OT: D1

[Fightingscot82]

What's amazing is the success year after year. It's unbelievable in a town that size.

Those teams just have a toughness others do not.

And because of their success, the PIAA almost made them move up to 5A. Aliquippa successfully appealed.

[IUP24]

What's amazing is the success year after year. It's unbelievable in a town that size.

Those teams just have a toughness others do not.

That's still the way out for those kids. That's the truth in the matter. They are a low-income community, the school district isn't great, and there is temptation for kids at a young age to get mixed into the wrong crowd. The only constant is football.

[Bart]

What's amazing is the success year after year. It's unbelievable in a town that size.

Those teams just have a toughness others do not.

Another team that has success is Southern Columbia with it's 7th straight state title and 14th overall.

[iupgroundhog]

Another team that has success is Southern Columbia with it's 7th straight state title and 14th overall.

Was Southern Columbia some other school or schools in the past? Did it change names or is it a result of a merger?

How do they do it? Haven't they had accusations of "recruiting", kind of like Berwick under George Curry. Seriously, I don't know but wondering how they do it. It's an auspicious record.

[Bart]

Was Southern Columbia some other school or schools in the past? Did it change names or is it a result of a merger?

How do they do it? Haven't they had accusations of "recruiting", kind of like Berwick under George Curry. Seriously, I don't know but wondering how they do it. It's an auspicious record.

They have been the same as long as I have been here. The district serves about 10,000 people over 100 square miles; maybe 1200 students in all grades. They have a good coach like Curry in Jim Roth, the winning coach at any level in Pa. high school football. Roth once applied for the Lock Haven job, but even as an alumnus they passed on him, mostly because he was only a high school coach. Sure kids want to win and play for him, and there probably are some transfers. Mostly they are farm boys and coal crackers who grow up wanting to play for the Tigers. There isn't much else to do that results in glory days around there.

Aliquippa is talented, but Southern has beaten them in the past. I recall 2015 they routed Aliquippa, 49-14, in the PIAA Class AA Championship.

[IUPNation]

The Philly private schools look to complete the sweep tonight. Imothep Charter took 5A last night and St. Joe’s looking to put away North Allegheny tonight.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

They have been the same as long as I have been here. The district serves about 10,000 people over 100 square miles; maybe 1200 students in all grades. They have a good coach like Curry in Jim Roth, the winning coach at any level in Pa. high school football. Roth once applied for the Lock Haven job, but even as an alumnus they passed on him, mostly because he was only a high school coach. Sure kids want to win and play for him, and there probably are some transfers. Mostly they are farm boys and coal crackers who grow up wanting to play for the Tigers. There isn't much else to do that results in glory days around there.

Aliquippa is talented, but Southern has beaten them in the past. I recall 2015 they routed Aliquippa, 49-14, in the PIAA Class AA Championship.

Aliquippa has about 100 boys in the entire school. To win 4A this year was amazing.

Had they stayed in Class 1A (where they belong) they'd have probably won an incredible amount of PIAA gold.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The Philly private schools look to complete the sweep tonight. Imothep Charter took 5A last night and St. Joe’s looking to put away North Allegheny tonight.

The do have excellent recruiting. Lol

[iupgroundhog]

Mostly they are farm boys and coal crackers who grow up wanting to play for the Tigers. There isn't much else to do that results in glory days around there.

Bingo! Farm boys and coal crackers do make excellent football players.

[IUPNation]

The do have excellent recruiting. Lol

Yeah but North Allegheny is a rich suburban district. St Joe’s is technically in the hood. :-)

[Bart]

Aliquippa has about 100 boys in the entire school. To win 4A this year was amazing.

Had they stayed in Class 1A (where they belong) they'd have probably won an incredible amount of PIAA gold.

They likely didn't have a choice in staying 1A. Teams that go far in the playoffs for 2 consecutive years and have 3 transfers during that period will get bumped up for the next 2 years under the competitive classification formula of the PIAA. Southern is actually closer to 1A in enrollment than 3A, but hasn't bumped up to 3A despite winning 7 2A titles in a row; the reason is they haven't met the threshold of transfer students like Aliquippa. Southern has 158 boys 9-12 grades.

[Fightingscot82]

Yeah but North Allegheny is a rich suburban district. St Joe’s is technically in the hood. :-)

Not rich. Upper middle class majority but there are as more post War 3 bedroom house neighborhoods as McMansion ones. When I went there it was equal parts woods, small farms, and neighborhoods.

[Chuck Norris]

The most entertaining sporting event of the day just might be the Elite 8 women’s volleyball matchup between Pitt and Louisville. They met in last year’s Final Four with Louisville winning in 5 sets. They split 2 matches this season with Pitt rallying from 2 sets down to win the last meeting. Should be one heck of a match. H2P.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Pitt has hired Kade Bell (Western Carolina) as its next OC.

Bell is just 30 years old and runs a much faster, more up-tempo system than Frank Cignetti Jr.

[Fightingscot82]

Pitt has hired Kade Bell (Western Carolina) as its next OC.

Bell is just 30 years old and runs a much faster, more up-tempo system than Frank Cignetti Jr.

Bell's dad Kirwin won the 2018 D2 natty at Valdosta State.

In other news, Lincoln Riley hired away North Dakota State's HC. Not D1, but the W&J defensive coordinator left to be head coach at Hampden Sydney. That job may attract some PSAC assistants.