WPIAL Class A Level of Competition

[billmurray]

As for the WPIAL being big...yes they are. However, they send 1 team from each Class to the state playoffs just like everyone else does.

please don't make me break down the classes also...lol....face it, the wpial basically represents everything west of Altoona....so, the wpial IS basically the west. D8 don't count, like 8 schools...and D5 is tiny

[animus]

I've been saying this same thing on boards full of WPIAL fans. I'm also known as DaBears on pasportsboard. Truthfully I have 0 respect for PA football as a whole. There is still high level talent coming from the WPIAL, but its certainly the quality of competition is simply not as good as even 10 years ago. If my Clairton wins 45-7 then yes I'll just say that Clairton is just that good. But until there is balance in the WPIAL and the WPIAL Champ wins in Hershey, I'll continue to dog the WPIAL. I do think that there are 5-6 solid schools and the rest of the state isn't that good. Just thinks maybe a Neshannock or Sto Rox could find itself 6, 7, or 8 in the state rankings, but I'm not ready to rank any in the Top 5.

"But until there is a balance in the WPIAL and WPIAL Champ wins in Hershey I'll continue to dog the WPIAL". Is that what you just said? The WPIAL has 34 PIAA State Football Championships...DWARFING that of the next closest district. This year they have sent 3 teams to the state finals. Since 1988 there has been only 1 YEAR that a WPIAL team hasnt won a state football title. My God, what more do you want the WPIAL to do????? They are THE BEST football district hands down.

I'm referring to Class A football the past 10 years, not the entire WPIAL in all Class's the past 24/25 years.

[AnthonyK]

The south certainly has taken over that's a great point great article. In PA the WPIAL is most certainly bigger more teams not getting any argument out of me there. But I'm not someone who goes around chest pounding about the WPIAL either. I'm a "always someone bigger/badder than you dude" hence my reference to Belle Glade FL and Cocoa FL. We still get some good players and you will see D1 kids in every game this weekend. Turn on some of those ESPN FL or Georgia games and nobody plays both ways and announcers talk about a OLB that made a tackle its "he is going to Central Florida" and he is the 4-5th best kid on the defense! haha. I can tell ya after Saturday I do drive/fly East for hoops because the basketball out here is slim pickins!! (Hope the hoops comment doesnt start a chain reaction argument)

[justafan017]

The only thing ill say about hoops is that AAU has killed high school basketball...just absolutely murdered it. You get these AAU coaches that are also coaches at private schools (Sewickley Academy, Lincoln Park, etc) and then they recruit their AAU kids to their schools to form an all-star team to play against class A schools. Its ridiculous.

[animus]

The south certainly has taken over that's a great point great article. In PA the WPIAL is most certainly bigger more teams not getting any argument out of me there. But I'm not someone who goes around chest pounding about the WPIAL either. I'm a "always someone bigger/badder than you dude" hence my reference to Belle Glade FL and Cocoa FL. We still get some good players and you will see D1 kids in every game this weekend. Turn on some of those ESPN FL or Georgia games and nobody plays both ways and announcers talk about a OLB that made a tackle its "he is going to Central Florida" and he is the 4-5th best kid on the defense! haha. I can tell ya after Saturday I do drive/fly East for hoops because the basketball out here is slim pickins!! (Hope the hoops comment doesnt start a chain reaction argument)

I've heard some refer to the population decline here esp in WPA. But McKeesport actually has more boys this current enrollment cycle than it did in 92, Keystone Oaks, TJ, and WM has about the same as they did in 92. The harshest losses esp in the South Hills happened at Catholic Schools, Clairton, and Monessen.

