Meeting was convened at 4:30 p.m. by Chairman Majikes
ITEM 1 Chairman Majikes called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
Absent but accounted for: Danielle Adams, John Coyle, Eric Emmerich, Vito Quaglia, Mary Ruth Tanner, Ben Tolerico, Chad Vinansky and Mike Ognosky.
ITEM 2 A motion was made by Jay Starnes, seconded Ron Collins, to approve the minutes of the December 15, 2015 meeting. All Ayes. Approved minutes will be posted to the District II webpage.
ITEM 3 The treasurer’s report was presented by Frank Victor. Currently the total fund balance is $253,914.20 as compared to a starting fund balance for the year of $228,892.59. Included in the fund balance are total certificates of deposit of $12,651.32 and total savings and checking account balances of $241,262.88.
Following the presentation of the treasurer’s report, a motion was made by Chris Gegaris, seconded by Fred Barletta, to approve the report as presented. All Ayes
ITEM 4 SPORTS REPORTS: The District II Committee received reports on the following:
· Basketball (Frank Majikes): Chairman Majikes announced that there will be a meeting of the basketball seeding committee on Sunday, February 14th at the WBACTC at 9 a.m. to establish the brackets for the tournament. Chairman Majikes also reviewed the schedule for the tournament and the format for the brackets. Following the presentation of the format, a motion was made by Jay Starnes, seconded by Chris Thomas, to approve the format as submitted. All Ayes. The format will be distributed to member schools and placed on the webpage. Also, there was a lengthy discussion regarding Television broadcasting rights for the finals. Following discussion, a motion was made by Bill King, seconded by Jay Starnes, to set the fees for the A and AA broadcast at $3,000 and AAA and AAAA broadcast at $4,000 in basketball only. All Ayes
· Competitive Cheer (Chris Gegaris): Chris Gegaris reviewed the results of the recently completed District II Competitive Cheer Championships and commented that 4 District II schools (Hazleton Area, Berwick, Delaware Valley, and Wallenpaupack) will be competing at the State Championships in Hershey this Friday and Saturday, January 22nd & 23rd. Information can be found on the District II webpage on the Competitive Cheer page.
· Swimming and Diving (Fred Barletta): Fred Barletta distributed and reviewed the information for the 2016 District II Swimming and Diving Championships. The committee also discussed a proposal to open the diving event to all interested student-athletes but no action was taken. Following discussion, a motion was made by Chris Thomas, seconded by Joe Farrell, to approve the format as presented. All Ayes. The format will be e-mailed to Athletic Directors and placed on the District II website.
· Wrestling (Jay Starnes): Jay Starnes presented an update on the upcoming District II Wrestling Championships. Information has been distributed to the schools and all is ready for the first of those championships, the District II Team Duals.
· Cross Country (Bill King): There was considerable discussion regarding the venue for the District II Championships. Following that discussion, a motion was made by Chris Gegaris, seconded by Fred Barletta, to have the championships remain at the current venue at Elk Lake. All Ayes. Also, Mr. King will inform other vendors in order to seek proposals for the timing system to be utilized at the championship meet. There was also a proposal submitted by the Elk Lake School District to change the days/dates with a number of options. Chairman Majikes asked the Athletic Director Representatives, Fred Barletta (WVC) and Mark Rinaldi (LIAA) to take those options back to their leagues for discussion and recommendation. A motion was made by Bill Schoen, seconded by Maureen Williams, to accept the Cross Country report as submitted. All Ayes
· Officials (Bill Schoen & Maureen Williams): There was a discussion regarding the number of officials who have not met the state criteria for submission of the appropriate clearances now required by the PIAA. Bill Schoen and Maureen Williams will meet with Chairman Majikes in the near future to discuss the situation.
ITEM 5 Chairman Majikes distributed a communication from the Mohegan Sun Arena regarding the potential for event sponsorships and game program advertisement for the upcoming District II Basketball Championships to be held at that venue.
ITEM 6 Chairman Majikes reviewed the agenda for the upcoming PIAA State Board of Directors meeting to be held at the PIAA State Offices on January 27th. There are a number of interesting items regarding the reclassification bracket proposals in various sports that have added classifications for the next two year cycle.
ITEM 7 A motion was made by Chris Thomas, seconded by Maureen Williams, to approve the immediate eligibility of Saige George, Mt. View to Crestwood, in accordance with Article VI, Transfers, Residence, and Recruiting, Section 4, Principal to Principal sign off. All Ayes.
ITEM 8 A motion was made by Fred Barletta, seconded by Bill Schoen, to approve the immediate eligibility of Frank Hudson, Central Technical High School to Crestwood, in accordance with Article VI, Transfers, Residence, and Recruiting, Section 4, Principal to Principal sign off. All Ayes.
ITEM 9 A motion was made by Bill Schoen, seconded by Pat Patte, to approve the cooperative agreement between Columbia County Christian School (District IV) and Berwick (District II) in the sport of Boys’ Volleyball, pending approval by both school’s Board of Directors.
ITEM 10 A motion was made by Pat Patte, seconded by Bill Schoen, to approve the cooperative agreement in Track and Field between Old Forge and Riverside, pending approval by both member school’s Board of Directors. All Ayes
ITEM 11 A motion was made by Bill King, seconded by Chris Gegaris, to approve the termination of the cooperative agreement in football between Benton (District IV) and Northwest Area (District II). All Ayes
ITEM 12 A discussion was held regarding the current classification in the next two year cycle in Field Hockey for Lackawanna Trail. Lackawanna Trail had requested to move to AAA and now would like to revise that request. Following discussion, Chairman Majikes will contact the PIAA State Office in order to investigate the potential to revise that classification. He will report back directly to Lackawanna Trail with the result of that discussion.
ITEM 13 Chairman Majikes reviewed with the committee the potential for a number of hearings involving member schools. He provided a letter he received regarding the potential for the utilization of an ineligible player at a member school in the sport of boys’ basketball. If necessary, a hearing schedule will be developed regarding these potential situations.
ITEM 14 A motion was made by Chris Thomas, seconded by Ron Collins, to approve the termination of the cooperative agreement between Blue Ridge and Susquehanna in the sport of Boys’ Varsity Soccer effective with the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. All Ayes
ITEM 15 A motion was made by Pat Patte, seconded by Fred Barletta, to approve the termination of the cooperative agreement between Wyoming Area and Susquehanna Prep in the sports of Junior High Softball and Junior High Boys Basketball. All Ayes
ITEM 13 A motion was made by Bill Schoen, seconded by Fred Barletta, to adjourn the meeting. All Ayes
Meeting was adjourned at 6:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Ognosky
Mike Ognosky
District II Secretary/Web Master