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psycho wrote:This is just the beginning. Ferndale, CV, etc will all follow suit sooner or later. Video games, concussions, absentee parents, entitlement mentality, etc on top of continuing falling numbers spells the end of football in most WESTPAC schools as well as other small school conferences across PA. Other states (Ohio, Virginia for example) consolidated districts years ago and are not facing this issue.

OR... they could keep their "seperate independent identities" and "proud traditions".................and change the rules....say, shorten the game to two 10 minute quarters to give the 12 kids they beg to come out ....the "football experience". You know...take the culture of uncompetitiveness to the next level with a special "small school football set of rules" that allows the Ferndale's of the world to remain "seperate and independent".

But, is football a reason to consolidate school districts? Kids don't need football when they have video games. They can play Madden football and get the same thing out of it if they move their legs a little. They also have gym class, right?

Maybe one day we'll see 7 man football like you do in other states having problems fielding full squads..

Frazier 81 Geibel 0. There may be other teams seeking games soon.

Geibel isn't all that far from Rockwood. Maybe they could arrange some kind of private/ public co-op. BTW, Rockwood is still having a JV team, as told to me last eve by a Rockwood resident.

Ramblinman, I played college football with a kid from Nebraska who played 7 man football. There are actually quite a few high schools in that area of the country that play 7 man. The difference between them and the tiny school districts around here is that out there the high schools are 50 - 100 miles away from each other. Here, they are right next door to each other and kids pass right past another high school on the way to their "strong, seperate identity, independent, proud tradition, high achieving, gold star" school. It is becoming a joke as the tax base continues to deterioriate and the teachers union desperately opposes consolidation while educational programs and activities for students are degraded. Take away competition and you promote mediocrity.

Manfred wrote:Geibel isn't all that far from Rockwood. Maybe they could arrange some kind of private/ public co-op. BTW, Rockwood is still having a JV team, as told to me last eve by a Rockwood resident.

JV schedules are the same as the varsity schedule, just a day or so later, right? If that's the case, are there really any JV teams willing to play two JV games in the same week to include Rockwood?

I don't really have a dog in the hunt. I'm just telling YOU what a Rockwood parent TOLD ME!

I dont know what will happen with Ferndale, Conemaugh Valley as some suggest on here...However, I think that the WESTPAC and Heritage Conference needs to get their heads together again and possibly rejuvenate the old Appalachian Conference...It wouldnt be all the same teams but it would be most of them

Add Chestnut Ridge to the mix that way there would be an even number of teams again with what we have currently in both conferences

and if you wanted to you you could arrange the teams according to size, or whatever i think it could be done...would make for different opponents than normal...or the new conference could decide to always have cross sectional games to secure rivalries....and it quite possibly would make a 10th game easy to schedule or even have or bring back the "Appalachian Bowl" everyone needs a tenth game now anyhow and they could wait that out until it would be decided who were the best teams from each section play for the championship and then everyone else could follow suit and play someone from the other section...could possibly make for more competitive football on a weekly basis

could do something as follows:

with the potential addition of Chestnut Ridge to the mix, current westpac teams and current Heritage teams the total would be 20...

Ridge
Windber
Ligonier
Northern Cambria
Portage
Blacklick
Marion Center
Homer Center
Saltsburg
Blairsville


Con Twp
Con Valley
Ferndale
North Star
Berlin
Shade
Meyersdale
United
Penns Manor
Purchase Line

or any variation...Just throwing it out there to see what people might thing...and are there any experts on here that think this is something that has been discussed, will be discussed, or should be discussed? Especially with potential of a couple more local teams down the road dropping programs? there would be enough teams here in this mix to rearrange quickly and still be able to fill schedules

Ridge
Berlin
North Star
Meyersdale
Shade
Ligonier
Rockwood

Windber
Conemaugh Twp
Northern Cambria
Blacklick
Ferndale
Conemaugh Valley
Portage

Marion Center
Homer Center
Saltsburg
United
Blairsville
Penns Manor
Purchase Line



Geographically, you'd almost have to separate into three sections again. Marion Center in with Chestnut Ridge won't work, your talking an hour and a half drive between 75-80 miles. Which one time a year for football might not be bad, but it would be all the other trips for the other sports.

Rockwood is still playing other sports and still playing junior high football, so I doubt they would be removed from the re-alignment.

Three sections kind of makes more sense, provided you have enough crossover games to complete the schedules for everyone. I would think even if it gave everyone a solid nine games and that would allow teams flexibility to add their own tenth game such as the Coal Bowl with Cambria Heights and Northern Cambria, etc...

The 10th game would not come from the Laurel Highlands teams, they are required to play each other for that 10th game

United plays BG in week 10 now