Through the first three weeks of the 2025 high school football season, the biggest story to emerge out of Western Pennsylvania had nothing to do with any of the games played so far.
Instead, it was the game that wasn’t played between Class 1A No. 2 Clairton and Shady Side Academy.
Just two days prior to the scheduled matchup between the Bears and Bulldogs last week, Shady Side informed the WPIAL of its plans to forfeit the contest last Wednesday due to a lack of healthy players. Although they have nearly 40 players listed on their roster, the unbeaten Bulldogs claimed to have only nine healthy players available, including only three linemen.
Needless to say, Clairton coach Wayne Wade and his players were not pleased with the decision.
“We really didn’t want it. We would have much rather played the game, no matter what the outcome would have been,” said Wade, now in his 12th year at the helm. “We’ve had a forfeit or two before [during my tenure], but it wasn’t a couple days before the game. … Nothing like this. A team that’s 2-0, doing well, not looking too bad on film, and to say they had more than 20 players hurt was kind of tough.”
Despite facing a lengthy list of sanctions from the WPIAL — including a potential postseason ban — Shady Side doubled down on its decision to forfeit against the vaunted Bears, who won the previous matchup between the teams by a score of 50-0 before the game was called off at halftime last fall. Wade said both he and former Bulldogs coach Chuck DiNardo agreed to end last year’s game early after numerous injuries sustained by Shady Side, but circumstances are completely different this time around.
“I think the WPIAL has to take a serious look at it, to say there are some serious ramifications,” Wade said. “I heard the penalty will be no postseason play, even if they qualify. They will not receive a conference plaque, even if they win it. And they may even have to find their own schedule for the next two years.
“You would think with a penalty that harsh, we would try to figure it out.”
WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said no decisions have been made on any penalties regarding the forfeit, which is still considered “postponed” by the league. The game will only be counted as an official forfeit if it is not made up by the end of the regular season.
Of course, scheduling a make-up game in football is virtually impossible, especially for a team with championship aspirations like Clairton. As far as Wade is concerned, the Bears are on to Greensburg Central Catholic, and the Bulldogs are in the rearview mirror.
“The kids wanted the game,” Wade said. “But we took it as an extra couple days to prepare for Greensburg. That’s how we looked at it. That’s how we approached it.”
After starting their season in style with the grand opening of Tyler Boyd Stadium, the Bears had their big night spoiled in a 19-12 defeat against Class 3A No. 2 Imani Christian. Although they put up a good fight against a team with a handful of big-time playmakers with Power Four scholarship offers, losing is something these players simply aren’t used to — let alone losing back-to-back games dating back to their gut-wrenching 21-20 loss against Fort Cherry in the 2024 WPIAL Class 1A championship game.
So what did Clairton do to bounce back? Put up a resounding 79-0 beatdown against Serra Catholic the following week to secure its first win of the season.
“We were let down a little bit because we didn’t win [the opener], but it was very positive and upbeat to get the next week started,” Wade said. “And going and dominating Serra, for us, it was like what we were supposed to do. … We know it’s not really how you start, it’s how you finish.”
Now, heading into the fourth week of the regular season, the mighty Bears still find themselves with a record of just 1-1 after barreling through the regular season with an undefeated record a year ago. Still, if anybody knows how to keep his players focused while using this perceived slight as added motivation, it’s Wade.
And if you’re a fan of the Centurions, well, you might just be in for a rough night on Friday.
“We’ve been able to kind of keep them at an even keel. To let them know that this is life. Adversity happens,” Wade said. “Things happen in life, and you have to keep pressing on. That’s been our whole mantra with the kids all week. … Now it’s a disadvantage for Greensburg. They didn’t have two or three extra days to prepare. It’s a no-win situation.
“My guys are ready to get after it.”
Elizabeth Forward keeps marching forward
After graduating standout players like Charlie Nigut and Chris Climes, some were expecting a bit of a drop-off from Class 3A No. 4 Elizabeth Forward this fall in John DeMarco’s third year as head coach.
So far, it seems like these Warriors (3-0) only plan on raising the bar.
First, Elizabeth Forward avenged last year’s season-opening loss against West Mifflin with a 28-14 road win over the Titans in Week 0. The Warriors then handled Highlands, 35-14, before posting a lopsided 60-13 rout against East Allegheny last Friday.
As the team’s unquestioned leader, senior quarterback Ryan Messina has received the vast majority of headlines for Elizabeth Forward thus far, and rightfully so. Messina is having a terrific season, orchestrating the offense like a seasoned veteran while making big plays with both his arm and his legs. For the season, he has completed 82.5% of his passes (33 of 40) for 492 yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions, and he also leads the team with 263 yards rushing and five TDs.
That being said, the true MVP of last week’s win was the Warriors’ opportunistic defense. Of the team’s nine touchdowns on the night, four were scored by the defense — a 17-yard interception return TD by Brandon Honick, a 51-yard interception return TD by Anthony St. Angelo, and a pair of fumbles recovered in the end zone by Brendan Stroschein and Dillon Cummings.
Olsen carrying on family tradition at Armstrong
A 2023 Armstrong grad who ranks among the all-time leading passers in WPIAL history, Cadin Olsen was a standout signal-caller for the River Hawks and is now a junior quarterback at Penn. Meanwhile, Ian Olsen is now a freshman wide receiver at Furman after transferring to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season last fall.
There is still one Olsen brother remaining at Armstrong, though — and he is already off to a scorching start while making a major splash for the River Hawks this season.
A junior wideout, Quinn Olsen hauled in 11 passes for 126 yards in a 56-28 loss against Bethel Park last week, putting up an impressive outing even in a losing effort against one of the top teams in Class 5A. Through three games, that gives Olsen a WPIAL-leading 25 catches for 339 yards to go with four TD receptions.
Although the River Hawks only hold a record of 1-2, they have managed to score at least 28 points in all three games thus far, with Olsen serving as the centerpiece of the team’s explosive offense. Making his numbers even more impressive is the fact that Olsen has done it with a pair of different quarterbacks throwing him the ball, as Deo Beck has passed for 348 yards and four TDs with five interceptions on the year, while Jayden Oliver has thrown for 265 yards to go with two TDs and one interception.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
