BUTLER TWP— Make room for the WPIAL Class AAAA boys basketball champion.

Butler, Seneca Valley and other Section 3 basketball teams will be doing so next season as Central Catholic is replacing New Castle as a member of Section 3-AAAA.

The Red Hurricanes, who missed the WPIAL playoffs last season, are dropping to Class AAA. Central Catholic won the WPIAL Quad-A title with a 25-5 record.

"The way the WPIAL playoffs were seeded last season, we had the best section in Quad-A,"Butler coach Joe Lewandowski said. "We all got favorable seeds.

"Now you're adding the best team in the WPIAL to the best section in the WPIAL."

Butler played Central Catholic early last season and suffered a 75-49 loss. The Tornado went on to reach the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.

"Their style of play will definitely clash with our section as a whole," Lewandowski said. "Central always has a lot of really good athletes and they like to play at a faster pace.

"Our section has always been big on physical, defensive play. They'll have to adjust to us, we'll have to adjust to them. We have to look at it as a challenge."

Butler's girls will have a new section neighbor as well. With New Castle's girls dropping to Class AAA, Moon is coming into Section 3.

Moon's boys are still in Class AAA. The Tiger girls — 8-16 last year in Triple-A — are bumping up to Quad-A.

Butler's girls have not played Moon in eight years. Current Seneca Valley girls basketball coach Kelly Mathews was Moon's coach three years ago.

"Moon has a great program with a lot of tradition,"Butler coach Dorothea Epps said. "They'll compete very hard in our section."

Geographically, Fox Chapel seemed the logical choice to join Section 3, but the Foxes are staying in Section 2.

"I'm not that surprised by that,"Epps said of Fox Chapel. "They've been moved around quite a bit in recent years and that makes it tough to establish a program.

"I'm a little surprised that Moon is being put in our section, though. That seems a bit of a reach geographically."

Both Butler teams will play New Castle in non-section games next season.

"We can't lose them,"Lewandowski said. "There's too much history there."

Epps agreed.

"We want to play (New Castle) every year,"she said. "Our programs have tremendous respect for each other. Still, not competing with them in the section ... It won't be the same."

Wrestling is being adusted next season as well. Butler and Seneca Valley will remain in Section 3, but all eight Class AAAand AAsections have been divided into sub-sections A and B.

The top two teams in each sub-section will compete in a four-team tournament to determine the section champion.

"We'll have to see how this affects us,"Butler wrestling coach Scott Stoner said. "The way I understand it, each team only faces the teams in its sub-bracket in a dual meet.

"This situation may condense our season. And we still want to wrestle North Allegheny every year."

Butler, Seneca Valley, Knoch, Fox Chapel and Hampton comprise Section 3-A. Avonworth, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland and Shaler are in 3-B.

In Class AA, Mars and Summit Academy join Elderton, Kittanning, Laurel and Shady Side Academy in Section 3-A. Burrell, Highlands, Riverview, Steel Valley and Valley are in 3-B.