McKeesport football fills Week 2 vacancy with defending PIAA champion

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, February 7, 2019 | 8:24 PM

McKeesport searched both out of state and internationally for a football team to fill its Week 2 vacancy, but ultimately scheduled a five-time PIAA champion instead.

Erie’s Cathedral Prep will visit Weigle-Schaeffer Stadium on Sept. 6.

“We actually had talks with a team from Canada that was supposed to come down and they backed out at the last minute,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said. “We talked a little bit to a team out in Cincinnati. Then Erie Prep kind of popped open (Wednesday), so we said let’s get it done.”

Albert Gallatin decided in October that it wouldn’t play WPIAL football this fall, leaving an open week for six of the remaining seven teams in the Class 5A Big East Conference. Connellsville and Albert Gallatin, both Fayette County schools, decided to maintain their Week 9 matchup.

Penn-Trafford scheduled a 125-mile road trip to Massillon, Ohio, in Week 4. Latrobe will travel 160 miles in Week 8 to visit Midd-Westin in Middleburg, Snyder County.

“Talking with other guys in the conference, it really put us behind the 8-ball,” Miller said. “There are not a lot of options that you have. If Erie hadn’t agreed to come down and play us, we could have started the season off with five straight away games.”

Cathedral Prep is a three-time defending state champion in Class 4A. The Ramblers defeated Philadelphia’s Imhotep Charter, 38-7, in the PIAA finals last December.

“We like to think that we’ll play anybody,” Miller said. “Now, we actually have to prove it. These guys are pretty darn good, we know that.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: McKeesport