OT: Ligonier Valley Heading to the WPIAL for 2020-21

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Word just breaking! Great news for both the overqualified Rams and the overmatched tiny Heritage Conference. I think they made a good choice here.

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Word just breaking! Great news for both the overqualified Rams and the overmatched tiny Heritage Conference. I think they made a good choice here.

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Good move for all involved.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Heritage football was really getting impossible to want to even follow. This will really bring some meaning and parity back to the equation.

Looks like the Heritage will need a new school or two to come into the conference. Any thoughts here? Maybe they could kick the tires on schools like Blacklick Valley, Glendale, Cambria Heights, etc. I have no real idea what any of those types of schools have going on at the moment.

Crazy idea of the week----I wonder if struggling Indiana High gets a look at the Heritage. I kind of doubt it as they are undoubtedly too big but looking at the state of their grid program you just never know. Plus, they also have a former Heritage coach in Brandon Overdorf. But again, I really doubt they even get considered. Maybe somebody like Apollo-Ridge gets a look?

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Heritage football was really getting impossible to want to even follow. This will really bring some meaning and parity back to the equation.

Looks like the Heritage will need a new school or two to come into the conference. Any thoughts here? Maybe they could kick the tires on schools like Blacklick Valley, Glendale, Cambria Heights, etc. I have no real idea what any of those types of schools have going on at the moment.

Crazy idea of the week----I wonder if struggling Indiana High gets a look at the Heritage. I kind of doubt it as they are undoubtedly too big but looking at the state of their grid program you just never know. Plus, they also have a former Heritage coach in Brandon Overdorf. But again, I really doubt they even get considered. Maybe somebody like Apollo-Ridge gets a look?

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Leechburg gave it a serious look a couple years ago.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Heritage football was really getting impossible to want to even follow. This will really bring some meaning and parity back to the equation.

Looks like the Heritage will need a new school or two to come into the conference. Any thoughts here? Maybe they could kick the tires on schools like Blacklick Valley, Glendale, Cambria Heights, etc. I have no real idea what any of those types of schools have going on at the moment.

Crazy idea of the week----I wonder if struggling Indiana High gets a look at the Heritage. I kind of doubt it as they are undoubtedly too big but looking at the state of their grid program you just never know. Plus, they also have a former Heritage coach in Brandon Overdorf. But again, I really doubt they even get considered. Maybe somebody like Apollo-Ridge gets a look?

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Apollo-Ridge would be an ideal fit. They've been yapping lately about the conference the WPIAL put them in ... very long road trips to schools with no ties, rivalries, etc.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Apollo-Ridge would be an ideal fit. They've been yapping lately about the conference the WPIAL put them in ... very long road trips to schools with no ties, rivalries, etc.

I agree that A-R would probably be the perfect candidate at this point. Makes a lot of sense for them and the conference in terms of fit and geography. I always thought that Ligonier was a bit of a haul for many Heritage teams. Certainly some of the schools that I mentioned above would also be a nightmare for many to travel to as well. Leechburg sounds a bit far out as well.

Yeah, I like A-R here!

My niece and nephews may be playing sports for West Shamokin here in the coming years. I'd like to see school proximity be an issue here for adding new member schools. You don't want to be driving more than an hour for a high school ball game.

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[EdinboroFB]

Too bad for them it didn't start this year because it would put them onto the western side of the AA bracket away from southern Columbia. At least losing to them isn't until the state championship. It also gets them away from West catholic and the rest of D6 and puts them vs the AA wpial which isn't that strong.

[IUPNation]

Maybe the problem is the WPIAL is just too big and covers too much territory.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Ligonier Valley playing in the Heritage Conference was like Penn State playing in the PSAC.

[Fightingscot82]

Apollo-Ridge would be an ideal fit. They've been yapping lately about the conference the WPIAL put them in ... very long road trips to schools with no ties, rivalries, etc.

You can blame the divisional expansion for that.

[IUP24]

Apollo-Ridge would be an ideal fit. They've been yapping lately about the conference the WPIAL put them in ... very long road trips to schools with no ties, rivalries, etc.

I'm a WPIAL guy, but the PIAA forcing the move to six classifications really ruined what they had going for them. It helped a lot of schools in other districts, but it really hurt the "brand" of WPIAL football. And I know that somebody is going to interject about decreased population and fewer kids hurting the brand - I get it - so we don't need to have that conversation.

A lot of the natural and historic rivalries are gone. Some of the tradition has been lost. The whole mystique of the "Highway to Heinz" is different now. I don't know...

If anything, I believe these moves diluted things and made each classification less competitive when they tried to sell that more teams would make the playoffs and their would be greater parity. I like that the WPIAL implemented the "week zero" game where schools can schedule an exhibition against a rival from another classification, but that doesn't make up for some of those teams not playing in the same league anymore.

[Fightingscot82]

Maybe the problem is the WPIAL is just too big and covers too much territory.

You're not wrong. The districts should be redrawn or reconsidered. District 8 (Pittsburgh City) should be absorbed into the WPIAL then shed some of the bordering districts.

[IUPNation]

You're not wrong. The districts should be redrawn or reconsidered. District 8 (Pittsburgh City) should be absorbed into the WPIAL then shed some of the bordering districts.

[IUP24]

Maybe the problem is the WPIAL is just too big and covers too much territory.

Prior to the PIAA moving to six classifications it was never even the smallest of issues.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Ligonier Valley playing in the Heritage Conference was like Penn State playing in the PSAC.

That is certainly most correct now. It actually wasn't always like that to be honest. I believe that in Roger's first season at the LV helm in 2004 they were something like 1-8. And there were quite a few fantastic LV-PM football games played over the years with PM actually getting the better of them a number of times.

But the time is certainly right for a parting. There is just no question about that. When you have conference teams unable to even field a team with a roster of 20 players the last several years you know that LV no longer fits the model of what area football is these days.

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