Will this be the last time for Ligonier Valley's gig?

[Manfred]

tubmill, my bad. I realized you were only mentioning the LHAC, because here in W. Central highlands the LHAC is the big dog the others strive to compare against. As you and I both mentioned, they like things the way they are. The 3A schools aren't considered perennial league powers, and when a BC or BM plays them, they usually rack up the bonus power points by beating them. As for your situation, with the demographics of the Ligonier area, that is exactly why whiners for consolidation like 'psycho' don't get it.

[Blueandwhitefan]

The notion that Ligonier Valley should be in another conference is nonsense on many fronts. First of all, the facilities are arguably the worst in the Heritage Conference. I was at a playoff game there last season and just couldn't believe how awful the field conditions were (among many other things). Additionally, the parking lot is basically a mud bog. The LHAC and District 7 would never accept the condition of the facilities. It is obvious that the administration is not very supportive of the athletic program when the facility has not experienced any type of upgrade, other than the fieldhouse, for years. I have been told that the track at the field and the bleachers (on one side only) only exist through fundraising efforts of the community and not from the school district. The field is crowned (somewhat) in the original location before the field was moved to make room for the track that was built in, I believe, 1985. So the crown is actually at the 1/3 location toward the visitor side.

The other item to mention is that the school district is one of the largest, geographically, in the entire area. The district is over 230 square miles and spans 35 miles from one end to the other. That fact represents the difficulty it must be, especially for summer workouts, to get the players to attend off-season activities. This fact makes it hard to argue that the program could compete with other highly regarded conferences.

Also, as mentioned in previous posts, the school graduated 108 students in 2013. Now this is bigger than other schools in their conference, however, the school would not be considered a big school by any account. The school also fields a soccer team which definitely pulls from the pool of boys that could be playing football. United is the only other school that fields a soccer team in the conference.

I agree 100% that is why so many people complained when they closed LV and kept liggy. It was strictly political. LV school was Bigger, had been remodeled, and the athletic fields were much nicer than Liggy's. But that would mean the liggy kids would have the bus ride not the LV kids. God forbid liggy kids have to travel. They are better than that!! Atleast that's what the parents think.

[tubmill]

Manfred,
The main reason that I mentioned the LHAC, is the fact that so many LHAC posters complain about Ligonier. I just feel that you don't throw stones when you live in a glass house. The Liggy situation really bothers people. I don't get it. Maybe it's be cause of their cocky head coach. Things would be much different if Coach Greg Page was the LV coach. Also, you guys have to remember that Liggy has not dominated the Heritage.They have had more losing seasons in the conference than Laurel Valley.

Mountainside, you are fairly spot on about the situation. We could have had excellent facilities, had the Ligonier people being so bullheaded. The consolidation issue reared it's ugly head every five years or so. The norther end was always able to stem the tide. The Laurel folk were not naive enough to think that the consolidation would never happen. In the late eighties...early ninties a decision had to be made on the buildings. The schoolboard at the time, had a Laurel Valley dominated board, decided that they would build a new school and facilities at what was knon at the Menzie site. The school would have been in Ligonier TWP about 5 miles north of the Ligonier diamond. It could have been a new beginning. The Liggy people got up in arms and formed a group called "Concerned Citizens of Ligonier". They drafted 5 people to run for the board. The people of Ligonier stated empatically that any consolidated school WOULD Be in LIGONIER. The five immediately drafted plans to add on to the inadequate Ligonier senior high school. They almost got it done. However, the Laurel end formed their own committee and wrested the five seats back. That board went work remodeling the schools. They made a deal to trade the Fairfield Elementary school for the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Southwest Headquarter building in Ligonier. They spent big money on the two high schools, the Ligonier Middle school and putting new bleachers and restrooms at Laurel Valleys field. I call it Jerry Page Stadium( i don't care what the board calls it). Four years ago, Ligonier won again and finally got what they wanted. They closed just one building, the newest of the secondary buildings. You got it, Laurel Valley. Our students attend the two oldest secondary buildings, Ligonier High School and Ligonier Middle School.We have a crappy football field. Our kids have to pay to play sports. There is no activity bus to bring our kids home after practice. Our students have to pay to park at the school. Our taxes continue to go up. All the while, our sports teams get ridiculed for something that they can't controll.

There, I vented. lol.

[knowitall]

Mergers are messy, no doubt about it. Hopefully time will cure many of the ills but there is a big question regarding the merger of Laurel Valley and Ligonier Valley. How far is too far to have to travel to school? Seward to Ligonier Valley High School is 20 miles. Stahlstown to Laurel Valley High School is 22 miles.

