Piaa

A hearing of the permanent injunction request filed by the Central League against the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has been postponed and may not be heard before September. As a result, student-athletes from the 10 Central League schools can expect to face one another on a regular basis at least through the 1988-89 school year. The PIAA in November ordered the Central League to accept as members four Chester County schools from the Chest-Mont League, which is scheduled to disband in June.

In the imaginations that stoke hot-stove leagues, the sports world is full of rivalries that never existed. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Louis. The '27 Yankees vs. the '76 Reds. Nadia Comaneci vs. Mary Lou Retton. Then there are Philadelphia high school teams and virtually the rest of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - separated by tradition, not time. Teams from the Catholic League and the Public League of Philadelphia do cross paths with members of the PIAA, which sponsors statewide title events.

It isn't going to be a fun summer for the folks at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Assocation. As if a precedent-setting court battle with the Central League wasn't trouble enough, PIAA officials now have a Pennsylvania Senate investigation to look forward to. Aides to Sen. William Lincoln of Fayette County said this week that his resolution calling for the investigation had passed 48-0 in the Senate. A three-member subcommittee, to be named by Senate Education Committee Chairman Ralph W. Hess (R., York County)

The first Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association football playoffs turned out to be something of a bonanza for the organization and for the 16 teams that participated. According to District 1 chairman James Gallagher, a report on the playoffs issued at the PIAA monthly Board of Control meeting Saturday showed that the 12 playoff games had earned a total profit of approximately $100,000. There were eight semifinal games, two each in the A, AA, AAA and AAAA classes, and four subsequent championship games.

For years, the question lingered: When will the Philadelphia Catholic League teams be able to compete for a state title? Yesterday, that question was finally answered. Bishop Joseph McFadden, who heads Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, announced at a news conference that the 17 Catholic League schools under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese will petition to join the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association by July 1. During its first year of membership, the Catholic League will transition into the PIAA - abiding by its rules - but will not participate in the state playoffs.

UNBEATEN DEFENDING state champion Chester will open the defense of its Class AAAA title at 3 p.m. on Saturday against Lancaster McCaskey at Norristown High in the first round of the PIAA state boys' basketball tournament. St. Joseph's Prep (21-5) faces Central Bucks West (22-5) at 5 p.m. Saturday at Archbishop Ryan. Roman Catholic (16-9) meets District 11's Parkland (21-6) at 4:30 Saturday at Bethlehem Freedom. Boys' Latin (22-6) plays Pope John Paul II (17-10) at 6 Friday at Southern, and Math, Civics & Sciences (16-9)

According to Bob Ruoff, executive secretary of District 1, boys' lacrosse is likely to become a sport sponsored by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. Last week, a proposal was made by District 3 officials at a PIAA meeting in Shippensburg. There were no votes against district playoffs in boys' lacrosse - an opportunity already accorded girls' lacrosse teams. "I think the time has come for it," Ruoff said. "Lacrosse is growing in numbers and popularity every year.

As he sat in his spacious office at Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association headquarters - a squat, brown brick building just a state high school championship javelin throw from the toll booths of Exit 17 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike - executive director Russell T. Werner leaned forward in his chair and tried to dispel a myth. He is not, he said, the PIAA. "One of the things I do when I go out and talk to groups is that I keep trying to promote that the PIAA is the member schools," he said.

At the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State University; all games televised live on PCN: Friday Girls' State Class AA Championship Dunmore vs. Villa Maria-Erie, 1 Boys' State Class A Championship Math, Civics & Sciences vs. Lincoln Park, 3 Girls' State Class AAAA Championship Archbishop Carroll vs. Mount Lebanon, 6 Boys' State Class AAA Championship Neumann-Goretti vs. Montour, 8 ...

Girard Academic Music Program built leads of 1-0 and 3-2, but the end result wasn't too pretty yesterday in a PIAA Class A first-round playoff at Montgomery County Community College. The Pioneers wound up falling to Christopher Dock, 15-5, in six innings. Anthony DiVincenzo, who took the loss but also homered, and Dom Raia pitched three innings apiece for GAMP. Sal Giafaglione, Joe Coppola, Tyler Criniti and Jimmy Coin all doubled, while the first two managed two hits apiece. Great Valley 4, Bonner 1: In AAAA, at Richie Ashburn Field in South Philly, Matt Ruggieri's RBI single gave Bonner a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

EVERYONE HAS heard the extra-rough rumor: Because of budget miseries, sports will not exist during the 2013-14 school year in the School District of Philadelphia. Now comes an offshoot rumor: If the district does save sports, it could order teams to withdraw from the PIAA as one of several potential cost-cutting measures. Two athletic directors told the Daily News they could picture such a scenario. "This is the first time I've heard this," said Robert Coleman, the czar of Pub sports, as well as the District 12 chairman.

