Nov 23, 2015 4 min read

The PIAA’s expansion plan for six classifications in high school football brought hope that rivalries could be renewed in Washington County and Monday’s release brought a potential conference game between Washington and Beth-Center closer to reality.

The PIAA released enrollment figures for schools that set parameters for six classifications yesterday. Under the plan, the WPIAL would have 13 teams in Class 6A and 18 in 5A, while many local programs will shift classifications from football for the next two-year cycle.

Two of the teams in 6A are from Washington County. Though it was no surprise Canon-McMillan made the jump to the highest classification, it was for Peters Township, which is the second-smallest school in 6A.

Peters Township athletic director Brian Geyer expected the cutoff for 6A to be much higher than 564 male students.

“It is what it is. We were one kid over and the same thing happened to Shaler,” Geyer said. “I can’t believe that cutoff was that low. We thought it would be higher. We thought it would be closer to 600. We’re going to Penn Hills and Woodland Hills now, so if they send us to Norwin, Penn Hills or Central (Catholic), we’re OK with it.”

Schools have until Dec. 15 to notify the PIAA if they intend to play in a higher classification and the WPIAL is expected to hold a meeting in January, when it will give every member school options on how to approach the six classification plan. In the current four-classification format, Aliquippa is one school that plays up in class.

There is not a local school that landed in 5A, but three found a home in the third-biggest classification. Trinity will be joined by Ringgold and South Fayette, which is playing for the WPIAL Class AA championship Saturday at Heinz Field, in Quad-A.

McGuffey, a fixture in Class AA in recent seasons, has an enrollment that would put it in 3A with Waynesburg, Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland. Under the numbers released, the Highlanders might no longer have to play against WPIAL perennial powers such as Washington, South Fayette, Aliquippa and Seton-La Salle. The Quips could choose to play in 3A and Central Valley, which has quickly become a top program, is in that classification.

“In general, in 3A, from top to bottom, its better than where we were,” McGuffey football coach and athletic director Ed Dalton said. “At the very top, I’m not sure it’s as good, but I’m not sure I can say that with Central Valley in there. Some of the top teams we recognized in Double-A are gone.”

One of those teams is Wash High. The school has a male enrollment of 177 in grades 10-12, which places it in Class AA with Charleroi, Brownsville, Beth-Center, Burgettstown, Bentworth and Chartiers-Houston.

Though the Prexies could potentially lose an annual rivalry game with McGuffey, they could benefit from convenient travel and a return of their rivalry with Beth-Center. Other programs that fall in Class AA include Steel Valley, North Catholic and Seton-La Salle.

“I really like it,” Wash High football coach Mike Bosnic said. “It would be a good thing for Washington County and for our local school districts. It would bring back some local rivalries and cut down on travel. It would be great for local high school football.”

Fort Cherry, Carmichaels, California, Jefferson-Morgan, West Greene, Mapletown, Monessen and Avella are the local schools with Class A enrollments.

The PIAA releasing enrollment figures caused a stir on social media with many people speculating what classification is strongest or what schools could play up, but the process is far from over.

With the PIAA playoff brackets different because of classification sizes, many questions have to be answered, including how many teams reach the WPIAL playoffs, how many conferences in each classification and whether to even participate in the PIAA playoffs.

Answers should come in January, but until then, it leaves many coaches and administrators wondering what lies ahead.

“As a guy who’s been at other districts, nobody runs a tournament like the WPIAL in any sport,” Dalton said. “It would be hard for me to believe, at least initially, that it’s going to be as well run as we just ran it and that’s not being disrespectful to the WPIAL. That’s just stating the facts that we’d have to do things differently and there are a lot of factors involved there.”