{"id":18521,"date":"2020-09-11T22:32:11","date_gmt":"2020-09-12T02:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/?p=18521"},"modified":"2020-09-11T23:35:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T03:35:00","slug":"wpial-football-kicks-off-season-amid-coronavirus-cautions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/2020\/09\/11\/wpial-football-kicks-off-season-amid-coronavirus-cautions\/","title":{"rendered":"WPIAL Football Kicks Off Season Amid Coronavirus Cautions"},"content":{"rendered":"

A tradition fighting to continue among a historic pandemic, WPIAL football kicked off across the region with near empty stands and socially distanced stretching as teams tried to adjust to full contact sports in the world of Covid-19.<\/p>\n

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Clairton’s Da\u2019Metrius Weatherspoon stretches before the football team’s first game of the season against Jeannette, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Clairton players get pumped up before the first game of the season against Jeannette, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jeannette’s Tavon Briston prays in the locker room before playing Clairton Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. Clairton beat Jeannette, 34-28. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Clairton fans watch the game between Clairton and Jeannette Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jeannette’s Tavon Briston pumps up his teammates before the first game of the season against Clairton, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jerome Asbury, left, and Pat Maloney, bus drivers for Washington\u2019s football team and two of the only people in the stands, watch McGuffey and Washington high schools warm up before Friday night football on Friday, September 11, 2020, at McGuffey High School in Claysville. (Emily Matthews\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jeannette’s Gavin Holemeyer gets dressed with the help of Jeannette’s Michael Mason before their game against Clairton, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Washington\u2019s Tayshawn Levy stays socially distanced while stretching with his teammates before their game against McGuffey on Friday, September 11, 2020, at McGuffey High School in Claysville. (Emily Matthews\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Belle Vernon is introduced Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium in McKeesport. (Peter Diana\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Washington\u2019s Davoun Fuse runs with the ball during their game against McGuffey on Friday, September 11, 2020, at McGuffey High School in Claysville. (Emily Matthews\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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McKeesport’s Jahmil Perryman tackles Belle Vernon quarterback Devin Whitlock during game action, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium in McKeesport. (Peter Diana\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Belle Vernon Dane Anden is wrapped up by Tigers Kenneth Thompson during game action Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium in McKeesport. (Peter Diana\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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McGuffey and Washington play to mostly empty stands on Friday, September 11, 2020, at McGuffey High School in Claysville. (Emily Matthews\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jeannette’s James Sanders intercepts the ball intended for Clairton’s Andre Henderson Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock runs for touchdown in the first half against McKeesport Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium in McKeesport. (Peter Diana\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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McGuffey\u2019s Nathan Yagle gets tackled by multiple Washington players during their game on Friday, September 11, 2020, at McGuffey High School in Claysville. (Emily Matthews\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jeannette’s band watches the game between Clairton and Jeannette, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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McKeesport’s Devontae Hampton forces a fumble by Belle Vernon running back Dane Anden in the first half during game action Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium in McKeesport. (Peter Diana\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jeannette’s Roberto Smith, Jr. is tackled by Clairton’s Derrick Hampton, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Washington\u2019s Andre Porter jumps with the ball during their game against McGuffey on Friday, September 11, 2020, at McGuffey High School in Claysville. (Emily Matthews\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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McGuffey\u2019s Rocco Falosk gets ready to toss the ball during their game against Washington on Friday, September 11, 2020, at McGuffey High School in Claysville. (Emily Matthews\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Clairton’s Derrick Hampton shoves Jeannette’s Jaydin Canady Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Clairton’s Isaiah Berry scores a touchdown Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Jeannette’s James Sanders reacts after his touchdown against Clairton Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Clairton head coach Wayne Wade, Jr. and Jeannette head coach Roy Hall congratulate each other after their game Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. Clairton beat Jeannette, 34-28. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Clairton’s Allen Rice, center, reacts after his tackle against Jeannette Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at McKee Stadium in Jeannette. Clairton beat Jeannette, 34-28. (Steph Chambers\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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McGuffey\u00d5s Jeremiah Johnson (44) celebrates with his teammates after beating Washington 7-6 on Friday, September 11, 2020, at McGuffey High School in Claysville. (Emily Matthews\/Post-Gazette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A tradition fighting to continue among a historic pandemic, WPIAL football kicked off across the region with near empty stands and socially distanced stretching as teams tried to adjust to full contact sports in the world of Covid-19.    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":18539,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,7,399,4,15,11,132],"tags":[],"coauthors":[41],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/09\/SS_FootballCovidOpen_01-1.jpg?fit=2400%2C1914&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18521"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18521"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18577,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18521\/revisions\/18577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18521"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=18521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}