George Guido: Making A-K Valley sports predictions for the 2020s

By: George Guido
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 | 4:39 PM

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Happy New Year and welcome to new decade.

We’ve arrived at the 20s. Don’t know if they’ll be roaring like the 20s of the previous century.

But we do know it’s time to make our decennial high school sports predictions for the next 10 years.

But first, let’s go back to our column from Jan. 6, 2010, and see how the predictions went for the decade that just ended.

I predicted Kiski Area would move its games from Davis Field in Vandergrift to the high school. That didn’t come about until 2018.

I predicted the WPIAL and the City League would merge. That happened in several sports, but not football.

Then there’s the one where I said small-town schools such as Leechburg, Springdale and Elderton would vanish unless the state allowed video poker machines in bars, newsstands and convenience stores. That didn’t even come close to reality. Leechburg and Springdale still are around, but Elderton was closed in 2013 and absorbed by West Shamokin.

Another prediction that didn’t materialize was schools dropping minor sports because of the need for school districts to double contributions to employee pension plans in 2013. About the only time minor sports were dropped was because of a lack of participation.

We can wipe the slate clean with a new decade, so here it goes:

• Here’s an easy one: The lack of numbers for high school football teams will force schools either to either form co-ops or go to eight-man football, which is played in many rural states.

• Here’s a dangerous one: The shortage of game officials soon will hit the WPIAL. There is talk about playing nonconference football games on Thursdays and Saturdays to draw from a smaller pool of available refs. The thought of playing high school football anytime other than a Friday night is tantamount to heresy to some, but hundreds of officials around Pennsylvania soon are retiring and few new officials are coming in to the fold.

• More schools will pursue naming rights to stadiums to counteract rising costs. Most schools name their stadiums after educational, community or sports figures. But that tradition might soon end, especially when schools have to replace artificial turf every 10-12 years.

• The first big local sporting event of the new decade will be Tuesday when Highlands basketball travels to Knoch. Both teams are in the Trib HSSN Class 4A top five, and the game should attract a big crowd.

• That will be followed by the annual Burrell at Kiski Area wrestling clash on Jan. 9.

• Freeport and/or Kiski Area can become the first local teams to make the WPIAL football playoffs at least once in seven consecutive decades.

There are many questions that come with the new year, let alone the new decade.

• Will Burrell be able to continue their drive toward a 14th consecutive WPIAL wrestling team title? The team playoffs start Jan. 26. The final is Feb. 1.

• Can Kiski Area make the team wrestling playoffs for a 30th straight year?

• Can Leechburg softball make the playoffs for an unprecedented 34th consecutive season?

• How long will the A-K Valley football championship drought linger? Springdale won a title in 2003. Local schools never have gone this long without bringing home WPIAL gold.

As one can see with the accompanying chart, it was a difficult decade for most A-K football teams. Only five teams won more than 40% of their games.