Varsity Blog program note: I'll have a live blog from tonight's Montour-Central Valley game, a showdown of the top two ranked teams in Class AAA. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
McDowell's football team might be returning to the WPIAL in two years.
McDowell, located in Erie, played football in the WPIAL the past few years, while all of McDowell's other sports teams played in District 10 (Erie area). But District 10 instituted a policy for this year where teams that leave District 10 for the regular season must return to District 10 for the playoffs.
The WPIAL didn't want McDowell if it couldn't compete in the WPIAL playoffs, so McDowell was forced to leave the WPIAL for football and rejoin District 10. But on Wednesday, District 10 voted to abolish its new playoff policy. That frees McDowell to re-apply to the WPIAL for football only, but not until the 2014 season.
Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News has the story.
I am not sure what the WPIAL Board of Control will think about having McDowell back in the league. It might help balance Class AAAA because currently there are two Class AAAA conferences with nine teams and one with eight.
But I can assure you many coaches, fans and even players won't exactly welcome McDowell with open arms. Why? Travel. Even if McDowell got placed in the conference with north suburban teams, it is a two-hour trip for most of them.