Don Rebel: Tough to see struggles for tradition-rich City League

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, September 27, 2018 | 1:24 PM

First it was Allegheny High School, then South High School, then Langley and Oliver, followed by Schenley and Peabody.

One by one, the Pittsburgh City League kept shrinking from double-digit schools to the six schools that have made up District 8 the last few years.

Now the news this week that Carrick will not be able to finish the football season because of a lack of healthy players. The Raiders only had a roster of 18 players to kick off the 2018 campaign, and the roster thinned as the losses piled up in the first four weeks.

As a guy who has spent my professional career covering the WPIAL, this latest blow to the once flourishing City League is tough to take.

I was in the stands at old South Stadium, the current George Cupples Stadium on the South Side of Pittsburgh 35 years ago for the golden highlight of Carrick football when the Raiders beat my beloved Langley Mustangs to capture the 1983 City League championship.

This was back when City League teams actually hosted football games, prior to the shrinking district playing all of their league games at “The Cup” once they were down to eight teams.

Unfortunately, there appears to be no happy ending to this City League saga.

With Carrick done, five teams are now fighting for four playoff spots. Even Class 6A in the WPIAL has three teams missing out of the postseason.

Whoever comes out on top and possibly other non-title winning teams from District 8 could advance to the PIAA sub-regionals. In 2015, Westinghouse did not make the City League playoffs and finished 2-7 with one of those victories being a forfeit win. Yet the Bulldogs still qualified for the PIAA Class AA regionals.

But whether finishing 2-7 or 7-2, City League teams have not fared well in the PIAA playoffs. Not since the Perry Commodores team from two decades ago has a District 8 team made any kind of run in the state playoffs.

So what is the answer?

Some would suggest merge District 8 with District 7. The two have merged in all sports but football and basketball.

However, the City League schools still remaining realize a move into the WPIAL would likely lead to major struggles and more challenges in trying to get students to keep playing.

Currently, they are competitive for the most part against each other because they face the same obstacles and are in the same boat with practice facilities and no clear home-field advantage. Make no mistake about it, since its renovations several years ago, Cupples Stadium is a top-notch facility (with a great press box). But all six teams — five now — must travel for every game.

City League teams going up against WPIAL Class 6A or 5A teams could lead to ugly weekly results. Ideally, allowing them to compete in the smaller classifications would lead to more competitive games. Problem is the PIAA sets up classifications based on enrollment, and schools are not permitted to play down.

There are no easy answers. There is no easy solution.

The schools that are left in the City League, from coaches on up, are working hard to keep their identity, even if that identity continues to fade.

The decision to end the season for Carrick is not the end of Raiders football. Perhaps the program regroups and more players come out and football resumes next fall.

But even if that happens, this week’s news is just another nail in the coffin of the tradition rich City League.

Don Rebel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Don at drebel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TheDonRebel.

Tags: Carrick