Central Valley, Blackhawk left without Week 1 games after opponents cancel

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, September 1, 2021 | 3:55 PM

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In a dilemma reminiscent of last fall, Central Valley has started searching for a new opponent for Friday night’s football game.

Central Valley was expecting to host Beaver, but the Bobcats canceled their Week 1 game because of covid-19 cases. In an email Wednesday, Beaver athletic director Alan Alcalde said the nonconference contest was called off because of “multiple covid-19 cases within the Beaver Area football team.”

That was one of two Beaver County games canceled Wednesday.

A combination of injuries and covid concerns led Hopewell to cancel its Week 1 game with Blackhawk, Hopewell athletic director Don Short said Wednesday night. It’s unknown whether Blackhawk will try to find an alternate opponent on short notice.

Central Valley has already started looking.

Athletic director Sam Cercone began contacting schools with open dates on the schedule. He reached out to WPIAL schools and some outside the district but hadn’t gotten any takers by Wednesday evening.

Of course, Central Valley is a defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champion that defeated Week Zero opponent Knoch, 62-0, last week. So, not everyone would be eager to play the Warriors.

That may limit Cercone’s options, especially now that teams are already mid-week in practice.

District 10 power Wilmington, the reigning state runner-up in Class 2A, has an open week on its schedule, but the Greyhounds weren’t interested in arranging a last-minute game, Cercone said.

Beaver joined Riverview and Butler as teams that canceled Week 1 games. Riverview was scheduled to visit Chartiers-Houston on Friday. Butler would have played Erie High.

Central Valley faced a similar dilemma last season in the final week of the regular season when Avonworth had to cancel. In that situation, Cercone and Central Valley were able to find a replacement in Burrell.

“Unfortunately, this is the life we live right now,” Cercone said.

Central Valley vs. Blackhawk might seem like an ideal solution for Week 1. However, the two teams also are scheduled to play in Week 3.

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: Beaver, Central Valley