District 5 AA Champs = Losing Record

[pitt75]

Head Roadie is the one who sounds defensive.

First let me say I hold no ill will toward the Bisons they beat who they were assigned to play.

But as sheltered D5 fanatics perhaps you should view yourself from the outside.

AA was refered to as a joke and someone sited Baldwin's (2-7) playoff appearance as a counter point. Baldwin lasted 1 week and got beat 49-7. Perhpas their appearance was joke, but the WPIAL AAAA Championship is no joke.

District 5 AA champion (Despite Hams statement that beating 3-6 Westinghouse will get them to 500) is still weak.

Bedford beat Ridge twice. Their other victories were Heights, Carrol, and Westy. Three teams who comined to go 4-36, with 3 of those wins coming against each other.
The City League (8) is worse. Again only 3 teams Langley 0-8, Peabody 3-6, and of course The House 3-6.

Now follow along if you will, the "champion" of these 6 teams goes on the same line in the State Tournament as the two teams playing for the WPIAL (7) and District 6 championship.

Even if you include the game with District 9, with Karns City as the poster child, it is still only the champion of 13 teams. Going on the same line as District 6 (14 teams), District 10 (17 teams) perhaps you can argue this as fair, but not entering on the same line as District 7 -WPIAL (39 teams).

Single A is not much better ---the District 5 champions(9 teams) enter on the same line as the WPIAL(33 teams) and District 6 (25 teams) champions.

My post is not meant to demean the players at Bedford, Windber, or CT, but simply to challenge the "Adults?" who use words like "FAIR"

I know to arrange a fair and equitable system across the state may be impossible, but when you are the beneficiary of wearing a medal and holding a plaque because you were superior to 2 other teams "AA" or 8 other teams "A" please understand why Districts in which your champion wouldn't make the playoffs may raise an eyebrow and chuckle at what you celebrate.

[usatf oldguy]

It is what it is.In district 6 they get advantages that 5 doesn't have in other sports.Such as at your district meet in track you get 3 automatic state qualifiers we get 1.Yet alot of times our second or even third place athletes have better times or distances than your automatic qualifiers.Hardly fair to get a free ride while someone better goes home.There are plenty of playoff spots available in district 6football and the cream always rises to the top.

[usatf oldguy]

Forgot to mention the 3-7 team that beat an unbeaten ranked #8 in the state in the WPIAL.So Pitt 75 sometimes teams with alosing record are more than what they seem!

[Born_to_Ramble]

In order to get a fair, balanced, equitable system in Pennsylvania you would have to eliminate the WPIAL. Good luck with that.

[pitt75]

Oldguy, I am going to assume by 3-7, you ment the north hills team that entered the playoffs at 4-5.

Have I mentioned I hate it when people misrepresent, either by ignorance or on purpose, facts to support reality as they want it to be as oppossed to what it is.
(In the interest of fact checking I stated Baldwin lost 49-7, it was 42-7.)

Sorry for that rant.

Your post actually supports my point--North Hills is a solid team and they have pulled two great upsets (McKeesport and North Al) if they beat Gateway and then either Woody High or Bethel Park no one could possibly argue that they didn't earn their championship, what a run that would be:

However, in District 5 that is not the case the entire tournament is between teams that would not be nearly as successful in D6 or D7.

To put your NH example into D5/6 terms I would offer this.

Bedford squeakes into a fictional 5/6 playoffs, then beats Central, Tyrone, and FH---they are the champs, no complaint from anyone.

Windber sneaks into a fictional 5/6 playoffs, then beats Bellwood, Portage, and McCort--again congrats and good luck next week.

But neither of these scenerios occured; therefore, you can not compare a possible, though unlikely North Hills title run and say it justifies a game between Ridge-Bedford or windber-CT being for a (and this is the key word) championship.

[Bedrock]

It all shakes out in the end. There are advantages and disadvantages. D-5 has represented itself well in most sports. The cost of our kids not being in the WPIAL is many times they don't recruited as easily. I can think of several athletes when I was closer to the process that could have played D-I and eventually did but had to transfer, walk-on etc. People from the Pittsburgh area were shocked that they hadn't had any D-I offers.
In the end I hope we have young men who turn out to be great husbands, fathers, employees/employers, and citizens. Whether they hold dear to their district football medal is really irrelevant at that point.
However I am glad Bedford beat Ridge. It makes it easier to wave at Southy as he's driving to his in-laws.

[Former Wildcat]

There is no problem with 5A. There are 9 teams and 5 of them finished the season with winning records. There is no reason for a district with that many good teams to not crown a champion.

I do think there is a problem with a 3 team district. Bedford has not beaten a team with a winning record all year and yet they are the district champions. That is pathetic. Are they going to wear District champs shirts around? How is that an accomplishment? Who did they beat? I think District 5 should look into making a change.

Also, how does this affect the Bedford County Cup? How many points does Bedford get for "winning districts"? How many does Ridge get for being "district runner-up"? The whole thing is pretty shady.

[usatf oldguy]

Pitt I was referring to the old forge and riverside game which was posted in fridays scores.A 3-7 beat a 10-0 ranked team.It is just that simple.You know the arguement about beating teams with a winning record is a bad one too.Good teams sometimes play lots of bad teams and get good records.Does that mean that they will suck against better competition.Who knows! That's why they play the games.Alot of people are belittling portage for playing a soft schedule I think if they win a game or two more it may shut down some of the arrogance on here.Granted the district 5 AA teams were weak this year but every district has a right to be represented.There are bigger fish to fry for the PIAA, such as why privates are still aloud to exist in small school classes.

[Emanon]

The whole playoff system is muddled...

There are probably way too many teams in the playoffs in each district, and D7 is a prime example. No one with a losing record should be in a 'playoff' game.

If all districts rewarded excellence, instead of scheduling playoff games to make money, perhaps the football season wouldn't have to extend to the middle of December.

[Lefteyelouie]

Basically every District needs a representitive. D-5 gets bashed for being weak and they are, but it doesn't appear that D-8 is really any better. If 5 isn't going to be combined with 6 this is really as fair of a way to do it as there is.