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The Central Athletic League, known colloquially as theCentral League, is ahigh school sports league located in the suburbs ofPhiladelphia. Currently, the league consists of twelve high schools primarily fromDelaware County with additional constituency fromChester andMontgomery counties.
Schools
edit- Conestoga High School (Tredyffrin/Easttown School District)
- Garnet Valley High School (Garnet Valley School District)
- Harriton High School (Lower Merion School District)
- Haverford High School (School District of Haverford Township)
- Lower Merion High School (Lower Merion School District)
- Marple Newtown High School (Marple Newtown School District)
- Penncrest High School (Rose Tree Media School District)
- Radnor High School (Radnor Township School District)
- Ridley High School (Ridley School District)
- Springfield High School (Springfield School District)
- Strath Haven High School (Wallingford-Swarthmore School District)
- Upper Darby High School (Upper Darby School District)
Sports
editThe schools all compete in varsity high school sports in thePennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, or the PIAA. Central League teams compete inDistrict 1.
Fall
edit- BoysCross Country
- GirlsCross Country
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Golf
- BoysSoccer
- GirlsSoccer
- GirlsTennis
- GirlsVolleyball
Winter
edit- BoysBasketball
- GirlsBasketball
- Cheerleading
- BoysSwimming andDiving
- GirlsSwimming andDiving
- BoysIndoor Track
- GirlsIndoor Track
- Wrestling
Spring
edit- Baseball
- BoysLacrosse
- GirlsLacrosse
- Softball
- BoysTennis
- BoysTrack & Field
- GirlsTrack & Field
History
editThe Central League started on May 28, 1966 as a spin-off from theSuburban League when nine schools, most of them along theMain Line, announced they were leaving the Suburban League to start the Central League, to begin play in the 1967 academic year. The schools that founded the league were Conestoga, Harriton, Haverford, Lower Merion, Marple, Penncrest, Radnor, Springfield and Upper Darby.
Ridley joined in 1969 when Harriton joined theSuburban 3 League. Harriton rejoined the league in 2008.
Strath Haven joined in 1983.
Garnet Valley joined in 2008.
At the end of the 1988 scholastic year, theChes-Mont League was down to only four schools - Coatesville, Downingtown, West Chester East, and West Chester Henderson. Fearing that it could not operate as a four-team league, the remaining Ches-Mont schools applied for membership in the Central League, but they were rebuffed. The PIAA tried to force the Central League to add the teams, but the Central League sued and won. Thanks to the ruling in this suit, the PIAA has no power to re-align sports leagues. Only the leagues themselves can do so. (High school federations in many other states can re-shape sports leagues at will.)