By Michael Boytim

mboytim@altoonamirror.com

STATE COLLEGE — The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association held its summer board of directors meeting Wednesday at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center and discussed, among other things, tweaks to the PIAA success formula and changes to the amount of classifications in high school track and field and girls volleyball.

Several potential changes to the success formula had their first of a required three readings to become official bylaws.

First, in sports that require one transfer (like basketball) in addition to the success points to force a team to move up, the number of transfers needed to enact the policy was suggested to be increased to two and in sports that require three transfers (like football) the number was suggested to go up to four.

Teams would also not register any success points until the Round of 16, meaning making the state playoffs in basketball would not lead to a team accruing any success points.

Winning a state championship, along with accumulating seven success points in the same two-year cycle, was also discussed and sent through on a first reading.

However, a proposal that teams winning a state championship two years in a row in the same cycle would force them to move up regardless of the number of transfers was sent back to the strategic planning committee and not passed through a first reading due to concerns that the proposal would be “tough to defend” if a team won a championship at the end of a cycle and then won the state title again the next year and did not move up despite winning back-to-back titles when if both years had been in the same cycle, it would have. The idea of removing transfers from the success formula was also sent back to the strategic planning committee.

Also on a first reading basis, the PIAA moved to strike not considering health and safety as a reason for appeal for success formula application. Previously, schools like Aliquippa have argued it should not be moved up in football due to these concerns, but under the current bylaw, the PIAA could not grant a successful appeal due to that factor. If this addition passes through two more readings, it could in the future be used in appeals.

Any official changes would need to pass through the next two readings at upcoming meetings and would not activate until the next cycle, which will begin in the 2026-2027 school year.

Classification talk

Citing a large growth in participation in high school girls volleyball and schools carrying the sport, a motion passed on a first reading basis to change to six classifications from the current four in the sport by a 29-2 vote.

Numbers indicate that high school girls volleyball has nearly the same amount of schools competing as softball.

Track and field’s steering committee also requested an additional classification, moving the sport from two to three classes.

However, that was struck down on a motion by Michael Hawkins of District 12. The motion to keep it at two classifications passed on a 30-1 vote.

Slower meets, more stringent state qualifying standards and keeping the state meet at about 2,800 athletes were some of the arguing points.

“We have a great meet, let’s not ruin it,” PIAA Executive Director Robert Lombardi said. “I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but this won’t be going forward.”

Both Lombardi and Chief Operating Officer Mark Byers did concede that there may be flaws with the track and field classification process due to schools marking that they have track and field programs but only have four or five athletes on the team, which impacts the enrollment break.

Reviewing the enrollment break after eliminating outliers from extremely small schools and extremely large schools was an idea sent back to the planning committee.

Northern Bedford’s Jeff Batzel, the junior high/middle schools representative on the board, was the lone vote against staying at two classifications.

“I was voting in support of the steering committee,” Batzel said. “It unanimously voted to go to three classifications. I have been on that steering committee for a long time and have been a proponent of it. Although I understand the dilemma. Mark (Byers) and Dr. Lombardi explained it very well to the rest of the board. I totally get that, but my vote was a nay vote, because I wanted to show support for my fellow track and field steering committee members.”

Notes

n On a second reading basis, girls flag football was approved as an emerging sport. It will have one more reading to pass and could begin championship play as an official sport by July 1, 2026.

n The PIAA suspended protocol and avoided three readings to approve immediately a change in the dates for the PIAA basketball championships from March 20-22, 2025 to March 27-29, 2025 due to a scheduling conflict at the Giant Center that was created in between the time Hershey’s former RFP to host the event ran out and the time its new RFP was granted. The change will be only for the 2025 games and will revert back to the original PIAA schedule and time between playoff games in the second year of the cycle in 2026.

n Cross country teams can now use a modified or “ghost” cross country team scoring system provided each team involved has a minimum of three runners, who must start and finish the race. If a team does not finish with three runners, it forfeits the contest.

n The PIAA suspended protocol for needing three readings due to NFHS adoption and made it official that if any coach or adult team personnel is removed, ejected or disqualified from a contest and refuses to leave the competition area (out of sight and sounds), it will result in a forfeit.

n A shot clock survey was discussed… for lacrosse. District 1 representative Michael Barber said that while he’s opposed to a shot clock in basketball, he would like a survey done on the interest in putting one in for lacrosse, because in lacrosse, when a team scores, the other team isn’t guaranteed an offensive possession like basketball.

n Garnet Valley cross country runner Michael Cleary, who is autistic and will turn 21 in December, had his appeal for a second waiver to compete this fall denied in a hearing that was partially closed. Knoch football player Colt Sprankle, who had been denied postseason eligibility by the WPIAL after his family moved as part of their family business, had his appeal granted and eligibility for the postseason restored.

n The proposed qualifiers and brackets for the PIAA 2024 and 2025 fall championships were approved on a third reading.

n In 2024, the District 6 football champion in Class 1A will open the state playoffs in the quarterfinals against either the District 5 champion or the District 8 champion. In 2A, the District 6 champion also starts in the quarterfinals against either the District 8, 9 or 10 champion. The Class 3A District 6 champion gets either the District 5, 8 or 9 champion in the first round and would play the District 10 champion in the quarterfinals. The 4A champion will play the District 4 champion in the first round, the District 6, 8, 9 or 10 champion in 5A will play the District 2 champion in the first round, and the Class 6A champion in District 6 or 10 will play either the District 2 or District 4 champion in the first round.

n Mathematics, Civics & Sciences Charter School of Philadelphia officially withdrew from the PIAA after its school closed after last season. Civics & Sciences defeated Bishop Guilfoyle in the 2019 Class 2A boys PIAA basketball championship, 54-52.

n Tussey Mountain and Forbes Road entered into a co-op that does not impact classification in high school football.

n Seeds of Faith Christian Academy High School out of Indiana County was approved as a new District 6 PIAA member school.