The Philadelphia Catholic League is a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

sports league composed (as of the 2012-13 year) of 18 Catholic High Schools in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and the surrounding

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

suburbs. The league itself was founded in the summer of 1920 on the steps of Villanova academy (now Alumni Hall on

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

's campus) by Monsignor Bonner. The league originally consisted of three sports, one per season: Football in the fall, Basketball in the winter and Baseball in the spring. This was expanded in 1944 to include Cross-country in the fall, Wrestling in the winter, and Track in the spring. Currently, the schools are divided by size (Red/Large, Blue/Small). In football, the blue and red divisions award separate league championships each year, while all other sports have a unified champion. Starting with the 2008–09 school year, the Catholic League joined the

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., also known by its acronymn PIAA, is one of the governing bodies of high school and middle school athletics for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. The PIAA's main ...

in District XII, competing with

Philadelphia Public League The Philadelphia Public League (PPL) is the interscholastic sports league for the public high schools of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The league traces its origin to 1901, with the formation of the Philadelphia Interscholastic League, a conference en ...

teams for a restored City Championship in all sports, which was abandoned following the 1979–80 school year due to a dispute of

Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...

as girls from both Public and Catholic high schools were prohibited from competing for City Championships. The football divisions were realigned into Blue AA, Blue AAA, and Red (AAAA)http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/high_school/16217894.htm Following the closures of

Northeast Catholic High School Northeast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and was located at 1842 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

and

Cardinal Dougherty High School upright=1.35, CDHS marching band at the World Music Championship 1966 Cardinal Dougherty High School (CDHS) was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphi ...

, along with the merger of Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School into Pope John Paul II High School, along with their decision to join the Pioneer Athletic Conference in Montgomery County, the divisions underwent a realignment in 2010.

Member schools

Archbishop John Carroll High School Archbishop John Carroll High School is a four-year secondary school part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, located in Radnor, Pennsylvania, on a 55-acre campus. History Archbishop John Carroll High School was opened in September ...

( Delaware County) * Archbishop Ryan High School (

) * Archbishop Wood Catholic High School (

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

) *

Cardinal O'Hara High School Cardinal O'Hara High School is a coeducational Catholic high school of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school is named after John Francis O'Hara who was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1951 to 1960. It is located in Spring ...

(Delaware County) *

Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School (''Ss.'' ''Neumann Goretti'' for short) is a private Roman Catholic high school located at 1736 South Tenth Street in the South Philadelphia area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United State ...

(Philadelphia) * Conwell-Egan Catholic High School (Bucks) *

Lansdale Catholic High School Lansdale Catholic High School is a secondary school that is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, United States. History The school opened in September 1949 as Little Flower Catholic Hi ...

(Montgomery County) *

West Catholic Preparatory High School West Catholic Preparatory High School is a co-educational Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 45th and Chestnut Streets, the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia. ...

(Philadelphia) * Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls (Philadelphia; girls only) * Saint Hubert High School (Philadelphia; girls only) ''*

Archbishop Prendergast High School Archbishop Prendergast High School was an all-girl Catholic high school in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It has been merged with Monsignor Bonner High School and renamed. It is located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. The school is ...

(Delaware County; girls only)*'' ''*

Monsignor Bonner High School Monsignor Bonner High School was an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Bo ...

(Delaware County; boys only)*'' *

Devon Preparatory School Devon Preparatory School is a Catholic all-male college preparatory school in Devon, Pennsylvania, in the United States, founded in 1956 by Piarists. It is divided into a middle school (grades 6–8) and an upper school (grades 9–12), both loca ...

(Chester County; boys only) *

Father Judge High School , motto_translation = He will not fall away , address = 3301 Solly Avenue , location = , region = , city = Philadelphia , county = , state ...

(Philadelphia; boys only) *

Roman Catholic High School for Boys , motto_translation = Faith and Knowledge , accreditation = MSA , nickname = The Cahillites , conference = Philadelphia Catholic League , colors = Purple & Gold , yearbook ...

(Philadelphia; boys only) *

Saint Joseph's Preparatory School St. Joseph's Preparatory School, known as "St. Joseph's Prep" or simply "The Prep", is an urban, private, Catholic, college preparatory school run by the Jesuits in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1851. Curriculm The ...

(Philadelphia; boys only) *

La Salle College High School , motto_translation = Character and Knowledge , location = 8605 Cheltenham Avenue , city = Wyndmoor , county = ( Montgomery County) , state = Pennsylvania , zipcode ...

(Montgomery; boys only) * — As of 2012–13, the school competes under the combined names of the schools, Bonner-Prendergast.

Former members

* Villanova Preparatory Academy (now Malvern Prep) 1920-1923 * Salesianium Catholic High School 1922-1939 * Cathedral Catholic High School 1927-1928 * St. John's Catholic High School 1935-1950 * South Catholic High School 1935-1955 * St. Thomas More Catholic High School 1937-1976 * St. James Catholic High School 1943-1993 * John. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School 1901-2021 (Philadelphia; girls only) *

1926-2010 *

1956-2010 * Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School 1966-2010 (first as Bishop Kenrick High School until 1993) * Bishop McDevitt High School 1958-2021

External links

Philadelphia Catholic League Track and Field/Cross Country Website

References

{{Philadelphia Catholic League High school sports conferences and leagues in the United States High school sports associations in the United States Pennsylvania high school sports conferences Sports in Philadelphia Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia 1920 establishments in Pennsylvania Catholic sports organizations Sports organizations established in 1920

Member schools

Former members

See also

External links

References