Suspensions from altercation leave Westinghouse football with only 11 players for City League playoff game

Mike White / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It only takes 11.

That might be the rallying cry for the Westinghouse High School football team’s City League semifinal game Friday night against Perry Traditional Academy.

City League power Westinghouse will have only 11 players in uniform for the contest at Cupples Stadium on the South Side. The rest of Westinghouse’s 49-player team has been suspended one game for either participating in a fight or leaving the bench during the altercation in last Friday’s Westinghouse vs. University Prep game.

Also, University Prep will have 10 players suspended for Thursday night’s other semifinal against Allderdice.

Westinghouse coach Donta Green said he couldn’t comment on the situation but did confirm his team will have only 11 players for the Perry game and the 11 is the starting offense. Westinghouse has won four of the past five City League championships and played in the Class 2A state championship game in each of the past two seasons.

However, reports are incorrect that Westinghouse appealed the suspensions of their players to the PIAA. Bob Lombardi, the executive director of the PIAA, said the league did not receive any appeal requests from Westinghouse.

The suspensions for Westinghouse players came from the PIAA but are based on reports from game officials. Ebony Pugh, a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Schools, said University Prep’s suspensions came as a result of the report from game officials to the PIAA, but PPS also suspended some players.

The altercation occurred with 1:23 left in the third quarter last Friday, and officials stopped the game with Westinghouse leading 43-6. The altercation spilled over to the University Prep sideline, and video shows a number of Westinghouse players leaving their sideline and heading across the field.

Under National Federation of State High School Associations rules, which the PIAA follows, any players leaving the bench area during a fight are automatically ejected from the game. Under PIAA rules, the player also is suspended for the next game.

Pugh said players already on the field were not subject to suspension unless they participated in the fight. Under PIAA rules, schools can only appeal a player suspension if an official misidentifies a player in a fight.

A high school football team is permitted to start a game with 11 players. Perry coach Steve Hale said his team will probably dress 25 players against Westinghouse.

While Westinghouse won’t have substitutes, the Bulldogs would still have to be considered heavy favorites. As previously stated, the 11 Westinghouse players are the starting offense, and the Bulldogs defeated Perry 68-0 earlier this season.

Westinghouse is 6-1 this season, with the only loss coming to Beaver Area of the WPIAL in the season opener. The Bulldogs are 4-0 in the City League and have outscored opponents 225-12. Perry is 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the City League. In four City League games, Perry has been outscored 158-34.

Even if Perry would somehow pull off a win, Westinghouse still goes to the PIAA Class 1A playoffs because the Bulldogs are the only Class 1A school in the City League.