Fewer students cited as the reason

Farrell has only 58 students in its senior class this year.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
FARRELL -- Mike Zappa doesn't live in Farrell anymore, but he's seen enough sports during part of the school's golden era to have good memories.
Now that a new era is dawning for Farrell, athletically, he has no problem parting with the past.
"It should be fun and good for the area," said Zappa, a 1973 graduate.
The fun he's referring to is the school's anticipated switch, if approved, from membership in the WPIAL to District 10.
"They were part of the best times," Zappa said of the state basketball championships he saw in 1969 and 1972, one on TV and the other in person.
Old Section 3
"The old Section 3 was considered the toughest in the WPIAL," Zappa said. "It was the cream of the crop. We used to pack the house. We were, by far, the smallest school, but Coach [Ed] McCluskey always wanted to play up in class."
On the road to the state title during the 1971-72 season, Farrell had to beat Keystone Oaks twice in a two-week period.
"They were a much-larger school," Zappa said. "They graduated 900 or a thousand kids and our senior classes were, maybe, 200."
But he realizes that dynamics have changed and the Steelers would be more suited playing schools from nearby communities.
"Now it's Kennedy Catholic," he said of the new state championship reputation. "Back then, Kennedy wasn't a draw."
Expected to approve
Farrell athletic director Chuck Branca believes the District 10 governing board will act on Farrell's application for approval on Feb. 1.
"It's an enormous move," he said of the change that gives Farrell a better fit, all-around. "We're right in the heart of District 10, so I think they'd have a hard time rejecting us," Branca said.
The Steelers' lower enrollment is partly behind the school's reasoning.
"We're not as big a school as we once were," Branca said. "Our senior class has only 58 kids this year, but we still play a decent schedule [Farrell played Warren Harding a few weeks ago]. It's not that we can't compete, but it gets harder and harder when we have fewer kids."
However, the drop in numbers isn't the whole story.
"We've had success in recent years playing Sharon, but we thought that if we play more of a local flavor, we'd have more success," said Branca. "If you play neighbors, it stands to reason that you make more money.
"We're still winning at a pretty good clip, so we bring something to District 10.
City population down
The city's population has diminished and the school's talent pool has, too. The net effect is an athletic acreage doesn't yield the same tonnage.
Farrell was once the kingpin in basketball against big-school competition, winning seven state titles.
Branca recalls that, after the breakup of the old Section 3, the landscape was never quite the same.
"With Sharon, New Castle, Ambridge, Ellwood City and Aliquippa, every game was a great game, especially for boys basketball," he said. "Then we dropped from Quad-A to AA in 1994. It was never quite the same. The rivalries didn't amount to much."
bassetti@vindy.com