Synagogue Shooting

Taylor Allderdice football team brings home win for community days after synagogue shooting

On Saturday, they were one team, ready to suit up to take a Pittsburgh City League football championship.

Kickoff between the Taylor Allderdice Dragons and the Westinghouse Bulldogs was set for 1 p.m.  They were the two best teams in the league all season.

But about three hours before the Allderdice team could take the field, tragedy struck, and it struck close to home.

The high school sits just one mile from the Tree of Life Synagogue, the scene of a mass shooting that left 11 people dead and several more injured.

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The game was postponed while the community mourned and the investigation into the suspected shooter, Robert Bowers, began.  A championship didn't seem as important as being there for their families and their neighbors.

Once the game was rescheduled for Tuesday, the Allderdice team was ready to go and show how strong their community is. They beat Westinghouse to win their second consecutive championship. 
         
Channel 11 sat down with coach Jerry Haslett and a few members of the team to talk about how they'll remember this emotional week.

"Everybody's pretty much exhausted," said Haslett.  "It's just been real tiring."

The exhaustion was clear in his voice, as he said his team has been through a lot. Their emotion was clear too.

"We had to go out there and play for (the community)", said senior defensive end Kenny Hardin.  "The game getting canceled on Saturday gave us time to process what happened."

Hardin said he was getting ready for the game when he got a text from his mom telling him there was an active shooter outside his house.  He kept texting his family back, but no one responded for several excruciating minutes.

That's because the Pittsburgh SWAT team was using the family's home near the synagogue, positioning themselves in the basement.

Hardin's family is safe.

"For the longest time, I've seen these shootings on the news, and as tragic as they are, I never figured it could happen in our backyard," Hardin said.

Once the game was rescheduled, the players said the team was focused on one mission.

“We knew we had to get this win for the community, to help it heal a little," said senior quarterback Dalen Dugger.

Team members said they'll always remember this week for the lives lost and the tragedy that unfolded.  But they'll also remember finding a new purpose on the football field and winning for a community in mourning.

"It might not mean anything to most people. But it if helps somebody, then it's worth it,” said senior center Justin Salmons.

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