Farrell wants to rejoin WPIAL after nearly 2 decades in District 10

By: Chris Harlan
Monday, November 13, 2023 | 5:50 PM

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Farrell athletic director and football coach Anthony Pegues calls himself “a WPIAL guy,” since the Steelers played here in the WPIAL when he was on the team.

He’s ready to come back.

The Farrell school board took a step in that direction Monday night by voting 8-1 to transfer its athletic programs from PIAA District 10 to the WPIAL. However, to complete the transfer, Farrell ultimately would need approval from both PIAA districts.

Farrell tried this move once before, in 2015, but District 10 denied its request to leave. The PIAA also rejected the school’s appeal at that time. Eight years later, Pegues said he was more optimistic about Farrell’s chances.

“The WPIAL, from my understanding, will take us back, if (District 10) releases us,” Pegues said. “We tried this in the past and the district didn’t release us. We have legal counsel this time to try to push it further, if they don’t release us, but that would be up to the school board.”

Farrell wants to join the WPIAL for the 2024-25 school year.

Pegues said a number of factors have motivated Farrell’s effort to leave District 10. He noted that Farrell teams had endured a number of racial incidents with other schools, including some this fall. Farrell’s administration last month asked District 10 to investigate the actions of students at a girls volleyball game.

“I’m not saying it wouldn’t happen in the WPIAL as well, but we have had some issues up here,” Pegues said. “With some of the programs we play, it happens more than once. It’s not a one-time thing. … We kind of feel that (District 10) really does nothing about it. I don’t know if they can do anything, but we feel that they don’t do anything.”

The Mercer County school already has a storied sports history in the WPIAL.

Farrell is tied with Aliquippa for the second-most WPIAL boys basketball titles in league history. Each has 13, even though Farrell left for District 10 in 2006. The girls volleyball program won a record 20 WPIAL titles and the football team has six.

Pegues won WPIAL and PIAA football titles as a senior in 1995. He’s now in his fifth season as head coach.

“I’m a WPIAL guy, so to speak,” he said. “I feel like going back and playing in the WPIAL, playing in that competition, is what we need.”

Pegues said a return to the WPIAL could lead to better college opportunities for Farrell athletes. This year’s football team is 10-1 after a 36-7 win over Wilmington last week. He said he believed the boys basketball team and a number of other Farrell programs had the same mindset about playing tougher competition.

“I see what’s going on in the WPIAL,” he said. “A lot kids are getting recruited, getting certain offers. I feel we’ve got kids just as good, if not better, that just don’t get the attention because of the district we play in.”

Length of travel was a primary concern cited in 2006 when Farrell left the WPIAL. Other Mercer County schools play in District 10. Pegues said he doesn’t see that as a roadblock to joining the WPIAL.

“Some people will say you’re going to have more travel,” he said. “Possibly. But since we’ve been in District 10 … we have traveled to games over an hour away.”

He noted that the football team opened this season at North East, which is a 90-minute drive.

“If we’re going to do that, we might as well be in the WPIAL,” he said. “We can get to Aliquippa in 45 minutes.”

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.