School size in Central PA also doesn't translate into dominance, either, because some of the bigger schools just aren't very good at football.
What are some of the oldest and best rivalries in the WPIAL?
- Thread starter cbpitt2
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Ahh….I actually can see why Churchill or Forest Hills would want their own schools. But by the 80’s how could it be violating civil rights laws?? I always thought it was strange that they forced that many Boro’s to merge. I always talk trash on them letting it happen 😂
What is interesting about that is I actually think that that school district makes sense because they’re right next to each other. And they have a place where they have a football stadium and it’s less travel to get to the school. But then you add the fact that they then have also Swissvale, Churchill, Forest Hills, Wilkins Township and Turtle Creek that’s overkill. I’ve always felt like that was unnecessary. And I think that’s why there’s so many charter schools popping up now.
None of those smaller school districts could have survived on its own. Turtle Creek would be graduating 15 kids a year, maybe. Swissvale not many more. Granted, half of Churchill's boys go to Central Catholic, so they could probably have survived. Wilkins Township? C'mon. Politics aside, these mergers make sense a lot of the time.
I feel like Wilkins Township kids should go to Gateway. Churchill kids should go to Penn Hills. The ones that make sense is Rankin, Braddock, Swissvale having a school. If Churchill and Forest hills with Turtle Creek had a school that would make sense. But I feel like geographically Woodland Hills SD never made sense. Just like South Allegheny and Central Valley ( which i still don;t get that merger either )
A little OT but there were super City League hoops rivalries in the '70's. With the great Schenley HS teams featuring Maurice Lucas, Ricky Coleman and Jeep Kelly and the Fifth Avenue teams lead by Sam Clancy and Warner Macklin.
Some great playground basketball was played during that era as well.
Some great playground basketball was played during that era as well.
Central Valley has been a success. Monaca was extremely small and Center was shrinking at the time.
I heard that Monaca and Center merged because both schools were afraid that they'd be forced to take in Rochester.
Clement pretty much stole Lewandowski’s job just when he was starting to see those youth programs pay off at the high school level.
Butler screwed over Joe Lewandowski twice! He was both the boys and girls HC at different points.
Funny - he wasn’t good enough to be a HC at Butler but now he’s good enough to coach with USA basketball.
Super nice guy and family. Butler did him dirty.
Agree that geographically Woodland Hills doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and that does make it difficult for parents and students. Try getting from the Edgewood or the Regent Square side of Swissvale down to Wilmerding in the morning or afternoon rush hour for instance. It sucks. Churchill to Rankin.... sucks.
The forced merger was too big with too many boroughs involved. Maybe two or three schools instead of one absolutely giant one could have worked. Perhaps the borroughs down along the river and the triborough as a school, those on top of the hills in another. Edgewood- Swissvale would have been a good merger.
Maybe, but Woodland Hills isn't a giant school district, and in fact isn't even close to one.
It would actually have more students now if a lot of the students didn’t go to charter schools or private schools or just fake their addresses and go to other schools. I know for a fact that a lot of those kids in that district go to charter schools and other schools that are not in their district by using some family members address that’s outside of it.
I am the #1 Penn State hater on the board. I know this because I’ve been in meetings with people who have created the charter schools and the Woodland Hills District because they don’t want their kids going to the school. What other parents have said at those meetings is that they send their kids to other schools where their families live. It’s not groundbreaking news
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