HARRISBURG - A dispute involving a decades-old law that allows boys to play on girls' high school sports teams appears to be headed to court. Lawyers representing the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association - which says it would like the law changed to make sure girls do not lose athletic opportunities and for safety reasons - and Attorney General Kathleen Kane's office met Friday afternoon in Commonwealth Court. "It looks like we are headed toward an evidentiary hearing of some sort," Pittsburgh lawyer Mary Grenen said after the status conference between the two sides.

Chester's Rondae Jefferson still went out a winner. Despite closing his high school basketball career with a loss in the PIAA finals, Jefferson on Wednesday was named the Associated Press' Class AAAA player of the year in a vote of Pennsylvania sportswriters. Chester's passionate, 6-foot-7 catalyst won top player honors for the second straight season after averaging a double-double (15.5 points, 11.0 rebounds) for the Clippers. Jefferson, a University of Arizona recruit, also averaged 4.4 assists, 2.8 steals, and 2.4 blocked shots for Larry Yarbray's high-powered Clippers, who fell one victory shy of winning their third straight PIAA title.

Chester's Rondae Jefferson still went out a winner. Despite closing his high school basketball career with a loss in the PIAA finals, Jefferson on Wednesday was named the Associated Press's Class AAAA player of the year in a vote of Pennsylvania sports writers. Chester's passionate 6-foot-7 catalyst won top player honors for the second straight season after averaging a double-double (15.5 points, 11.0 rebounds) for the Clippers. Jefferson, a University of Arizona recruit, also averaged 4.4 assists, 2.8 steals, and 2.4 blocked shots for Larry Yarbray's high-powered Clippers, who fell one victory shy of winning their third straight PIAA title.

All games at the Giant Center, Hershey. Boys Class AAAA: Chester vs. Lower Merion, 8 p.m. Saturday. Class AAA: Imhotep Charter vs. Archbishop Carroll, 8 p.m. Friday. Class AA: Holy Cross (Scranton) vs. Beaver Falls, 2 p.m. Saturday. Class A: Vaux vs. Johnsonburg (Elk County), 2 p.m. Friday. Girls Class AAAA: Spring-Ford vs. Cumberland Valley, 6 p.m. Friday. Class AAA: Bethlehem Catholic vs. South Park, 6 p.m. Saturday. Class AA: York Catholic vs. Bishop Canevin, noon Friday.

When a team loses four starters from a squad that reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament, it doesn't often enter the next season expecting a lot of success. But the more Villa Maria played this season, the more the Hurricanes accomplished. By the time they captured the District 1 Class AAA title, they found themselves in the state tournament as an underdog and loving every minute of it. They won three straight games in impressive fashion. Their astounding effort continued Tuesday night at William Tennent.

The top two girls' basketball teams in The Inquirer's Southeastern Pennsylvania rankings will face off Tuesday night. No. 1 Spring-Ford will face No. 2 Cardinal O'Hara at 7:30 in a Class AAAA state semifinal at William Tennent High. The Rams (30-2) and the Lions (23-5) have been dominant in tournament play. Spring-Ford has outscored opponents by 184-130 and O'Hara has outscored foes by 153-90 in the last three games. O'Hara, the District 12 champion, has won 15 straight. The Lions have not lost since Jan. 17. District 1 champion Spring-Ford is on a 22-game winning streak dating to Jan. 5. The game will feature a matchup of post players in Spring-Ford's 5-foot-11 Sarah Payonk and O'Hara's 6-1 Shanice Johnson.

FOUR GREAT PIAA basketball semifinals involving District 12 teams. You'll only see one. In the early part of the weekend just past, there was talk that two of the games could be played as a doubleheader at Temple's Liacouras Center, or even the Palestra. Rumors also swirled that a girls' semifinal could be mixed in, creating a tripleheader. Then the site/time details were released Sunday morning and . . . No such luck. In past years, the PIAA scheduled Class AAA and A semis for Tuesday of championship week and AAAA/AA for Wednesday.

Allie Szekely of Gwynedd Mercy and Villa Maria's 200-yard medley relay team set meet records at the PIAA Class AA state swimming championships Wednesday at Bucknell University. Szekely, a freshman, captured the 200 individual medley in 1 minute, 59.66 seconds to top the mark of 2:00.48 set in 2011. Lauren Law of Villa Maria finished third with a time of 2:07.22 Junior Sarah Hitchens anchored Villa's relay team and sealed the 1:45.81 finish, which bested the previous mark of 1:46.89 set in 2012.

The Results Championship Finals 106: Nick Suriano, Bergen Catholic dec. Kyle Bierdumpfel, Don Bosco, 3-2. 113: Luis Gonzalez, Don Bosco, dec. Kevin Corrigan, Toms River South, 5-4. 120: Craig De La Cruz, Bound Brook, dec. Brenden Calas, Seton Hall Prep, 3-1, OT. 126: Anthony Giraldo, North Bergen, dec. Corey Stasenko, South Plainfield, 3-1. 132: Scott DelVecchio, South Plainfield, dec. Ronald Gentile, Paulsboro, 5-4. 138: Anthony Ashnault, South...