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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
Every two years, the PIAA requires its schools to submit enrollment numbers to establish classifications for all of its sports.
The submitted numbers were due to the PIAA in December. Since that deadline, teams have had the chance to choose whether or not to play up, and that deadline has now passed as well.
The only remaining issue before classifications for the 2024-2025 season become official is hashing out which teams are impacted by the PIAA's success factor.
Currently, only two teams in the Mirror's core coverage area have been impacted by the success factor -- the Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic football team (playing 2A up from 1A) and boys basketball team (playing 3A up from 2A).
Both of those Marauder teams were classified as 1A schools by the numbers for the 2024-2026 cycle. According to the released enrollment numbers, Bishop Guilfoyle football and basketball has 82 boys eligible to play varsity. That number is the lowest for 1A football teams in District 6 and it is among the lowest for boys basketball.
But whether or not the Bishop Guilfoyle teams will actually be classified as 1A teams has yet to be released.
In football, part of the puzzle has already come together.
For any team that has been impacted by the success factor to drop back to its original classification, it must meet three criteria. First, the school's enrollment must still be at that original level, and BG meets that number as mentioned above.
Second, the sports program in question has to achieve less than three success points in the two-year cycle (it is six to move up but the team remains there until it has less than three in a cycle). The Marauder football team got two points for making it to the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals where they lost to Southern Columbia in 2022. But due to BG's loss in the first round of the District 6 Class 2A playoffs this year to Bald Eagle Area, the Marauders accumulated no points this year, staying under the three-point threshold.
The final criteria a team looking to move back to its original classification must meet is that it cannot have the amount of transfers on its roster over the past cycle that would have pushed it up in the success formula if it had enough points. In football, that number is three transfers.
The amount of players the PIAA considers transfers for each team has not been released to the public, so whether or not Bishop Guilfoyle has three players the PIAA considers transfers over the past two seasons will decide whether the Marauders can play at 1A next year.
Official fall sports classifications will be decided sometime after the Jan. 24 PIAA board meeting at which the organization is holding appeals for its success factor, including one on the highly-contest move of Aliquippa from 4A to 5A.
The Marauders boys basketball team will have to wait longer to learn its fate. BG would need to make it all the way to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals this season to earn three points after accumulating none last year with a first-round PIAA loss.
However, in basketball, if the Marauders have just one player the PIAA considers a transfer on their roster over last season and this season, they will remain at 3A despite having the enrollment of a 1A school.
Choosing to move up
Three District 6 girls basketball teams and one District 6 football team have decided to play up one classification for the 2024-2026 cycle.
The football team, Penn Cambria, actually will remain in 3A, but its enrollment numbers had the Panthers as a 2A school.
Penn Cambria will also play up in girls basketball for the second straight cycle. The Lady Panthers won a District 6 4A title last year despite having the enrollment of a 3A team and once again landed at 3A and will be choosing to play up to 4A.
Joining them in the move up from 3A to 4A next year will be Juniata and Forest Hills.
Other football changes
It appears Penn Cambria, Central and Tyrone will be getting some company at the District 6 3A classification. Huntingdon, Forest Hills and Philipsburg-Osceola are all listed as unofficial 3A football schools for the next cycle.
Mifflin County is slated to drop from 6A to 5A, and Central Mountain is set to fall from 5A to 4A with Altoona and Hollidaysburg remaining at 6A and 5A, respectively.
There will also be a new champion in District 6 Class 1A as Cambria Heights will return to 2A after playing in 1A the last two seasons.