WESTINGHOUSE ON TOP, BUT FOR HOW LONG?
Westinghouse is back on top, but how long will the Bulldogs’ reign last?
After receiving the City League championship trophy at Cupples Stadium in October, players, coaches and cheerleaders from Westinghouse gathered in the rain at the 50- yard line and partied like it was 1996.
It was a cold and dreary afternoon, but the weather was the last thing on the minds of the Bulldogs and their supporters. For the first time in 23 years, they had a reason to sing again.
“There’s a house … up on the hill … let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
Westinghouse’s victory song echoed all the way to East Carson Street after the Bulldogs captured their first City League title since 1996 with a 12- 2 victory against University Prep. For firstyear coach Donta Green, a 2005 Westinghouse graduate, it was the perfect way to cap off his debut season at his alma mater.
“I think it gave the community and the school and everybody involved an opportunity to express their school pride again,” Green said. “I think over the years that has been lost, and honestly, people didn’t have the opportunity to show that pride and feel like winners again. It was huge, man.”
The Bulldogs’ run to the City League title was a long time coming, and star defensive end Dayon Hayes played a huge part in leading them there. But Hayes is now a freshman at Pitt, and most of the other starters on last year’s championship team graduated as well.
For as difficult as it was for Westinghouse to return to the top of the City League, finding a way to maintain that success while replacing a handful of key players will be an even greater challenge for Green and his staff in year two. For his part, though, Green doesn’t sound too worried.
“We’ll probably never be able to replace a Dayon Hayes, just what he did for us on and off the field,” Green said. “But the good thing is, we do have guys like Malik Harris and Darius Bruce and Emilio Valentine and Malik Harvey to kind of step it up. They were like silent leaders, for the most part last year, so they’re ready to step into that role and lead the team this year.”
While the Bulldogs have plenty of holes to fill going into 2020, the team they beat in last year’s title game, University Prep, would probably love to switch places with them. The Panthers have only two starters returning on defense, while all 11 starters on offense from last year are gone.
Having earned at least a share of the City League regular- season title in four consecutive years, University Prep has developed a reputation as arguably the city’s most consistent program under coach Lou Berry. Still, that streak could come to an end this fall unless several unsung players step up and have breakout seasons.
Although they will certainly be lacking in experience, the Panthers do have an all- conference performer returning in senior tight end- linebacker Keith Norman ( 6- 4, 215), who will be relied on heavily for his leadership on and off the field.
After winning back- toback City League titles in 2017 and 2018, Allderdice took a bit of a step back in 2019, finishing 2- 7 overall and 2- 2 in league play. But with standout linemen Solomon Johnston ( 6- 4, 330) and Eric McClung ( 6- 3, 265) leading the way, the Dragons could be a threat to make a run at a third title in four years.
Perry faces plenty of question marks going into the season — most notably how quickly its players will adapt to new coach Darnell Farrow’s system. Former coach Rod Rutherford stepped down in July after three seasons at the helm, leaving minimal time for the Commodores to find a new coach heading into the season.
Although Perry hasn’t posted a winning season since 2012, Farrow knows all about his alma mater’s proud history. The man nicknamed “Pepsi” scored a game- clinching touchdown on a 100- yard interception return on the last play of the Commodores’ historic 20- 8 upset win against Berwick in the 1989 PIAA Class 3A championship game.
With no clear- cut favorite in this year’s chase for the City League title, though, it might just be Brashear’s year to make a push after finishing 0- 4 in the conference and just 1- 7 overall last season.
The Bulls are young and inexperienced, but they do feature three of the top prospects in the area in sophomore wide receiver- defensive back Ta’Mere Robinson ( 6- 4, 200), tight end- defensive end Kameron Cheatom ( 6- 2, 210) and junior running back- linebacker Kevin Smith ( 6- 0, 180).
Cheatom and Smith have scholarship offers from Toledo, while Robinson — rated by 247 Sports as the No. 71 prospect in the nation in the class of 2023 — has received offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Michigan and Syracuse.
Finally, Carrick enters its second season of playing as an independent and will not be eligible for the City League playoffs. The Raiders failed to win a game last season and have only one win in the past four years, but they do have seven starters returning on both offense and defense.