Discussing Districts, Classifications, and Playoff Brackets
Written by: KMac on Tuesday, December 20th, 2022. Follow KMac on Twitter.
When the PIAA State Football Championship season comes around there are always many conversations regarding the title subjects above and of course, how they affect the teams that are to play.
Let me state at the outset that greater minds with greater resources than I have; have worked, and are I am sure always working/considering, the subjects; and we see tweaking of particularly the playoff brackets year-to-year. I wish I had answers instead of further discussion but that is not the case.
Geography and population are the two major constituents in district and classification considerations.
Pennsylvania is basically a big rectangle about 170 miles times 283 miles with practically three straight sides (north, south, & west) and the eastern boundary dictated by the course of the Delaware River. In the far northwest of the northern border with New York State, Erie County forms sort of a slanted chimney that interrupts the straight northern PA border and extends our state to Lake Erie.
This geography is one major consideration in the breakdown of districts and of course, the cost and risk of accidents during travel is a major consideration in setting league schedules and also playoff sites.
There are 67 counties in PA and their borders are generally anything but straight in geographic terms. Many borders are determined by river or creek streams, particular roads or highways, mountains, and political issues among the counties. Sizes vary. Lycoming County in District 4 is our largest by area, Philadelphia County, which is a combination city-county government, our only such combination, is the largest by population. It is in, and in fact, IS District 12. Montour County is the state’s smallest land area county and is also in District 4. Cameron County in District 9 is the least populated of our counties.
Our Districts are comprised of combinations of various counties (67) plus one city that is not a city-county government, Pittsburgh. So, 68 units make up our District structure. Their size geographically and the population is also diverse and an issue of note.
Our football champions are generally based on east versus west opponents per classification. East Districts are 1, 2, 3, 4, 11 & 12 while the West are 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10. Six districts in each of East and West.
Since about 2008 the PIAA has tried to rebalance the various numbers of teams in certain classifications for playoffs by placing a district on the opposite side of the bracket which skewers the pure East-West. This is no distraction to the school and the students, fans supporting it I am sure. If you win a state championship, no matter for either East or West, hooray!
However, in 2019 St Joe’s Prep (Philadelphia) and Archbishop Wood (Bucks County) winning “West” titles seem incongruous. Likewise, Bishop Guilfoyle (Altoona, PA) winning the class 1A title in 2014, 1015, & 2016 for the “East” is likewise strange.
In my records, I like no note these differences with asterisks and notes. There seems to be no answer to the riddle because if you shifted to North/South there would still be a great disparity in the number of schools in each classification within each district. I will list each district in east-west format with the district followed by a number of schools in this order 1A-2A-3A-4A-5A-6A.
Eastern Districts
District 1 – 3 – 2 – 0 – 8 – 24 – 33. Total 70 schools
District 2 — 2 – 7 – 6 – 10 – 6 – 2. Total 33 schools.
District 3 — 3 – 7 – 14 – 23 – 26 – 19. Total 92 schools.
District 4 — 7 – 10 – 10 – 6 – 0 – 1 Total 34 schools.
District 11 – 6 – 9 – 10 – 6 – 6 – 10 Total 47 schools.
District 12 – 1 – 1 – 6 – 7 – 14 – 11 Total 40 schools.
Western Districts
District 5 – 6 – 4 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 0 Total 11 schools.
District 6 — 14 – 15 – 3 – 3 – 2 – 3 Total 40 schools.
District 7 — 30 – 24 – 20 – 23 – 18 – 6 Total 121 schools.
District 8 — 0 – 2 – 0 – 2 – 1 – 1 Total 6 schools.
District 9 — 12 – 6 – 3 – 2 – 0 – 0 Total 23 schools.
District 10 — 11 – 7 – 15 – 2 – 1 – 2 Total 38 schools.
Here we see the disparity in the number of schools per district, a high of 121 in one to a low of 6 in another.
Would a merger of the two smallest districts (8 and 5) with others and a shift to 10 districts, not 12, help? Again, I am sure greater minds than minds has considered it. Both small districts (8 and 5) are in the now “West”, so a re-casting of the remaining 10 districts would be necessary or there would be 4 in the west and 6 in the east. And scheduling and various league ramifications would also be necessary. Naturally, feelings or politics would be involved in such modifications.
