Scott Huff takes at look at the recently approved SOL football realignment for the 2014 season.
By Scott Huff
Only time will tell if the Suburban One League football realignmentis going to be improved, but one thing for certain is that it will be new when the 2014 gridiron season begins. The existing SOL National, Continental, and American Conferences will continue with its current alignment for the 2013 season.
According to a press release, a subcommittee recommendation that a football conference based on school enrollment and not geography was supported by a majority of member schools. The Executive Committee voted to switch to school enrollment based conferences for football only – all other sports would remain in current conferences.
If school male enrollment remains consistent with current male enrollmentthe new SOL Conferences would become:
National Conference
- North Penn
- Pennsbury
- Neshaminy
- Souderton
- Pennridge
- Central Bucks South
- Abington
- Bensalem
Continental Conference
- Harry S Truman
- Council Rock South
- Central Bucks East
- Norristown
- Council Rock North
- Central Bucks West
- Hatboro-Horsham
- Quakertown
American Conference
- Plymouth Whitemarsh
- William Tennent
- Upper Dublin
- Cheltenham
- Wissahickon
- Upper Moreland
- Upper Merion
- Springfield
The discussion has always been the merit of having the ‘big’ schools compete in conference with other ‘big’ schools – and the ‘middle’ versus the ‘middle’ – and the ‘small’ schools competing with the ‘small’ schools. Football is its own rare animal in that games are held only once a week, so distance between schools is not a factor for five away games a season, and the nature of the game in terms of physical play and depth of roster is a factor.
The question has always centered around ‘fairness’ of schedule - but the definition of what is fair is truly debatable.
The biggest move in competition will be William Tennent that will move from the existing National Conference with the ‘big boys’ that include Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Abington, Bensalem, Truman, CR South, and CR North to the proposed American Conference that includes PW, Upper Dublin, Cheltenham, Wissahickon, Upper Moreland, Upper Merion, and Springfield. The Panthers – currently with 592 male students – will move from a conference that currently averages 1005 male students to a conference that currently averages 488 male students.
“I would be a fool to say that the new alignment isn’t a good thing for William Tennent football,” said new Panther head coach Bob Rosenberger. “William Tennent has been asking for this for a while, and now it seems like it is going to happen. The competition for us in the new league will be great.
“But we still have another season in the current league, and we are going to have to prepare for that tough schedule,” added Rosenberger – a WT alumni. “All I can really say is that as the head football coach at William Tennent, I am pleased with what is going to happen.”
Souderton will shift ‘up’ to the proposed National Conference from the existing Continental Conference. The Indians will join fellow Continental Conference rivals North Penn, Pennridge, Central Bucks South in merging with Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Abington, and Bensalem in the new SOL National. Souderton will ‘lose’ conference games with long-time opponents Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West, Hatboro-Horsham, and Quakertown.
“It is going to be a real challenge for the eight schools that form that new National Conference,” said Souderton head coach Ed Gallagher. “There is the question of skewing the district playoffs – five or six of the eight teams in that top conference are traditionally some of the better teams in the district. And with them beating each other up in the conference, you are going to have good football teams not making the playoffs.”
Example of that is last season when seven teams made the district tournament from the SOL – five from the proposed National Conference. Pennridge, Neshaminy, Central Bucks South, Pennsbury, and Abington all made the field. There were no teams from the proposed Continental Conference that made the playoffs last season, while both Plymouth Whitemarsh and Wissahickon made district playoffs last season from the proposed American Conference. Perennial power North Penn – also in the proposed SOL National Conference – made an extremely rare non-appearance in the district playoffs.
“I know that they were kicking this idea (realignment by enrollment) around for a while,” said Gallagher. “But to be honest, I never thought they would get the votes for it. It is rather shocking, and it is a difficult situation, but it is what it is.”
Central Bucks East will ‘remain’ in the proposed Continental Conference where it will be joined by former SOL National Conference teams Truman, CR South, and CR North – along with former SOL American Conference power Norristown. The Patriots will continue to have rival CB West, Hatboro-Horsham, and Quakertown as conference foes.
“We will still play CB South to continue that rivalry, and it will be nice to renew rivalries with the Council Rock schools,” said Central Bucks East head coach John Donnelly. “Football is a different animal with all the contact, and for schools to play schools of similar enrollment might be justified. It will create parity among teams within a conference.
“It is two years away, though, and things could change,” added Donnelly. “School enrollment is always changing, and you never know if you are a school that is on the ‘bubble’ to move from one conference to another. We just have to concentrate on who we play this season.”
The complex decision was made– the sizzling debate will continue.
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