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Public / private by the numbers

SPEED&JUMP DR.

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2007
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Now that 2014 is in the books, I thought it would be a good idea to put somE numbers to,the never ending public/private debate. I have no real horse in this race as I care less who wins once ridlley is done . The numbers are from various PIAA web sites

In 2014 there were 578 schools playing football in PIAA, 57 of which were designated private schools. This is almost exactly 10% of PIAA schools. It does not include schools that are not part of the PIAA like the Inter Ac. It also designates charter schools like Imhotep as public and some regional vi-tech schools as private even though many charter schools are more private than public and more vo tech schools are more public than private. However, these schools are not abundant enough across the state to make any statistical difference in the numbers.

Since the PCL joined in 2008 there have been 7 years of championships over 4 classifications , or 28 total champions crowned. There is an even split of 14 champs each for both public and private schools.

Looking deeper into the. U bets, ther have been 112 teams in final fours in the past 7 years spread across 4 classifications. Of the 112 teams, 43 were private schools or around 38 %. the overall numbers are pArticularly skewed at both the AAA level and by the PCL. At the AAA level , 6 of the 7 champions have been private and 18 of the 28 final 4 teams have been private. The PCL has won 25% of all championships contested and lost 3 others, thereby demonstrating what we already knew- the PCL is clearly the best league in the state.

So the privates are competing and winning at a much higher statistical rate than there total over per cent age of teams would merit. Statistically speaking, a kid has a much better chance of competing and winning a state championship if he attends a private school, especially if that private school is in the PCL. Is that due to talent , recruiting , coaching, ideology , support etc? Who really knows. But the disparity in numbers is growing since 2011 and if the publics don't figure out a way to compete with the privates the gap is only going to widen.
 
Assuming my numbers are correct. Since 1988, including all 4 classes there have been 104 Champs and obviously the same amount of runner-ups. I counted 25 private champions and 19 private runner-ups.
 
I think a lot will be missed if everything is looked at in the context of private vs. public.

Someone on the TV pre-game show the other night mentioned how many more games within leagues are lopsided. That's certainly true for the PCL. The year-round conditioning programs, the 7-and-7 games in the summers, the demographic dip that followed the graduation of most of the echo boomers' high school graduation, and what seems to be the shallower pool of kids who are being encouraged or even allowed by their parents to play football all mean that a relatively few programs are getting better or at least maintaining their level of quality while most are getting weaker/thinner. I've heard lots of reports on here of high school football programs that don't have enough kids for a JV or freshman team or that have varsity rosters of 30. So a kid who seems talented and is keen to play on a winning and prominent team is probably going to be drawn to one of the few schools that have a good chance of being in the spotlight.

My impression is that there are generally fewer high school students willing and able to put in the time and effort required to be at least a reasonably good hs player. I'm not blaming them for that; it's the world that's been prepared for them. They can play games on their phones and other screens, and many (not surprisingly) have short attention spans and a great appetite for instant gratification. And maybe there are economic considerations. When I went to the Prep, I could work in a landscaping business for nearly the whole summer. There were no practices of any kind till Aug. 15 and then just evening practices for the first week. Can a kid with a full-time summer job now be a regular player on a team like the Prep? Programs like the Prep's ask kids--and their parents--to make a huge sacrifice but they offer a great return as well. It seems unlikely that many other programs can make such demands. In some cases it's not something they can do; in others it may not be something they're willing to do.
 
Good count 16th&Gtown, double checked last night. Nice work SpeedandJDrive and good points tulla; pool is more shallow now with less swimmers. shfoot, what, did you leave the country? Go GBurg Bullets!
 
Once again Tulla you nailed it. We are witnessing firsthand the slow death of football. The Main Stream Media has their teeth on the whole football is destructive, violent, dangerous, etc...and they are not going to let go. Young parents who let their kids play football will be portrayed as being no better than if they let those same kids start smoking cigarettes at age 6. Proof is in the pudding. HS competition gets worse every year.-
 
Re: Shfoot - Good to hear from you!

Thx DJ: I'll probably keep it to a minimal.
 
I did leave the country. Went diving in Dominican Rep. The weather is so wierd up by you.
 
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