It is interesting that the classifications of the schools in 6 classes are fairly consistent with the total schools in each classification. These are 1A – 95; 2A – 94; 3A – 88; 4A – 92; 5A – 98; and 6A – 88.
The problem is the vast disparity among the various districts in each class. Only District 7 in the West has a good number in most classes with their shrinking 6A class the least due to continuing population decline in many communities.
Only three districts are “big” in school numbers D7 – 121; D3 – 92; and D1 – 70. Midrange districts include D11 – 47; D6 & D12, 40 each; D10 – 38; D4 – 34; and D2 – 33. District 9 drops down to 23 total schools and then 11 of D5 and 6 of D8.
Would a shift to 5 classifications instead of six help in this regard? Here again, the shift from four to six classes for 2016 was a move to “better balance” the various size schools. Would ten districts and 5 classifications help? I certainly do not know the answers.
I still like a competition between East and West as the two final opponents, otherwise, what could you call them? Side “A” versus side “B” has no cachet. Again North and South would erase the former status and start a new arrangement after 35 established championships; not favorable to my thinking.
Many conversations regarding the annual championships has centered around two schools; two very successful schools, St. Joe’s Prep in 6A from D12 and Southern Columbia in 2A from D4.
Back years ago such conversations were heard about Central Bucks West in 4A of D1 and Berwick of 3A in D2. Very successful programs draw comments from many and the discussion falls into categories of favor and disfavor as well.
But something I think you would find in most successful high school football programs would be excellent and proficient coaching, school and community backing, sufficient facilities, dedicated athletes, and a number of excellent, skilled, and/or talented players as well. The last is the hardest to come by without all of the first-named assets. Winning draws. The object of playing is to win.
Despite the current excellent records of the Hawks and Tigers, it will not be forever. Ask C B West, Archbishop Wood, Berwick, Mount Carmel, and other schools that once seemed to be “unstoppable”, or a forever dynasty.
As to the playoff brackets, the biggest talking session this year was a big gap in the Western D5 bracket when Erie Cathedral Prep had a month off (10/28 – 11/25) which included two weeks of byes with opt-outs by the opposition of D8 and D6. The opt-outs are perfectly acceptable by policy and Cathedral Prep, who was a strong 8-2 with the losses to out-of-state powers lost to eventual state champion Pine-Richland 21-14. You cannot be sure that the score would have been different without the month off; but perhaps?
District participation from 1988 through 2022.
A lot of discussions has been made since the PIAA allowed the inclusion, actually fostered the inclusion it has been said, of D12 in the PIAA in 2004 (Public league only) and 2008 (Phila Catholic League). There is no question that a difference was felt since the entire District was admitted in the latter year of 2008.
First, there is also no question that the D7 concept of the whole district being one league, the WPIAL, has made it the dominant district in championship participation and the number of titles won. It has appeared in every state championship from 1988 – 2022, and in many cases filled the entire side in the four state titles years of 1988-2015. Only in the second championship in 1989 did D7 have only one entrant – Upper Saint Clair that beat D3 entrant Wilson West Lawn 12-7. From then on no less than two entries per championship and many times 3, or the entire west side of 4. Through last year (2021) D7 holds 102 state titles.
As D12 is East (in most cases) it did not affect D7 in participation when it came to the fore. At a quick look, it appears that D12 holds only a slim 1-game edge over D7 – 6 to 5 in all classifications combined. {2022 results evened this to 7-7 D12 vs D7}.
Naturally, the districts most affected by D12 would be the Eastern districts, and mostly in the higher classifications. From 2004 through 2007, no District 12 public league team made it to the championships. That all changed with the inclusion of the Phila Catholic League in 2008. Since 2008 D12 has been represented in every championship, of course not in every classification.
But unlike D7, who has had 45 different teams (2022 included) vie for a state championship, D12 in its 17 years of participation in the PIAA has sent only 5 different teams until a new 6th entry for 2022. Having only 1 class 1A and 1 class 2A it is in the larger classifications that D12 has had the most impact. Three-A and 4A when it was four championships a year, and 6A and 5A now which is 6 titles each year is where D12 shines.
