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Public vs. Private: Superintendent writes PIAA letter regarding competitive imbalance

IMG_8358by: Andy Villamarzo03/26/26Andy_Villamarzo

The Old Forge Blue Devils (Penn.) boys basketball season ended at the Pennsylvania High School Athletic Association (PIAA) state championships where they lost to Sewickley Academy (Penn.) in the AA title game, 52-36.

Following the state title loss, Old Forge School District Superintendent Dr. Christopher Gatto sent a letter to the PIAA regarding the competitive disadvantages the public school Blue Devils were at facing against the private school Panthers.

“Dear Mr. Byers and Mr. Majikes,

I am writing following our appearance in the PIAA Class AA Boys Basketball State Championship this past Friday at the Giant Center.

Let’s start where it should start. Sewickley Academy was the better team that afternoon. They earned the win. Their players and coaches deserve full credit. This is not about the outcome of one game.
This is about a system the PIAA continues to defend that is fundamentally flawed.

Old Forge is a public school drawing from a 3.4 square mile borough. Our roster is built from one community. That is the model we operate under, and it is the reality we are bound to.

Our opponent operates under a completely different reality. Their roster includes student-athletes from across the country and internationally. Again, that is not an accusation. It is a fact. It is also a structural advantage that public schools simply do not have access to.

These are not comparable systems. Treating them as if they are is not competitive balance. It is willful ignorance.

For years, this issue has been raised by districts across Pennsylvania. For years, the PIAA has chosen inaction. At this point, the problem is not complexity. The problem is a refusal to act.

After the game, Mr. Majikes, you approached me on the floor regarding our students holding signs that read Old Forge Blue Devils Public School Champions,” stating that “that’s not what we are about.”
With respect, that moment missed the point entirely.

Those students were not being disrespectful. They were expressing a truth they understand better than the organization charged with overseeing them. They know they are competing in a system that is not built on equal footing.

So again, the question needs to be asked directly: What is the PIAA about?

If it is about fairness, then the current structure fails. If it is about maintaining the status quo despite clear and growing imbalance, then say that plainly.

Our students did everything right. They worked, they competed, and they represented their school and community at the highest level. They should not have to do that within a framework that puts them at a built-in disadvantage before the game even starts.

That is why I strongly support the passage of Pennsylvania House Bill 41. If the PIAA will not address this issue internally, then it is appropriate for it to be addressed externally.

This is not about taking anything away from private schools. It is about acknowledging reality and structuring competition accordingly.

Right now, the PIAA is failing to do that.“

The letter sent to the PIAA adds to the growing discussion around the country surrounding problems regarding public schools and private schools in postseason/championship competition.

Four out of the six Pennsylvania high school boys basketball state championships were won by private schools this past 2025-26 season.

Sewickley Academy (26-1) has proved themselves to being one of the top teams in the Keystone State, with the Panthers checking in at No. 24 according to the latest Pennsylvania 2025-26 High School Boys Basketball Massey Rankings. Old Forge finished as the state’s No. 151st ranked squad with a 21-7 record.

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