What will happen to the Heritage Conference?

[pitt75]

Ancient Enemy,

No, I did not ever coach at Ligonier so you can't blame me.

I think you should apply to coach there---join the WPIAL and show us how it is done.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Hey, I dont have all the answers, but I know how I WOULD try to do it. One thing I know for sure is how NOT to do it, that's by sitting on your hands as a coach and never trying to better yourself and never trying to come up with or learn new teaching techniques to get the kids better prepared for gametime. How many coaching clinics do the Heritage or LHACK coaches attend every year? Isnt PSU's this weekend? (HINT HINT, fellas)

Another way NOT to do it is by having a loser mentality like it sounds Ligonier fans already have. If your kid wants to play football and his idiotic parents (yes, you are idiots if you talk like this in front of little Billy or Timmy) are telling him "you guys will never beat those wpial teams" that kid is going to listen. He will also feed off the head coach's NEGATIVE energy. Negative energy is way more powerful than positive energy, and when you are working with HS kids, it is very very easy to get negative with them when the RT is not as good as the guys that play on Sundays. Winning the game is not always about who is bigger and faster. Little things, attention to detail, and HARD WORK BY THE COACHING STAFF are what can make Ligonier a WPIAL playoff contender, or ANY program a playoff contender.

A challenging, encouraging, creative, optimistic environment is what Ligonier would need to have, and good luck finding that guy to run your program. Those guys are out there, and they dang sure are not LHACK re-treads who's names pop up w/ every ridiculous opening. I guarantee you there is an assistant coach somewhere nearby who is young and full of positive energy, dying for the challenge and is up to it. I literally dont have any names, I live in LA now, but I am sure you could keep an eye out.

[Red and Black]

The PIAA mistakenly reused the 2008-09 enrollment numbers for Ligonier. The actual number is signifcantly lower. Here is a ranking, by boys enrollment, largest to smallest, for the Heritage Conference, for the 2010-2011 football cycle:

United 179
Marion Center 177
Ligonier Valley 156 (not 197)
Blairsville 149
Purchase Line 148
Northern Cambria 135
Homer Center 119
Penns Manor 111
Saltsburg 100
Laurel Valley 75

For one thing, this means Ligonier Valley would move down to Class A if Ligonier and Laurel Valley do not merge. If the schools don't combine, 2010 and 2011 would mark the first seasons ever there were zero AA teams in the Heritage Conference.

And if the schools do merge, the combined boys enrollment would be 231 - still the biggest in the Heritage Conference, but by nowhere near as great a margin. The combined school would be AA in football and would be the only AA team in the conference, just like Ligonier was the only AA team in the conference for the past two years. Al combined school would also be AA in boys basketball, not the AAA that it would have been using the incorrect Ligonier number.

[hornets69]

yea, if that's the case, there will not be any issues with ligonier staying in the conference. however, with a merger, who will be the 10th team in the conference?

[tubmill]

What happens to Ligonier if LV merges with United? Ligonier is losing student population at a much greater rate than LV. Maybe they can merge with Mount Pleasant and send their kids there. Oh I forgot they will be able to survive. They cling to the right wing coat tails of the Mellon money.

[tubmill]

As far as the new team in the Heritage? Look for Cambria Heights or West Shamokin being added.

[Red and Black]

I strongly doubt that any team would be added to the Heritage Conference for the 2010 football season if Ligoneir and Laurel Valley combine. There wouldn't be time - unless contingency plans are already being worked on.

If the LV's combine for 2010, that will leave all nine Heritage Conference teams scrambling for a ninth game and it would leave the new LV scrambling for a 10th game, like Ligoneir did last year with North Star.

Do the Westpac teams still have an unfilled spot due to Turkeyfoot ending football? If so, maybe some of the Heritage teams could match up their open date with an open date for Westpac team.

Either way, it will probably be tough for all of the Heritage teams to fill their schedules.

Tubmill - I really doubt Laurel Valley will be going to United this fall. Too much to do in too little time. And reading betweeen the lines of the comments of United's administration and board, I don't think it is a sure thing that United would even end up wanting to combine with Laurel Valley.

[tubmill]

United's schoolboard rejected LV 6-3 the last time. The main sticking point was LV wanted to bring their buildings along. This time around the LV contingent just wants to bring their students, so don't be so sure that United won't listen. It certainly won't happen in 2010. The LV - Ligonier combination for 2010 wil be in name only. Most parents plan on sending their children to private schools or cyberschooling (at the expense of the school district's taxpayers). There won't be a team fielded by LV.

[hornets69]

As far as the new team in the Heritage? Look for Cambria Heights or West Shamokin being added.

west shamokin would make sense from a student size(i'm not sure about their current number since elderton currently is closed, but will reopen...i think) and location standpoint....however, they play in the WPIAL and are a part of armstrong school district. I really doubt they would get any kind of approval to do anything from their school board or to transfer to district 6 from the wpial. i think they are still in kind of a mess with the whole elderton saga.

would this be a football only move? if so would they join district 6 as a football only member or all sports?

the boys sports there seem to be very down as of late competing against the wpial teams.

i know west shamokin has been very good powerhouse in girls volleyball as of late.

[Big Ike]

As far as the new team in the Heritage? Look for Cambria Heights or West Shamokin being added.

west shamokin would make sense from a student size(i'm not sure about their current number since elderton currently is closed, but will reopen...i think) and location standpoint....however, they play in the WPIAL and are a part of armstrong school district. I really doubt they would get any kind of approval to do anything from their school board or to transfer to district 6 from the wpial. i think they are still in kind of a mess with the whole elderton saga.

would this be a football only move? if so would they join district 6 as a football only member or all sports?

the boys sports there seem to be very down as of late competing against the wpial teams.

i know west shamokin has been very good powerhouse in girls volleyball as of late.

West Shamokin would fit an they are strugglin right now, I have said before , and another program, at least right now on a down turn that would be a perfect fit is Apollo Ridge...Alot of it is in Indiana County, thier population fits in the heritage footprint, and I believe they are closer to more heritage teams than most teams in the sections they play in most years...But that said they are not moving anytime soon out of the D-7.