The biggest thing I noticed about WPA is the attendance. Its very horrible. Granted towns in the south may have a few more people living in them but there's zero reason why NA or a Butler couldn't average 15K in attendance a week. The 4A title game should've filled the lower bowl in Heinz or came close to it not have no more than 6K, which was barely more than what the Sto Rox/Clairton game drew. There are schools in Texas or Florida that can fill as many as 20-25K fans. Walk up to the average person in Wexford, Hickory(Fort Cherry), Houston(Char Houston), Mt. Lebo and ask them how they think how the team will do next fall. I guarantee that 8 out of 10 doesn't know or doesn't even care. Its very simple to see whats going on here. HS Football just isn't the thing here anymore. How bout this for size, Avonworth outdrew Fort Cherry in their own stadium for a scrimmage and Monessen outdrew Fort Cherry in their own stadium for a regular season game. Clairton-Neshannock outdrew Char Houston in their own stadium and Neshannock was about an hour and a half away and Clairton is about 45 minutes away from Chartiers Township. Most of us on these boards are the exception rather than the rule. We're the diehards and so on. Shoot I may disrespect the Monessen's, Fort Cherry's and Beth Centers of the WPIAL. But its mostly because I believe that they can do better than what they have been the past few years. If the individual towns and alumni can't rally around the team during a few bad years, why would the students care?

[animus]

What confuses me the most about Class A is that schools like Sto Rox, Beth Center, Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, North Catholic, all played at a decent to very good level in 2A the past 10 years. You'd think that would translate to having very good 1A teams that could compete with Clairton, or at least give the Bears a punch in the mouth.

[AnthonyK]

Animus u are spot on with the #'s of attendance in these other states. Several years ago I'd say mid 90s I'm in Dallas/Fort Worth area on business and driving past what I thought was either TCU or SMU stadium (I knew they both were in that area) and I spoke up and asked my coworker from down there and he said it's whatever the high school stadium was. It seated 12,000! Now I was at Woody/PCC 2001 Breaston triple overtime and that had 7200 and I was in shock. Fast Forward 15 years to the article I read a few months ago Allen Tx is building a 20,000 seat stadium with two jumbotrons etc! Which is why you see and appreciate the Clairtons, Aliquippas, Jeannettes around here cause its scarce. Down there every school you eat sleep and drink it, Butler was a great example. 1300 boys and you get that following/program. Yikes

[justafan017]

What confuses me the most about Class A is that schools like Sto Rox, Beth Center, Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, North Catholic, all played at a decent to very good level in 2A the past 10 years. You'd think that would translate to having very good 1A teams that could compete with Clairton, or at least give the Bears a punch in the mouth.

Animus, I'm glad you made this point. Do you want to know why? Its because Class A in the WPIAL is better than AA in the WPIAL, pound for pound, team for team. Perfect example of this are the teams you listed and what they did against AA teams vs A teams. Washington was dismantled by Clairton in 10 and 11 and then makes the title game undfeated in 12 with the same kids?? Somethings wrong there. Clairton would have destroyed Washington again this year. AA isnt good.

[konjo78]

Basketball comment. Lived in Pa 17 years then moved to Washington state my senior year of high school. Saw one basketball game and knew 100% that PA has basketball is just terrible. My high school would of won state by 20+ points easily in AAAA and they didn't even make it to state. Basketball is not a PA sport. Too much hunting going on

[animus]

What confuses me the most about Class A is that schools like Sto Rox, Beth Center, Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, North Catholic, all played at a decent to very good level in 2A the past 10 years. You'd think that would translate to having very good 1A teams that could compete with Clairton, or at least give the Bears a punch in the mouth.

Animus, I'm glad you made this point. Do you want to know why? Its because Class A in the WPIAL is better than AA in the WPIAL, pound for pound, team for team. Perfect example of this are the teams you listed and what they did against AA teams vs A teams. Washington was dismantled by Clairton in 10 and 11 and then makes the title game undfeated in 12 with the same kids?? Somethings wrong there. Clairton would have destroyed Washington again this year. AA isnt good.

Great example w/ Washington. The #1 problem I noticed w/ Washington is that they're big and slow. The #2 problem with Washington is that Bosnic never developed a 3 yard starter in Wise into a quality QB. Run right, run left, run up the middle with Shai isn't going to work against teams like Clairton & Aliquippa when your line is that slow. Those 2 teams will just beat you off the ball and tackle Shai before he has a chance to get going. I understand the concept of using your best talent, but you also have to mix it up... just a little to keep the defenses honest. Until Bosnic gets some sort of balance on offense, expect more of the same next season. Hell the lack of balance is why Jeannette was able to stay in the game with Washington.