By Matthew DeGeorge
There will be a lot on the line Friday night when West Chester Rustin and Springfield tangle in the District 1 Class 5A final. And while it may be low on the list for either coach, at least for neutral spectators it carries the potential of a rare competitive state semifinal in the eastern half of the PIAA tournament, at a time when competitive balance is under newfound scrutiny.
The moving and shaking in the PIAA classifications for the current two-year cycle has opened a rare lane for District 1, one much complained about in the past.
For the first time in Philadelphia’s inclusion in PIAA sports, the Public League and Catholic League powers are both in Class 6A, where St. Joseph’s Prep disposed of Imhotep Charter last week in the first round of states. The ebb and flow of talent within District 12 and the fading of Archbishop Wood’s dynasty leaves the next best non-6A Catholic League team competing in Class 4A, in the form of Bonner & Prendergast.
All of which leaves the District 1 Class 5A champion’s fate less predetermined than usual, just as discussions about separating public and private championships are percolating in the Pennsylvania legislature.
