West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson among 5 scheduled for WPIAL hearings Thursday
By:
Saturday, June 15, 2019 | 2:02 AM
Steel Valley’s Nahki Johnson celebrates with Eshawn Carter after Carter’s return for a touchdown against Wilmington Area during the PIAA Class 2A semifinal Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 at Ambridge High School.
Football standout Nahki Johnson, who transferred from Steel Valley to West Mifflin in December, will have his eligibility decided Thursday in a hearing at the WPIAL office.
Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end, will be a junior in the fall. He already lists scholarship offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Michigan and others.
He transferred high schools shortly before Steel Valley football coach Rod Steele was hired to coach West Mifflin, which raised questions that will be addressed Thursday.
The WPIAL has schedule five hearings for that day, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said.
Among the others is Diego Bledsoe, a junior who transferred from Steel Valley to Gateway. Steel Valley’s administration did not approve transfer paperwork for Bledsoe or Johnson, according to the WPIAL.
Three transfers are seeking postseason eligibility: Kiski Area’s Kenneth Blake (football), and Gateway’s Jiahna Bracy (girls basketball) and Shane Thrift (football).
The WPIAL approved all three for regular-season play but ruled them ineligible for the postseason under a PIAA rule enacted last summer.
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: Steel Valley, West Mifflin
More Football
• Bright future ahead for Jeannette football team• Plum tandem to continue football careers at St. Francis
• North Hills notebook: Bounce-back season for football team ends in dramatic loss
• 1st-year Hampton tight end Ryan Scully earns all-conference recognition
• Central Catholic hopes to finally solve North Allegheny as teams clash again in WPIAL 6A final
