Continuing the conversion

The Bok football team opened training camp Monday with the impression it would have no chance at Public League title competition. The prediction wasn’t based on talent or the potential win-loss record, but simply that the squad is one of the city’s five AAA teams.

Under the Public League realignment, which is still being finalized, Bok, Franklin, Freire Charter, Imhotep Charter and William Penn are playing in the newly created AAA Division. The team with the best record will be the city’s AAA representative in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament. Under the terms of the original realignment, the downside was those five teams were not able to compete for the Public League title.

But when the regular season starts next month, the Bok Wildcats and their fellow AAA squads will still be part of the Public League playoff picture. According to School District of Philadelphia Director of Athletics Cliff Hubbard, the five schools indicated they want to compete for a Public League title. School district officials and the city’s football coaches are expected to discuss possible resolutions, among other topics, at a meeting today.

"The biggest problem with football is there aren’t as many playing dates and you can’t play as often as basketball and baseball," Hubbard said. "The goal is to have every [football] team playing for a Public League title."

PIAA rules limit squads to a total of 10 non-league and league games over a nine-week period. Football teams typically play one game a week versus two to three games a week for baseball and basketball. Sept. 2 is the first day a PIAA football team can play a game, while the last date for a regular-season contest is Nov. 5. District playoffs, including the Philadelphia Public League PIAA District XII, must be completed by Nov. 19.

DURING LAST SEASON, which was the Public League’s first as full-fledged PIAA members, Bok was the AAA state tournament representative by virtue of having the best overall record. The Wildcats earned the invitation after beating Franklin in their regular-season contest.

"We had a problem last year figuring out who would be the AAA champion," Hubbard said. "What made it so difficult last year is that they were all playing different teams."

Because scheduling conflicts prevented the Wildcats from doing both, Bok was given the option of competing for a Public League title or being the first city team to go to the PIAA state tournament. Bok chose the latter and lost 35-0 to Great Valley.

"We felt we would do the right thing and enter the PIAA state tournament," DeFelice said.

This time around, the regular-season schedule will have a different look. In addition to the possible changes for AAA squads, the AAAA schools, which have a male enrollment of 534 students or more, will be placed into Red, White and Blue divisions. Southern will play in the Blue Division with Edison, Lincoln, Olney, Overbrook and University City.

Rams football coach Bill Edger said the realignment, which is based on team records over the last five years, should level the playing field.

"We don’t have to play the bigger, stronger schools, like Frankford and Washington," he said. "Now the schedule is going to be consistent, playing a lot of schools we are competitive with."

When Southern played Washington and Frankford during the 2001 season, the Rams were outscored by 98-8 combined. It was the same year Southern forfeited its final three games due to an insufficient number of players.

The new set-up means the Bok-Southern game scheduled for Nov. 4 is a non-league game and will mean nothing in the standings. With the Public League playoffs scheduled to begin the same week, there is a chance the game will be rescheduled with the two schools’ athletic directors working out a solution.

Hubbard said the non-league scenario shouldn’t take anything away from the rivalries.

The Bok players and coaches are still preparing just like any other season with their first non-league game scheduled for Sept. 9 at Upper Moreland, a District I AAA team. It’ll be the first meeting between the two. Bok also tried to schedule a non-league game against Glen Mills, but the two couldn’t work out a date.

"We are going to scout them in two weeks," DeFelice said of Upper Moreland. "They’re a big school and we chose them because we wanted to play a team like that."

The Wildcats also are scheduled to play non-league games against Edison and University City before opening the regular season Sept. 29 at Imhotep. By then, the whole Public League playoff format should be finalized with both teams in the mix.

"We are making sure that every team has an opportunity to play for a Public League championship," Hubbard said.

Change of scenery

Public League football teams will play in the new Red, White and Blue or AAA divisions this season. As of press time, here is the breakdown of how the Bok and Southern football teams will be affected:

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Public South (old division)
Bok
Bartram
Southern
Overbrook
Franklin
West Philadelphia
University City

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New Divisions

Public Blue
Edison
Lincoln
Olney
Overbrook
Southern
University City

Public AAA
Bok
Franklin
Freire
Imhotep
Penn