The Decline of Cambria County High School Football?

[odoyelrules]

fwiw prior Consolidation topic here:

http://www.bleachercoaches.com/viewtopi ... 7&start=80



Prior School enrollment declines here:

http://www.bleachercoaches.com/viewtopi ... 46#p278446


sydfinch not sure where you got your 20 year #s...prior discussion had 1994-2013 enrollment #s:

Bedford -11%
Cambria - 18%
Centre -8%
Fulton -14%
Somerset -27%

[sydfinch]

Odey,
You're talking enrollment (valid discussion), but I said population, which is to my mind is more about the health of communities, businesses, tax base, all the things that support good schools and successful athletic programs. Those numbers are pretty stark...
County 1990 Current
Cambria 162,938 140,499
Centre 125,231 155,403
Blair 130,593 126,314
Bedford 48,015 49,055
Clearfield 78,154 81,174
Indiana 89,990 87,745
Somerset 78,232 76,520

Crimson,
I hold you to a higher standard than the general population here and that was an uncharacteristically sloppy sentence for you because a) Heights made the playoffs two years ago, and b) 2015 will be their first year as a Class A football program. Nowhere did I say nor mean to imply that Heights was in any way, shape or form good at football. In fact, since they shellacked Pete Duranko and the unbeaten Crushers in 1960, it's been pretty much all downhill.

[El-Moldo]

CH played FH for the LHAC championship on Portage's field in 1992. They were good for several years thereafter.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Cambria Heights finished 13th in the District Six Class A standings last year according to the District 6 website. They have one (correct me if I'm wrong) postseason appearance since I've been following closely which is about since 2005.

[odoyelrules]

CH played FH for the LHAC championship on Portage's field in 1992. They were good for several years thereafter.

Moldo some more info on this would be appreaciated:

Wasn't the state playoff system in effect in 1990? Which in effect essentially led to the end of league championship games?

Or was CH / FH a regular scheduled game? Or a D6 quarterfinal or semifinal game? Or played in both playoffs and regular season?

Wasn't FH in a stretch of undefeated (regular) seasons?

[Manfred]

Wasn't that 92 LHAC game before the expansion to the present # of teams and their current alignment? Wasn't that also under a 9 game regular season schedule? I don't remember last yr. let alone over 20 yrs. ago.

[El-Moldo]

odoyelrules: Thanks for your interest in the above mentioned FH-CH championship game. First of all, I must apologize. The game was played in 1993, not 1992. Like Manfred said, hard to remember 20+ years ago. As was mentioned, there were ONLY 9 regular season games played in those days. AND there were not 8 teams making the play-offs. In fact, in 1994, only 6 teams made the play-offs, with the first two teams getting a bye in the first round, with #3 playing #6, and #4 playing #5.
Anyhow, FH and CH did not play each other during the '93 regular season that year. Both must have had good teams. CH was AAA then. FH was AA, and was 8-1 with their only loss to Bedford 18-14 in the third game of the season. Not sure how the game came about, but it was played at Portage Stadium (as a game 10) with FH winning 26-6 and being declared Laurel Highlands Champ. The next weekend FH beat Mt. Union at Mansion Park for the District 6 championship. And then the NEXT weekend, FH got revenge over Bedford (the District 5 champ) 38-8. In those days, the playoff system was in it's infancy, and not as sophisticated as it is today.
In 1992, FH was 8-0-1 (a 6-6 tie with Westmont). FH won the LHAC straight out with NO championship game. After game 9, the next weekend FH beat Mt. Union for the District 6 championship at Mansion Park. The NEXT weekend, FH lost to district 5 champ Bedford to end their season.

[odoyelrules]

Moldo - great info.

Does anybody have the history - dates and schools - of LHAC expansion?

fwiw CH has never been in a D6 final in football. 1993 D6 AAA featured Lock Haven defeating Bald Eagle Area. CH's drop from AAA to A in ~20 years is very depressing.

1993 - D6 AA playoffs were just finalists? Or perhaps was FH week 10 CH, week 11 semifinal, week 12 finals vs. Mount Union?

1992 - D6 AA playoffs were just finalists? Or perhaps was FH week 10 off week, week 11 semifinal, week 12 finals vs. Mount Union?

[cleaverstuart]

In 1992 & 1993 in D-6 classes A thru AAA only the top 2 teams made the playoffs which was a championship game played in week 11, 1993 was the last Appalachian Conference Championship Game played due to expanded playoffs so I doubt the LHAC would have had a playoff after that.
1992 D-6 class A playoffs
Conemaugh Valley 35
Laurel Valley 6
1992 D-6 class AA playoffs
Forest Hills 26
Mt. Union 21
1992 D-6 AAA playoffs (Friday night game)
Lock Haven 42
BEA 30
1993 D-6 class A playoffs (Saturday night game)
Laurel Valley 25
Bellwood Antis 13
1993 D-6 class AA playoffs
Forest Hills 32
Mt. Union 7
1993 D-6 AAA playoffs (Friday night game)
Lock Haven 40
BEA 8

[cleaverstuart]

the 1993 Cambria Heights team was 4th in AAA points, Moldy would have to tell us if either or both schools had week 10 open or if there was a change in schedules