DISTRICT 9 WILL BE MORE REPRESENTED IN PIAA BASKETBALL, BASEBALL, SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS

By Chris Rossetti

            MECHANICSBURG – According to the PIAA handbook, which can be found on the PIAA web site (www.piaa.org), District 9 will see in increase in the number of teams from the district qualifying for the Class A boy’s and girls’ basketball playoffs this year as well as the Class A baseball and Class A softball playoffs in the spring.

            In Class A boys’ and girls’ basketball, District 9 will have four teams qualifying for the PIAA playoffs in Class A, up from three the last two years. Although, in the two-year cycle preceding the last two years, District 9 qualified four teams in Class A boys’ and girls’ basketball. Class AA and Class AAA boys’ and girls’ basketball will continue to have one PIAA qualifier as each classification had the previous two years.

            The biggest change in the number of playoff qualifiers occurs in baseball and softball where District 9 sees a 200 percent increase in the number of teams qualifying for the state playoffs from one team to three in both sports. The increase gives District 9 three of the eight qualifiers in the “Western Region”.

BRACKETS SET FOR BASKETBALL, BASEBALL, SOFTBALL

            The playoff brackets have also been set for basketball, baseball and softball for all classifications.

            In Class A boys’ and girls’ basketball, 9-1 will face 7-5, 9-2 will play 10-2, 9-3 will square off against 7-2 and 9-4 knocks heads with 6-1.

            Class AA boys’ and girls’ basketball is set up to have 9-1 face 10-2, while Class AAA boys’ and girls’ basketball will have 9-1 against 7-4.

            DuBois, the lone Class AAAA team in District 9, would qualify with District 10.

            The basketball brackets will be in effect for both this season and next.

            In Class A baseball and softball, 9-1 will battle 7-3, 9-2 will take on 6-1 and 9-3 will face 7-1.

            Class AA baseball has 9-1 vs. 7-2, while Class AA softball has 9-1 vs. 7-1.

            In Class AAA baseball, 9-1 battles 7-1, and in Class AAA softball 9-1 tackles 7-2.

            Complete brackets for all sports can be viewed on-line in the “Rules and Regulations” section of the PIAA handbook.