Uniontown leaving WPIAL football for independent schedule

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, January 6, 2021 | 4:17 PM

Uniontown is leaving WPIAL football for an independent schedule, a decision school administrators hope can spark a struggling program.

The football team has lost 34 consecutive games, a losing streak that started in 2016.

“This decision will allow the football program to have a restart,” said Daniel Bosnic, assistant to the superintendent, “and hopefully create some excitement within the program and for our students.”

The school board approved the move Monday.

The Red Raiders went 0-2 this past fall in a schedule abbreviated by covid-19 concerns. They’re 3-57 combined over the past seven seasons. It’s an unwelcomed decline for a school with a storied football tradition. Uniontown owns two WPIAL titles, and its 1965 championship team is often considered among the best in WPIAL history.

For now, Bosnic said, the board’s decision was for one year. Eventually, the school wants to return the team to WPIAL competition.

“That is the goal,” Bosnic said. “I believe this is a short-term solution. We obviously have a goal of returning to the WPIAL, but we’re hoping in the short term this can build our football program back up.”

Albert Gallatin, a neighboring district in Fayette County, withdrew from WPIAL football after the 2018 season and has seen some success since. The Colonials went 5-1 last fall playing an independent schedule with a 55-0 win over Uniontown included.

“They made a move like this and were able to create some excitement for their football program,” Bosnic said. “We definitely noticed that, and we’re hoping that’s something that happens for our students.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Uniontown