New WPIAL basketball alignments do not reflect complaints
The WPIAL heard many complaints from basketball coaches and athletic directors during the season about the advantages that Catholic-private-charter schools have over public schools in high school sports.
Although the WPIAL is not considering separate playoffs for the two sides, the WPIAL still formed a committee of athletic directors to listen to the complaints, examine possible solutions and to come up with proposals to give to the league’s basketball committee. One of the proposals put public schools and all Catholic-private-charter schools in separate sections for the regular season.
But the WPIAL on Monday approved new section alignments for boys and girls basketball and it turns out the basketball committee and board of directors did nothing to address the issue of non-boundary (Catholic-private-charter) schools.
The basketball committee met a few weeks ago and came up with a new alignment and forwarded their recommendations to the board of directors for the next two seasons. The board approved the new alignment, 11-2. The two no votes came from Moon athletic director Ron Ledbetter and Mapletown AD Linda Messich.
The WPIAL basketball committee did make two sections — one in Class 2A and one in 1A — that have all Catholic- private- charter schools. But Vince Sortino, new chief operating officer of the WPIAL who sat in on the basketball committee meetings, said those two sections were made by coincidence and not by design.
In Class 2A, Section 2 will have Bishop Canevin, Eden Christian, Propel Braddock Hills, Propel Montour, Winchester Thurston and Nazareth Prep, while Class 1A Section 3 will have Aquinas Academy, Hillel Academy, Imani Christian, Neighborhood Academy, St. Joseph’s and Summit Academy.
But there are still Catholic-private-charter schools mixed in with public schools in Class 6A, 4A and 2A boys basketball.
“There were way too many [proposals] and no one [on the basketball committee] could come to a consensus to do what’s best for the league,” Sortino said. “Everyone agreed to do something and to continue to have meetings in the future about the subject. I don’t think two years from now, we will be talking about nothing being done.”
But coaches, athletic directors around the WPIAL and even one member of the WPIAL board of directors wanted something done now.
“We have been kicking the can down the road on this,” Ledbetter said. “We need to do what’s best for the league, but we also need to do what’s best for kids. This isn’t what’s best for kids.”
Ledbetter suggested to approve the sections for only one year, and then make changes for the 2023-24 season. But his idea failed. A few members of the WPIAL board of directors are on the basketball committee.
“There are a lot of legal ramifications that have to be explored,” said Fox Chapel athletic director Mike O’Brien, who is also on the WPIAL board of directors and the basketball committee.
Sortino said, “It was agreed upon that everyone continue to meet. ... I know they’re looking to do something. What that is, I think everyone will continue to meet and come back to us with something that’s feasible.”
New Castle coach Ralph Blundo, who has seven WPIAL championships, was one of the most vocal coaches against the Catholic-private-charter schools after this past season. He favored putting all of the Catholic-private-charter schools in their own sections. At least one of those sections would have teams from different classifications.
After looking at the new sections, Blundo was unhappy that the WPIAL basketball committee didn’t address the issue.
“I’m of the opinion that enrollment and classification doesn’t matter when it comes to non- boundary schools,” Blundo said. “I believe that making three or four non-boundary sections would’ve been an awesome move in the right direction, but it didn’t happen.”
Here are the new section alignments (the top four teams from each section make the playoffs):
Boys
CLASS 6A: (Section 1) Butler, Central Catholic, New Castle, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley. ( 2) Baldwin, Canon- McMillan, Hempfield, Mt. Lebanon, Norwin, Upper St. Clair.
CLASS 5A: (1) Bethel Park, Connellsville, Peters Township, Ringgold, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity. (2) Armstrong, Fox Chapel, Penn Hills, Plum, Shaler, Woodland Hills. (3) Franklin Regional, Gateway, Latrobe, Kiski Area, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford. (4) Chartiers Valley, Mars, Moon, North Hills, South Fayette, West Allegheny.
CLASS 4A: (1) Freeport, Greensburg Salem, Hampton, Highlands, Indiana, Knoch. ( 2) Ambridge, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Hopewell, Lincoln Park, North Catholic. (3) Albert Gallatin, Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Laurel Highlands, Southmoreland, Uniontown. (4) Avonworth, East Allegheny, Montour, Quaker Valley, South Allegheny, West Mifflin.
CLASS 3A: (1) Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Freedom, Mohawk, Neshannock, New Brighton, Riverside. (2) Brentwood, Keystone Oaks, Seton LaSalle, South Park, Steel Valley, Sto-Rox, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. (3) Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Derry, Ligonier Valley, Shady Side Academy, Valley. ( 4) Brownsville, Charleroi, McGuffey, Mount Pleasant, Washington, Waynesburg, Yough.
CLASS 2A: (1) Aliquippa, Laurel, Northgate, Sewickley Academy, Shenango, South Side Beaver. (2) Bishop Canevin, Eden Christian, Propel Braddock Hills, Propel Montour, Winchester Thurston, Nazareth Prep. (3) Clairton, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Leechburg, Serra Catholic, Riverview, Springdale. (4) Bentworth, BethCenter, Burgettstown, Carmichaels, ChartiersHouston, Fort Cherry, Frazier.
CLASS 1A: (1) Avella, Carlynton, Cornell, Rochester, Union, Western Beaver. (2) California, Geibel, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, Monessen, West Greene. (3) Aquinas Academy, Hillel Academy, Imani Christian, Neighborhood Academy, St. Joseph’s, Summit Academy.
Girls
CLASS 6A: (Section 1) Butler, Hempfield, North Allegheny, Norwin, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley. (2) Baldwin, Bethel Park, CanonMcMillan, Chartiers Valley, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair..
CLASS 5A: (1) Franklin Regional, Gateway, Indiana, Kiski Area, Penn Hills, Plum, Woodland Hills. (2) Armstrong, Fox Chapel, Hampton, Mars, New Castle, North Hills, Shaler. (3) Albert Gallatin, Connellsville, Latrobe, McKeesport, Oakland Catholic, Penn-Trafford, Thomas Jefferson. (4) Lincoln Park, Montour, Moon, South Fayette, Trinity, West Allegheny.
CLASS 4A: (1) Derry, Freeport, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic, Valley, Greensburg Salem. (2) Ambridge, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Hopewell, Quaker Valley. (3) Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Laurel Highlands, Southmoreland, Uniontown, Ringgold, West Mifflin.
CLASS 3A: (1) Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Laurel, Mohawk, Neshannock, Riverside. (2) Avonworth, East Allegheny, Keystone Oaks, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Seton LaSalle, South Allegheny. (3) Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley, Mount Pleasant, Shady Side Academy. (4) Brownsville, Charleroi, McGuffey, South Park, Waynesburg, Yough.
CLASS 2A: (1) Aliquippa, Freedom, Rochester, Sewickley Academy, Shenango, South Side Beaver, New Brighton. (2) Brentwood, Burgettstown, Carlynton, Fort Cherry, Northgate, Sto- Rox. ( 3) Clairton, Greensburg Central Catholic, Serra Catholic, Springdale, Steel Valley, The Ellis School, Winchester Thurston. (4) Bentworth, Beth-Center, Calif o r n i a , Carmichaels, Chartiers- Houston, Frazier, Washington.
CLASS 1A: (1) Aquinas Academy, Bishop Canevin, Cornell, Eden Christian, Union. (2) Avella, Geibel, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, Monessen, West Greene. (3) Hillel Academy, Jeannette, Leeechburg, Riverview, St. Joseph.