TERRY COLUMN: Rein in all-state teams

Allow me to vent for a moment.

The Class AA all-state football teams were released today and in a continuation of an odd quirk in this state, the list was much larger than it needed to be.

That’s not to say kids shouldn’t be honored for their play on the field.

The voters rightly designated do-it-all Billings Senior quarterback Nate Dick as offensive most valuable player for the second straight year after a season that saw the senior throw for more than 2,600 yards and run for 1,200 yards while guiding his team to an undefeated season and its first state title since 1979.

They also honored some of the most accomplished athletes of the season, including a handful of athletes from Glacier and a smattering of players that had record years, some going on to play at the next level.

The issue?

There were 40 players named just first team all-state.

There were another 41 named second team and another 68 as honorable mention.

That’s nearly 150 players considered all-state, give or take a dozen or so players that grabbed multiple spots.

I’m all for handing out honors, and glad they chose to list the long snappers and special teams players that helped contribute to a successful season.

But, putting 150 players on an all-state team waters down the accolade.

There are 14 teams in the league and an average of nearly 11 players per team got chosen as all-state.

There’s something to be said for honoring the best of the best. Letting those players claim all-state honors has merit.

Honoring the rest is still possible, which is why they have all-conference teams. Even in Class AA football, where there are no conferences, they honor all-conference teams.

That’s a big honor.Not every player makes all-conference. That should be a good thing to put on your resume or college recruitment tape.

However, in Class AA every player listed as all-conference also got at least honorable mention as all-state.

Which makes listing all-state meaningless. Or it makes all-conference meaningless. Take your pick. It’s the same list.

So, congrats to all those who were named to the Class AA all-state football team. You deserve the honor and the celebration.

But to those that vote, consider making the all-state team a tougher accomplishment in the future.