PIAA realignment leaves WPIAL Class 6A football, basketball with fewer teams

By: Chris Harlan
Tuesday, January 4, 2022 | 2:33 PM

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The WPIAL’s largest classification officially is getting smaller next season in football and basketball.

As expected, the WPIAL will have only five football teams in Class 6A for the next two years, according to updated enrollment numbers released Tuesday by the PIAA for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.

But the WPIAL also learned the big-school class for basketball also is shrinking.

The WPIAL could have only 11 boys basketball teams and 12 girls teams in Class 6A next season, a list that includes the Upper St. Clair boys and girls, who will play up voluntarily. That total is down from 17 boys teams and 15 girls teams this winter.

Blame it on Eastern Pennsylvania, which has an increasing number of big schools. PIAA District 1 alone, which includes suburban Philadelphia, has 33 football teams in Class 6A. The PIAA uses enrollment numbers to evenly divide teams into classifications every two years. The PIAA counts boys and girls in grades nine through 11.

“Our enrollments really aren’t changing, but the other side of the state is certainly increasing,” WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman said.

The WPIAL has an abundance of Class 5A teams.

However, among basketball teams, only North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Mt. Lebanon, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Hempfield, Norwin, Pine-Richland and Baldwin have a Class 6A enrollment in boys and girls. Central Catholic is 6A in boys basketball. Bethel Park and Peters Township are 6A in girls.

Others could elect to play up. The deadline is Wednesday.

In football, the only WPIAL teams with a Class 6A enrollment are North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Mt. Lebanon, Central Catholic and Canon-McMillan. Butler, a WPIAL school, is expected to continue playing football as an associate member in District 10.

Among the other notable changes:

• In football, WPIAL Class 3A finalists Central Valley and North Catholic will join 4A next season. Central Valley is a two-time reigning state champion.

• WPIAL Class 4A runner-up Belle Vernon is dropping to Class 3A, said coach Matt Humbert. West Mifflin also is joining 3A.

• Woodland Hills could have dropped to Class 3A football but decided to remain in 5A, coach Tim Bostard said. The Wolverines boys and girls basketball teams also will play up to 5A.

• The Baldwin, Hempfield and Norwin football teams are dropping to Class 5A. West Allegheny, Connellsville, Kiski Area and Latrobe are joining 4A.

• Serra Catholic has a Class A enrollment but intends to remain in 2A football, where it won the WPIAL title this fall.

• Lincoln Park boys basketball has a Class 2A enrollment but voluntarily will play in 4A, said coach Mike Bariski.

• Boys basketball teams at Bethel Park, Fox Chapel, North Hills, Penn-Trafford and Peters Township are in position to drop to Class 5A next season. North Hills is the top-ranked 6A team in the Trib HSSN rankings. The North Hills, Shaler and Penn-Trafford girls also could drop to 5A.

The WPIAL won’t create new basketball sections until later this winter. For now, the league is focused on realigning fall sports.

In the next two weeks, the WPIAL must decide: What should it do with a five-team football classification?

“We’re going to be reaching out to schools just to get a feel for what they’re looking for from our league, as far as nonsection schedules,” Scheuneman said.

One option would be combining Class 6A and 5A football teams into one regular-season schedule. If so, the WPIAL still would crown separate 6A and 5A champions.

Or, the WPIAL could explore scheduling Class 6A teams from neighboring districts, such as Altoona or Erie High. For now, Scheuneman said, all options are on the table.

The PIAA enrollment lists released Tuesday didn’t include teams voluntarily playing up, but no WPIAL team was expected to join 6A football. The deadline to “play up” is Wednesday.

The WPIAL football steering committee meets Jan. 14. The WPIAL board is expected to approve new conferences and sections for fall sports Jan. 18.

The decline in the number of WPIAL Class 6A schools was steady over a six-year period. In 2016, the first year of six classifications, the WPIAL had 14 football teams in 6A, along with 22 boys basketball teams and 18 girls teams.

Scheuneman attributed some of the decline to a change in the way the PIAA counts enrollment. Schools count only 10% of students who are home schooled, attend a charter school or are vo-tech students.

Yet, that formula could be adjusted again in the future.

“It’s all cyclical,” Scheuneman said. “If you start counting those vo-tech students differently or include everybody without a 10% factor, I think our schools get back to that 6A level. That’s something the (PIAA) board has said will be discussed at the state level for the next classification cycle (in 2024-25).”

PIAA football classifications for 2022-23

WPIAL

Class 6A (558-above)

North Allegheny (1,036), Seneca Valley (830), Mt. Lebanon (703), Central Catholic (567), Canon-McMillan (563)

Class 5A (383-557 students)

Hempfield (553), Norwin (547), Baldwin (541), Pine-Richland (530), Upper St. Clair (506), Fox Chapel (505), North Hills (492), Shaler (480), Moon (458), Peters Township (452), Bethel Park (449), Penn-Trafford (444), Plum (428), Penn Hills (423), Gateway (422), Franklin Regional (400), South Fayette (399)

Class 4A (263-382 students)

Trinity (372), Armstrong (368), Mars (368), New Castle (361), Connellsville (350), West Allegheny (332), Kiski Area (328), McKeesport (319), Latrobe (315), Chartiers Valley (311), Ringgold (305), Blackhawk (300), Thomas Jefferson (300), Hampton (290), Indiana (288), Ambridge (277), Montour (277), North Catholic (276), Highlands (271), Laurel Highlands (271), Central Valley (267), Aliquippa (118)^

Class 3A (181-262 students)

Beaver (253), Belle Vernon (251), Woodland Hills (245), Elizabeth Forward (238), Knoch (229), Hopewell (225), Southmoreland (224), West Mifflin (218), Greensburg Salem (214), Shady Side Academy (213), Freeport (213), East Allegheny (207), Quaker Valley (205), South Allegheny (203), Avonworth (199), Deer Lakes (192), South Park (188), Valley (187), Mt. Pleasant (181)

Class 2A (124-180 students)

Keystone Oaks (177), Beaver Falls (174), Derry (173), Yough (168), Ellwood City (166), Riverside (165), Waynesburg Central (163), Mohawk (162), Steel Valley (162), McGuffey (157), Burrell (152), Sto-Rox (152), Western Beaver (146), Seton LaSalle (144), Imani Christian (142), Charleroi (139), Freedom (138), Neshannock (138), New Brighton (138), Apollo-Ridge (135), Brentwood (134), Ligonier Valley (134), Washington (133)

Class A (1-123 students)

Chartiers-Houston (123), Beth-Center (121), Cornell (116), Northgate (115), Riverview (112), Shenango (110), South Side (110), Greensburg Central Catholic (108), Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (108), Frazier (105), Burgettstown (104), Serra Catholic (103), Bentworth (101), Laurel (99), Jeannette (97), Fort Cherry (95), Bishop Canevin (91), Springdale (91), Leechburg (87), Carmichaels (85), Clairton (84), Carlynton (83), California (81), Union (77), Jefferson-Morgan (76), Rochester (76), West Greene (74), Summit Academy (70), Monessen (67), Mapletown (66), Avella (50)

City League

Class 6A

Allderdice (604)

Class 5A

Brashear (466)

Class 4A

University Prep (341)

Class 2A

Perry Traditional Academy (164)

Westinghouse (149)

District 10

Class 6A

Butler (629)

Independent

Class 4A

Carrick (299)

Albert Gallatin (291)

Class 3A

Uniontown (246)

Class 2A

Brownsville (180)

*Teams still have option to play up in classification

**Enrollment numbers in () include school’s current male students in grades 9-11

^The PIAA competitive balance formula could change Aliquippa’s classification

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.