What cha know about CATHOLICS???

[VAD1]

Just used my connections and accessed the district 6 eligibility website. Here is some interesting info:

The BM football team had 49 players listed on their eligibilty roster. 49!

It also lists the kids' names and their home district. I will remove the names and only include the 49 districts listed.

Westmont-Hilltop
North Star
Greater Johnstown
Westmont-Hilltop
Westmont-Hilltop
Richland
Greater Johnstown
Westmont-Hilltop
Greater Johnstown
Richland
Westmont-Hilltop
Westmont-Hilltop
Greater Johnstown
Greater Johnstown
Westmont-Hilltop
Westmont-Hilltop
Greater Johnstown
Westmont-Hilltop
Westmont-Hilltop
Greater Johnstown
Westmont-Hilltop
Greater Johnstown
Westmont-Hilltop
Westmont-Hilltop
Westmont-Hilltop
Richland
Greater Johnstown
Westmont-Hilltop
Conemaugh Valley
Richland
Central Cambria
Greater Johnstown
Windber
Westmont-Hilltop
Greater Johnstown
Richland
Greater Johnstown
Windber
Windber
Richland
Greater Johnstown
Westmont-Hilltop
Westmont-Hilltop
Windber
Westmont-Hilltop
Richland

According to these numbers (which have to be submitted to verify the athletes' eligibility) Bishop McCort fields ONE team from SEVEN different school districts.

Hmm... North Star, Windber, Conemaugh Valley, Westmont, Central Cambria, Johnstown and Richland can only field ONE team from ONE district, right? Interesting.

BM has 19 kids on their roster who live in the Westmont School District! Can you imagine how much better Westy could be if these kids (parents) had loyalty?? I refuse to do the numbers on BG and BC, this is making me sick.

[walker texas ranger]

That would be great, send their kids to a football program without a coach...interesting idea

[Portage Alum]

VAD1,

Excellent post.

~PA

[notreallyacrusherfan]

In past years, the Crushers have had players on their athletic rosters from Ferndale, Somerset, Forest Hills, Ligonier, etc...

[walker texas ranger]

And Westmont has had athletes from OMOS and Clements, Richland has had athletes from Benedicts, Johnstown has had athletes from nearly all catholic grade schools....why can't you peopel grasp thsi idea??

[VAD1]

walker,

The two are not even closely related. You're a typical parochial supporter who can only see what you choose to see. You have a distinct adavantage - no two ways about it. You can (and will) argue this point forever, but the fact of the matter is you see what you choose to see because your teams are on the winning side of nearly every contest. If McCort's teams were garbage then you wouldn't think the system was so great.

Anyway, why do you think a kid would want to leave OMOS when they hit 9th grade? What about Clements? Why all of the sudden would you change your catholic views and remove your kid from the parochial school and send them to the public school?? Education?

How about the other way around. Why would you remove your kid from the public school and enroll them in a parochial school, along with paying a tuition to do so? Athletics?

You're a joke. 19 kids from Westmont played for BM last season. 19! - that's almost an entire offense and defense worth of kids to choose from! Some of the schools that BM stripped of players have a hard time finding 10 good athletes total, let alone 19 on top of 30 others from other schools that BM has pirated under the guise of a "quality catholic education." BM is good because they have kids from 7 different school districts. How could you not be good when you have 49 kids to choose from, all who attend the school for athletics in the first place?? It's an all-star team, they should win games!

I'll tell ya what, let us have 19 players off your roster next season. They don't even have to be the best 19, heck you have 49 to choose from. We can put them on a team... say Laurel Valley and we'll see how BM does and how LV does. Doesn't seem fair to just take 19 players from your roster right? Tell that to North Star, Windber, Conemaugh Valley, Westmont, Central Cambria, Johnstown and Richland. You've been doing it to them for years.

[walker texas ranger]

How many of the kids from westmont actually left westmont and didn't come from OMOS or Clements? You can cry all you want and complain all you want, it isn't going to change anything. It is how the private school system works.

I don't understand your middle two little paragraphs. They don't really provide an argument. Maybe a kid would leave a private school for playing time, a shorter bus ride, maybe even better lunches...who's to say. Maybe a kid would leave a public school for catholic education, sports, family ties...anything. Who are you to say every move is sports related? How can you explain students at McCort who don't play sports? Surely not every student plays a sport.

McCort could give Westmont 19 players, it still wouldn't matter seeing as how they don't even have a coach. I'm seeing a little Lord of the Flies action going on at Westmont's camp this year.

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but McCort will still be open next year and probably beating your team. That does not rhyme....o well.

[chichirod35]

VAD1,
I'm sorry to be so blunt but you must have the IQ of an ant! You're questioning the loyalty of parents who send their kids to parochial grade schools and then decide to send them to the parochial high school??? Yeah, the audacity of these parents...what's wrong with them!

It's quite apparent that you do not have a clue about catholic education. You can whine and cry and say what you will but there are so many people who believe in it and want their kids to remain in the catholic school system. There are others who chose to go the other route as well but you don't hear the catholic grade schools or the catholic high school whining about it. It's called freedom of choice which is something that is sacred in this country.

Let's just say for the sake of arguing that the OMOS kids all went to Westmont High School. That would mean that Matt Varga, Jordan DeFrancis, Anthony Caperelli, Eric Lowery, TJ McAneny would all be taking spots that little Johnny, Timmy, Bobby and Ricky now play. I could just hear the parents then. "What is up with all of these parochial kids playing before our own Westy kids" etc!! Of course if you put Matt, Jordan, Anthony, Eric & TJ in the Westmont football system they too may learn to lay down and give up or have their parents fire the coach when the game or the season isn't going their way. I doubt it but who knows.

The other argument many of you present is that the catholic schools should play up. BMHS has been doing that but if my memory serves me correctly, there were many entries from a certain outspoken opponent to BMHS who was extremely critical of Ken Salem because he played up and didn't give his team an opportunity to win a state championship.

It doesn't matter what the catholic schools do...they're damned if they do and damned and if they don't. VAD1, I'm guessing that McCort has beaten up on your team one too many times and you're sick of it. Better luck next year!!

[El-Moldo]

If BM and Salem chose to play up a class when they didn't have to, and lost out in a opportunity to win a state championship, THAT'S THEIR FAULT. No one made them do it. BUT the problem is, THEY SHOULD unvoluntarily have to play up a class to erase ALL the advantages they have over the public schools they play, especially in the playoffs.

[old school]

What I don't understand is how BM can have a "kid" on their roster who lives in the Central Cambria school district..... My guess would be..... he should be attending BC???????