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The PIAA Football Steering Committee will meet Wednesday in Mechanicsburg to continue discussions on increasing the number of classifications for the sport from four to six.
A motion on the plan, penned by District 9 chairman Bob Tonkin, passed the first reading of the PIAA Board of Directors in January.
District 2 chairman Frank Majikes, a member of the PIAA Board of Directors, said no second reading will take place Wednesday because the full board won’t be present. Only the Strategic Planning Committee and steering committees for various sports, including football, will be meeting. District 2 secretary Mike Ognosky is on the football steering committee. Majikes is on the Strategic Planning Committee.
“This isn’t a board meeting, so you can’t have a second reading,” Majikes said. “It will be discussed. That is one of the priorities of the strategic planning and football combined meeting. They could make a motion to recommend to the board.”
Majikes said the earliest a second reading could occur by the board would be at the May meeting. If the motion passes once again, the board would have two options. It could either wait until July to take a final vote on the move to six classifications or it could suspend protocol and vote immediately after the passing of the second reading.
The earliest six classifications could be implemented is for the 2016 season.
“I think it has a lot of momentum,” Majikes said. “Will it move on, who knows? There seems to be more interest this time around than last time.”
A similar proposal in 2009 made it through two readings with ease before coming to a vote of the board. The proposal needed 21 votes to pass, but fell short 15-13. An effort to increase classifications in 2003 also failed.
Majikes said District 2 hasn’t looked into how a six classifications would affect its district football playoffs. D2-4A teams are the only District 2 schools currently involved in subregional playoffs with District 11 and District 4’s Williamsport. Williamsport is District 4’s only 4A school and qualifies as if it is part of District 2.
“It’s hard to say where we would end up with playoff systems,” Majikes said. “Obviously, there is a give-and-take on it because you’re going to six classes. We don’t have numbers in front of us to say what we’re going to do with playoff structures throughout the state.”
Heat acclimatization program expanded
The PIAA Board of Directors voted over the weekend to expand the heat acclimatization program for football from three days to five days. The heat acclimatization program was first introduced in 2013.
Football participants must attend five heat acclimatization practices, with at least three of them on consecutive days. Schools can start heat acclimatization on Aug. 10, giving them a seven-day window to achieve the requirements before the start of double sessions on Aug. 17.
Any player failing to reach the mandated goals will be prohibited from practicing until they are achieved.