But as to a district dominating, I point out that as a district, D12 is 16-13 through 2022 in all classifications combined. At .552 this is the 2nd best winning percentage of all districts, and first is D4 at 18-13 .581 and next is D11 at 11-9 .550. District 7 is 56-50 and .529, and finally, last above .500 is D2 at 11-10 and .524. All the other Districts are .500 or under in Championship wins and losses.
I think that D12 has adversely impacted Districts 1, 3, and 11 to the most degree.
In the first 16 years of Chips 1988 through 2003, District 1 ruled the Eastern 4A bracket with 11 appearances in 4A to D3 with 4 and D11 with 1. The four years of PPL D12 only {2004-2007} swung to D11 who placed three teams in each of the 2005 and 2006 championships and was the 4A rep three of the four years.
With the D12 entrance of the PCL, there have been no years from 2008 through 2021 without a PCL representative, which of course is also a D12 rep. The only PPL team yet to have appeared is Imhotep Charter School which has appeared in four different classifications a total of 7 times.
Conversely, both District 1 and District 11’s participation in the State finals dropped considerably.
D1 has appeared only 3 times in the 2008-2022 (15-year) period. D11 has also only appeared 3 times and has not been seen in 7 years, last appearing in 2015 when Parkland narrowly lost to Pittsburgh Central Catholic 21-18 in the last 4A game where it was the largest class.
District 3, the largest eastern district and second largest overall to D7 in teams was among the first districts to play for both East and West in certain classes. It is hard to determine what effect this had without a study of the district since 2008 with its wins and losses. However, it seems to be an all-win, or all-loss district when you look at its 6 classes’ performances. In 6A it is 0-4. In 5A 0-2. In 4A 3-4, the most balanced class. In 3A 1-11. Then it flips the other way in the two smallest classes, 2A 4-0; and 1A 6-0. Undefeated in 2A and 1A with three different schools in each class establishing those records.
District 11 has yet to appear in 6A or 5A but has a 4A record of 2-4, and winning margins in the other three classes – 3A 3-2; 2A 4-3; and an unbeaten 2-0 class 1A mark.
The other two Eastern districts; 2 and 4; have been mostly smaller classification centered with only 2 class 6A and 5 class 5A in D2 and in D4 no 5A and only one 6A in Williamsport. They would be somewhat less affected by the primary larger school strength of D12’s inclusion.
District 2’s greatest participation in states was the first 10 years of Chips 1988-1997 when Berwick was a national power. But they were represented every year in that period, sometimes with two reps per year. After that, it was scattered appearances in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2018. In 2019 D2 had two entries for the first time since 1997; Dallas lost and Wyoming Area won. That was their last participation now absent last three years.
District 4 is basically being carried by a single entity presently, Southern Columbia in 2A. The District still houses the winningest team in the state, Mount Carmel with 866 wins (2019 last noted). But, first in 1A and now in 2A Southern Columbia carries the District with 21 championship appearances and 13 titles claimed, both records, or course. It is only fair to mention that they also hold the record for the most losses in championship history at 8. In 1A they are 6-7, and in 2A they are 7-1 for their 13-8 overall and have 6 consecutive 2A titles, another state record.
Only 5 other teams from D4 have made the finals. Also in 2A, Mount Carmel was 4-1 in five state title matches. South Williamsport was 0 for 2, once in 1A and once in 2A. Montoursville lost in a 2A final; Selinsgrove won its only final in 3A and Jersey Shore lost its only final in 4A.
There is no doubt that D12 has made a major impact on the scene. However, it has primarily been in the top two classes both when they were 3A and 4A and now 5A and 6A. The Philadelphia Catholic League has been dominant since its 2008 PIAA entrance over the Phila Public League in general; in their annual Thanksgiving rivalries, and in playoffs. But, as with Southern Columbia and Mount Carmel in D2; it has basically been two teams at finals from D12 causing all the commotion. These were originally St. Joe’s Prep and Archbishop Wood.
Another factor is the PCL includes schools not in the city of Philadelphia proper but in Bucks, Montgomery, and Delaware counties. If this were not so, Archbishop Wood’s fine record would be in D1 as would LaSalle’s (Montgomery County) as well. With the inclusion of the new Neumann-Goretti in 3A for 2022, D3 now has had six schools participating at States; not many for a 40-school district.
