After 4 coin flips, West Greene wins tie-breaker, earns playoff home game

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, October 29, 2018 | 10:51 AM

The WPIAL’s tie-breaking coin flip needed a tie-breaker itself.

On the fourth flip, West Greene finally emerged as the winner Monday morning, breaking a tie with Monessen and California for the top playoff seed from the Class A Tri-County South.

All three teams advance to the playoffs but winning the tie-breaker earned West Greene a home game.

“I didn’t think my heart would be beating like that over a coin flip,” West Greene athletic director Bill Simms said. “I’m excited for our district. Our boys have worked hard. It will be something good for our community.”

Flipping for the schools were Simms, Monessen principal Eric Manko and California football coach Darrin Dillow. The tiebreaker was held at the WPIAL office in Green Tree.

All three teams flipped “heads” on the first flip. The next two flips produced three “tails.” On the fourth flip, California was the odd team out.

Under WPIAL rules, the remaining two-way tie between West Greene and Monessen then reverted to head-to-head results. West Greene defeated Monessen, 24-6, in Week 4.

The WPIAL resorted to the rarely used coin flip because the three teams were deadlocked in all other methods used to break ties: head to head, Gardner Points and margin of victory.

This was the WPIAL’s first coin flip tiebreaker since 2002.

West Greene’s preference is to play at home Friday but Simms said the school’s natural grass surface could force the game elsewhere, possibly Waynesburg.

The WPIAL will reveal the football playoff brackets at 7 p.m., Monday.

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

Tags: California, Monessen