First of, I have family at NPHS now and a number have graduated from there. I’m a supporter of the Cannoneers Club. NP if I’m not mistaken, just had new turf put in. That’s not 1960. Also, the inter ac has nothing at all to do with this. Nice try at the slippery slope argument. And for a fact, the PCL did NOT approach PIAA, it was the opposite and the proof as stated before is that the PCL insisted on maintaining their identity and own championship. PIAA agreed - so nothing has changed. It’s not even about interpreting the rules. Your opinion of disliking the Prep is fine, but your approach is as flawed as your assumptions about my knowledge of NP and that area. Also, NAHS is far more diverse.
My takeaway from this weekend...
- Thread starter Relayer
- Start date
Roxy,
Roxy,
Roxy,
Just wanted to set some things straight.
North Penn was actually built in 1955. As for turf field, after years of having to pay rent to Souderton and Wissahickon because their field was unplayable in order to play "home" playoff games, they put turf in. They were the only school in their league that played on grass. They simply put turf on the old stadium field. Other surrounding schools (Quakertown, Souderton, CB South, Pennridge) stadiums make North Penn facilities look like minor league.
Next time you're at North Penn, visit the weight room. It's right off the gym, part of the 67 year old building.
When the PIAA came to the table with the PCL, both sides had skin in the game. The PIAA wanted more teams (more teams, more money for them) and the PCL wanted to play for state championships. Playing for a PCL title was nice but it really didn't have much cache. Sorry to burst your bubble but the PIAA dictated the terms, not the other way around. You'll see it more in hoops. The PCL used to play 25 - 30 games plus some plus several teams played out of state post season tournaments. The PIAA said no, you're playing 22 games max now.
Again, I've got no problem with The Prep, it's a great school. Everyone I've met from the school I've been impressed with. I just wish they played by the rules.
If we’re talking bout rules . NP is known for moving ppl into that district in order to play football ,but I digress.
Tulla,
From the PIAA guide:
"Recruiting for athletic purposes is directly contrary to fundamental interests of PIAA and it's member schools and any school engaged in such conduct should do so with the expectation that it will be treated harshly upon proof of conduct".
Lot of legalese in there and rarely does PIAA hold anyone accountable because it would cost them money if a lawsuit follows.
If you look at The Prep's history, they had been mostly mediocre for the 20th century. They were 56 - 51 in the '70s, 39 - 66 in the '80s and 60 - 54 in the '90s. Starting in 2000, they've been 225 - 49 since. So something changed in and around 2000.
Again, I have no problem getting students from Jersey or Delaware or wherever. In fact, I'm excited to see what The Prep brings in for the class of 2026 after losing in the state final. I have a feeling this may be the best class ever at The Prep.
Don't know if you follow hoops but about 8 - 9 years ago, Speedy Morris decided he wasn't going to recruit anymore, that he was just going to coach the kids who came to The Prep organically. It was fun to watch him take less talented players and mold them into some pretty good teams.
This is so hard to enforce. You can’t go in front of the board and say prep recruiting 12-13yo. If these players were transferring in you would have a better case.
RC,
Totally agree, it's basically unenforceable.
That's one thing about The Prep, as far as I know, they don't target players already on other high school teams which is good. One reason may be because their academic standards are so high, it would be hard for a player to play ball and also adjust to the increased workload.
I'm wondering if Tulla would know, does The Prep get many transfers from other high schools in their regular student body? Just curious.
On the other hand, I think Wood has no qualms about going after players from other teams, Kyle Pitts comes to mind.
Thanks for the text. jhoops. As RCH notes, the language is quite vague. For instance, being contrary to "the interests" is not the same as being contrary to the rules or even contrary to the values. And what "treated harshly" means is very open to interpretation.
But the main difficulty is with "recruiting for athletic purposes." To begin with, it's necessary to recognize that the Prep recruits every student who comes to the school. Their recruiting activities go on all through the year and take many forms. There are far fewer "legacy students" than there used to be and even in "legacy families" the choice of high school is often far from automatic. What the Prep advertises in all its recruiting activities is not just its distinctive academic offerings and the things that distinguish it as a Jesuit school (e.g. the retreats, the service programs, etc.) but its co-curriculars (e.g. the drama program, the various clubs, and, yes, its athletic program and the various teams that are part of it). I really doubt that any potential student is recruited to the school solely in relation to participation in a particular sport. That is, I honestly don't think any student is recruited simply "for athletic purposes" but of course athletics are very much a part of the recruiting of some students--and it's not just for football.
I agree that things began changing in the 90s. It wasn't just in terms of football, though. I also agree with what I think you're suggesting: there are real dangers and risks in developing and sustaining the kind of football program the Prep has. Are academic standards compromised? Does the football program and the students who are part of it become separate from much of the life of the school? (I have concerns about the football-players-only service trips that Infante initiated, but I don't know enough about them to have a settled opinion.) I also think encouraging transfers, especially after sophomore year, has some particular risks, but I recognize that in some (relatively few) situations it could be very much in the student's interests.
From what I can tell (from a distance) the Prep has avoided the dangers and managed the risks pretty well, but not perfectly There are lots stories of kids who probably would not have come to the Prep if it didn't have a very successful football program and who have greatly benefited from all the non-football things the Prep offers. One indication of this is the list of very good colleges many of the players attend--whether they're playing football for the colleges or not. And you can be very sure that if the people recruited to the Prep didn't think their choice of high school was a good one, they would make their views known.
I can think of only a handful of players who cam to the Prep after sophomore year. (There were two basketball players---Jacob O'Connell, now at Princeton, and Ed Crosswell, now at Providence--in addition to the football players). This year there were at least two football players, James Heard (who came from a public school in Jersey) and Winston Yates (who came from Bishop Eustace). I don't know about the circumstances of either. Heard was a big part of the Prep's defense while Yates played sparingly on offense before being injured mid-season.
I think zeroing in on player x or y without knowing the particular circumstances would be wrong and not very useful, but I'll reiterate the view I expressed in the earlier post: routinely encouraging / accepting transfers after sophomore year would be a bad idea. I don't think the Prep has ever accepted a transfer after junior year.
Tulla,
Great responses, appreciate the discussion and sharing your insights. I've certainly come to realize that if you just stay on the surface and say "Prep has xx players from Jersey", it doesn't do justice to all the factors involved. The Prep's location, mission, tradition, academic rigor all play a part and I for one, didn't acknowledge that part of the equation.
Thanks
It's not relevant to bring in any trend prior to say 2000 when dealing with any non boundary school. If by recruiting you mean advertising "come here" then every pub who takes non district kids and every non pub recruits. I sit here rooting against the Prep every year. But they don't need to recruit. If you are good, you are knocking on their door.