Friday, September 14, 2012

Pennsylvania High School Football Rankings - Week 3

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

LaSalle new #1 in AAAA
Courtesy of PAHelmetProject.com
You can take the boy out of Pennsylvania, but not Pennsylvania out of the boy.

Yes, it's been more than a decade since I live back in my hometown of the Lehigh Valley, but every day I make sure I check various websites from around the state to make sure I don't lose touch with the PA high school football scene.

I highly recommend they my readers check-out EasternPAFootball.com and WesternPAFootball.net, plus you can't go wrong with the high school sports sections from The Citizens VoiceThe Express-Times, The Morning Call, The Patriot-News and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

It was quite a Week 2 last weekend with the top-ranked teams and defending state champs in AAAA and AAA losing.

In AAAA, LaSalle College takes over the top spot in the latest rankings after Central Dauphin saw its 15-game win streak ended by Bishop McDevitt, the new #2 in AAA.  Erie Cathedral Prep is the new #1 in AAA.

Central Dauphin falls to #5 in AAAA, while Archbishop Wood, which lost in OT to Archbishop Carroll 40-38 falls to #4 in AAA.

There we no changes in AA and A.

Here are the latest Patriot-News Rankings:

AAAA
1. LaSalle College (2-0), LW: #2
2. Gateway (2-0), LW: #3
3. North Allegheny (2-0), LW: #4
4. Upper St. Clair (2-0), LW: #5
5. Central Dauphin (1-1), LW: #1
6. North Penn (1-1), LW: #6
7. Easton (2-0), LW: #7
8. Downingtown East (2-0), LW: #9
9. McDowell (1-1), LW: #10
10. St. Joseph's Prep (2-0), LW: NR

AAA
1. Erie Cathedral Prep, (2-0), LW: #2
2. Bishop McDevitt (2-0), LW: #4
3. Archbishop Wood (1-1), LW: #1
4. Montour (2-0), LW: #6
5. Central Valley (1-1), LW: #3
6. Cardinal O'Hara (2-0), LW: #5
7. Lancaster Catholic (2-0), LW: #7
8. Berwick (2-0), LW: #8
9. West Allegheny (2-0), LW: #9
10. Pottsgrove (2-0), LW: #10

AA
1. Aliquippa (2-0), LW: #1
2. Jeannette (2-0), LW: #2
3. Wyomissing (2-0), LW: #3
4. Hickory (2-0), LW: #4
5. Mount Carmel (2-0), LW: #5
6. Seton-LaSalle (2-0), LW: #6
7. Grove City (2-0), LW: #7
8. Pen Argyl (2-0), LW: #8
9. South Fayette (2-0), LW: #9
10. Imhotep Charter (2-0), LW: #10

A
1. Clariton (2-0), LW: #1
2. Southern Columbia (2-0), LW: #2
3. Dunmore (2-0), LW: #3
4. Rochester (2-0), LW: #4
5. Sharpsville (2-0), LW: #5
6. Bishop Canevin (2-0), LW: #6
7. Old Forge (2-0), LW: #7
8. Bellwood-Antis (2-0), LW: #8
9. Monessen (2-0), LW: #9
10. Line Mountain (2-0), LW: #10

PIAA vs. WPIAL: Transfers

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America


Allowing student-athletes to transfer easily for the purpose of sports is something that I've NEVER supported.  It was always quaint thought to me that public high school teams were mostly made-up of players that grew-up together playing in the same community feeder programs.

I also realize that in today's high school sports world, certain inner-city public school football programs are struggling for reasons aside from their rosters being picked clean by private schools or bigger suburban public schools. Quite honestly, if I had a son playing for a struggling program and he had the grades and the talent to possibly get a college scholarship, I might consider moving to a private school.

The good news is I don't have that situation, but today I read a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Sports Writer Mike White that opened my eyes.  

The story entitled "PIAA foils WPIAL transfer rulings" talks about how the state's governing body (PIAA) has overturned 30 of the last 38 WPIAL rulings against transfers.  That's right, the WPIAL, which is apart of the PIAA, denied transfers for athletic reasons and the state overturned that ruling.

To me, it seems that these two organization need to be on the same page when it comes to transfers. 

I applaud the WPIAL for policing its own, as it appears they have in this article.  

Rules are rules and they should be the same for everyone, especially when we're talking about two organizations in the same state that should be working together.

Click here to read Mike White's story.
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