WPIAL scratches soccer wins, losses earned vs. City League teams from section standings

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, October 3, 2024 | 4:04 PM

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The WPIAL has erased some section wins and losses in boys and girls soccer.

Games against Allderdice and Obama Academy are no longer considered section matches and count only as exhibitions, WPIAL administrator Vince Sortino said Thursday. He said the two schools were included in soccer sections at the City League’s request before learning they’re not eligible for the WPIAL playoffs under PIAA rules.

Sortino said the ineligibility was noticed only recently and also affects girls tennis.

What caused the problem was that the City League (District 8) and the WPIAL (District 7) both can send qualifiers to the PIAA soccer and tennis playoffs this year. The WPIAL had anticipated the City League would have no reserved spots on the state brackets, thereby allowing its teams to qualify through the WPIAL playoffs.

Sortino sent an email to affected schools explaining the situation.

City League teams have competed in WPIAL sports for years as so-called “associate members,” a status not officially recognized by the PIAA. The PIAA last year banned those arrangements. But the new restriction wasn’t seen as a hindrance in sports where the City League had no state qualifiers of its own.

The Allderdice girls had qualified for the upcoming WPIAL team tennis tournament but were excluded from brackets released Thursday.

The move to erase certain wins and losses will affect some sections more than others.

The Allderdice boys soccer team, with a 5-2-1 section record, was in position to qualify for the upcoming WPIAL playoffs in Class 3A. The Dragons were in third place in Section 3, and the top four teams advance to the postseason.

Excluding Allderdice opens the door for Belle Vernon or West Mifflin to qualify.

The Allderdice girls (2-5) were one win out of a playoff spot in their soccer section. The Obama Academy boys (1-8) and girls (0-9) were less successful this season.

According to PIAA bylaws: “Teams from member schools are eligible to participate in PIAA District Championship tournaments and Contests only in the PIAA District in which they are a member.” The PIAA board approved the change in February 2023 and member schools voted 799-27 to enact the rule effective July 1, 2023.

The rule change came soon after WPIAL member school Butler took the PIAA to court over its desire to compete in the District 10 football playoffs. Butler now plays an independent schedule with no opportunity for a postseason in either district.

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: Allderdice, Obama Academy