Westinghouse tops Allderdice to claim 38th City League football championship

By: George Guido
Saturday, October 29, 2022 | 8:37 PM

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Westinghouse had a slim lead at halftime of Saturday’s Pittsburgh City League football final.

But Bulldogs coach Donta Green wasn’t worried.

Westinghouse came on to score 19 points in the third quarter and rolled to a 40-8 victory in the City title game at Cupples Stadium.

It marks the 38th City title in Westinghouse’s glorious history and the third in four seasons.

The Bulldogs held just a 14-8 lead at the half.

“To be honest, this is how I wanted it to go,” Green said. “I wanted to go into halftime, settle them down a little bit. So, it’s how I wanted it to actually happen.”

Quarterback Keyshawn Morsillo, named game MVP, threw for 154 yards and two scores, tallied on a keeper and a two-point conversion as the Bulldogs (9-0, 5-0) looked to at least maintain their No. 3 spot in the Trib HSSN state Class 2A rankings.

After Morsillo passed 33 yards to Sincere Smith for the game’s first score, Allderdice tied it with a 3-yard pass from Azerick Jetter to Eugene Hall.

But in a preview of what was to come, Westinghouse drove 64 yards in 14 plays, eating up 8 minutes and 34 seconds of the second quarter clock.

Morsillo finally scored on a 3-yard run to give the Bulldogs the lead for good, 14-8, with 1:53 to go in the half.

Westinghouse took the third quarter kick after deferring on the pre-game coin toss, and the strategy paid off.

The Bulldogs went 72 yards in 11 plays, using half the third-quarter clock. Senior Khalil Taylor culminated the drive with a 23-yard run. After junior linebacker Cameron Mitchell recovered an Allderdice fumble, it set up Taylor’s 49-yard run to put Westinghouse in front, 27-8.

Taylor had 99 rushing yards in the third quarter — 155 on the afternoon.

“They’re big and strong and fast,” Dragons coach Jerry Haslett said. “In the second half, they just took it to us, and we didn’t have anything for them.”

The Bulldogs concluded their big third quarter with a 35-yard pass from Morsillo to Smith.

The senior receiver had five catches for 108 yards.

“Our big guys up front kind of took over the game,” said Green, who won the third title of his four-year tenure. “Our big guys were kind of sluggish in the first half, and in order to finish the game, it had to come from up front.”

Said Haslett: “They’re big up front, and they wore us down. It didn’t help that we had penalties, either. That hurt, of course.”

Roderick Jeter’s 12-yard run early in the fourth quarter concluded the scoring.

The Dragons were called for 13 penalties for 135 yards. Westinghouse was assessed 101 yards in 10 penalties.

Jetter completed 12 passes for 144 yards, but the junior was picked off twice in the fourth quarter.

Green said Westinghouse is scheduled to play next weekend against District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge at Cupples Stadium.

Meanwhile, Allderdice (4-6, 4-2), winner of three City titles in the past five seasons, will enter the PIAA Class 6A playoffs against the District 10 champion.

With Butler High School winning a court case Friday, the District 10 playoff schedule is muddled with the Golden Tornado now in the mix.

Tags: Allderdice, Westinghouse