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Eligibility

Proposal looks to cut out competition

Another proposal is afoot to separate parochial school athletics from public school sports in West Virginia. It would affect how state championships are decided.

The proposal is this: Public schools would remain under the current system of handling postseason play. But the state’s eight high schools affiliated with religious institutions would be separated. Postseason play for them would be entirely separate.

None could play against public high schools for the state’s Class A, Class AA or Class AAA championships.

Proponents of the change argue the private schools enjoy certain advantages not available to public institutions.

To an extent, they are right. A Catholic high school can enroll students, and thus athletes, from a wider area than its public counterpart.

But come on. This is clearly an attempt to cut out some of the competition. Wheeling Central is a perennial power in Class A football and basketball. As a group, the church-affiliated schools have claimed a number of state championships far out of proportion to their number.

Members of the state board of education are slated to discuss the proposal in July. They should not even deign to vote on it.

Let the church schools remain eligible for state championships against their public counterparts. Don’t use the rulebook to eliminate challenging competition.

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