George Guido: Football teams face decisions on ‘playing up’

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, November 28, 2017 | 8:36 PM

For Apollo-Ridge, 2A is OK for the next two football seasons.

After playing up in Class 3A for the past two years, the district announced it will play Class 2A in 2018 and '19.

When the initial six-class alignment came out two years ago, the Vikings wanted to stay with old Allegheny Conference rivals such as Burrell, Freeport and Deer Lakes.

But with the new realignment, athletic director Ray Bartha feels Apollo-Ridge is a better fit in Class 2A.

The Vikings will see some familiar opponents there as Valley, Shady Side Academy and Seton La Salle, all recent Allegheny Conference members, will move down to Class 2A.

Also, Summit Academy will move up from Class 1A. East Allegheny is another Class 2A school Apollo-Ridge has had an athletic relationship with in the past, so it will be interesting to see what the new conference setups will look like when they are unveiled, reportedly in mid-January.

Schools can play up in classification if they wish, but not down. Any school wishing to upgrade for the next two-year cycle must do so by Dec. 6.

One school reportedly contemplating playing up is Penn Hills. The school is going to be Class 5A in football but is considering staying in Class 6A.

If Penn Hills decides to stay in Class 5A, it will be the first time since 1939 — the third season the school sponsored football — that the Indians won't be playing in the largest enrollment classification.

It's worth looking at how the enrollment has dropped at Penn Hills, for many years the largest WPIAL high school.

In the 1975-76 school year, Penn Hills had 3,845 students in the top three grades. Next year, the school will have 960.

Most students who graduated in 1976 were born in 1958, near the midpoint of the “Baby Boom” (1946-64).

Valley is another high school where the enrollment has dropped precipitously.

In the 1975-76 year, Valley had 1,344 students in grades 10-12. Next year, Valley will have 372, according to figures submitted to the PIAA.

On to the PIAA

Now that the WPIAL finals are complete, five recently crowned champs will be playing in the PIAA semifinals this weekend.

Class 6A winner Pine-Richland will play Manheim Township at 1 p.m. Saturday at Altoona's Mansion Park.

Gateway, which made its PIAA debut Friday in beating former WPIAL member Hollidaysburg, will play Manheim Central in a 5A clash at 7 on Friday at Mansion Park.

In Class 3A, Quaker Valley will make its PIAA debut against Sharon at 7 on Friday at Martorelli Stadium in West View.

Class 2A will see Washington take on Wilmington at 7 on Friday at Slippery Rock University.

Jeannette, the WPIAL's Class 1A champ, will play Farrell at 7 on Friday at Seneca Valley.

What's interesting is that Sharon, Farrell and Wilmington are all former WPIAL members now playing in PIAA District 10.

Jeannette, tied with New Castle at 734 all-time victories, will face Farrell, a school that won six football titles while a WPIAL member (1944-2006).

With Farrell's 581 victories, the Class A schools have combined for 1,315 victories. Their only playoff meeting was in 1980, when the Steelers prevailed 13-7.

Wilmington won WPIAL Class A titles in 1988 and '89 before moving out of the WPIAL several years later.

Sharon was in the WPIAL from 1944-83. Despite some talented football teams, Sharon never made the WPIAL playoffs.

The Tigers had undefeated teams in 1956 and '66 but did not have enough Gardner Points to qualify for title games.

This year's other WPIAL champion, Thomas Jefferson, was eliminated from the PIAA playoffs last weekend.

George Guido is a Valley News Dispatch scholastic sports correspondent. His column appears Wednesdays.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge