High School Soccer Team Skipping Playoffs

I am not sure what baffles me more in this article that I read about a high school team skipping the playoffs. Is it that a first year coach comes into a program, and decides that the team who is undefeated will not compete in playoffs. Or is it the fact that by the sounds of it this team would beat most college team's.

The high school is Montverde, which is an international boarding school. The premiere boarding school in the United States. This school gets kid's from all sort of other countries, and their reason for skipping playoffs is because they are more interested in developing players for college than trying to win a state title. Isn't playing for a title what it's all about in high school?

Their soccer coach is Mike Potempa, who was an assistant coach at Clemson University for four years, played on the US National 17, 18, 19, 20 and under teams, AND was drafted by the LA Galaxy in the MLS. Yes this is their HIGH SCHOOL coach.

As I keep reading the article I find out their basketball team has been doing the skipping playoffs thing for several years now. 35 of their former players earned college scholarships, and 2 are playing in the NBA. Those two players are 7' 1'' center Soloman Alabi who attended Florida State and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Maybe because I came from an area where sports are not that big I can't comprehend. I mean they are big in the community but we rarely see the "best" player around do anything besides become an excellent bar room athletes. ( I don't consider myself the best athlete but I am one hell of a bar room athlete) I mean we have rare cases like Jimmy Howard and Rick Carlisle making a name for themselves. I think the key to their success though was getting out of here.

So maybe if you are reading this and you are from a big city with a lot of talent you are not impressed. If you are from anywhere near me than this has to get you thinking. I mean could you imagine playing vs a team that is filled with division 1 talent. A team that could most likely beat division 1 team's? I mean would it even be fun? I don't think so. I mean it would be fun at first I suppose playing people you know will or could make it big, but getting beat down by them seems like a waste of time. How can you get better from that?

I guess you could look at it the other way though. Look at it as a team that should have to play them in playoffs. You must be excited because you actually have a chance now. If you end up winning it all do you really feel like you are the state champ? Yes you won playoffs but you didn't beat the best team.

I would love to hear what other people think about this. So drop a comment.