Piaa split up...

[Fightingscot82]

Re: Piaa split up...

I think it's fair to agree to a certain radius around private schools and say that's their limit on athletes. This way it makes it harder to enroll where it geographically doesn't make sense. However I have a colleague who drives from Youngstown every day to work in the Pittsburgh airport region. He's talked about enrolling his kids at a private school near his job rather than an hour away back home. But I doubt he'd do that if they were athletes just because of all the extra travel for games. That's the only reasonable exception I can think about.

[Bart]

Re: Piaa split up...

How do the boarding schools like Wyoming Seminary and The Hill play into it?

[iupgroundhog]

Re: Piaa split up...

How do the boarding schools like Wyoming Seminary and The Hill play into it?

I would say they don't. If they aren't a PIAA member now then this whole topic has no affect on them whatsoever. I'm no expert on the PIAA requirements but it appears that being a boarding school doesn't matter since VFMI is a PIAA member and it is a boarding school. I think what you have to recognize is that the PIAA is a voluntary organization. Public and private schools can choose to be a member or not. Schools like Wyoming Seminary and The Hill School, etc. are members of a national prep school association with different standards. That's their choice.

Obviously, some of these prep schools recruit athletes from far and wide. When these PIAA private schools start to recruit in similar ways that becomes a problem and it has become a problem IMHO.

[Bart]

Re: Piaa split up...

I would say they don't. If they aren't a PIAA member now then this whole topic has no affect on them whatsoever. I'm no expert on the PIAA requirements but it appears that being a boarding school doesn't matter since VFMI is a PIAA member and it is a boarding school. I think what you have to recognize is that the PIAA is a voluntary organization. Public and private schools can choose to be a member or not. Schools like Wyoming Seminary and The Hill School, etc. are members of a national prep school association with different standards. That's their choice.

Obviously, some of these prep schools recruit athletes from far and wide. When these PIAA private schools start to recruit in similar ways that becomes a problem and it has become a problem IMHO.

Wyoming Seminary is a member of the PIAA in class AAA, and so are many others, including schools for delinquents like Glen Mills.

[iupgroundhog]

Re: Piaa split up...

Wyoming Seminary is a member of the PIAA in class AAA, and so are many others, including schools for delinquents like Glen Mills.

Interesting. Seems they participate in PIAA in certain sports and others they don't. Some sports like wrestling they don't meet the PIAA rules. Read the thread in the link below.

http://forums.pa-wrestling.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6924

[Bart]

Re: Piaa split up...

Interesting. Seems they participate in PIAA in certain sports and others they don't. Some sports like wrestling they don't meet the PIAA rules. Read the thread in the link below.

http://forums.pa-wrestling.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6924

In some PIAA sports they are AAA, and in others they are AA and A, and some they don't participate at all. It's all very confusing, and throw in some recruiting on a national level.

[iupgroundhog]

Re: Piaa split up...

In some PIAA sports they are AAA, and in others they are AA and A, and some they don't participate at all. It's all very confusing, and throw in some recruiting on a national level.

Definitely a customized approach.

[WVIAC-F-EVER]

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Piaa split up...

Burrell high school just lost a two-time all-conference LB/TE to Shady Side Academy. He was ruled eligible to play this year.

[Tdobson]

Re: Piaa split up...

What schools want to leave? I have always felt that the private schools have an unfair advantage in some sports, mainly football and basketball.

[jrshooter]

Re: Piaa split up...

I've never been a proponent of splitting up the schools again. We had public/private championships once, and sorry, it was not as good.

A friend of mine came up with the best compromise I've heard. Keep six championship classes -- four for public, two for private. That way, regular-season competitions between public and private schools won't take a hit, and there are some good rivalries out there that won't be lost. Go ahead and split them up come playoff time, but not before.

[CALUPA69]

Re: Piaa split up...

I've never been a proponent of splitting up the schools again. We had public/private championships once, and sorry, it was not as good.

A friend of mine came up with the best compromise I've heard. Keep six championship classes -- four for public, two for private. That way, regular-season competitions between public and private schools won't take a hit, and there are some good rivalries out there that won't be lost. Go ahead and split them up come playoff time, but not before.

That's where the current system was prior to the shutdown of the PCIAA. I remember the league in Pgh very well. NORTH, SOUTH, CENTRAL, CANEVIN, MON VALLEY and one from the GREENSBURG area that I can't recall. But all those schools played most of their schedules vs public schools although as I recall never versus CITY LEAGUE schools. As I said before the wins and championships felt just as real even without being a part of the PIAA.

[IUPNation]

Piaa split up...

The public high schools in Southeastern PA seems to hold their own vs the Catholic League schools. Maybe the problem is that there are too many dinky school districts in the rest of the state. There could be a huge consolidation of school districts that would afford economy of scale and herd kids together on less teams.

Just because East Bumble**** won the title in 1960 is not a good reason to keep a dinky school in operation.

Indiana County alone could be knocked down to three high schools.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: Piaa split up...

The public high schools in Southeastern PA seems to hold their own vs the Catholic League schools. Maybe the problem is that there are too many dinky school districts in the rest of the state. There could be a huge consolidation of school districts that would afford economy of scale and herd kids together on less teams.

Just because East Bumble**** won the title in 1960 is novreadonbyo keep a dinky school in operation.

Indiana County alone could be knocked down to three high schools.

I think the challenge is for the lower divisions and the regions without much competition. My wife's hometown high school makes the state playoffs roughly once a decade out of District 9 which is all small town high schools. For every Clairton, Farrell, or Rochester they run face first into the wall of Our Lady of Sacred Heart or Imani Christian.

Erie Cathedral Prep doesn't bring in kids from Ohio or New York (like a Philly area private school might have kids from Jersey, Maryland, or Delaware) probably because high school football in those areas stinks - but they certainly find opportunities to poach kids from almost all of District 10. And its not because they're great students. Without naming names, I've come across several great athletes who couldn't carry on a conversation with a rock but went to Prep. That "great" education didn't help them with that rock conversation either. I just find it hard to believe that kids from rural communities 45 minutes away are suddenly seeking out an urban Catholic education when they live the rural evangelical life in the evenings and weekends.

I'm not sure how it pans out in SEPA, but in the WPIAL 9 of 11 private schools made the playoffs last year. The two who didn't were both one win from playoff participation. I'm not saying it stinks but it shows there seems to be some disparity in their ability to field competitive teams. There has to be a model from one of the 49 other states to address this.

[IUPNation]

I think the challenge is for the lower divisions and the regions without much competition. My wife's hometown high school makes the state playoffs roughly once a decade out of District 9 which is all small town high schools. For every Clairton, Farrell, or Rochester they run face first into the wall of Our Lady of Sacred Heart or Imani Christian.

Erie Cathedral Prep doesn't bring in kids from Ohio or New York (like a Philly area private school might have kids from Jersey, Maryland, or Delaware) probably because high school football in those areas stinks - but they certainly find opportunities to poach kids from almost all of District 10. And its not because they're great students. Without naming names, I've come across several great athletes who couldn't carry on a conversation with a rock but went to Prep. That "great" education didn't help them with that rock conversation either. I just find it hard to believe that kids from rural communities 45 minutes away are suddenly seeking out an urban Catholic education when they live the rural evangelical life in the evenings and weekends.

I'm not sure how it pans out in SEPA, but in the WPIAL 9 of 11 private schools made the playoffs last year. The two who didn't were both one win from playoff participation. I'm not saying it stinks but it shows there seems to be some disparity in their ability to field competitive teams. There has to be a model from one of the 49 other states to address this.