OT: WPIAL HS Sports are a mess

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I am not sure what brought about "6A", though I am sure it involved whining. The problem is, it does not work for the Western Part of the state.

What brought it about was the gigantic disparity between the largest and the smallest 5A schools. You could have combined together three of the smaller 5As and still not have been as big as the biggest 5As. And a lot of people didn't think that was fair.

The solution, if you think that this is a problem that needs to be solved, is one that the WPIAL considered and rejected. And that is to combine the 5A and the 6A schools together for football. Instead of five 6As (and only because Central Catholic is playing up) and 18 5As just combine them together into one division of 23 schools.

I mean NA already plays Baldwin and Norwin and Penn Trafford, they just aren't section games. Seneca already plays Penn Hills and Peters and Pine Richland and Hempfield and North Hills, they just aren't section games.

Make three sections, one North, one East and one South. Split the teams up as equitably as possible. And when the time comes for the playoffs you have two choices. Either one big tournament with all the schools and the 6A state playoff team is the highest finishing 6A team and the 5A state playoff team is the highest finishing 5A team. Or split them back apart for the playoffs only and run two separate brackets.

But they considered that and decided that the current way was the better choice.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

What brought it about was the gigantic disparity between the largest and the smallest 5A schools. You could have combined together three of the smaller 5As and still not have been as big as the biggest 5As. And a lot of people didn't think that was fair.

The solution, if you think that this is a problem that needs to be solved, is one that the WPIAL considered and rejected. And that is to combine the 5A and the 6A schools together for football. Instead of five 6As (and only because Central Catholic is playing up) and 18 5As just combine them together into one division of 23 schools.

I mean NA already plays Baldwin and Norwin and Penn Trafford, they just aren't section games. Seneca already plays Penn Hills and Peters and Pine Richland and Hempfield and North Hills, they just aren't section games.

Make three sections, one North, one East and one South. Split the teams up as equitably as possible. And when the time comes for the playoffs you have two choices. Either one big tournament with all the schools and the 6A state playoff team is the highest finishing 6A team and the 5A state playoff team is the highest finishing 5A team. Or split them back apart for the playoffs only and run two separate brackets.

But they considered that and decided that the current way was the better choice.

I have said that and seems very easy to do. If Lebo beats USC in the Finals at Heinz, they both advance to the PIAAs.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

When they made that decision, I believe that Pennsylvania had the largest enrollment disparities in its biggest classification of any state in the country. Penn Hills was a AAAA school with a male enrollment of about 400 students. North Penn outside of Philadelphia was also a AAAA school, but with a male enrollment of about 1,600 students.

Plus more classes means more championships and more money.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

1

However, the rise of that program coincided with the introduction of the Philly private schools which have raped district 1 of it's talent.

Where is North Penn? I guess I could look it up. I know Parkland is outside of Allentown. I am assuming it is by the Central Bucks schools.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Do you know how many traffic signals there are on Route 22 from New Alexandria to the Parkway? 99 to the Turnpike East is a much better drive. And yes, traveling to Mt Lebanon and Central Catholic is going to require a trip through the Squirrel Hill tunnel on a Friday afternoon.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Plus more classes means more championships and more money.

I doubt the PIAA turns much of a profit.

 

[Titos Panther]

I know the Pittsburgh metro is smaller so we are not going to get the same funding for infrastructure, but if there can be a high speed Harrisburg to Philly line, why can't we get a high speed Amtrak line from Altoona to Pittsburgh, or if not that then from Latrobe to Pittsburgh?

I get that it is an ultimate chicken or the egg problem, but I do think that if our region can get some projects like that, more people will be attracted to Western PA.

Rick Geist Died Trying to get this done. He was on this for 30 yrs…

 

[Titos Panther]

Cambria county has lost 1/3 of its population since 1980. Not on school has consolidated. I don’t know how they keep these schools open. Who pays the goddamn taxes?

 

[steelcurtain55.]

Where is North Penn? I guess I could look it up. I know Parkland is outside of Allentown. I am assuming it is by the Central Bucks schools.

Lansdale. Philly suburb.

 

[Burgh15]

Not to get completely away from the topic, but how about the top of 6A and 5A this year. A lot of teams down in 6A and 5A is completely wide open. Hempfield had a hot start and dropped two games in a row without scoring much. USC just lost at home to Bethel Park. The playoffs in this section will be tough to predict.