Laurel Highlands expanding to 22 team league

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: August 7, 2023

The Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference is excited toopen the 2023-24 school year with 22 teams competing for titles in 18 sports. The original 13 LHAC teams merged with eight from the Mountain Conference and Bellwood-Antis from the ICC to form the Central Pennsylvania super conference.

While the LHAC will now span three PIAA Districts (5,6, and 9) and seven counties from Somerset to Clearfield to PennsValley, travel will be minimized by separating the conference into sections for each sport. Sectional play will also allow geographically close schools to ensure yearly contests to maintain the traditional rivalries.

Unlike previous seasons, every fall sport will now have a Championship to determine the overall LHAC champion. “Winning a conference championship in the LHAC will be a major accomplishment.” stated Scott Close, Executive Director of the LHAC. “It will be probably be more difficult to win the league title than a District title due to our league having teams from multiple districts and different classifications.”

Football will have 20 teams split into two sections (East and West) with each of those sections split into two regions (North and South) for pods of five teams each. Teams will play all four team in its subregion, two games versus teams in the opposite region and two contests against teams from the opposite section. After week nine, teams in each section will be ranked and the final game of the year will be against the same ranked school in the opposite contest, with the top two teams playing for the LHAC Championship. “This format will not only provide for a LHAC Champion, but will also allow all teams to have an equal matchup for the last game of the season.” remarked Close.

Girls volleyball will feature all 22 teams split into two sections. Teams will play 12 section games and cross over for four games against the other section. The top two teams in each section will qualify to play in the LHAC semifinals and Championship.

Boys and girls soccer will follow a similar two section format for the 20 schools that sponsor the sport. The schedule will feature 12 section games and four games against the opposite section. Cross sectional games will feature a girls/boys varsity doubleheader on those evenings to promote support for both genders and ease travel for the longer trips. The season will culminate in the inaugural LHAC soccer championship which will be played between the top team from each section.

Golf and cross country will feature three sections based on geography. A champion will be crowned for each section. In addition, a season ending championship will be held featuring all teams competing for individual and team LHAC titles in cross country and individual awards for golf.

Girls tennis will play 12 sectional matches and then be ranked. The top two teams in each section will play for the LHAC tennis championship, while the remaining teams will be matched against teams of similar records.

Boys and girls swimming will be added as a LHAC sport for the winter with boys and girls basketball and wrestling. An inaugural LHAC wrestling tournament will be a highlight of the winter, as many PIAA ranked wrestlers in the league will compete for an individual league title. “The wrestling championships are one of the most largely anticipated benefits of the merger.” Close added. “The LHAC has numerous incredible wrestlers and we will get to see all of the league’s talent in one location for a weekend in the middle of the season.” Championships in basketball and swimming will also be used to determine league titles.

The spring season will have baseball, softball, boys and girls track, and boys tennis. The LHAC track championships should feature over 1000 athletes competing for LHAC individual and team gold medals.

Throughout the fall, winter, and spring seasons, schools will earn points by finishing in the top positions of their respective sections. The school with the most points at the end of the year will be awarded the coveted LHAC All Sports trophy that symbolizes excellence across all sports.

“All 22 schools are excited about this new venture, but we are only at the beginning of this journey.” Close added. “With an undertaking of this size, we had to prioritize getting things off and running, but have other items we will need to refine and want to add. Our next step will be to include academic, band, cheer, and other competitions to the league, similar to what the Heritage does to draw in all of the school communities. If done properly, this could be the start of something special for the area.”

The expanded boundaries of the new league will bring more exposure opportunities for the student athletes and schools. “Media coverage should grow across the markets, as the league now covers parts of seven counties. This will hopefully also generate interest in corporate sponsorship of our championships due to the large audience those events will command. Any group interested in securing a sponsorship of any part of the LHAC events can reach out via email to sponsorslhac@gmail.com .”