From the DIAA handbook for Delaware:
Item 1. Playoff Participants
A The 2009 DIAA Football State Championships will consist of a Division I tournament and a Division II tournament. The teams that are eligible to participate in the Division I playoffs include the Blue Hen "A" Conference, the Henlopen North Conference, St. Mark's High School and the Salesianum School. The teams that are eligible to participate in the Division II playoffs include the Blue Hen "B" Conference, the Henlopen South Conference, and all other DIAA member schools not included in Division I. These Divisions are based on the enrollment figures from the current BENCHMARK DATE (September 30, 2008). Single gender schools will be classified by doubling their enrollment figure on the Benchmark Date. The Benchmark Date is the date that Delaware schools will use to determine Conference alignments for a two-year cycle. The current classifications are as follows:
Division I
AI duPont, Brandywine, Caesar Rodney, Cape Henlopen, Charter of Wilmington, Christiana, Concord, Delcastle, Dover , Glasgow, Milford, Middletown, Newark, Saint Marks, Salesianum, Smyrna, Sussex Central, Sussex Technical, William Penn
Division II
Appoquinimink, Archmere, Caravel, Conrad, DE Military Academy, Delmar, Dickinson, Ferris, Hodgson, Howard, Indian River, Lake Forest, Laurel, McKean, Mount Pleasant, Moyer Academy, Pencader Charter, Polytech, Red Lion Christian Academy, Saint Andrews, Saint Elizabeths, Saint Georges, Seaford Tatnall, Tower Hill, Woodbridge, Wilmington Friends
B. The Division I qualifiers will be the Blue Hen "A" and Henlopen North champions and four at-large teams. The Division II qualifiers will be the Blue Hen "B" and Henlopen South champions and four at-large teams.
C. Each of the aforementioned conferences is responsible for making such scheduling adjustments as are necessary so that its champion is available for the playoffs. In the case of a tie, each conference is responsible for selecting its playoff representative.
D. The Football Committee will select the at-large representatives according to the following point index system and tie-breaking criteria:
1. Division I Opponent Division II Opponent
6 points for a win 4 points for a win
3 points for a tie 2 points for a tie
1 point for a loss 0 points for a loss
a. Any out-of-state opponent whose building houses grades 9-12 and whose enrollment at the time a valid DIAA Contract was signed (boys and girls) is equal to or exceeds the Benchmark Date enrollment (boys and girls in grades 9-12) of the smallest Division I team (1157) will be classified as Division I. All other out-of-state opponents whose building houses grades 9-12 will be classified as Division II. The valid DIAA contract used to determine classification must have been signed within the most recent two-year benchmark period.
b. An out-of-state opponent whose building houses grades 10-12 and whose enrollment (boys and girls) at the time a valid DIAA Contract was signed, is equal to or exceeds the Benchmark Date enrollment (boys and girls in grades 10-12) of the smallest Division I team will be classified as Division I. The valid DIAA contract used to determine classification must have been signed within the most recent two-year benchmark period.
All other out-of-state opponents whose building houses grades 10-12 will be classified as Division II.
c. A single gender, out-of-state opponent will be classified by doubling their enrollment at the time a valid DIAA Contract was signed (boys in grades 9-12 or 10-12 depending on the school’s grade configuration) and then comparing it to the Benchmark Date enrollment (boys and girls in grades 9-12 or grades 10-12 depending on the out-of-state school’s grade configuration) in accordance with a. and b. above. The valid DIAA contract used to determine classification must have been signed within the most recent two-year benchmark period.
2. Add 1 point for each opponent that won 7 or 8 games during the regular season.
3. Add 2 points for each opponent that won 9 or 10 games during the regular season.
4. Divide the total points accumulated by the number of games played. The two teams in each division with the highest point indices will be the at-large representatives.
a. If two or more teams are tied for the final at-large berth, the results of head-to-head competition during the regular season will be used to break the tie. If, after considering head-to-head competition, two or more teams are still tied for the final at-large berth, the following criteria will be used:
(1) The team whose opponents have the most victories in regular season play will qualify for the playoffs.
(2) If a tie still exists, the team whose opponents have the fewest defeats in regular season play will qualify for the playoffs.
(3) If a tie still exists, the Committee will choose the at-large team(s) by vote.
5. For points to count an opponent must have played a minimum of an eight game Varsity schedule. Forfeits will count toward satisfying this requirement.
A. A member of the Committee will be responsible for contacting the out-of-state opponents of each school in contention for a tournament berth and obtaining their state Benchmark date enrollment. Schools that play Out-of-State opponents need to send the contact information for those schools to DIAA by September 21, 2009. Please send it via e-mail to
tneubauer@doe.k12.de.us.
B. The regular season consists of the first 10 regular season games and must be completed by Saturday, November 14, 2009.
C. A team must complete an eight-game varsity schedule in order to be eligible for the tournament. Forfeits will count toward satisfying this requirement.
D. In the event that a conference champion is not eligible to participate in the tournament or a conference chooses not to send its champion, the Committee will use the at-large point index system and tie-breaking criteria in D. above to choose another team.
Item 2. Tournament Seeding
A. After the teams have been selected, the at-large point index system and tie-breaking criteria in Item 1.D. will be used to seed the six qualifying teams in each division. The two highest seeded teams in each division will receive a first round bye. The remaining four teams in each division will be paired #3 vs. #6 and #4 vs. #5. The Committee will re-seed the remaining four teams in each division following all games played in the first round.
