Countdown to kickoff 2022: Saturday football hasn’t completely disappeared from WPIAL schedules

By: Don Rebel
Friday, August 5, 2022 | 8:47 PM

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Are you old enough to remember when high school football carried a nice one-two punch every weekend?

We had Friday night lights and sunny Saturdays filled with scholastic gridiron excitement.

In the 1970s and ’80s, the number of schools that played on Saturday afternoon because they did not have lights at their stadium was in the 20s and 30s.

Twenty years ago, there were 10 WPIAL schools that played all of their home games on Saturday.

Ten years later in 2012, that number dwindled to seven teams.

With permeant lights added to some of the venues, only three district schools shine with their home schedules slated for Saturday afternoons.

Western Beaver, Riverview and Summit Academy are the only teams that play their home games under the natural light on Saturday. Riverview does bring in the portable lights once a year for the school’s annual homecoming game, played on a Friday night.

Speaking of homecoming, schools such as Shaler, Shady Side Academy and Burgettstown flip that Riverview script and still play their homecoming games on Saturday afternoons.

Two district schools share stadiums and will play some of their games on Saturday afternoon or evenings when they are hosting and the stadiums they use are not available on a Friday night.

Bishop Canevin shares Dormont Stadium with Keystone Oaks, and the Crusaders play on Saturday nights when the Golden Eagles are home the night before. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart plays at Moon Stadium and will have one Saturday afternoon and one Saturday evening home game this fall.

Here is the Saturday WPIAL football schedule for 2022.

8/27 – William Penn at Woodland Hills at 2:30 p.m.

8/27 – Beth-Center at Riverview at 12 p.m.

9/3 – Leechburg at Summit Academy at 12:30 p.m.

9/3 – Greensburg Central Catholic vs. Bishop Canevin at Dormont Stadium at 7 p.m.

9/10 – Hopewell at Western Beaver at 12:30 p.m.

9/10 – Northgate at Riverview at 12 p.m.

9/10 – Clairton vs. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Moon HS at 7 p.m.

9/17 – Neshannock at Western Beaver at 12:30 p.m.

9/17 – Clairton at Riverview at 12 p.m.

9/17 – Rochester at Summit Academy at 12 p.m.

9/24 – Franklin Regional at Shaler at 1:30 p.m.

9/24 – Avella vs. Bishop Canevin at Dormont Stadium at 7 p.m.

10/1 – Freedom at Western Beaver at 12:30 p.m.

10/1 – Jeannette at Riverview at 12 p.m.

10/1 – South Side at Summit Academy at 12:30 p.m.

10/8 – Burgettstown at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Moon HS at 1 p.m.

10/15 – Valley at Shady Side Academy at 2 p.m.

10/15 – Carlynton at Burgettstown at 1 p.m.

10/22 – Mohawk at Western Beaver at 12:30 p.m.

10/22 – Greensburg Central Catholic at Riverview at 12 p.m.

10/22 – Laurel at Summit Academy at 12 p.m.

10/22 – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Bishop Canevin at 7 p.m.