Westinghouse, Allderdice set to collide again
From the outside looking in, Saturday’s City League championship game between Westinghouseand Allderdice may look like a “David and Goliath” match-up — after all, it is a battle between a Class 2A school and a Class 6A school.
Only this time, the Class 6A school is David and the Class 2A school is Goliath.
Westinghouse, the Class 2A school, has won 15 games in a row and 23 of its past 24, and the Bulldogs haven’t lost a game vs. a City League foe since 2018. They are the twotime defending champions and looking to become the first team to win three consecutive City League titles since Perry won six in a row from 2000-05.
Allderdice, on the other hand, is only 3-5 this season, and the Dragons were defeated handily when the teams met on Sept. 18, with Westinghouse coming out on top, 41-12. But Allderdice has a habit of playing its best football come playoff time, and this is no unfamiliar territory for the Dragons. This is Allderdice’s second consecutive trip to the City League title game and fourth in the past five years, having won backto-back titles in 2017-18.
Oh, by the way, the previous City League team to beat the Bulldogs? That came in an 18-8 win for the Dragons in the 2018 championship game.
The teams also met in last year’s title game, with Westinghouse storming back from a 12-0 deficit to win, 36-20.
Both teams have already qualified to enter the regional playoffs, regardless of the outcome on Saturday. And while Westinghouse has its sights set on competing for a PIAA title after sitting out last year’s state playoffs, coach Donta Green said it’s not hard to keep his players focused on the task at hand.
“It’s not really that hard, because having bragging rights in the city with their friends and their family is a big deal,” Green said. “It’s almost the opposite. I have to make sure they’re keeping the big picture in mind and not just preparing for this game. Them getting up and getting ready to rock and roll for this game is no concern to me. This is where the bragging rights are.”
For Allderdice, the outlook appeared bleak after a 38-22 loss to Brashear in the regular- season finale dropped the Dragons’ record to 2-5 going into the playoffs. But Allderdice received a shot at redemption against the Bulls in the City League semifinals and made the most of it, emerging with a 22-8 victory to earn a repeat trip to the title game.
“We play a tough schedule, and the reason why we do that is to try to make it to this game we’re coming up on, and we did that,” said Dragons coach Jerry Haslett. “The kids are excited. We’re ready to go.”
Junior Jaerone Parker stepped in as a Wildcat quarterback for Allderdice for the first time in that semifinal win, passing for 95 yards and rushing for two touchdowns in his first career start. Haslett remained uncommitted on who would start at quarterback in the championship game between Parker and sophomore Azerick Jetter, but Parker is sure to make an impact on offense one way or another.
“It all comes down to us making mistakes and shooting ourselves in the foot,” Haslett said. “I think we probably match up better than anybody [against them], so we’ll see.”
Having faced a difficult schedule with non-conference games against powerhouses like North Allegheny and Steubenville (Ohio), Haslett feels the Dragons are battle tested and ready to give the Bulldogs all they can handle. Westinghouse, though, has rarely been tested this year, even when facing WPIAL foes in its non-conference schedule. The Bulldogs’ closest games were a 44-34 win at Butler — another Class 6A school — and a 25-19 win vs. University Prep, and Westinghouse just defeated University Prep, 17-0, in the teams’ City League semifinal rematch.
With junior quarterback Keyshawn Morsillo and senior running back Malik Harris leading the way, the Bulldogs will be heavy favorites to three-peat and keep their winning streak alive heading into the regional tournament, where they’ll need to win two additional games to make it into the PIAA Class 2A bracket. But first, unfinished business lies ahead against Allderdice, and Westinghouse certainly won’t be taking the Dragons lightly.
“The reality is, at some point, it could sway. Someone else could be king of the city for however long,” Green said. “I’m just living in the moment, enjoying the ride we’re on now and enjoying every day with this group of guys that we have. I don’t really think about that stuff. I’m just enjoying the moment, enjoying the present, and just sharing these moments with our kids.”