Next Season

[footballfan1]

Head roadie would have great insight on this. What might the Dist V and District VI football playoffs look like next season or would things probably stay they are no w? Dist V A with 4 teams or as long as you have 4 wins? AA - Does North Star or anyone else potentially move to AA? Everett?     
District VI A-  8 teams?   AA- 8?   Realize some discussion on this but has anyone heard any possibilities?  

[konjo78]

Honestly playoffs need to be changed. Have 16 divisions in each class, have only division winners make playoffs and let the rest have a bowl game. Shorten the season!!!!!!

[davesandstorm]

[font=Arial]District 6 AA would need to go no more than 6 teams, ideally 4 for playoffs next year. There's only about 10 schools that will potentially fall into that classification with numbers as they are now. I could see some of the larger A schools potentially playing up to AA. Most of the heavy hitters in the current AA would be moving up to AAA anyways.[/font]

[font=Arial]District 6 A can stay at 8 with around 20 or so schools that appear to fall in that category.[/font]

[Head Roadie]

The biggest change next year in D5 & 6  will be one scrimmage and then you play games in what has historically been the 2nd scrimmage slot.  That means Week 10 games come one week earlier and Playoffs begin one week earlier.  Also the Playoffs will be over a 5-week period, I believe, instead of 6 meaning that on the calendar, 2-weeks will have been shaved from the season from start to state championship.
How many teams in each district and in each classification will be a trickle down effect from the state based on how the final numbers shape up which affects the brackets and where each district and each classification by district comes into the state tournament.
Once state tourney entry point is figured then working back to week 11 (which is week 1 of the playoffs) will determine whether you will have 2 team championship only, 4-team, or 8-team tournaments to get your champion into the tournament.
In District 5 "AA" there are a lot of unknowns.  Pretty sure Everett will be here and also Chestnut Ridge.  It's also a safe bet that Berlin (with co-op) will be AA.  North Star and Tussey Mt. are on the bubble.  Bedford will be "AAA" and probably with D9 and Somerset "AAAA".  That leaves 5 "for sure" "A" teams with possibly 7 pending the bubble.   My guess is a 4-team 5-A and two team 5-AA playoff in 2016.

[Manfred]

Since Bedford will likely be 3A, why don't they petition to be put back in with the D6 3A playoffs? Makes a little better sense than with D9.

[silentbob]

I think 5/6 should have always been together in AA. I would think Bedford would have rather been there this year.

[Head Roadie]

Good question Manfred.  First, they don't petition, the PIAA assigns this.  Let me use this years AA situation as an example of why Bedford is not with District 6.
In AA District 6 has 14 teams, District 9 has 4, District 5 - 2 and District 8 - 1.
If District 5 were with 8 you would have 16 teams for one 8 team bracket and 5 (D9 and D8) for the other.  The PIAA feels it makes more sense to have 14 teams in one bracket (D6) and 7 (D5,8,9) in the other.  It's more equal and with the working relationship between D5, 8 and 9 also allows for crowning individual district champions instead of merely a subregional format.
It is possible they will put Bedford, especially if they are a stand alone AAA team in D5 with D6....it will be a PIAA decision.

[silentbob]

ok, Thanks for the information on that.

[Birda]

I do not understand why the season is moved up a week when you will have a smaller playoff field. Any answers?

PIAA needs to get rid of the existing districts altogether, though there hasn't been discussion of this so it won't happen.

[konjo78]

People dont realize the PA season is way too long. 16 games is insane to think of for high school football champions. Thats as many for any nfl team that misses playoffs and 2 or more than a college team in fbs