GaryEdmondson
12-02-2009, 08:52 PM
PIAA numbers change classes for area teams
by leroy boyer (sports editor lboyer@republicanherald.com)
Published: December 2, 2009
The numbers are in.
For some area schools, the competition over the next two years just got tougher.
For some, it dropped a level.
For most, it stayed the same.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association recently released its enrollment figures for the 2010-2012 cycle that determine the classifications for each sport over the next two academic seasons.
The numbers are taken from each school's enrollment of male and female students in grades 9-11 as of Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. The PIAA gathers all of the information and uses it to establish sports parameters for each sport to keep the number of participating schools in each classification across the state virtually even.
A complete breakdown of each area school is included in a graphical box on Page 15. Here's a further look at the numbers:
- On the boys' side, 11 of the 24 schools saw an increase in enrollment from the 2008-10 cycle.
The biggest increase was at Williams Valley, which jumped 20 boys from 135-155. Nativity (plus 14), Shenandoah Valley (10), Marian (9) and Halifax (8) also saw sizeable increases.
The biggest decrease was at Panther Valley, which dropped 83 boys from 265 to 182. The decrease had a major impact on the Panthers' football team, which will drop from Class AA to Class A for the next two seasons.
Other schools that saw big decreases include Tri-Valley (minus 44), Mahanoy Area (40), Schuylkill Haven (20), Blue Mountain (16), Tamaqua (14), Millersburg (12),
Pine Grove (11) and Mount Carmel (11).
- In the girls' numbers, only seven local schools saw an increase in enrollment for the next cycle. Jim Thorpe paved the way with an increase of 24 girls, followed by Minersville and Tri-Valley (both plus 17) and Pine Grove (10).
Pottsville saw the biggest decrease in female enrollment, with a difference of 44 girls (468-424) since the 2008-10 cycle. Other major decreases occurred at Hamburg (minus 31), Shenandoah Valley (22), Marian (21), Line Mountain (21), Shamokin (20), Blue Mountain (18), North Schuylkill (17), Millersburg (17), Schuylkill Haven (16) and Williams Valley (15).
- When it comes to classification changes, the biggest areas of change came in baseball and girls' soccer.
In baseball, the parameter dropped from 161 to 153 for Class A, forcing Shenandoah Valley, two-time defending District 11 champion Williams Valley, Halifax and Line Mountain to climb to Class AA. The Class AA cutoff also dropped, from 286-274, causing North Schuylkill to jump to Class AAA.
In girls' soccer, the movement of all girls' soccer teams to the fall prompted the creation of a third classification.
Among Schuylkill League teams, Halifax, Line Mountain, Lourdes, Millersburg, Minersville, Nativity, Schuylkill Haven, Tri-Valley, Upper Dauphin, Weatherly and Williams Valley will complete in a newly formed Class A bracket. Blue Mountain, Hamburg, Jim Thorpe, North Schuylkill, PIne Grove, Shamokin and Tamaqua will be in Class AA, while Pottsville is in Class AAA.
Some other key classification changes among local teams:
In football, Panther Valley drops to Class A while Shamokin climbs to Class AAA.
In boys' basketball, two-time District 11 champion Williams Valley and Shenandoah Valley move up to AA while Pottsville goes up to Class AAAA.
In boys' swimming, Pottsville goes back up to AAA after two years at AA.
In girls' basketball, Minersville goes up to Class AA, Tamaqua climbs to AAA and Pottsville drops to AAA.
The new PIAA enrollment figures could cause some shake-ups in the division alignments for the Schuylkill League, but those haven't been finalized yet.
For more information on the new enrollment figures and 2010-12 classifications, visit www.piaa.org.
by leroy boyer (sports editor lboyer@republicanherald.com)
Published: December 2, 2009
The numbers are in.
For some area schools, the competition over the next two years just got tougher.
For some, it dropped a level.
For most, it stayed the same.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association recently released its enrollment figures for the 2010-2012 cycle that determine the classifications for each sport over the next two academic seasons.
The numbers are taken from each school's enrollment of male and female students in grades 9-11 as of Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. The PIAA gathers all of the information and uses it to establish sports parameters for each sport to keep the number of participating schools in each classification across the state virtually even.
A complete breakdown of each area school is included in a graphical box on Page 15. Here's a further look at the numbers:
- On the boys' side, 11 of the 24 schools saw an increase in enrollment from the 2008-10 cycle.
The biggest increase was at Williams Valley, which jumped 20 boys from 135-155. Nativity (plus 14), Shenandoah Valley (10), Marian (9) and Halifax (8) also saw sizeable increases.
The biggest decrease was at Panther Valley, which dropped 83 boys from 265 to 182. The decrease had a major impact on the Panthers' football team, which will drop from Class AA to Class A for the next two seasons.
Other schools that saw big decreases include Tri-Valley (minus 44), Mahanoy Area (40), Schuylkill Haven (20), Blue Mountain (16), Tamaqua (14), Millersburg (12),
Pine Grove (11) and Mount Carmel (11).
- In the girls' numbers, only seven local schools saw an increase in enrollment for the next cycle. Jim Thorpe paved the way with an increase of 24 girls, followed by Minersville and Tri-Valley (both plus 17) and Pine Grove (10).
Pottsville saw the biggest decrease in female enrollment, with a difference of 44 girls (468-424) since the 2008-10 cycle. Other major decreases occurred at Hamburg (minus 31), Shenandoah Valley (22), Marian (21), Line Mountain (21), Shamokin (20), Blue Mountain (18), North Schuylkill (17), Millersburg (17), Schuylkill Haven (16) and Williams Valley (15).
- When it comes to classification changes, the biggest areas of change came in baseball and girls' soccer.
In baseball, the parameter dropped from 161 to 153 for Class A, forcing Shenandoah Valley, two-time defending District 11 champion Williams Valley, Halifax and Line Mountain to climb to Class AA. The Class AA cutoff also dropped, from 286-274, causing North Schuylkill to jump to Class AAA.
In girls' soccer, the movement of all girls' soccer teams to the fall prompted the creation of a third classification.
Among Schuylkill League teams, Halifax, Line Mountain, Lourdes, Millersburg, Minersville, Nativity, Schuylkill Haven, Tri-Valley, Upper Dauphin, Weatherly and Williams Valley will complete in a newly formed Class A bracket. Blue Mountain, Hamburg, Jim Thorpe, North Schuylkill, PIne Grove, Shamokin and Tamaqua will be in Class AA, while Pottsville is in Class AAA.
Some other key classification changes among local teams:
In football, Panther Valley drops to Class A while Shamokin climbs to Class AAA.
In boys' basketball, two-time District 11 champion Williams Valley and Shenandoah Valley move up to AA while Pottsville goes up to Class AAAA.
In boys' swimming, Pottsville goes back up to AAA after two years at AA.
In girls' basketball, Minersville goes up to Class AA, Tamaqua climbs to AAA and Pottsville drops to AAA.
The new PIAA enrollment figures could cause some shake-ups in the division alignments for the Schuylkill League, but those haven't been finalized yet.
For more information on the new enrollment figures and 2010-12 classifications, visit www.piaa.org.