So how will the PIAA’s decision to increase to six classifications in football, basketball, baseball and softball affect the landscape of high school athletics around here?

Apparently, it depends where you live.

Karns City athletic director Brian Markle is thrilled by the increase in classes. WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley isn’t happy at all.

Slippery Rock High School athletic director John Osborne is apathetic toward the whole thing.

“We should wind up Triple-A in football and most of the teams we play now should be in that same class, except for maybe one or two,” Osborne said. “We’re not going to feel much of an impact ourselves.

“The bigger schools in District 10? I don’t know what’s going to happen there. Six classes will really thin out our district. No matter how they figure it, those bigger schools are going to have to do some travel.”

Markle said it’s been “no secret” Karns City has been trying to play more WPIAL schools to strengthen their schedule. He believes that will become easier now. Under the current system, WPIAL teams’ schedules are pretty much booked. Thinning the herd may open up a few spots.

“It should become easier for us to slide in there and schedule those teams,” Markle said.

Even if that doesn’t happen, the Gremlins’ football program will get a more even shake in the years it advances beyond the District 9 playoffs.

Markle pointed out that Karns City is on the lower end of Class AA enrollment while South Fayette is on the upper end. South Fayette easily dispatched KC in recent state playoff games.

“With six divisions, we’ll get an opponent more favorable to the size of our school,” Markle said.

Six classifications in the WPIAL will likely cost District 7 the use of Heinz Field for its football championships. Long-standing rivalries may be forced to end as well.

Sections that presently cut down on travel for many schools will be broken apart, necessitating more travel expenses.

Osborne believes the PIAA decision to expand to six enrollment classifications merely masks a bigger problem within the organization.

Public schools vs. private.

“That’s where the real issue is,” Osborne said. “If the size of school really made a difference, schools like Clairton and Aliquippa would never win any championships and schools like North Allegheny and Butler would be winning everything.

“That doesn’t happen. Size isn’t dictating champions. But a lot of private schools are winning them.”

O’Malley has said that the WPIAL’s first responsibility is to its member schools and will decide how to handle things moving forward.

“We are not leaving the PIAA. That was never a consideration on our part,” O’Malley said. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do over the next couple of months, a lot of decisions to make.

“For nine months, this was all about football, football, football. That’s all we ever talked about. All of a sudden, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer ... They’re all going to be affected and none of those sports was ever discussed by anyone.”

O’Malley is concerned the WPIAL may lose use of Heinz Field, the Petersen Events Center and other marquee venues for its championship events.

“There’s no way we can play six football games at Heinz Field, 12 basketball at Petersen Events Center, six baseball at CONSOL Energy Park ... We’ve been dealt a hand we may not like, but we’re going to have to find a way to make it all work.”

How this all shakes out remains to be seen. But a shake-up is clearly coming.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle