Westinghouse football game canceled because of covid case

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, September 2, 2021 | 4:13 PM

Friday’s scheduled football game between Westinghouse and Kirtland (Ohio) will not be played because of a covid case within the City League school’s program.

According to a Pittsburgh Public Schools press release, a player who was with the team during its game against Seton LaSalle last Saturday tested positive. The team will need to quarantine through Wednesday, so the game is canceled.

“It’s unfortunate,” coach Donta Green said. “It’s one less game that our guys get to compete in, which they all signed up to do. They worked hard preparing for this week and we don’t get the opportunity to finish. But at the same time, I tell my guys to look at the bigger picture. We’re all healthy for the most part. The individual who tested positive doesn’t have a lot of symptoms, so there’s a really, really good chance he’s going to recover.”

The cancellation was the fifth such announcement for regional teams this week. Scheduled games between Riverview and Chartiers-Houston, Beaver and Central Valley, Hopewell and Blackhawk, and Butler and Erie have been called off, in whole or in part, due to covid cases.

Westinghouse, the two-time defending City League champ, opened the season with a 38-0 victory over Seton LaSalle in Week Zero.

“We got spoiled last year because we had no (covid) issues as a program,” Green said. “This year, having it Week 1 makes you say, ‘Yeah, this is real.’ It brought us back to reality.”

The team can resume practice Wednesday in preparation for a Week 2 game against Brashear on Sept. 10.

“They were upset,” Green said of his players, “but at the end of the day they were more concerned about their teammate getting sick and wanting to make sure he’s OK.”

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: Westinghouse