Montrose football to change divisions

BY JOBY FAWCETT
Times Shamrock Writer

Once again, the Lackawanna Football Conference and the Wyoming Valley Conference will work together to fill a schedule for the next two-year cycle.

After a meeting Tuesday, Dec. 3, between officials from both the LIAA and the WVC, the two sides are hammering out the particulars that will continue the amicable working relationship that helps teams from the two football leagues that make up District 2 in completing their 10-week schedules.
A task made more difficult with the end of the relationship between the LIAA and the Mountain Valley Conference from District 11.

“Our relationship with the Wyoming Valley Conference is very strong and that will benefit programs from both leagues again,” said outgoing LIAA president Jim Tallarico, who is still aiding in the scheduling process until he becomes superintendent of the Mid Valley school district on Jan. 2.
“We will meet again next week, there have been some requests for games between rivals, and we are hoping to have a schedule that we can present to the principals for approval for the next two-year cycle.”

Another development that emerged from the meeting included the LFC staying with a three-division format.

There had been some debate recently as to the merits of a two-division setup, but there will likely be eight big-school teams in Division I, with six teams in both Division II and Division III.

Honesdale, a Class AAA team, will stay in Division II.

Three LFC member schools will be changing classifications based upon their enrollment numbers for the next two-year cycle, Tallarico said. Western Wayne and Montrose, which will continue to co-sponsor football with Elk Lake, will drop from Class AAA to Class AA. Riverside, which played in the 2010 PIAA Class A final, will move up to Class AA.

The PIAA recently released the enrollment parameters for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years. In football, Class A programs must have an enrollment between 1-174; Class AA between 175-299; Class AAA between 300-492; and Class AAA between 493 and above.

Which classification each program will participate in will not be finalized until after the state football playoffs as the PIAA awaits requests from schools to compete in a higher classification, according to PIAA associate executive director Melissa Mertz.

Also, Montrose will be changing divisions. It is part of a three-team rotation between Class AA schools that include Mid Valley and Carbondale Area and it is the Meteors’ turn to move up to Division II.

That will move Mid Valley down to Division III where it will join Carbondale Area.