Jan 11, 2015 8 min read

The PIAA is examining the potential impact of switching from four to six classifications in football for the 2016 season.

According to PIAA executive director Dr. Bob Lombardi, the process is in a “discussion phase” and the strategic planning committee began researching a move to six classifications after Bob Tonkin, District 9 football committee chairman, presented a comprehensive plan to the PIAA football steering committee in December.

If approved by the Board of Directors, expansion would take effect in 2016. Tonkin’s proposal focuses on narrowing the gap in enrollment between schools in the same classification and shortening the season.

“The reason this has some legs is because I think schools in some of our classes feel there is a large disparity between the size of the top school in their class and the lowest school in their class,” Lombardi said. “They want to look at something that is a little closer together. That’s an important issue and should continue the dialogue.”

If the change is made, the WPIAL will likely no longer play its championship games at Heinz Field. Six title games would be too many in too small a timeframe for a grass field. Since Heinz Field opened in 2001, all WPIAL football championship games have been played there.

“We go to Heinz Field and we maximize what is given to us,” WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said. “We can’t play more than four games in one day, and we certainly can’t go in more than one day. We would lose that.”

Tonkin’s plan centers around shortening the season to prevent teams from having to practice and play in bad weather, avoiding disruption of tournaments that begin winter sports seasons and decreased attendance at state playoff games.

The state championship games were played Dec. 13 last season. Only California and Texas played their title games at a later date. The state title games are scheduled for Dec. 18 and 19 this year.

The length of the season is a concern. Teams that advance to the state finals can play 16 games in addition to two preseason scrimmages, all without a bye week. The NCAA has a maximum of 15 games with at least one open date.

“What I am trying to do is, in my mind, in the best interest of the student-athletes as well as our schools,” Tonkin said. “Not only are kids playing in miserable weather, they have four or five days of practice in terrible conditions.”

Lombardi said Tonkin presented the plan to the PIAA’s football steering committee, which referred a recommendation to review the classification process to the strategic planning committee.

Tonkin will meet with the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association later this month to gauge the interest of coaches. The PIAA wants to hear the coaches’ thoughts.

If the strategic planning committee passes the proposal at its next meeting, it will go to the PIAA Board of Control for a vote then the Board of Directors for final approval.

This is the second time a six-classification proposal has received strong consideration. In 2009, a plan passed two readings at the PIAA level before being voted down by a 15-13 margin at its final stage.

Most WPIAL schools strongly opposed the six-classification plan six years ago. In a survey conducted by the WPIAL, 92 percent of its membership were against six classes and 75 percent favored opting out of the state playoffs if the six-class system was approved.

The only school that ever declined to participate in the PIAA playoffs was Upper St. Clair in 1988. After the Panthers won the WPIAL title, the USC School Board voted not to participate in the state championship game at Beaver Stadium in State College.

The WPIAL runner-up, Central Catholic, replaced Upper St. Clair and went on to win the state title over Cedar Cliff.

Garry Cathell, co-executive director of the PSFCA and a former head coach at Peters Township High School, said he felt strongly that it would not pass when the issue was voted upon in 2009, but his feelings have changed as the organization prepares to hold a majority vote.

“Without even having the vote done and it being weeks away, I will guarantee you that it will be in favor,” Cathell said. “The majority will go for six classifications.”

Pennsylvania has 581 high schools competing in football – only four states have more – and has been at four classifications since 1980. Rhode Island, which has only 45 football-playing schools, has four classifications. Illinois has 558 schools with an eight-classifications system.

Tonkin’s plan would reduce the number of schools per classification from roughly 146 to 97 and tighten the discrepancy between enrollment numbers in each classification.

There currently is a difference of more than 2,000 students in Class AAAA. With six classifications, the largest class – we’ll call it 6A – would include schools with a male enrollment of 608 or more; narrowing the gap to 1,500. A school can still opt to play in a higher classification.

“They have a tremendous argument about the number of students and that has been the biggest argument, even when six classifications came up several years ago,” Cathell said. “The season is also long. That’s a concern.”

Under the proposal, the season will end one week earlier by moving the first practice date up one week and possibly eliminating a second preseason scrimmage, but coaches and athletic directors have the option to play two if they can fit it in before the first play date, which in 2016 will be Aug. 26.

The PIAA playoffs would be restructured. Under Tonkin’s plan, WPIAL champions will emerge from a 16-team playoff bracket and automatically advance to the PIAA semifinals in every classification except 6A. In the largest classification, the WPIAL would have only eight playoff teams with the champion entering the PIAA tournament one week earlier, in the quarterfinals. In other words, Tonkin’s plan doesn’t allow for the WPIAL to hold six district championship games on the same weekend. That could be a serious sticking point with the WPIAL.

The state championship games would be held the first weekend in December, under Tonkin’s proposal.

Though there is a revived push for six classifications, the proposal still has strong opposition, especially from the WPIAL.

According to O’Malley, WPIAL representatives do not want to increase travel for its member schools, which the WPIAL has avoided with geographically friendly conferences. He also discounted the fact that enrollment equates to success in football. O’Malley pointed out that some of the largest schools in the WPIAL, including Seneca Valley and Butler, are not traditional title contenders.

“The last time it was brought up and defeated, I thought it was the last time, but apparently it’s coming back,” O’Malley said bluntly. “If the goal is to shorten the season, there are other ways to go about doing it.”

The WPIAL also is concerned that basketball, baseball, track and other sports would want smaller classifications to help improve competitive balance, requiring a dramatic overhaul of sections and championships events.

There are 729 schools statewide that compete in basketball and 672 in baseball.

“How do we defend to basketball that they only have four classifications, while football has six, when you have more schools playing basketball?” O’Malley said. “This whole issue is problematic as it relates to all the sports and how we arrive at classifications.”

Though O’Malley has concerns about the ability to play 12 basketball championship games at The Giant Center in Hershey, the PIAA is not opposed to re-examining classifications for all its sports.

“This might be a football-only issue or it might be another sport,” Lombardi said. “If it takes looking at basketball and other sports, then so be it. Let’s just see what the membership wants. If the membership wants it, I’m not opposed to it.”

The process is still in the infancy stages. If the strategic planning committee approves of Tonkin’s plan at its meeting in March, then the PIAA Board of Control would have to act on the recommendation.

“If the board of directors adopt more classifications, I think all of our districts will fall in line,” Lombardi said. “I don’t think any member school would stand for any district to say you can’t advance on to the playoffs. That’s contrary to everything we have in our membership.”

One local head coach is in favor of six classifications. Avella’s Ryan Cecchini, who leads one of the smallest programs in Class A, attributed the Eagles’ blowout losses in first-round playoff games to the competitive inbalance.

“I think it’s a very good idea. It lumps schools together that are closer in enrollment,” Cecchini said “It’s not only unfair to us because we are so little, but Burgettstown is barely over the Single-A limit and it has to play big Double-A schools. It’s tough for them to compete. This would solve the problem.”