Heartland Conference Alignments Announced in All Sports

The Heartland Conference announced their alignment for all scholastic sports for the 2008 season. What prompted the creation of the conference is to cut down on travel and make scheduling easier especially for sports like football.

Shamokin and Mount Carmel Area's having major scheuduling problems throughout the last decade, does not solve their scheduling problems in football. On paper the schools were placed in Division II along with Southern Area, Warrior Run, Central Columbia, and Loyalsock. Below is an article by the Press-Enterprise detailing the future scheduling woes of Southern, but I think Shamokin and Mount Carmel will have the same problem once again.

Look at article and judge for yourself.

Southern Columbia's football team will play in a division of larger
schools when the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference begins play
in 2008.
The PHAC recently announced the divisional alignments for the 25 schools
that will compete in the 18 varsity sports the league offers.
Southern, which based on enrollment numbers should play in the smaller
Division III in football, agreed to move up to Division II, which is
reserved for mid-sized schools. Lewisburg, a Division II school by
enrollment, dropped down to Division III.
Southern Columbia, the five-time defending state champion, is classifed
a Class A school by the PIAA. Class A is the smallest of the state's
four classes.
Aligning football teams proved to be the league's toughest challenge,
according to Lewisburg athletics director John Vaji, the PHAC's
spokesperson. The main problem was some small schools felt they couldn't
compete with Southern, Vaji said.
Aside from Southern, Division II consists of Central Columbia,
Loyalsock, Mount Carmel, Shamokin and Warrior Run - all teams that were
on Southern's schedule last season.
Southern must find five other games, which could be challenging. It will
most likely have to schedule the new league's biggest schools in
Division I, which includes Danville, Jersey Shore, Miflinburg, Milton,
Montoursville, Selinsgrove and Shikellamy, Vaji said.
Teams must play every team in their division once in football and
wrestling, and twice in every other sport. Football teams are free to
schedule their five non-division games outside of the league.
The alignments are as follows:

Baseball (24 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Milton,
Montoursville, Selinsgrove, Shikellamy. Division II: Bloomsburg, Central
Columbia, Hughesville, Lewisburg, Loyalsock, Mount Carmel, Shamokin,
Warrior Run. Division III: Benton, Millville, Montgomery, Muncy, South
Williamsport, Southern Columbia, St. John Neumann, Sullivan County.

Boys basketball (24 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Mifflinburg, Milton, Montoursville,
Selinsgrove, Shamokin, Shikellamy. Division II: Central Columbia,
Hughesville, Lewisburg, Loyalsock, Midd-West, Mount Carmel, Southern
Columbia, Warrior Run. Division III: Benton, Bloomsburg, Millville,
Montgomery, Muncy, South Williamsport, St. John Neumann, Sullivan
County.

Girls basketball (24 teams)

Division I: Jersey Shore, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Milton, Montoursville,
Selinsgrove, Shamokin, Shikellamy. Division II: Central Columbia,
Montoursville, Hughesville, Lewisburg, Danville, Mount Carmel, Southern
Columbia, Warrior Run. Division III: Benton, Bloomsburg, Millville,
Montgomery, Muncy, South Williamsport, St. John Neumann, Sullivan
County.

Bowling (9 teams)

Single division: Central Columbia, Danville, Lewisburg, Midd-West,
Mifflinburg, Milton, Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, Southern Columbia.

Boys cross country (16 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Midd-West, Milton, Montoursville,
Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, Williamsport. Division II: Bloomsburg, Central
Columbia, Lewisburg, Mount Carmel, Shamokin, Southern Columbia, Sullivan
County, Warrior Run.

Girls cross country (24 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Midd-West, Milton, Montoursville,
Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, Williamsport. Division II: Bloomsburg, Central
Columbia, Lewisburg, Mount Carmel, Shamokin, Southern Columbia, Sullivan
County, Warrior Run.

Field hockey (14 teams)

Division I: Danville, Lewisburg, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Milton,
Selinsgrove, Shikellamy. Division II: Benton, Bloomsburg, Central
Columbia, Millville, Muncy, Southern Columbia, Warrior Run.

Football (19 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Mifflinburg, Milton, Montoursville,
Selinsgrove, Shikellamy. Division II: Central Columbia, Loyalsock, Mount
Carmel, Shamokin, Southern Columbia, Warrior Run. Division III:
Bloomsburg, Hughesville, Lewisburg, Montgomery, Muncy, South
Williamsport.

Golf (23 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Milton,
Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, Williamsport. Division II: Central Columbia,
Hughesville, Lewisburg, Loyalsock, Montoursville, Mount Carmel,
Shamokin, Warrior Run. Division III: Benton, Bloomsburg, Montgomery,
South Williamsport, Southern Columbia, St. John Neumann, Sullivan
County.

Boys soccer (25 teams)

Division I: Danville, Lewisburg, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Milton,
Montoursville, Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, Williamsport. Division II:
Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Hughesville, Jersey Shore, Loyalsock,
Mount Carmel, Shamokin, Warrior Run. Division III: Benton, Bloomsburg,
Millville, Montgomery, Muncy, South Williamsport, St. John Neumann,
Sullivan County.

Girls soccer (25 teams)

Division I: Danville, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Milton, Montoursville,
Selinsgrove, Shamokin, Shikellamy, Williamsport. Division II: Central
Columbia, Hughesville, Jersey Shore, Lewisburg, Loyalsock, Mount Carmel,
South Williamsport, Warrior Run. Division III: Benton, Bloomsburg,
Millville, Montgomery, Muncy, Southern Columbia, St. John Neumann,
Sullivan County.

Softball (24 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Montoursville, Mifflinburg, Milton,
Selinsgrove, Shamokin, Shikellamy. Division II: Central Columbia,
Hughesville, Lewisburg, Loyalsock, Midd-West, Mount Carmel, South
Williamsport, Warrior Run. Division III: Benton, Bloomsburg, Millville,
Montgomery, Muncy, Southern Columbia, St. John Neumann, Sullivan County.

Swimming (8 teams)

Single division: Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Danville, Jersey Shore,
Montoursville, Mount Carmel, Shamokin, Williamsport.

Boys tennis (16 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Mifflinburg, Loyalsock,
Montoursville, Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, Williamsport. Division II:
Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Hughesville, Lewisburg, Milton, Muncy,
South Williamsport, St. John Neumann.

Girls tennis (16 teams)

Division I: Danville, Hughesville, Jersey Shore, Milton, Montoursville,
Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, Williamsport. Division II: Bloomsburg, Central
Columbia, Lewisburg, Loyalsock, Montgomery, Muncy, South Williamsport,
St. John Neumann.

Boys track (18 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Shikellamy,
Williamsport. Division II: Central Columbia, Milton, Mifflinburg, Mount
Carmel, Montoursville, Shamokin. Division III: Bloomsburg, Hughesville,
Montgomery, South Williamsport, Southern Columbia, Warrior Run.

Girls track (18 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Shikellamy,
Williamsport. Division II: Central Columbia, Milton, Mifflinburg, Mount
Carmel, Montoursville, Shamokin. Division III: Bloomsburg, Hughesville,
Montgomery, South Williamsport, Southern Columbia, Warrior Run.

Wrestling (23 teams)

Division I: Danville, Jersey Shore, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Milton,
Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, Williamsport. Division II: Bloomsburg, Central
Columbia, Hughesville, Lewisburg, Montoursville, Mount Carmel, Shamokin,
Warrior Run. Division III: Benton, Loyalsock, Montgomery, Muncy, South
Williamsport, Southern Columbia, Sullivan County.