re·gion·al
ˈrēj(ə)n(ə)l/
noun
plural noun: regionals
NORTH AMERICAN
an athletic contest involving competitors from a particular region.
It has not ever had anything to do with rankings!
If you want to make things fair we need to combine 5a and 6a and have a 16 man bracket to get into 1 state tournament.
Or take the top 3 and give the number 1s a first round bye at state.
Or just take 2 and have an 8 man bracket at state.