Some parents elect to put their elementary aged children on a bus in Westmont and ship them to Valley School of Ligonier. That is 23 miles away. I sometimes complain that my children attend a school that is 6 miles away. OK, there are two public high schools closer to my house than the one that's actually in the district in which we live, but six miles is much closer than 20, 22 or 23 miles.

[Blueandwhitefan]

Mergers are messy, no doubt about it. Hopefully time will cure many of the ills but there is a big question regarding the merger of Laurel Valley and Ligonier Valley. How far is too far to have to travel to school? Seward to Ligonier Valley High School is 20 miles. Stahlstown to Laurel Valley High School is 22 miles.

Some parents elect to put their elementary aged children on a bus in Westmont and ship them to Valley School of Ligonier. That is 23 miles away. I sometimes complain that my children attend a school that is 6 miles away. OK, there are two public high schools closer to my house than the one that's actually in the district in which we live, but six miles is much closer than 20, 22 or 23 miles.

Distance isn't always a factor. I am 4 miles from PM. If my son would ride his designated bus, it is a 50 minute bus ride. Someone has to be on first, and someone has to be on last. I think 50 minutes is TOO long.

[tubmill]

There are students that live on Ross Mt. Park Road that have to catch the bus at 6:00 AM to get to Ligonier High School. That's a bit much.

I just wish that I could find some good in this particular merger. The board has had to ask for the exception on the amount of tax increase they're allowed. And that is after getting significant help from the Mellons. All the while our students deal with less. They stopped the activity bus that was in place since the sixties. The Ligonier students rarely used it. To add insult the students have to pay to park.

The board states that they don't plan to close Laurel Valley Elementary. However, they have canceled needed repairs to that building. By the way, that building is the newest buiding in the district. This board will have no problem on putting K through 4 on buses down dangerous Rte. 711. You can't believe the board or the superintendent. They all lie through their teeth. What are they going to do with Laurel Valley High? Nobody want's to buy it? Oh and knowitall, the Westmont parents sending their kids to Valley school, they ELECT to do that.

On top of everything, LVSD teachers have been working without a contract for several years. Can you say higher taxes?

The bottom line is we are paying more for less.

Finally, although that I feel that this conolidation was not done properly, please lay off the LV Ram football team.
Those kids have no say in what conference they participate. Believe me the Heritage is perfect for the Rams.

[konjo78]

Well said Tubmill. I don't have a problem with the football team... just the man leading it! But hey every conference has to have a bonehead coach! Beitel just takes over for old Abby

[tubmill]

Konjo,
Man you are spot on concerning both coaches mentioned. My brother and a buddy ran the sticks at LV for years.
They said that the Blairsville coaching staff was outrageous annd were the hardest to deal with.
Roger is well Roger.

Coach Page and Beitel are on opposite ends of the spectrum! Coach Page was always gracious in victory and defeat.
He never complained after a loss and gave credit to his opponent. Beitel does the opposite and that is why his teams receive the ridicule that they do.

The first year of the cosolidation, I went to the scrimmage at Conemaugh TWP? At one point, fifteen or twenty of Ligonier's players had separated themselves from the rest of the squad on the sidelines, down near the 35 yd line. They were starters as it was late in the scrimmage. They bunched together, standing shoulder to shoulder, and taking peepee steps they moved back towards the fifty. The parents laughed thinking that it was funny. There were alsoLaurel Valley kids involved. I thought there must be no discipline under Roger. Can you imagine LV's kids doing that under Coach Page? lol

I feel that the two best coaches in the Heritage now are Coach Greg Page at Homer and Coach Bill Packer at PM. Bill hasdone an amazing job in Kenwood.

[Mountainside79]

Tubmill it sounds like the selected location for a brand new high school in the 1990's would have truly been a very smart move. Unfortunately for all of you in the district, that didn't happen. That would have solved a lot of current issues. You should consider getting on to the board and dusting off the plans for a new school. I know that is a long shot because of cost.

Greg Page and Bill Packer have done an excellent job. Brandon Overdorf is also a strong up and coming head coach at Purchase Line. I do think, however, that the Ligonier Valley coaching staff has also done a very good job over the past ten years. Do you happen to remember that the program did not have any success for about 15 years prior. Try not to judge the program by the personality of the head coach. The staff must be doing things right because they have had numerous all-state players and quite a few players move on to play college football. And there has only been one losing season since 2004 (I believe 2008).