OT: PIAA Championships preview

[IUPNation]

I promise you, absolutely promise you, that within two years of the private schools being separated, you'll start hearing the same cries as in the '60s -- why can't we have one true state champion?

Careful what you wish for.

P.S. Ask Sierra Catholic about this around 4 p.m. Friday.

They should make the private school
play at high classifications than their enrollment dictates. Instead of A, maybe Bishop Guilfoyle is 3 or 4 A.

[Ship69]

They should make the private school
play at high classifications than their enrollment dictates. Instead of A, maybe Bishop Guilfoyle is 3 or 4 A.

I believe Guilfoyle is being considered for a bump upward. Don't know the transfer situation there. For a private school, I'd say it should depend on the enrollment area where they're recruiting from. If they're in a 2A school district and largely confining themselves to that, let them stay at the 2A. If they're pulling in from several school districts, then add a percentage of the enrollment in those districts to their classification and bump them up. A classic example of a private school recruiting an area is Mt. Carmel High, an all-boys Catholic high school in Chicago that has won 13 Illinois state football championships in various classifications. I read an article once that estimated the school had recruiting access to 198,000 students.

[EdinboroFB]

All but one class has a Bishop Charter Catholic Prep in it. Thankfully, Central Valley beat North Catholic and Wyomissing beat Scranton Prep in AAA. Central Valley will be 4A next year and they are Aliquippa's one loss.

Aliquippa makes me wonder how many transfers they have though. I'm sure that number is out there somewhere. But you can have 3 and not move up so is it 4 or 14? makes a difference but still a single A school playing 4A is interesting. And I'm sure them playing 4A makes more local kids want to "move" there...since it looks better for getting recruited. Their Freshman running back just got a Penn st offer. Does he get that if they just won A or AA? probably not....not as a freshman I mean.

I thought I read if youre moved up in class like Aliquippa is that if you get success points in the moved up class (4a in this case) you just stay there.....and not get moved up again (to 5a)? Anyone know? I have no desire to google it.

[jrshooter]

All but one class has a Bishop Charter Catholic Prep in it. Thankfully, Central Valley beat North Catholic and Wyomissing beat Scranton Prep in AAA. Central Valley will be 4A next year and they are Aliquippa's one loss.

Aliquippa makes me wonder how many transfers they have though. I'm sure that number is out there somewhere. But you can have 3 and not move up so is it 4 or 14? makes a difference but still a single A school playing 4A is interesting. And I'm sure them playing 4A makes more local kids want to "move" there...since it looks better for getting recruited. Their Freshman running back just got a Penn st offer. Does he get that if they just won A or AA? probably not....not as a freshman I mean.

I thought I read if youre moved up in class like Aliquippa is that if you get success points in the moved up class (4a in this case) you just stay there.....and not get moved up again (to 5a)? Anyone know? I have no desire to google it.

Mike White wrote about it yesterday, and the semifinal win clinches the Quips' move up to 5A.

https://twitter.com/mwhiteburgh/stat...36818393645058

[EdinboroFB]

Southern Columbia is the only public school that isnt an underdog.

I've always heard and some of what ive seen backs this up but the coal region way (mt.carmel in the 90's and SC then and now) is thier kids turn 19 as seniors.

The one scene in Varsity Blues the football movie from the 90's when Mox hits his dad in the face thowing the ball at the picnic. The dad's friend is saying theyre keeping their son back in 8th grade and he says to his son "you like 8th grade, dont you boy?". I didnt know what that meant back then...now I do. You can only play 4 years of HS sports but you can play your senior year as long as you turn 19 after aug 1st. (atleast I think that used to be the rule)

[ironmaniup]

Southern Columbia is the only public school that isnt an underdog.

I've always heard and some of what ive seen backs this up but the coal region way (mt.carmel in the 90's and SC then and now) is thier kids turn 19 as seniors.

The one scene in Varsity Blues the football movie from the 90's when Mox hits his dad in the face thowing the ball at the picnic. The dad's friend is saying theyre keeping their son back in 8th grade and he says to his son "you like 8th grade, dont you boy?". I didnt know what that meant back then...now I do. You can only play 4 years of HS sports but you can play your senior year as long as you turn 19 after aug 1st. (atleast I think that used to be the rule)

[EdinboroFB]

I think that kind of stuff helps all the traditional power hs programs like Aliquippa too. The more you win the more people that are genuinely moving will consider those schools. If its a decent area even better. I know I'd be looking at Central Valley or Pine Richland if I had a son and was moving. I think Aliquippa playing 4a will probably make them more tempting in that area if youre a fb player. I might be going to live with grandma or an uncle too.... If your parents rent even easier.

