North Star at West Greene just scheduled

[knowitall]

There is a simple solution for Geibel players if the school were to drop football. They would become eligible to play on their home district's team.

This would also solve the athletic intent issue on transfers to private schools. Any person who transfers to a private school after their freshmen year must sit out 60% of the games in his first year. Or he can continue to play for his home district's team. A person who transfers but continues to play for his home district will continue to play for his home district's school through graduation unless he sits out 60% of his new school's games.

[upnorth]

There is a simple solution for Geibel players if the school were to drop football. They would become eligible to play on their home district's team.

This would also solve the athletic intent issue on transfers to private schools. Any person who transfers to a private school after their freshmen year must sit out 60% of the games in his first year. Or he can continue to play for his home district's team. A person who transfers but continues to play for his home district will continue to play for his home district's school through graduation unless he sits out 60% of his new school's games.

That's not how the current PIAA rules are written. No student that attends a private school may participate in a PIAA sport in his/her home district unless the schools have entered into a formal co-op agreement. See Article III, Sections 5 & 6 of the PIAA Constitution & Bylaws for clarification.

We have no idea what numbers Geibel projected two years ago when the schedule for football was prepared. I seriously doubt there was any malicious intent on their part. They are just trying to offer opportunities for students and this is just an unfortunate consequence of our continual decline in population, which you are going to see more and more of over the next 10-20 years. So how about we let the WPIAL decide Geibel's fate? Seems to have worked for WestPAC as they are not scheduling in-conference games for Rockwood in the next two-year cycle for football.

[richaboli]

Regarding Geibel kids playing for Connellsville.
Look at Geibel's roster.
How many Geibel kids would get playing time on Connellsville's quad A roster?
My guess is .....zero.
I'm not accusing all Geibel players going to Geibel so they can play football....but I would not be surprised if a player or two did.
How about Geibel co-oping with a District 5 team? Would any District 5 team want them?

[upnorth]

A public school co-op with a Catholic school for football? Not likely to happen in our lifetime. About the only reasonable alternative is a co-op with Greensburg Central Catholic which is only about 25-30 minutes away up 119. But you have to have two willing dance partners to have a co-op.

The WPIAL will sort this out for themselves for the next cycle.

[knowitall]

Geibel is not exactly down the road from any District 5 team. How many kids from Geibel would travel 30 miles or so one way to practice with Rockwood every day?

I would rather petition the PIAA to allow private school kids to participate on teams in their home districts if their private school does not field a team in that sport. Cyber, home and charter schooled kids can play for their home district.

[upnorth]

Geibel is not exactly down the road from any District 5 team. How many kids from Geibel would travel 30 miles or so one way to practice with Rockwood every day?

I would rather petition the PIAA to allow private school kids to participate on teams in their home districts if their private school does not field a team in that sport. Cyber, home and charter schooled kids can play for their home district.

The resistance that you'll find there is that coaches/ADs at the host public school don't want to deal with little Johnny's parents who are carping that Johnny's spot was taken by that kid who doesn't even go to school here or from little Danny's parents who claim their kid isn't getting playing time because he's from the Catholic school. Can't say that I blame the coaches as they put up with so much as it is from parents and Monday morning armchair quarterbacks.

The most successful co-ops between private and public schools have been mutually beneficial in that neither school would have been able to field a team on their own without the co-op.

[knowitall]

That would definitely be the case but I could also see that being the case if the QB from Central City was beaten out for the starting spot by the QB from Shanksville.

At least in the Catholic school kids playing in their home districts the parents are taxpayers in that district.

One question for anyone who may know, can Bishop McCort students who live in participating districts attend Johnstown Vo-Tech while enrolled at McCort?

[richaboli]

Not to get off subject, but the point about private school kids playing for a public school would be a total new batch of problems for the coaches. Way too many private school parents think that since they are paying directly out of their pockets they have a right to tell the teachers what to do, the night their kid can't get homework because of Karate, piano practice, and church youth groups, what assignments shouldn't be given because they are too hard for their kid to do, demand all A's for their sons and daughters who are lazy, and that their kid should be able to use their cell phone during class because using a cell phone is part of our American rights. My wife worked for those schools for many years. "Dumbing down" is a good word for it. While I have to say this is true of most, if not all, non-catholic schools, catholic schools have some hard nosed nuns who know how not-to-buckle under the pampering parent's pressure.

[animus]

A public school co-op with a Catholic school for football? Not likely to happen in our lifetime. About the only reasonable alternative is a co-op with Greensburg Central Catholic which is only about 25-30 minutes away up 119. But you have to have two willing dance partners to have a co-op.

The WPIAL will sort this out for themselves for the next cycle.

For a while Cornell co-opted with Our Lady of Sacred Heart. After the co-op Cornell dropped to 1A and within 2 years Cornell dropped their program and not sends their kids to Quaker Valley HS. OLSH plays in the Big 9 (Class A). So to say it's not possible is wrong. It's very possible to see Geibel send their kids to a public school for a co-op. I will agree an above poster about co-oping w/ an D5 School. I doubt they co-op w/ GCC. GCC is set to play 1A next season and bringing in Geibel kids could take GCC back to 2A enrollment.

[cleaverstuart]

Also isn't Quigley Catholic and Freedom still a co-op football program