Westinghouse Football in national spotlight after historic 2022 season

PITTSBURGH — A historic 2022 season put Westinghouse Football in the national spotlight.

The community has shown unwavering support for the Westinghouse program, and now other big names Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Steelers, are also showing their support.

It’s been a whirlwind year for the Westinghouse Bulldogs, but years of quiet preparation made for a loud introduction.

“It was shocking because coming from the city, you don’t really expect much. All the attention really goes to the WPIAL,” senior linebacker TyJuane Abram said.

Westinghouse became the first City League team since 1997 to appear in a state final, which ended up being their only loss of the season.

“When you’re so engulfed in the work, you believe that no one is paying attention, but it was a really good year for us. I think it was a good year for our kids to get recognized for all the hard work that they do,” said Head Coach Donta Green.

It put the program on the map.

Since then, the team received a $75,000 grant from Dick’s Sporting Goods, the Steelers donated sod to patch the practice field, and local donors funded a new weight room that opened this offseason.

“I love it,” Abram said. “The support that we’re getting from the community, all the help we’re getting is helping us focus on football and not have to worry about how we’re going to prepare to get better.”

The money, the weight room, the national attention, it’s all nice on the surface, but there’s a bigger impact that can even change lives.

“Making sure that our kids are equipped to be successful far beyond high school, far beyond football is the most important job that I have,” Green said.

The money from Dick’s will go to a post-secondary support program, helping their players cover expenses to get to and thrive in college.

“We’re trying to bridge every gap that we can think that there is,” Green said.

But for now, the Bulldogs are focused on addressing unfinished business on the football field together.

“We’re just a family. We stick together even through rough times. We stick together,” junior quarterback Khalil Green said.

Westinghouse had an undefeated season and is headed back to the state playoffs.

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