Penn Hills to open football season against West Virginia power

By: Jonathan Bombulie
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 | 9:57 PM

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Penn Hills announced the opening game on its 2020 football schedule Wednesday night, and it’s a headline-grabber for a variety of reasons.

The Indians will meet West Virginia power Martinsburg at 5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29 as part of the WPIAL vs. Everyone season-opening event at Woodland Hills’ Wolvarena. The team’s quarterback club made the announcement on its Facebook page.

It will be a stern test for Penn Hills, which went 10-2 last season after winning a PIAA championship the year before. Martinsburg has won 56 consecutive games, the second-longest winning streak in the country, and has captured four straight West Virginia Class AAA state titles.

It will also mark Penn Hills’ return to the Wolvarena for the first time in six years. The Indians will make a second trip to the venue when they face Woodland Hills on Sept. 18.

Week Zero
Penn Hills Indians
vs
Martinsburg, WV Bulldogs
Saturday August 29, 5pm
The Wolvarena, Turtle Creek PA pic.twitter.com/gQOA2fVqwE

— PENN HILLS FOOTBALL (@phqbclub) April 1, 2020

The game is the second confirmed matchup for the WPIAL vs. Everyone event. In February, pennlive.com reported returning WPIAL finalist Sto-Rox will meet perennial District 3 power Steelton-Highspire in an 11 a.m. matchup on Aug. 29 at the Wolvarena.

The WPIAL announced nine-game schedules for every team in January, but teams must schedule their own Week Zero opponents.

In addition to Martinsburg and Woodland Hills, Penn Hills will play nonconference games against Central Catholic, Gateway and Upper St. Clair next season.

Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn Hills