St. Joe’s Prep in 4A and 6A is 7-2 in 9 appearances. Archbishop Wood in 3A & 5A is 6-2 in eight finals. Imhotep of Public League football in D12 has appeared in 2A, 3A, 4A, & 5A. Imhotep is 1-6 in seven appearances. LaSalle had appeared twice in 4A and is 1-1. Likewise, West Catholic appeared twice in 2A and is also 1-1. Neumann-Goretti this year lost a mighty defensive battle with Belle Vernon of D7, 9 to 8. NG was the 5th PCL and 6th overall D12 team to appear at States.
Everyone that is interested in Pennsylvania high school football is aware of the decline in general of the sport in PA. The numbers are down. There are a great number of football size and speed individuals in schools that are not playing football. The reasons are likely many and diverse. The risk of injury is certainly a consideration for some parents even though the “concussion problem” seems to have cooled down.
But the local school near me offers football, baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, ice hockey, Lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, and wrestling. Not to mention a flock of clubs and other extracurricular activities if you so desire. There are a great number of other choices to stay active in or out of sports.
For years I have tried to count the players on the sideline when attending games or even seeing them on a video stream. A lot of schools, including big classifications, do not have packed sidelines. And small-school-wise, I have counted some single-digit sideline troops along with maybe 12 to 15, or so.
A factor unaccounted for in anything I have read is the vast number of children from other countries that have immigrated to the United States. Many Asian and Hispanic, along with most other countries, do not have football in American terms. Their football is soccer to us. As noted in the recent World Soccer publicity, the U S is an underdog in that sport. However, our schools’ soccer programs are taking many potential football players for certain. And many times also provide a kicker for a football team as well, when scheduling allows.
Reviewing what I said above about the sports and clubs available at the local high school, how possibly does a school promote and highlight its football program? Some schools seem capable of doing it. However, how in the Devil is it possible? With all the other sports and clubs, along with the worsening security issues around schools and games, how do you promote football?
And, when it comes to the state championship playoffs, how can we level the field? Perhaps the move from four to six classifications did help that some as the average margin of victory the last two years was 13.2 (2021) and 16.8 (2022); down from ranges such as 32.3 (2004) or 27.5 (2015). It seems 1999 provided the most competitive championships with an average MOV of 7.0 and four scores of 14-13; 21-7; 13-6; and 27-21.
I am afraid that the sport of football is in for a tough road in Pennsylvania given all I have observed and somewhat some of what I have said here. Hopefully not in the time allotted to me as I am well over the hill in age to most readers. I saw my first high school football game in October 1951. I loved it from the start and that love grew year by year; this year being my 72nd season.
I also very much like the EasternPAFootball website and all through the year it is one of perhaps 10 sites that I visit every single day, all year, never an exception.
I wish all the writers of comments on the Forum here best wishes and good health and safety in 2023. I read them all although I seldom comment, as everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I am thankful for the interest shown in high school football. About 250 days to high school football!!
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December 22nd, 2022 at 6:43 am
Self-correcting my article.
Although I read an article many times before submission, I seem to always miss a few errors. I said – Greater minds than minds {s/b “mine” have considered it. Also I attributed 102 championships to District 7. That was their participation in slots through 2021, now 106 through 2022. They have won 56 championships. In talking about Neumann-Goretti being the 6th D12 school in the playoffs, I indicated “D3” for some reason. I hope this was all.
I write from a stream of consciousness, but apparently are unconscious at times.
December 21st, 2022 at 11:23 am
@Andrew, Frank G, & The Joneses.
Thank you all for your comments on my bit. Discussion and thoughts about it all is the purpose I wrote it. Another comment on the Forum page suggests a “D2” may have some ideas later after the Holiday Season. Can’t thank you all enough.
December 21st, 2022 at 6:08 am
When will the PIAA excluded all non boundry schools? It’s ridiculous that schools that can hand pick kids are able to compete with school districts that are not.
December 21st, 2022 at 12:24 am
Thanks for the very interesting and insightful comments, KMac. Lots here to think about.
December 20th, 2022 at 6:52 pm
This is a great article. So much data it creates the first accurate picture if the PIAA football landscape.