I assume the many private Catholic schools throughout Pennsylvania are quite proud of their many accomplishments in various sports. Each year, the majority of district, WPIAL regional and state championships are won by private Catholic schools regardless of classification.

Why are so many of the top athletes from various school districts attracted to enroll there? Is it because of the coaches, or a faith-based education, or a reduced tuition for the players? Possibly it is just plain old recruiting. I don’t know, but I assume it is a combination of the aforementioned factors. It does seem unusal that so many top prospects leave their own district to play elsewhere.

We do need a level playing field and it does not presently exist. An example would be in 4A girls basketball. The top three ranked teams in the state are all private Catholic schools. I believe 3A and most other classifications are very similar. It is like the Yankees and its big payroll playing the lowly Pirates every year.

As a local fan, is this my imagination, or is it, in fact, true? You be the judge.

Occasionally, a public school can compete with those private schools. In a recent state playoff loss, the Lady Knights gave a top-ranked private Catholic school all it could handle. Certainly, the skilled coaching staff and the Lady Knights, with their homegrown girls, can be proud.

Congratulations to all the public schools, that, despite the odds, are successful in being competitive. They should also be proud.

Larry Szebalskie,

Sarver