This decision will play itself out over the year. I don’t agree with the timing. And NG has a game now, good job Northeast. But some big picture items are being missed one could say. And it is not the Delval kids or anything like that.
NG has changed the competitive landscape and it is for the better of the kids on their team. Personally I like Albie a lot. But let’s realize GA is not part of the PIAA, they do their own thing and don't bother anybody. Sure they recruit and on their website they say 28% of the students get financial aid. So that occurs. And it is transparent. And as a non member of the PIAA it’s their business, as is with every interac team. That puts them and the other members above the snarky comments about recruiting etc. That is fact.
Problem I can see is GA has about 80 boys a class, and about 42-45 on team. Most 6A and 5A frosh teams have more kids. Team is competitive (beat Judge Saturday), but what is lost is that they do get to choose their non conference foes. And in turn set themselves up in a health and competitive position to try to compete for the league. We should know as football people, the schedule is set up for the league, as the league is most important. Not Rick Obrien’s top 25, or beating your buddies from weight ball. LaSalle’s HUGE win over Malvern (a school half its size, way to finally get one) doesn’t mean a thing if Prep kicks their butts this year. So that set up is important and has to be respected.
GA hasn’t been afraid to play anyone...Gratz killed them game one. Gratz is a 5A team, and is pretty darn good. GA is a 2A class. But due to the nature of the interac that is an appropriate match. Unlike some teams in District 12 inter ac teams traditionally play up multiple classes including in their own league. The tradition is more important than the numbers. They got a rematch with Judge who killed them last year and got lucky and beat them. Again, butt kicked by Gratz game 1, tough game vs Judge game 2 both schools being big and physical for a team with 40+ kids to face, and that 40+ includes freshmen. And prior to the interac season this year will face a very good West Catholic team and may face same fate as they did vs Gratz.. So playing schools and being beat is not an issue. GA has a long history of getting their a$$es kicked in football, but have always tried to schedule appropriate teams, check their history. So I am not sure running was the decision that was made.
What is an issue is commonality, and the freedom to choose your non league schedule. For those in the PCL, this is what freedom smells like For me, the bigger issue is where is the PCL in all of this. The PCL divided into 2 leagues for two specific reasons. Ability and player safety. The PCL smaller division has commonality of school sizes, and a shared competitive balance, which all translates into player safety. Let's look at this way, how good does LC and Bonner feel getting sent into games vs NG now? Both teams, similar to GA, know how to take a butt kicking. But where is the league advocating for these young men? It’s not popular but a legit question. And it’s the same reason why North Penn does not traditionally play Tennent. (insert the wood, lasalle, and prep guys calling me soft here....brainwashed)
Let's use the suburban one league and PAC 10...constantly shifting and addressing competitive balance while also looking at geography and logistics.
Actually governing and monitoring a league can be done, the PCL can take note here.
But it doesn't look good. GA looks like a team evading a really good team. The community at large on this board will judge them and call them soft and worse, because that's easy to say to people you don't know. People will say this teaches their kids they don't need to buckle up and be tough when the going gets tough because that's also easy. They will complain when the PIAA turns a blind eye and not actually put the PCL on notice and the reality of the schedule GA plays won’t be notated. But part of me says at least someone there stood up for themselves.
NG needs a game. I want to watch them. Not vs. LC or Bonner or Ohara. I would like to watch them play Roman and Lasalle etc. But oh...that is verboten, that doesn't happen in the IMG division, they just label the smaller school kids soft...forgot.
While the very real hurt that some of NG people are showing is legit and real and understandable and warranted, what does get me is the hypocrisy of the posters who advocate the schools that have hugely benefitted from transfers but take zero ownership, were the first to chime in on this. It's funny, the interac created all star teams? You didn't mind taking the interac all star team transfers over the past few years did you? When your 9th grade teams from your Catholic Academy league feeder schools clearly weren’t going to cut it. You don't seem to mind this year when you have multiple Penn Charter transfers, and CONGRATS you dipped into the Pac 10 this year grabbing Methacton's finest. Odd how they seem to be your defensive line now. But these kids weren't contacted by your coach who is charge of transfers were they? Why that doesn’t happen, you follow all the sacred PIAA rules. Recruit? Whaaa? Guy wants to speak for the entire PCL about who they should schedule…how magnanimous of you. I bet Judge and Roman felt great about you speaking for them when you trotted out your transfer to carry the ball 45 times vs them. When Malvern doesn't play Lasalle and Haverford doesn't play a big school, since when do you football bluebloods even care about the interac? Weak? Balls up and play says the guy whose team brought a key player in for less than a year and a half but for two football seasons, to help get over the top to win a state crown. I don't even think they needed the kid. But that certainly insured the CHIP didn’t it? Is part of the outreach bringing in the transfer and then agreeing maybe its best he just attend here for a year, and another semester and then really it is in his best interest to graduate from somewhere else. After all, the brotherhood was established right? Taken in context is this decision by GA really out of line? Can no one see the craziness here. Hell, North Penn just hopped on board now. Can't beat em join em right?
I applaud NE for stepping in and getting NG a game. Gonna root for NG and Albie because that is what philly guys do. But the faux outrage is laughable from some of you. The reality is glad the kids got a game, but someone at GA made an unpopular decision. Let NG deal with it. I will say kids lose in all of this controversy and that is what is the real downside is.
