Steel Valley and Imani Christian will be policing themselves following an incident between the teams that occurred during last week’s football game.
“We think that’s the best-case scenario,” WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said. “Any time we get our member schools to follow the guidelines and of what’s expected and in play — there’s times when officials can’t see everything. Coaches can see everything. But when that type of incident happens, we hope our member schools will follow through and do that, and that’s exactly what we want. When they don’t, that’s when the WPIAL has to step in.”
During last week’s WPIAL Class 2A Allegheny Conference game between Steel Valley and Imani Christian, two players were ejected, one from each side, during the 17-6 win by the Ironmen. But it was another incident, a scrum away from the action near the sideline that turned into a full-blown fight between players from both schools that was caught on video, that made the rounds on social media over the weekend.
Seltzer and other members of the WPIAL saw the video prior to the monthly board of directors meeting. While the actions of the players were front and center, they were also concerned with what was going on in the periphery.
“Coaching football and coaching sports, I try to look at the outside. You see the kid slam the other kid and see the other kid come in and punch a kid. Those things are egregious and those things are easy,” Seltzer said. “I try to see what else is happening. ... Talking with Steel Valley, they believe that Imani’s coaches were trying to gain control of the area.”
Both schools spent the weekend and Monday investigating the incident and are expected to provide their findings and disciplinary recommendations to chief operating officer Vince Sortino as early as Tuesday. Any punishments, including game suspensions, that will be meted out will begin this week.
Steel Valley is scheduled to host Ligonier Valley this week, and Imani Christian will travel to Serra Catholic.
“It was a horrible thing that happened in that 60 seconds with the kid punching and stuff like that,” Seltzer said. “We really believe the school will handle that. Things happened, but the adults handled it. There wasn’t anybody inciting.”
Until the WPIAL receives the incident reports from the two schools, though, the organization is taking a wait-and-see approach. The only thing definite is the two players who were ejected during game action by the officials were automatically suspended for this week’s games.
“We’re waiting to hear, and I believe that there will be further action taken against kids who weren’t ejected,” Seltzer said. “If it’s not, then we bring them in.”
Keith Barnes: kbarnes.pg@gmail.com and Twitter @kbarnes_pghsprt
First Published: September 18, 2023, 11:55 p.m.
