The District 10 Committee voted to approve the proposed region realignment during its meeting in Sharon Wednesday.

D-10 proposed realignments Jan. 2. The regions are set now for all sports except football and boys and girls basketball, which can’t be finalized until the PIAA applies the Success Factor Formula.

One change is certain in football. DuBois is out-moving to District 9-and Kennedy and Butler are in. Kennedy is competing in varsity football again after playing a junior varsity-only schedule last year. Butler will become an associate member for football only, with all its other athletic programs remaining part of the WPIAL.

Butler took a circuitous route to become an associate member. The Golden Tornado made a request to the WPIAL to allow them to leave the district in football only to become a football only member of District 10. The WPIAL initially denied that request and Butler announced it would try to go independent in football. The WPIAL reversed course and sent a letter to D-10 supporting the move for Butler football as an associate member.

Under this arrangement, Butler remains a WPIAL school, but will have a D-10 football schedule and is eligible for the district’s playoffs.

The Golden Tornado have struggled to be competitive in the WPIAL. Butler has a record of 26-124 since 2004, hasn’t won more than four games in a season during that time and is currently riding a 20-game losing streak (last victory was Oct. 27, 2017 vs Canon-McMillan).

The football regions will likely be finalized next week once the PIAA hears Wilmington’s appeal. The Hounds objected to being moved from 2A to 3A after application of the Success Factor Formula and will take their case to the PIAA Board of Directors meeting Jan. 22.

The football region alignment tentatively approved Wednesday differs from the proposal sent out Jan. 2. In that proposal, Eisenhower would be in Region 2 with Cambridge Springs, Iroquois, Maplewood, Saegertown, Union City, Cochranton, Northwestern Seneca and Conneaut (OH). Warren was set to be in Region 4 with Fairview, Fort LeBoeuf, Girard, Mercyhurst Prep, North East, Corry, General McLane and Harbor Creek.

In the alignment set Wednesday, Eisenhower stays in Region 2 with the same teams minus Conneaut (OH), who moves to Region 1. Warren would be in Region 5 with General McLane, Harbor Creek, Conneaut, Franklin, Meadville and Oil City. Region 6 consists of Erie Cathedral Prep, Erie, McDowell and Butler. Each Region 6 team will play two games against teams from Region 5.

This proposed alignment assumes Wilmington stays in 3A.

District 10 has not proposed basketball regions yet, and any finalization of those proposals would come after the PIAA Board of Directors meeting May 22. However, the district will be down at least one team for the next cycle as Tidioute Charter informed the committee it will not compete in D-10 for boys basketball this cycle.