Push is on for separate playoffs

State legislature to see bill Monday

In December, the executive director of the PIAA said the organization would not think about separate playoff tournaments for public and private/Catholic/ charter schools unless the state legislature intervenes.

Well, one state legislator is about to start a push.

State Rep. Scott Conklin, a Democrat from Centre County, said he will soon introduce a bill that would allow the PIAA to create separate postseason tournaments for public schools and private/Catholic/charter schools. Conklin will discuss his bill with hundreds of football coaches from high school to youth leagues Thursday night at the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association clinic at Penn State.

“The bill will be introduced Monday,” Conklin said. “This is a long process. Our hope is that before we break for the summer, we get the bill moving, get it passed and that will give the PIAA time and opportunity to set up the rules on how to legislate it.”

The bill would have to pass votes at the House and Senate before being signed by Gov. Tom Wolf. It should be pointed out that the bill would not force the PIAA to create separate tournaments.

“The idea of the bill is it gives the PIAA the tool they need to create separate tournaments,” Conklin said.

The public vs. private school topic has long been a subject of debate. But it has become a hotter topic in recent years as more private/ Catholic/charter schools, especially those from the Philadelphia Catholic and Public Leagues, win championships. Public schools complain that the other schools have an unfair advantage because they have no geographic boundaries from which to take students. Public schools, however, can only take students from their geographic district.

For example, St. Joseph’s Prep is a Catholic school in Philadelphia that has become a perennial power in football. This year’s team won a PIAA title for the fourth time in the past six years, and standout

sophomore quarterback Kyle McCord lives in New Jersey.

PIAA administrators have expressed little interest in separate tournaments. The PIAA has repeatedly has said that the reason it can’t have separate tournaments is because of a 1972 law that forced the PIAA to take Catholic schools into membership. Critics contend the law is outdated and simply says the PIAA had to take Catholic schools, but it didn’t say the PIAA couldn’t have separate tournaments.

“The PIAA has said for years that they can’t change the law of 1972,” Conklin said. “What I’m doing is fixing that law, so the PIAA would not be open to litigation if they made a dual playoff system.

“The idea for this bill was brought to me by many different coaches. During the crafting of this bill, I was in close contact with many different coaches. In no way does this bill say that the local prep, private or Catholic schools can’t play public schools during the [regular season]. What it says is when we get to the playoffs, what we want to do is level the playing field [with separate tournaments]. This bill allows the PIAA to come in and set the parameters of how it’s going to be done.”

Bob Lombardi, executive director of the PIAA, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Conklin contends the current system of high school athletics in the state is “unfair” to many schools.

“The way the system is now, the playoffs become inherently unfair and even unsafe in some cases,” Conklin said. “Many of these schools are — I don’t know any other way to put it — able to recruit players from other areas, other states and even other countries.”

Garry Cathell is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association and said the PSFCA is neither for nor against Conklin’s bill.

“We thought it would be good for him to have an opportunity to speak to the coaches who are on both sides of the issue and let them hear what he is presenting,” Cathell said. “About a year and half ago, we had a meeting of our directors, and our general statement was it is important to do what’s best for high school football in Pennsylvania. We support the PIAA in investigating, or any legislative group investigating, and coming up with what’s best for our players and schools.”