PIAA won’t force Chartiers Valley, North Catholic girls into higher classifications

By: Chris Harlan
Monday, May 11, 2020 | 7:34 PM

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The Chartiers Valley and North Catholic girls basketball teams won’t be forced into a higher classification next season, the PIAA told the schools Monday.

The WPIAL teams were initially targeted for promotion under the PIAA competitive-balance rule but both won their appeals, said Chartiers Valley athletic director Mike Gavlik and North Catholic athletic director Brian Miller.

Chartiers Valley will remain in Class 5A. North Catholic will be in Class 3A.

However, the Lincoln Park boys had their appeal denied Monday by the PIAA executive staff. Athletic director Mike Bariski said he will take the next step and appeal again to the full PIAA board of directors, which meets later this month.

The competitive-balance rule targets basketball teams that had accumulated at least six “success points” in the PIAA playoffs and added at least one transfer. Statewide, 15 boys and girls teams were targeted for promotion.

Seven schools filed appeals.

The PIAA initially said Chartiers Valley and North Catholic each added one transfer in the past two seasons, but the schools successfully demonstrated that they’d added none.

The competitive-balance rule was enacted by the PIAA board two years ago, in part to quiet calls from public school administrators demanding a separate postseason tournament for private schools. Next school year — 2020-21 — will be the first time teams are forced to move up.

The rule impacts only football and basketball.

The PIAA formula awards four success points to teams that participate in the state finals, three to semifinalists, two to quarterfinalists or one for first-round participants.

Points are counted over two seasons. The PIAA then examines the rosters of teams that collected six or more points to see whether they also added any transfers. Teams must have both six or more success points and at least one transfer to move up.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Chartiers Valley, Lincoln Park, North Catholic