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Not long ago, the reset button would be hit and everyone would start anew. Not anymore.
The Wyoming Valley Conference is in its fourth season since eliminating first-half and second-half seasons where records would be erased after completion of half the schedule and teams would then vie again for first place.
The problem was teams could tie for a half-season title and then need a special playoff to determine the champion. If the same happened again in the second-half season, there would be another special playoff. Then after all that if two different teams won the first-half and second-half titles there would be a need for a game to determine the overall championship.
That meant leaving some leeway at the end of both halves in case of divisional playoffs. During the 2012-13 season, the WVC shut down for six games between halves. Only one playoff game was needed during that span.
Go back to the 2008-09 season. Crestwood and Hazleton Area played four times to determine the Division 1 champion — twice during the season and twice in playoff games.
“I remember coaching back in the day at O’Reilly, we played Bishop Hoban five times,” Holy Redeemer coach Paul Guido said. “Those were great games and got us ready for the playoffs.”
“Three games in five days,” added Redeemer athletic director J.P Aquilina, who played for Hoban at the time.
Under the old format, there would have been one playoff game this season — GAR versus Nanticoke for the Division 2 first-half championship.
Now, Division 1 plays 14 WVC games, facing each divisional opponent twice. Divisions 2 and 3 played 13 games, two each against divisional opponents and one against each team from the other division. Playoffs, if needed, would occur prior to the District 2 tournaments.
The Lackawanna League continues to use the split-season format.
“The problem I have with halves is when you have imbalanced schedules that we got right now,” Wyoming Seminary coach C.J. Kersey said. “In one half, you might play the top-two teams from Division 2 and the next half you wouldn’t. I have mixed feelings as best. I kind of liked it because mentally it allowed you to start over at 0-0. But with the imbalanced schedule, I don’t think halves make any sense.”
THE MASKED MAN
GAR guard Tino Altavilla is known as one of the best perimeter shooters in the WVC, especially from 3-point range. Last season, 32 of his 35 field goals in WVC play came from behind the arc. But recently, he’s been trying to find his shooting touch while wearing a protective mask over his broken nose.
“It’s the depth perception. That’s the hard part,” Altavilla said. “I’ve been shooting a lot after practice with it on just to get used to it because I’m going to be stuck with it the rest of the season.”
Altavilla rarely ventures inside, but he did at practice and got hit with an elbow.
“It was probably the only layup I’ve attempted,” Altavilla said.
“He looked at me when blood was coming out of his nose and said ‘That’s why I don’t go in for layups,’” said GAR coach Jerry Altavilla, Tino’s dad.
FUTURE STATE QUALIFIERS
All the focus on Wednesday was on the new six-classification football brackets for the next two school years. The PIAA also passed on its first reading new six-classification brackets for boys and girls basketball.
District 2 boys basketball is gaining at least three more places in states, going from eight teams the past two seasons to 11. The number could climb as high as 14 based on how two subregional tournaments play out. District playoff formats haven’t been set.
Here is how the six classifications break down for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
Class A: District 2 will have its two teams play in a subregional with District 11, which has nine teams. Three teams advance to states.
Class 2A: Two of the eight D2 teams advance to states.
Class 3A: Two of the eight D2 teams advance to states.
Class 4A: Three of the 11 D2 teams advance to states.
Class 5A: Three of the nine D2 teams advance to states.
Class 6A: District 2 will have its three teams play with D4’s Williamsport in a subregional, with one team moving on to states.