West Allegheny School District

The West Allegheny School District is a midsized, suburban public school district which is located in the western corner of Allegheny County, approximately 16 miles (26 km) from downtown Pittsburgh. The district comprises Findlay Township, North Fayette Township, and the Oakdale Borough. The district encompasses approximately 59 square miles (150 km2) and is the largest in Allegheny County in terms of geographical area. The West Allegheny School District is home of the Pittsburgh International Airport terminal. West Allegheny was formed in 1949.

West Allegheny School District
Address
100 Bruno Lane
Imperial
, Pennsylvania, 15126
United States
District information
TypePublic
Established1949
Schools5
Students and staff
District mascotIndian
ColorsScarlet and Grey
Other information
Websitewww.westasd.org

Facilities

Football: team history

The high school's football team was founded along with the school district in 1949. The team has become a powerhouse program in both the WPIAL and the PIAA over the past 20 years under head coach Bob Palko. Under Palko's leadership, the Indians have won 8 WPIAL championships, the most recent of which coming in 2016, have appeared in 3 PIAA championship games, and won the 2001 AAA state title.

Throughout this time span, the team has sent several players on to play at NCAA Division I schools and the National Football League. In 2001, the Associated Press named Tyler Palko, son of former head coach Bob Palko, the 2001 Pennsylvania Big School Player of the Year. He was also a member of the USA Today All-America Team (Second-team) and three-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WPIAL Class AAA Player of the Year. Palko led his West Allegheny Indians to a PIAA state title in 2001 for AAA in Pennsylvania and has since played for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and numerous professional teams. Other notable football alums include Dorin Dickerson and C.J. Davis, who both went on to play for Pitt and in the NFL.

Through the 1960s and 1970s West Allegheny shared an intense rivalry with Fort Cherry School District, though this has faded due to an increase in enrollment at West Allegheny and a decrease in enrollment at Fort Cherry, which placed the two schools in different classifications based on school size. More recent and current rivals include Moon, Montour, South Fayette, and Chartiers Valley. Rivals in 5A are Woodland Hills, North Hills and McKeesport

Before the mid-1990s, the Indians competed in Class AA, the third-largest of the four classifications based on enrollment. As the school's enrollment increased, the team was then moved to the AAA level, where in remained through the 2015 season. When the WPIAL and PIAA switched to a six-classification system beginning with the 2016–17 academic year, the football team was placed in class 5A, the second-largest of the six new classifications.

History in the WPIAL and PIAA Playoffs since 1993

Year Classification Farthest Round Final Score
1993 AA WPIAL Semi-finals Washington 17, West Allegheny 14 (OT)
1997 AAA PIAA Semi-finals Perry 29, West Allegheny 17
1998 AAA WPIAL Quarterfinals Highlands 21, West Allegheny 11
1999 AAA PIAA Championship Strath Haven 21, West Allegheny 7
2000 AAA PIAA Championship Strath Haven 31, West Allegheny 28
2001 AAA PIAA Championship West Allegheny 28, Strath Haven 13
2002 AAA WPIAL Quarterfinals Pine-Richland 28, West Allegheny 7
2003 AAA WPIAL First Round Highlands 7, West Allegheny 6
2004 AAA WPIAL Semi-finals West Mifflin 23, West Allegheny 22
2005 AAA WPIAL Semi-finals Thomas Jefferson 35, West Allegheny 0
2006 AAA WPIAL First Round Franklin Regional 30, West Allegheny 14
2007 AAA WPIAL Quarterfinals Thomas Jefferson 49, West Allegheny 21
2009 AAA PIAA Semi-finals Manheim Central 45, West Allegheny 27
2010 AAA WPIAL Quarterfinals Mars 29, West Allegheny 3
2011 AAA WPIAL First Round Knoch 28, West Allegheny 7
2012 AAA PIAA Quarterfinals Erie Cathedral Prep 27, West Allegheny 13
2013 AAA PIAA Quarterfinals Erie Cathedral Prep 28, West Allegheny 0
2014 AAA WPIAL Championship Central Valley 35, West Allegheny 28
2015 AAA WPIAL Quarterfinals Thomas Jefferson 14, West Allegheny 0
2016 AAAAA PIAA Semi-finals Harrisburg 42, West Allegheny 10
2017 AAAAA WPIAL 1st Round McKeesport 22, West Allegheny 21

Notable alumni

References
  1. "District". www.westasd.org. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  2. "District". www.westasd.org. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  3. CBS Sports. "Tyler Palko; Player Profile". CBS Sports; CBS Broadcasting Inc.; Sportsline.com. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  4. "Arizona Cardinals; Tyler Palko No. 3 QB". NFL; ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.