What to watch for in high school sports on Sept. 15, 2022: Thursday night football in the City League

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, September 15, 2022 | 12:50 AM

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For the first time this high school football season, a weekend of district gridiron action kicks off on Thursday.

It will be a busy two days of District 8 football at the home of the City League, George Cupples Stadium on the South Side of Pittsburgh.

It kicks off Thursday with undefeated Westinghouse facing University Prep at 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs are the heavy favorites to win the City League crown this fall. They are off to a 3-0 start and have outscored their opponents, 138-32, including a 59-6 pasting of Perry last week in their City League opener.

Westinghouse is ranked No. 3 in the latest Trib HSSN state rankings in Class 2A.

University Prep is 0-2 this season as it prepares for its City League opener. The Panthers lost to Steubenville last week, 40-14, in Ohio.

On Friday at Cupples Stadium, Perry will face defending champion Allderdice at 3:30 p.m. while Brashear will host Our Lady of Mount Carmel out of Maryland in a nonconference game at 7 p.m.

Top heavy

The top four teams in a pair of district sections square off against each other on a busy Thursday of WPIAL boys soccer.

In Section 2-4A, one game separates the top five teams. Four of them collide on Thursday when Peters Township (4-1) visits neighboring Upper St. Clair (4-1) while Canon-McMillan (4-1) hosts Allderdice (3-2).

Mt. Lebanon is also 3-2 in the section. The Blue Devils are home to Norwin.

In Section 3-2A, first-place Mt. Pleasant (5-0) hosts Belle Vernon (4-1) while fourth-place Brownsville (3-2) travels to McGuffey (4-1).

Other key matches with first-place implications include:

• Kiski Area (4-0) at Mars (3-1) in Section 1-3A

• Charleroi (4-0) at Greensburg Central Catholic (3-0) in Section 2-A

Championship rematch

A day after Fox Chapel and Penn-Trafford battled in a 2021 WPIAL 2A field hockey championship rematch, the two teams that played for gold last fall in Class A will square off Thursday.

Defending champion Shady Side Academy will visit Aquinas Academy in a match scheduled for the North Park Sports Complex.

Both teams were very defensive in the title match last October as the Bulldogs squeezed out a win over the Crusaders, 1-0. It was the fourth straight district championship for SSA.