Will Friday's state championship game be Bishop Guilfoyle's Swan Song in the Laurel Highlands?


Bishop Guilfoyle High School's football team has already etched its name into the Pennsylvania record books over the past two seasons. Coach Justin Wheeler's Altoona aggregation has captured back-to-back PIAA state class A championships, something unusual in the state annals.

Friday, the Marauders have the opportunity for a trifecta, their third title, something even more amazing when they battle Clairton in Hersheypark Stadium on Friday afternoon for the Class A title.

BG is also in a unique position in that as a member of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference (LHAC), the only team from the conference to ever win a state football title, it may no longer be a member of that league come January.

On Jan. 11, the LHAC will decide whether to expel the three private Catholic schools, Guilfoyle, Bishop McCort, and Bishop Carroll, and form a new conference made up of only public schools. Most followers believe that the 12-school league will vote to form a new conference by admitting Chestnut Ridge to make an even number of 10 for the new alignment. That would leave the three Catholic schools without an affiliation and with few options for the future.

The LHAC will reportedly give the current alignment one more season, but even that is still not clear until the January meeting. Nothing really is at this juncture except that this team will probably end the Marauders' remarkable run at state championships. The talent level will drop next year with the graduation of some outstanding athletes.

Catholic-public animus

While the initial target of the LHAC appeared to be Bishop Carroll since the Huskies had a slim roster in 2016 and the league was concerned about not having enough football teams for 2017, that is not the case now. The other two teams joined with BC in opposing the Huskies being voted out of the conference, which prevented the move. Then the conference allegedly threatened Guilfoyle and McCort that if they opposed the move to oust Carroll, they would then become targets and would be removed, too by formation of a new league.

However, what is more likely is that all of the public schools felt that having an all-public league would provide a more level playing field. The publics accuse the Catholics of recruiting players, which is ostensibly illegal according to state rules, though the PIAA is relatively fangless in enforcing this battle any more.

The reality is that while public schools are limited to using those athletes who live within their geographical boundaries, the private schools can recruit athletes from a wide geographical area.

The private schools argue that they are at a disadvantage since they all charge tuition to attend the school. That limits the pool of athletes who can attend the school. Financial aid, however, is available to families who meet certain criteria at the Catholic schools.

Guilfoyle-Clairton matchup

Clairton features one of the top athletes in the state, Lamont Wade, a running back and defensive back who will announce next week which top Div. I-A college he will attend. His list contains the names of Pitt, Penn State, and West Virginia, among others.

Wade told the Post-Gazette that winning the championship is a major personal goal for him. “I’m not stopping until I get a state championship ring, I need one. I can’t go without one. That’s driving me. Clairton has won multiple WPIAL and state championships, but I don’t have a state. That hurts. I have to get one.”

Overall, the Clairton roster is faster and more athletic than BG's, but the Marauders feature a huge offensive line that has carried them this far in 2016. It is a classic speed vs. power matchup.

Conclusion

Regardless of whether or not Guilfoyle wins the game, the truth is that many in the LHAC will not be rooting for them. The die has been cast for this battle, and while minds may change before the Jan. 11 meeting, the likelihood is that BG, McCort and Guilfoyle will no longer be part of the previous LHAC down the road.

It will not, however, erase an amazing run in which the Marauders have not lost a game in three seasons and have won two state titles with a possible third on the line.

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