District 10 notes

CONNEAUT LAKE — The District 10-McDowell conflict doesn’t appear to be over just yet.
The state of McDowell’s appeals before the PIAA was briefly discussed at the District 10 Committee meeting Wednesday at the Iroquois Boating Club.
District 10 Chairman Wally Blucas said that McDowell had a hearing at last week’s PIAA meeting, where McDowell appealed the discipline handed down by District 10 at a hearing in May. Blucas and McDowell have declined to comment on the results of the hearing until the PIAA’s official decision letter is delivered.
Blucas mentioned that McDowell’s appeal of the D-10 playoff policy is scheduled for the agency’s October meeting in Mechanicsburg. McDowell also filed a complaint about the process in which District 10 elects its officers. That complaint could also be heard at that time.
▀ The District 10 volleyball tournament will have a new look.
The PIAA elected to eliminate pool play in the state tournament this past spring, and D-10 followed suit Wednesday. D-10 volleyball director Don Wigton Jr. proposed a best-of-five format for each round of the playoffs, which was unanimously approved.
Another change to the sport is a reduction in Class A teams. With only 16 Class A teams left in D-10 after the Conneaut School District merger, the playoff field will consist of six teams instead of eight. The Region 1 and 2 champions are automatically in, with four at-large spots determined by the committee.
The D-10 Class A and AA volleyball playoffs, which are played at Meadville High School, are set to begin Oct. 30 and continue until the D-10 championships Nov. 3. The D-10 Class AAA championship is tentatively set for Oct. 31 at Seneca High School.
▀ Another change in the D-10 fall championships occurred in cross country. In the offseason, the PIAA decided to add a third class, largely because of safety in the state races. D-10 has only three Class AAA programs this year, making individual races for that level unnecessary.
The Class AA and AAA girls will run together to start the day and the Class AA and AAA boys will run at the same time two races later. The AAA runners will have an identifying mark on their uniforms so coaches, fans and fellow runners can tell the levels apart.
Also coming out of Wednesday’s meeting:
▀ Mercyhurst Prep won’t face additional discipline for using illegal players in practice during the District 10 baseball playoffs, despite being on probation for one year at the time.
▀ Because of cooperation from both schools over the past year, sanctions against Hickory and Sharon stemming from a fight during their 2011 football game will end at the conclusion of this fall’s football season.
▀ Erie First Christian Academy was granted membership into District 10 starting in 2013-14. Erie First will sponsor several sports, including soccer and boys basketball, but most will play junior varsity to start.
▀ District 10 was authorized to pay this year’s PIAA membership fee for all D-10 schools. The payment, which is usually around $36,000, will be slightly less after the Conneaut School District merger resulted in the closure of Conneaut Valley and Conneaut Lake.
▀ District 10 approved 10 transfers, including Mercyhurst Prep boys soccer star Eric Campbell to Harbor Creek. Also on the list was Abby Kenski, an all-region soccer player for Villa Maria, to McDowell.
▀ District 10 showed a strong turnaround in finances this past spring. D-10 made a profit of $6,710 during the spring playoff tournaments after losing a total of $2,063 in 2011.

–Tom Reisenweber