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Towanda committee debates junior-high roster caps; administrators oppose blanket limits
Summary
Towanda Area School District committee members discussed whether to cap junior-high team rosters after one district imposed limits. Athletic director Jack Young and Principal Nate Ross said they do not favor a numeric cap and recommended coach-led roster decisions; the committee set an Aug. 10 roster cutoff for this fall.
Committee members and administrators weighed whether to limit the number of junior-high athletes on teams during the July 27 Sports & Supplemental Committee meeting of the Towanda Area School District.
Ashley Popovich raised the issue after learning a neighboring district imposed caps on athlete participation. Athletic Director Jack Young said junior-high volleyball had 41 participants last year distributed across three teams — A, B and C — and described coaches' current approaches to rotating players and travel. "JH VB had 3 teams: A, B, and C Teams," Jack Young reported. He and Principal Nate Ross said they are not in favor of an across-the-board numeric cap for junior-high sports.
Superintendent Erick Cummings told the committee that coaches need explicit directions on eligibility and enforcement. He noted that PIAA expectations currently govern JV and varsity play, while junior-high athletics lack mandatory playing rules. Committee member Matthew Wheeler emphasized clear communication with parents about roster decisions.
Rather than adopt a blanket cap, administrators recommended keeping roster decisions at the coach level, with head coaches making roster recommendations and any cuts evaluated for why an athlete did not meet standards. Jack Young said independent evaluators could be used to review cuts if the district proceeds that way, but coaches and administrators favored giving the head coach a central role.
The committee instructed coaches and administrators to set a roster and eligibility cutoff at 4:00 p.m. on Aug. 10, 2026, to finalize eligible athletes for the fall season. Ashley Popovich also recommended a mid-season Sports & Supplementals meeting to review how any changes are working and to bring issues to the board sooner.
No formal policy change or vote was taken at the meeting.
