WESTINGHOUSE, THE 2023 CITY LEAGUE CHAMPS…(PHOTOS BY BEN TENUTA)
Westinghouse High School star running back Ty Abram, following his team’s convincing City League championship victory over USO (University Prep), with microphones and camera phones rolling, said the “F” word.
Family.
“We’re not just a team, we’re a family,” Abram, proudly wearing No. 24 in Westinghouse blue, said on the field after his team’s 42-14 win at Cupples Stadium, Oct. 28. “Families stick together. We have our rough patches, like in the first half, you can say that was a rough patch, but in the second half we got it together as a family. We brought it in and got the win.”
WESTINGHOUSE RUNNING BACK TY ABRAM, WITH MAYOR ED GAINEY.
The undefeated Westinghouse Bulldogs, who were favored in the game over the USO Wildcats, saw USO take the game’s first drive for a touchdown. USO missed the two-point conversion, making the score, 6-0, and the first time Westinghouse was behind in the City League all season.
Westinghouse was able to score a touchdown and two-point conversion before the first half ended, and the score was 8-6 heading into halftime.
“Our guys never tanked,” Westinghouse head coach Donta Green said. “We went into halftime, made some adjustments, figured it out, we came back out and we started firing on all cylinders. So I think just the resilience of the team and especially with the team being so young, it was really good to see.”
WESTINGHOUSE PLAYERS SUCH AS LLOYD PENN CELEBRATE THEIR SECOND CONSECUTIVE CITY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Westinghouse came out in the second half and re-affirmed their stronghold as a high school football powerhouse in Western Pennsylvania. Quarterback Khalil Green rushed for three touchdowns, to go with one he scored in the opening half. Westinghouse’s Jordan Reid took the opening second half kick to the house, 89 yards to be exact. And Abram just wore down the USO defense, rushing for 117 yards. He was named City League championship player of the game.
USO STAR DANIEL CAIN
University Prep had its prime moments thanks to Daniel Cain, who caught a 38-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the game, then ran back a kick for a 93-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
XAIR STEVENSON OF USO
At the end of the day, though, it was just too much Westinghouse. The school was playing in its sixth straight City League championship game, and won its second straight, after defeating Allderdice in 2022. Last year, the team made it all the way to the PIAA 2A state championship game, losing to Southern Columbia, 37-22. The Bulldogs hope to do more damage in the state playoffs later this fall.
But that’s in the future. For now, it was all about hoisting the City League championship trophy in front of its fans on the South Side, Oct. 28. Members of Pittsburgh Public Schools’ administration presented the trophy to the team, along with Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, himself a Pittsburgh Public Schools graduate (Peabody High School).
“The number one thing from Day 1, January 10th, was developing the right mindset,” Green said. “We believe that between January and June is when the mindset is created and the foundation is created, and our guys bought in. We averaged about 42 guys every day through those months and now we’re getting to see the fruits of that labor.”
Westinghouse not only has the best football team in the City League, but the most dedicated fans. It’s the second year in a row that the Courier spotted a large contingent of Westinghouse fans standing throughout much of the game, with distinct cheers for their Bulldogs.
But Green made sure to show love to all the teams and fans in the City League. “I’m a City guy, and I will always have pride in our city, and I’m just so thankful for all of the coaches in the City, all the things they have to sacrifice to get to Friday, Thursday, Saturday. Shoutout to every City League team. At the end of the day, we’re all one, and I’m just so proud to be a part of it.”
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