Pub/Private-Boundary/Non-Boundary: The HB 41 debate series.

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Billy Splain | May 4, 2026

This is a three part series on the heated Pub/Private-Boundary/Non-Boundary issue that’s been ripping at the very fabric of high school football across the nation. Since we don’t have a horse in this race, PFN doesn’t have a particular opinion as to which way the issue of separating schools should go nor do we claim to have the solution for all. In part one we’ll take a look at what the numbers reveal. Remember, we are looking at this from a football only standpoint. We do know that other sports, particularly basketball, are affected completely differently.

Before we get started, let’s take a look at what the recent bill, HB 41, defines as boundary and non-boundary. From page four of the bill: see lines 2&3.

“Boundary school.” A public school. The term does not include a charter school. (we will address this in part 2 as there is a question as to what exactly is public considering a huge portion of  what’s considered public also allows students to transfer in simply by paying the “tuition” at that school).

“Nonboundary school.” A charter school, a parochial school or a private school.

For this series, we’ll use the HB41 terms.

Using those parameters, approximately of the 54 of the 553 schools with football would be considered nonboundary according to HB 41.  (It should also be noted that since 1998 several private school have closed their doors including 1992 1A champ Scotland, Bishop McDevitt (12) and others).

It’s an argument as old as, well, you could say since 2008 when the Philadelphia Catholic League decided to join the PIAA. That move followed the Philly Pub Leagues move to the PIAA in 2004. Open borders, recruiting, tampering, most of PA was happily rolling along on the fields while nobody really cared what was happening in Philly. What was happening? Here’s a bit of what was going on, so they say, according to the great Ted Silary (Catholic League Joins PIAA). Slide over and read that before moving on to our article.

West Catholic was the first to “break in” to what the rest of the state believed they owned. In that initial year, 2008, the Burrs reached the 2A title game against Wilmington. It is still considered one of the greatest title games of all time, a game won by Wilmington in overtime. In 2009 La Salle won their first title over State College in a blizzard, then the Burrs would return in 2010 and win the title over South Fayette in dominating fashion. Mind you, we were still only four classes at the time. Then in 2013 Archbishop Wood and St. Joseph’s Prep won the 3A and 4A titles. And in 2014 the same, 2015 Imhotep won the 3A title. Since 2008, District 12 has won a total of 22 state titles, all considered non-boundary schools in the HB-41 bill that recently passed the House and move on to the senate. SJP has won 9 of those titles while Wood has garnered 6 titles.

But this isn’t just a District 12 issue. So let’s take a look at the history of the state title games and how, according to Scott Conklin, non boundary schools have faired in ten year increments. From the inception of the title games (1988) through 1997 non boundary schools won 7 of the 40 title games. from 1998 through 2007 the non boundary group won 5 of 40 titles. From 2008 (when the PCL joined the PIAA) through 2015 they won 16 of 32 titles. All totaled that’s a margin of 28-112. Then in 2016 the PIAA switched to 6 classes. In that span the non boundary schools have won 22 of 60 titles. That’s 51 of 172 titles, just under a third of the games, have been won by non boundary schools to date.

Let’s take a look at who’s won those games for the NB schools:

As you can see five teams, SJP,AW,BG & CP have combined for a total of 25 or half of those titles. District 12 has won 23 titles since joining the PIAA. In that span it should also be noted that non boundary schools have appeared in title games 89 times. 16 of the 172 games featured 2 “non boundary” teams playing each other with Imhotep, McDevitt, CP, PCC and AW making up the vast majority (16) of those teams in those games.  Tep and CP faced off 5 times.

Using the above numbers, we can definitely see that those schools classified as “non-boundary” have won a large percentage of titles based on the number of boundary and non-boundary schools percentage with football teams. What does that mean? Well simply as a bystander, and knowing when these titles were won,  I can see that until the PCL entered the PIAA the “non-boundary” schools dominated. It seems to run in cycles since then. In 2016, 17, 18 NBs won 8 of 18, in 2019/20/21/22 they won 6 of 24 titles. In 23 they won 2, 2024 it was 4 and in 25 they got 2.

What does all that mean? By the numbers there seems to be a slight advantage to NB in the upper 2 classes. Also worth mentioning: Southern Columbia won 15 titles, Berwick has 6 and Mt Carmel has 4 titles for a total of 25. Clairton has 6 wins, Aliquippa has won 5, Thomas Jefferson has 5,  Farrell 3. To me, an outsider now, it seems there has over time, been many powerhouses scooping up the majority of the titles.

Stay tuned as later this week we will explore the pluses, minuses and possibilities of splitting football between “boundary” and “non-boundary” schools and we’ll also hear from PIAA Executive Director Mark Byers who has some surprising facts of his own on the subject.

Remember, this one was only the numbers.

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