Six classification idea takes away WPIAL Class A championship

 Mike White | Monday, April 20, 7:00 p.m.

After seeing the PIAA football playoff brackets under a proposed six classification system, there is only one word to descire the Class A bracket:

Ridiculous.

Get this: Under the PIAA's plan, there will be no "true" WPIAL Class A champion. And that's just one of the reasons the WPIAL is against the idea. The six class system has passed two votes. It needs to pass only one more (by two-thirds majority) in May before becoming reality - in football only - in 2010.

Here is how the PIAA has set up part of the Class A bracket in the west. The WPIAL will take 12 teams to the playoffs. However, eight of those teams will play in the WPIAL playoffs. The four other teams will play in a different part of the bracket with four teams from District 5.

After the four WPIAL and four District 5 teams get a winner, they will play the winner of the WPIAL. That game will be a PIAA quarterfinal. Confusing, isn't it?

Well get this: The PIAA bracket says the four WPIAL teams that will play against District 5 will be the WPIAL's No. 2, 5, 6 and 11 seeds. Now how in the heck is the WPIAL supposed to decide what teams those will be? You can bet the four teams picked to play against District 5 will not be happy.

This is just another example of the problems six classifications will present to the WPIAL.

My prediction is that the six classifications will not pass the third reading next month. However, I do believe the PIAA will try to come up with a system that shortens football season from 16 to 15 weeks. That would present another problem to the WPIAL next season.

Stay tuned to this saga.