I know some examples of kids that have divorced parents living in different districts that have chosen the better football school. And a kid right now at my old HS using a loophole to play football there and avoid issues at the other school.

Berwick on this topic reminds me of Gus Felder. Some of the Mount Carmel guys from the 90's like Brett Veach the GM for the KC Chiefs was a sr in 96 season. I just googled his bday is Dec 19,1977. I think his brother that was after him and went to Princeton was the same. I also looked up one of their all state players from 96 and assuming I did the math right at the time he turned 19 in august of 96.
I did that years ago when I heard a bunch of ppl whining about SC. I tried to look up the handful of D1 guys SC had a few years ago. The only one I found a bday listed for was the LB at Mich St and he turned 19 in decemeber of his senior year. The other schools didnt list bdays.

The being a year older thing if it's widespread can definitely make a difference. I know I changed a lot physically that next year.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Yeah, that is cool, but they're probably up against it with Guilfoyle. One of my wife's cousins is a former high school AD, and you don't want to get him started about Guilfoyle.

[EyeoftheHawk]

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Southern Columbia is the only public school that isnt an underdog.

I've always heard and some of what ive seen backs this up but the coal region way (mt.carmel in the 90's and SC then and now) is thier kids turn 19 as seniors.

The one scene in Varsity Blues the football movie from the 90's when Mox hits his dad in the face thowing the ball at the picnic. The dad's friend is saying theyre keeping their son back in 8th grade and he says to his son "you like 8th grade, dont you boy?". I didnt know what that meant back then...now I do. You can only play 4 years of HS sports but you can play your senior year as long as you turn 19 after aug 1st. (atleast I think that used to be the rule)

It was somewhat common in the 80s and 90s for dreaming parents to hold kids back in 8th grade. That was kind of the 'redshirt' year. In most cases it certainly would give the kid an advantage athletically.

As for the scene above ... I raised you to be a winner, so win.

[Boro33]

Nice preview. Some interesting matchups. You can also probably look for a couple of the usual routs of public school programs by programs that recruit extensively. That Bishop McDevitt gets away with playing in one of the lower divisions of the Mid-Penn Conference rather than the Commonwealth is ridiculous. Meanwhile, Aliquippa, which could play at 2A if it wanted, chooses to step up.

Quips do not choose to play up. They are forced to play up based upon success and transfers. In fact, they will be 5A next year.

[Ship69]

Quips do not choose to play up. They are forced to play up based upon success and transfers. In fact, they will be 5A next year.

They chose to play at 3A. They were bumped to 4A. Playing up is nothing new. Steel-High in the Harrisburg area did it for years before their steel mill closed and dealt a body blow to the community. They likely would have 10-12 state basketball titles by now if they'd played within their class. As it is, I think they have five.

[WarriorVoice]

You don't have to distinguish the Bishop McDevitt's any longer as the one in Wyncote, Montgomery County closed last spring at end of the school year.

The high school system of The Archdiocese of Philadelphia was built for the baby boomers when tuition was literally free...but several were merged or just closed outright.

I mean Cardinal Dougherty High School in the Olney section of Philadelphia was once the largest Catholic High School in the world in the 1960's and it's been closed for years now.

St. Joe's Prep is a private school and they just have the cash to recruit. They were a joke in foosball when I was in high school...total Catholic League nobodies. Not anymore.

Shout out to former ESU QB Tim Roken, the current HC at St. Joe's Prep. Also, former ESU coach Brent Pry just got a new gig at VA Tech!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The transfer thing is funny. No offense to Aliquippa, but they're not a community you choose to move to if you have choices. Hopewell exists because people wanted to stay close but get out of Aliquippa.

Funny thing is most teams the Quips played this year in 4A had more cheerleaders than Aliquippa had players.

[EdinboroFB]

Aliquippa had 117 boys for this past/current cycle. The single A cutoff is 129. Moving them to 5A is stupid. Should be a max of one class.

Although, if they were playing AAA they possibly lose to Central Valley again in the WPIAL playoffs. I would be interested to watch them matchup with Southern Columbia in 2A.