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McDevitt to meet KIPP for playoff spot

Due to a mix-up, the teams will meet Saturday to determine which advances to the postseason.

IN TERMS of football, everything was going according to plan for acting Bishop McDevitt High coach Karl Stout earlier this week.

On Tuesday, a leisurely practice week still lay ahead with the Lancers staring at a bye before district playoffs the following week.

Or so he thought.

A voicemail Tuesday afternoon reported a mix-up with the standings that could have left the Lancers' season over (Stout said the caller didn't leave a name).

Later that night, Stout learned that instead of a bye, McDevitt would face KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy this weekend for the final spot in the four-team, District 12 / District 1 Tournament. Yesterday, he learned the game would be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at George Washington High.

"It was quite a shock Tuesday afternoon to think that you have a bye week with a couple of lighter days ahead, getting ready for the playoffs," Stout said. "Then, all of a sudden you have to start considering collecting equipment."

The issue: McDevitt, classified AA last season, was reclassified as an A school for this year, representing the first Catholic League school to be so classified.

In past years of AA play, Stout said the Catholic and Public leagues in District 12 would each be represented by one squad with District 1 also qualifying a team. The final school could come from either district and would be determined by the PIAA point system (the point average is determined per win and is dependent upon the classifications of each opponent).

Officials from both districts said a miscommunication in the rules interpretation led to the confusion. District 1 believed a point system alone would determine the standings, while District 12 assumed the AA format would be followed.

According to the District 1 PIAA website, the standings look like this:

Team (Record). . . Pt. Avg.

1. Delco Christian (6-2) . . . 117.5

2. Calvary Christian (6-2). . . 111.25

3. Kipp-DuBois (3-4). . . 91.43

4. Jenkintown (4-5). . . 85.56

5. Bishop McDevitt (3-6). . . 76.67

Now, McDevitt and KIPP will meet to determine the final, at-large playoff spot, and the A city champion. In the only inter-district matchup so far this season, McDevitt throttled Jenkintown, 48-14.

Stout, is McDevitt's acting coach and athletic director in place of Pat Manzi, who is out this season on leave. Manzi was also the PCL football moderator, a role currently held by West Catholic AD and coach Brian Fluck. Manzi, Fluck, and Pub football moderator Ken Geiser collaborated with District 1 officials to reach an accord. District 1 chairperson Robert Boyer acknowledged the miscommunication, but referred further questions to District 12 chair Robert Coleman, who wasn't immediately available for comment.

As for KIPP, which is in its first year of varsity football, the Lions had to cancel this week's schedule contest against Edison to open its weekend.

Coach Keary Dias said he was surprised to not be the third seed and also acknowledged the difficulties in preparing on short notice, but said he is still ready to play.

"It's difficult, but once you've been playing all year, [McDevitt] isn't going to do anything different than anybody else has done," he said. "Our kids just have to learn how to win games and learn how to execute."