PIAA- All 9th Graders to High School Football

[QuoteTheRaven]

I know that the ICC Conference starting in 2017 will have ALL 9th graders move up to High School football. I know that a lot of the smaller schools have been doing this for years to help with overall numbers, but I did hear that the PIAA is looking into making this a state wide thing regardless of school, conference, or classification.

A school like Bellwood is moving all their 9th graders up to High School Football for next season, but a few miles up and down the road Tyrone and Altoona still have separate 9th grade teams that are still considered apart of the Jr High Football Program.

Any truth to this???

[DragonsDoExist]

That's a shame if true. Central has never (at least while I've been following the program) moved a 9th grader up and already has 60+ on the varsity roster with just 10-12 grades. I don't agree that it should be forced as a lot of these kids will never see the field and will discourage participation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Crimson's Ghost]

The LHAC dropped freshmen football 3 years ago.

[CCDevil2012]

All 9th graders play up in the LHAC, started during 2013 season

[billmurray]

the PIAA can't make a team use 9th graders in HS..nor can they make a team play 10th graders. That is Solely up to the coach.

[dadw/2sons]

I know some of the ICC schools were doing it now and some were going to implement it later on. If the PIAA gets involved with this, it will only add to the absurdity of them being the leader of high school sports for our state. As a father of a fifth grader I can't believe that this being discussed. At this point I might have to hold my son from playing ninth grade because of the craziness of this rule. There are ninth graders who are small and not fully developed yet and you tell me that they are going to move up and play with juniors and seniors. That is INSANE. I know some schools would not play their 7th graders against a junior high team that had ninth graders on it which is only 2 years apart. Then you are going to make a rule that ninth graders will play against seniors which is 3 years apart. You can't tell me that this makes sense because of the physical ability and development of these night graders is NOT all the same. Why change a rule that has worked all these years. If a coach and parent believe that a ninth grade athlete is good enough to move up and play varsity then that athlete moves up. If not they stay and play junior high. the coach and parent should make that decision, NOT the league and NOT the PIAA.

[youngbuck]

Dadwithoutaclue
The reasoning behind this is to ensure that there is a JV team, so that the sophomores and juniors who do not play varsity still will have a chance to play the game and not just stand the sideline on Friday night 
I am sure you were looking forward to talking about how your son's freshman team went undefeated and posting his 9th grade stats on here but this is being done for the team as a whole 

[Crimson's Ghost]

Most ninth graders tend to play JV and not varsity.  A few of them slip in, but in the LHAC I didn't see many freshmen playing varsity this year anyway. They dress and play mop up duty, but that's about it. 

[billmurray]

The PIAA can't tell a school to play up in grade, just like they can't tell a 10th grader they have to play varsity nor would they. Have not heard this at all. Rumor. The 9th graders have been moving up to JV all over because many schools no longer have freshman teams due to declining participation.

[knowitall]

How many schools were unable to field a JV team even with having ninth graders on the varsity team?