committee, said the group approved the package of recommendations during a Nov. 13 meeting in Mitchell. Paulson will present it to the state athletic directors' conference March 26-28 in Pierre.

Any recommendation approved there still must be considered by the SDHSAA Board of Directors in April.

Paulson said the football advisory committee has for years heard requests to seed teams for the playoffs based on their season performance, rather than play the first two playoff games within the regions as most classes currently do. The 11AA went to a seeding system this year, with schools seeded one through 16 in the playoffs and the 17th school left out.

The advisory committee now wants to seed the same way in 11A and 11B and seed only after the first region game in all three classes of 9-man football.

"Nine-man is kind of a different entity," Paulson said.

The recommendation would seed 11A and 11AA playoff teams one through 16 from the first round on. But it would have regional play in the first round of 9-man classes. Nine-man teams would be seeded one

through eight for the second round.

"There will be some opposition, but I think if we do it (seed) in one class, we should do it in the others."

Some fans of Class 11A teams in eastern South Dakota complained this year that their teams failed to make the championship game at the Dakota Dome, while St. Thomas More made the championship after playing its first two playoff games in a region that many considered weaker than those over east.

Thomas More lost to perennial power West Central High School of Hartford by a score of 51-13. But Paulson wouldn't confirm that as the impetus for the change.

"I don't think it's just this year. The seeding issue comes up every year," he said.

Along with the seeding proposal, the committee also wants to see playoff games moved to weekends, rather than playing the first two rounds during the week. Seeding means more travel for the first rounds, along with more expensive and student-athlete disruption.

"We think it's in the best interest of high-school football to get the playoff games on the weekend," Paulson said.

Members of the committee also believe it would simplify playoffs to have 16 AA teams, which should all play AA schedules. Currently the 17th AA school, Douglas, plays mostly smaller-class teams prior to the playoffs.

"A lot of people feel that a AA school should be playing AA opponents," Paulson said.

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com