School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

[iupgroundhog]

Re: School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

Again, this is the natural separation process.

Forbes Road goes 23-1 against Southern Fulton, Turkeyfoot Valley and Rockwood. Then they run into Lincoln Park in the first round of states. One, they see where they fit in the larger scheme of things. Two, they probably have a story they'll be telling at their 35th high school reunion.

I used to read over the HS football scores in that little box in the newspaper every week and I thought I'd heard of all schools in PA. Forbes Road...Turkeyfoot Valley...? I guess I need to catch up on this stuff.

[jrshooter]

Re: School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

I used to read over the HS football scores in that little box in the newspaper every week and I thought I'd heard of all schools in PA. Forbes Road...Turkeyfoot Valley...? I guess I need to catch up on this stuff.

Back when I was writing for the Chambersburg paper in high school, I loved to go out to Forbes Road for basketball games. It was like stepping back into the 1940s, and man, is it in the wilderness. One of only three Fulton County high schools -- Forbes, McConnellsburg and Southern Fulton.

[Tdobson]

Re: School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

Back when I was writing for the Chambersburg paper in high school, I loved to go out to Forbes Road for basketball games. It was like stepping back into the 1940s, and man, is it in the wilderness. One of only three Fulton County high schools -- Forbes, McConnellsburg and Southern Fulton.

I thought I knew all the schools in pa. Does forbes road have a football team? I looked up their schedule and it has 2017, so who did they merge with if anyone?

How big is that school?

[jrshooter]

Re: School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

I thought I knew all the schools in pa. Does forbes road have a football team? I looked up their schedule and it has 2017, so who did they merge with if anyone?

How big is that school?

It's absolutely tiny -- 95 students as of October 2017, according to the PIAA. It has never offered football, not even in co-op. They've been around at least since the 1960s. It's located about four miles of back roads from the Fort Littleton exit of the Turnpike.

They have a newer gym now, but at one time, they had a very cool, ancient band box where shooters began casting them up about two steps inside the center circle. There were two corrugated metal tunnels on either side of that center circle which led back to the respective locker rooms.

District 5 is a whole another world. Not like anywhere else in the state. Farflung, little schools. Fannett-Metal's never had football. Nor McConnellsburg. Nor Southern Fulton.

[IUPNation]

[Dozsa2]

Re: School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

I'm not sure this is the best solution. Once we go back to separate playoff brackets we'll still have that debate about "Who is better?"

Nobody and I mean NOBODY can cite how one of the 49 other states handles this better than PA. The PIAA should (or pay someone to) study how this is handled elsewhere and propose 2-3 options. Without doing any work, I'd say the options are a) separate playoffs, b) make privates play up one level, or c) limit participants to a radius around the school.

What do you do with teams like Pittsburgh Central Catholic and St. Joeseph's Prep that are already 6A? There is no easy answer to this debate.

[EastStroud13]

Re: School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

They stay in 6A. At the highest level you just gotta beat the best. Pine-Richland beat SJP last year, so it's not impossible.

And on the flip side, if SJP ever wants to become a true "national power", they're probably going to have to forego PIAA and embark on their own national schedule. In theory, one could argue PIAA is holding back SJP.

[Dozsa2]

Re: School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

They stay in 6A. At the highest level you just gotta beat the best. Pine-Richland beat SJP last year, so it's not impossible.

And on the flip side, if SJP ever wants to become a true "national power", they're probably going to have to forego PIAA and embark on their own national schedule. In theory, one could argue PIAA is holding back SJP.

Yep. Like that school in Baltimore. Although, IIRC, teams in their league refused to play them this year.

[IUPNation]

They stay in 6A. At the highest level you just gotta beat the best. Pine-Richland beat SJP last year, so it's not impossible.

And on the flip side, if SJP ever wants to become a true "national power", they're probably going to have to forego PIAA and embark on their own national schedule. In theory, one could argue PIAA is holding back SJP.

[EastStroud13]

Re: School District Votes to Separate Private from Public in PIAA

That's a good point. I think some people see "St. Joseph's" and think of the university campus on City Ave.

[IUPNation]

That's a good point. I think some people see "St. Joseph's" and think of the university campus on City Ave.