Since 1963, The average final score of a state championship game has been 34 - 16, an 18-point margin. We all like competitive games so obviously any season with scoring margins less than 18 points would be considered somewhat competitive, at least from this fan's perspective.
In 2024 the average score for the eight games played dropped to 37 -13, a 24-point margin. This ranks 57th on the list of 62 years. I looked into this a bit to see what may have contributed to the anomaly. After some analysis, nothing major jumps out.
I have ranked all 62 years by "most competitive" state championships. Maybe someone can spot something:
| Fan Rank | Year | # Games | Avg W Score | Avg L Score | Margin |
| 1 | 1963 | 1 | 16 | 14 | 2 |
| 2 | 1964 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 6 |
| 3 | 1986 | 5 | 17 | 9 | 8 |
| 4 | 1997 | 5 | 26 | 18 | 8 |
| 5 | 2010 | 8 | 34 | 24 | 10 |
| 6 | 1972 | 4 | 23 | 14 | 10 |
| 7 | 1983 | 4 | 24 | 14 | 10 |
| 8 | 1973 | 4 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| 9 | 2022 | 8 | 31 | 20 | 11 |
| 10 | 1990 | 5 | 21 | 10 | 11 |
| 11 | 2006 | 8 | 31 | 20 | 12 |
| 12 | 2017 | 8 | 28 | 16 | 12 |
| 13 | 1982 | 4 | 20 | 8 | 12 |
| 14 | 1999 | 6 | 28 | 16 | 12 |
| 15 | 2003 | 7 | 22 | 9 | 13 |
| 16 | 1994 | 5 | 21 | 9 | 13 |
| 17 | 1975 | 4 | 22 | 9 | 13 |
| 18 | 2016 | 8 | 28 | 14 | 13 |
| 19 | 2001 | 6 | 28 | 15 | 14 |
| 20 | 1980 | 4 | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| 21 | 1979 | 4 | 22 | 8 | 14 |
| 22 | 2023 | 9 | 34 | 20 | 14 |
| 23 | 1976 | 4 | 21 | 6 | 14 |
| 24 | 1995 | 5 | 22 | 8 | 14 |
| 25 | 2012 | 8 | 35 | 21 | 15 |
| 26 | 2002 | 6 | 22 | 7 | 15 |
| 27 | 2009 | 8 | 30 | 14 | 15 |
| 28 | 1992 | 5 | 29 | 13 | 16 |
| 29 | 1998 | 5 | 30 | 14 | 16 |
| 30 | 1966 | 3 | 26 | 10 | 16 |
| 31 | 1971 | 4 | 25 | 9 | 16 |
| 32 | 1978 | 4 | 23 | 7 | 16 |
| 33 | 2000 | 6 | 32 | 16 | 16 |
| 34 | 1969 | 4 | 27 | 10 | 17 |
| 35 | 2019 | 8 | 39 | 22 | 17 |
| 36 | 1968 | 4 | 27 | 10 | 17 |
| 37 | 1991 | 5 | 27 | 10 | 17 |
| 38 | 2021 | 8 | 32 | 15 | 17 |
| 39 | 1977 | 4 | 26 | 8 | 18 |
| 40 | 2020 | 8 | 33 | 15 | 18 |
| 41 | 1970 | 4 | 27 | 9 | 18 |
| 42 | 2007 | 8 | 32 | 14 | 18 |
| 43 | 2005 | 8 | 42 | 24 | 19 |
| 44 | 1985 | 5 | 29 | 10 | 19 |
| 45 | 1993 | 5 | 36 | 17 | 19 |
| 46 | 2008 | 8 | 33 | 13 | 19 |
| 47 | 2018 | 8 | 35 | 14 | 21 |
| 48 | 1981 | 4 | 25 | 4 | 21 |
| 49 | 2004 | 7 | 36 | 15 | 21 |
| 50 | 1974 | 4 | 28 | 6 | 21 |
| 51 | 1989 | 5 | 32 | 10 | 21 |
| 52 | 1988 | 5 | 35 | 14 | 21 |
| 53 | 1967 | 3 | 27 | 5 | 22 |
| 54 | 1984 | 4 | 33 | 10 | 23 |
| 55 | 1996 | 5 | 35 | 13 | 23 |
| 56 | 2014 | 8 | 34 | 11 | 23 |
| 57 | 2024 | 8 | 37 | 13 | 24 |
| 58 | 1987 | 5 | 27 | 3 | 25 |
| 59 | 2013 | 8 | 40 | 15 | 25 |
| 60 | 2015 | 8 | 43 | 16 | 27 |
| 61 | 2011 | 8 | 41 | 12 | 30 |
| 62 | 1965 | 3 | 38 | 4 | 34 |
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