DeMatteis Appointed to District 9 Committee at Nov. 20 D9 Committee Meeting

Editor’s note: This story was updated Nov. 29 to reflect the fact the Moniteau/Karns City soccer co-op will not happen

RIDGWAY, Pa. – A new District 9 committee person and a pair of co-ops being approved were the big news that came out of the Nov. 20 District 9 Committee meeting held at Aiello’s Cafe in Ridgway.

(Cover photo of Melissa DeMatteis (center) flanked by her twin daughters, Kristin and Kennedy, after Moniteau won the District 9 Class 2A softball title in 2017)

Joining the District 9 committee as the female parents representative is Melissa DeMatteis, who resides in the Moniteau school district. DeMatteis replaces Sandi Hanes, who resigned from the position due to health concerns.

According to District 9 Secretary/Treasurer Bob Tonkin, DeMatteis was the only person to apply for the female parent’s representative position.

CO-OP AGREEMENTS APPROVED

Cooperative agreements between Coudersport and Austin in softball and Karns City and Moniteau in boys’ and girls’ soccer were both approved by the committee, although on Wednesday, after this article was originally posted, Moniteau athletic director John Stoughton reached out to D9Sports.com to say that the co-op between Karns City and Moniteau, which was passed “pending the proper paperwork” would not end up taking place this sports cycle (2017-18 and 2018-19) because of the logistics in the short turnaround time to submit the paperwork to the PIAA. The Coudersport/Austin co-op is a definite according to Austin athletic director Kathy Jeffers.

Austin had a softball team but ended up having to cancel it’s season the last two years. Coudersport and Austin have co-oped in baseball for a number of years as well as a number of other sports.

KANE USES INELIGIBLE PLAYER IN BOYS’ GOLF

Kane assistant principal Jay Israel, who is also the district’s athletic director, sent a letter to the committee informing it that the Wolves used an ineligible player in a boys’ golf match. Because Kane lost the match a forfeit wasn’t necessary. If Kane had won the match, the match would have been forfeited. A format was presented to the committee to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future, and the committee accepted that format.

SMETHPORT SENDS LETTER EXPLAIN FORFEITING OF SOCCER MATCH

Smethport principal Robert Miller sent a letter to the District 9 committee concerning the school’s forfeiting of a soccer match against Forest Area due a lack of eligible players.

DISCUSSION HELD ABOUT SHEFFIELD/EISENHOWER AND CURWENSVILLE/RIDGWAY FOOTBALL

Two discussions were held concerning the finals minutes of a pair of District 9 football games.

One situation dealt with the officials ending the game prior to the fourth quarter ending. While the minutes didn’t specify the game, the only game that occurred during this year was the Smethport/Eisenhower football game Oct. 28 at Sheffield that was called with 5:15 to play and Eisenhower up 43-0 because of what was termed as “chippiness”.

A second discussion was held concerning a player and coach being ejected in the last seconds of a contest. While that game also wasn’t mentioned in the minutes it was referring to the Curwensville vs. Ridgway District 9 Class 1A championship game where a Curwensville player and coach were ejected either as the game wound down or after the clock had struck zero.

The minutes didn’t give an outcome to either discussion.

UPDATE GIVEN ABOUT A FAN WHO FELL IN BLEACHERS AT D9 1A SEMIFINALS

An update was also given about a fan who fell in the bleachers at DuBois’ Mansell Stadium during the Nov. 11 Ridgway vs. Coudersport District 9 Class 1A semifinal game. The fan, whose name wasn’t given, fell in the home-side bleachers and had to be taken to the hospital. Later that day during the Curwensville vs. Redbank Valley 1A semifinal game, it was said in the press box that the fan had suffered some broken bones. The update given to the District 9 committee on the fan’s condition was not listed in the minutes.

SPORTS SPECIFIC COMMITTEES

• Cross Country: The Runner’s High timing system was very efficient. Next year the system will allow the time between races to be cut by 15 minutes. The public address system will be improved for the meet next year.
• Golf: There was a request from the girls’ golf coaches to loosen the qualifying standards. A motion was made by Kevin Doverspike and seconded by Bud Brennen to lower the qualifying score to 55. The motion carried unanimously.
• Tennis: If there are any schools that sponsors tennis and wants to move up to a higher classification they should notify the PIAA office.
• Soccer: There was a concern about starting soccer matches at Clarion University at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Due to the university football team’s practice, the starting time could not have been earlier.
• Volleyball: The new volleyball format was well accepted. One concern was the starting time of the matches. The volleyball committee will evaluate the starting times and playing the semifinals at a neutral site.
• OTHER BUSINESSIn other business:
• A discussion was had on the sale and distribution of programs at championship events
• The method of selecting the chain crew for District 9 football games and the value of evaluating officials at district champions events was discussed.
• An incident was reported to the PIAA concerning the actions of a player and coach at a first-round PIAA soccer contest.
• A concern was voiced about some cheers from a student section at a district volleyball match. The committee said game management should deal with any unsportsmanlike conduct.
• It was announced that the committee established to evaluate trainer’s fees will meet at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at Aiello’s Cafe prior to the 9 a.m. D9 committee meeting. Serving on the committee are Mike Erickson, Matt Splain, Bill Howard, Pete Grecco, Terry Straub and Tonkin.
• The next PIAA Board of Directors Meeting will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 6, 2017, at the Hershey Motor Lodge.
• A list of approved transfers as well as approved foreign exchange students have been sent to the district’s principals by District 9 chairman Jim Manners.
• There is no updated information concerning an EEOC complaint by a District 9 official.
• An updated copy of the District 9 policy manual will be provided to committee members at the January meeting.
• Two individuals are running for the position of District 9 Male Officials Representative. The current Representative Bud Brennen is being challenged by Dave Blair. Officials from around District 9 will be doing the voting.
• The next District 9 committee meeting will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Aiello’s Cafe in Ridgway. The meetings are open to the public and the media.
• FULL MEETING MINUTES
  Use the arrows at the top right to scroll through the minutes. The minutes are also available here.
  [pdf-embedder url=”https://d9sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nov.-2017-District-9-Committee-Minutes.pdf” title=”Nov. 2017 District 9 Committee Minutes”]