By Andy Walter

DOVER — The debate is nothing new for Delaware high school sports.

And the discussion about whether public and private schools should compete for the same state title isn’t going away, either.

The DIAA is expected to form a committee to look into the issue while Dover state senator Eric Buckson has sponsored a bill that would separate the state tourneys.

In the 2023-24 school year, private schools captured 25 of the DIAA’s 34 state team titles (not counting Unified ones).

There are also concerns that allowing Delaware high school student-athletes to benefit from their name, likeness or image (known as NIL) will give private schools even more of a competitive advantage.

The private-public school state tournament issue is handled differently in different states.

Dave Baylor, the DIAA executive director, expects the matter to be on the group’s board of directors’ meeting agenda in July.

“The problem is, it’s not as easy as people might think,” said Baylor. “There’s a cost associated with it — to create separate championships. And then the size of the state might not lend itself to it.

“But until you really study the issue, I don’t think you can say one way or the other. Hopefully it would be for a committee to study it and make some recommendations to the board.”

Pitch count issue

One of the lingering questions from Caesar Rodney High’s 7-3 loss to Salesianum in the DIAA baseball state finals was about pitch-count rules.

Pitchers are allowed to throw only 105 pitches in a game and 205 pitches in a week.

The issue was that the wording of the regulations seemed to indicate that pitchers could go over 105 pitches to finish off a batter. But the rules also seemed to say that pitchers couldn’t go over 200 no matter what.

The Riders believed that a Sallies pitcher had exceeded 205 pitches and challenged the game’s outcome.

The DIAA later denied the challenge.

Pitchers, in fact, are permitted to finish a batter when reaching their limit in either situation.

The problem, said Baylor, is that the rule is worded differently in different places. He said the rule was spelled out correctly in the state tournament manual that went out before the tourney.

The bottom line, said Baylor, is that the DIAA needs to make sure that regulations are worded consistently in different manuals.

“There’s definitely some concern about the pitch count for the regular season being different for the tournament,” said Baylor.

“What we have to do is make sure our tournament manuals marry up with the rules of the regular season. That being said, the tournament manual went out before the tournament started. If anyone felt there were some inconsistencies, they should have brought it to attention before the tournament started.”

Star gazing, part one

The Gold edged the Blue, 2-0, in last week’s Blue-Gold All-Star Softball Game at Red Lion Christian.

Christiana’s Dana Harris was named the Gold MVP after she doubled home Sussex Central’s Takyla Davis with the winning run. Davis also had a double.

Laurel’s Kylee Hill was the Blue MVP after striking out six in three innings and also winning the home run derby contest.

Madge Layfield (Sussex Central), Kasey Xenidis (Caravel) and Bella McKee (Conrad) pitched for the Gold.

Hill, Megan Daisey (Indian River) and Mara Everton (Polytech) were the Blue pitchers.

Star gazing, part two

The Gold won last week’s Blue-Gold All-Star Baseball Game, 9-6. It was the Gold’s first win in the game since 2012.

Carter Boyd of Middletown was named the Gold’s Outstanding Player after going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, one run and two RBI.

Delaware Military’s Tyler Leech was the Blue Outstanding Player after hitting a two-run, first-inning double.

Extra points

•Dover High has added a Brooklyn, N.Y. team as the ninth opponent on its football schedule. The Senators are slated to host Canarsie High in their season opener on Sept. 6 under new head coach Maurice Paulk.

The Chiefs finished only 2-8 last fall including a forfeit win. As Dover’s schedule stands now, it has six home games and three on the road.

•Delaware South fell to Delaware County (Pa.), 6-3, in the Carpenter Cup baseball tournament in Philadelphia last week.

South trailed 5-0 before scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Middletown’s Frank Cruz-Gonzalez had a hit and an RBI with Austin Griffith (Woodbridge) and Jaxon Grant (Newark Charter) picking up the other RBI. Appoquinimink’s Alex Epperly struck out five and allowed only one hit in three shutout innings.

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