State champions in baseball, softball and girls soccer may not officially be crowned until mid-June, but Koz can easily make a case that the next couple of weeks will just as easily decide who wins state championships in those sports.
The reason why is that district draws will be taking place very soon, and those draws go a long way in determining the teams that have the best chance to make a run in the state tournament.
What if a powerhouse team won't face a decent team until a district final? Conversely, what if that powerhouse team has to beat three quality teams to win a district title and is worn out by regionals?
Of those sports, draws aren't more important than in baseball just based on pitching matchups. What if a great team is bounced out by a weaker one because that weaker team had a great pitcher it was able to throw against them? A perfect example of this came last season.
Ranked No. 2 in the state entering the playoffs, Troy drew Utica Eisenhower in the first round of districts. Eisenhower didn't have a great team, but had a terrific No. 1 pitcher to throw at the Colts. Unfortunately for Troy, that pitcher was on his game, and led Eisenhower to a 3-1 upset over the Colts to knock Troy out of the playoffs. However, without another top-notch pitcher, Eisenhower got mercied in the district final by Troy Athens, 16-1. What if Troy had been able to face that No. 2 pitcher in a district final?
It's why draws are so important, and why this next two weeks will be an exciting time behind closed doors in AD offices.