PIAA puts off vote on changes in football
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has put off a final vote on two proposals that, if passed, could lead to Pittsburgh-area high schools pulling out of the state football playoffs.
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has put off a final vote on two proposals that, if passed, could lead to Pittsburgh-area high schools pulling out of the state football playoffs.
Plans to shorten the football season from 16 weeks to 15 weeks and to increase the number of classifications from four to six will be taken up again at the PIAA's July 23-24 meeting in Mechanicsburg.
The PIAA board of directors voted by 20-11 yesterday to send the matter to a committee for further consideration after Rich Constantine, the president of PIAA District 7, asked for the delay so a compromise could possibly be worked out.
Most schools in District 7, the Pittsburgh-based Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League, strongly oppose the six-class format because it could mean the end to playing the WPIAL championship games in a single day at Heinz Field.
WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley said dropping out of the PIAA playoffs would be "a last resort," but it would be considered if the PIAA went to six classes. The WPIAL is the nation's largest high school sports conference.
The six-class proposal passed two previous PIAA board votes with 18 and 17 affirmative votes, respectively, on the 31-member board but needed a two-thirds majority to pass a third and final vote.