PIAA numbers have local teams scrambling in football
When the PIAA released classifications for all teams in all sports throughout the state, the shift sent shock waves through the WPIAL football community, particularly those competing in the largest division. Based on the male populations, Classs 6-A would be reduced to nine teams.
“It certainly is a shake-up,” Mt. Lebanon head coach Mike Melnyk said.
The Blue Devils will compete in the WPIAL’s largest classification along with Butler, Canon-McMillan, Central Catholic, Hempfield, North Allegheny, Norwin, Pine-Richland and Seneca.
Bethel Park and Peters Township, along with Penn Hills and Shaler, meet the criteria for Class 5-A. They could choose to “play up” a division like Aliquippa does. While the Quips have a Class A enrollment, they opt to play in Class 3A. Schools cannot play down in classifications.
“We are going to sit down and discuss which option is better for our program and district, as it relates to playing at the 5-A level or playing up in the 6-A level,” said TJ Plack, who coached Peters Township to one of its best records in recent history. The Indians qualified for the 6-A playoffs and finished 7-4 overall this fall.
Jeff Metheny also acknowledges that he is “not the only one involved in the decision” as to where Bethel will compete next season.
“We don’t know a whole lot but we are thinking about our options,” said Metheny, who has coached the Hawks for more than two decades. “But this fits us better.”
Metheny noted that schools like NA, Central, Pine, Seneca and Butler outnumber Bethel Park by nearly 500 more boys.
“Those numbers are gone at Bethel Park,” he said. “We can be competitive at times but it’s difficult.”
The Hawks defeated NA this fall, but fell to Pine. They won the Southeastern Conference with an undefeated record and beat neighboring teams like Lebo and Canon-Mac.
While BP and PT would lose Lebo and Canon-Mac, they would pick up games against natural rivals like Upper St. Clair and Baldwin.
“The thing we like about this is we would be grouped with local teams that our kids have grown up playing against their whole lives,” Metheny said. “Those are good rivalries that we’ve been missing.”
The Indians have enjoyed a rivalry with Canon-Mac and have established competitive relationships with Lebo. So Plack sees an even trade with any new alignment.
“Whichever level we play, we would like to consider playing the other local teams as non-conference games and/or scrimmage,” he said.
Melnyk would embrace that strategy. Because of the impending realignment, he noted the Blue Devils “will have lost” all South Hills rivalries, except Canon-Mac.
“That is certainly disappointing not only for the players but the communities,” he said. “Nonetheless, we have to play whoever they schedule us.”
He added that he believes some kind of playoffs is necessary.
“There is still a need for a Heinz Field goal for teams,” Melnyk said. “We have so few games now for all of our hard work. I firmly believe more than one team deserves some sort of reward and goal to work towards.”
While Melnyk said that it is obvious the playoff number may drop from eight to four teams, there is still the goal and that is important. He proposes six teams qualify for the 6-A playoffs with the top two earning byes in the first round. With only four teams, then he would be in favor of an in-season bye week to maintain sequence with the other levels. As a result, the final regular week of the season would be the first round of the playoffs for the rest of the league.
With a nine-team conference, Melnyk noted, it would be easy to schedule a bye week during the league schedule. Everyone would play Week Zero and 1, he said, and then eight conference games with one bye.
Until teams inform the PIAA next month of their decision to play up or stay in their classification, the WPIAL cannot move forward. The league meets Dec. 12 for its strategic planning meeting.