PIAA may strengthen competitive-balance rule by adding all team sports, removing transfers

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, July 14, 2022 | 9:26 PM

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The PIAA appears ready to rewrite its competitive-balance rule to include all team sports while also making it easier to force successful teams into a higher classification.

The current rule applies only to football and basketball. As now written, it measures a team’s postseason success and counts the number of transfers added, but the PIAA board tentatively voted Wednesday to remove the transfer element from the formula entirely.

That means teams could be forced into a higher classification against larger opponents based on postseason success alone. The rule changes were approved on a first reading and must pass two more votes at future PIAA board meetings to be enacted.

The rule first was implemented in 2018.

“I think there’s a feeling after four years that there’s more success going on than transfers,” PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said. “And the arguments about transfers go from A to Z. ‘The kid only played JVs. They played three games and they left.’ Success is finite. You were in the first round, you were in the second round, you were in the quarterfinals, you were in the semifinals or championship. It’s finite.”

The PIAA board met Wednesday in State College for its annual two-day workshop. Lombardi said the board was asked to review the past four years of the success formula and see what changes were needed, if any.

“We went through every scenario you could,” Lombardi said. “The board said we want to look at success, no transfers, but include all team sports.”

If the changes are approved, they could impact classifications for the next two-year cycle starting in 2024-25.

The current formula requires a team to accumulate six “success points” in a two-year PIAA cycle before possible promotion. Teams receive four points for reaching the state finals, three for the state semifinals, two for the state quarterfinals and one for reaching the first round.

But currently a football team won’t be promoted unless it also adds three or more transfers in that two-year span. The threshold for basketball teams is one or more transfers.

Critics of the current rule have pointed to the dominance of teams such as Southern Columbia football, which has won six of the past seven PIAA titles in Class 2A. The Columbia County school had the success points needed to move up but successfully argued the football team didn’t add three or more transfers in a two-year period.

In contrast, Aliquippa football was forced from Class 3A to 4A in 2020, the first year teams were promoted under the rule. This year, after winning the PIAA Class 4A title, the Quips were facing a promotion to 5A.

Aliquippa appealed, and the PIAA board allowed the Quips to remain in 4A. However, as part of its appeal, Aliquippa representatives argued the rule discriminated against low-income communities with transient populations.

Removing the transfer portion of the rule would eliminate that contention.

Lombardi said athletically motivated transfers overall have become less troublesome in the state since the PIAA made all transfers after the start of 10th grade postseason-ineligible for one year.

That change also took effect in 2018.

“The transfer rule has changed,” Lombardi said. “The postseason sit-out after Grade 10 has really made an impact.”

Penn State will host the boys and girls state lacrosse finals at Panzer Stadium the next four seasons, the PIAA announced after approving spring sports sites for the 2023-26 championships.

The state lacrosse finals were played at West Chester East since 2016.

The other spring championship sites remained unchanged. Penn State will host baseball at Medlar Field, softball at Beard Field and boys volleyball at Rec Hall. The track championships remain at Shippensburg’s Seth Grove Stadium. Hershey Racquet Club again will host the boys tennis championships.

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.