Parents upset with WPIAL after late-season decision

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Some parents are frustrated with the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League after a decision involving Pittsburgh Public Schools.

More than halfway through the soccer season, teams learned their section games with Obama Academy and Taylor Allderdice are exhibition games.

Evan Peterson is in his senior year at Obama Academy, but he learned over the weekend his section games will no longer count.

"We spent all season just trying our best, trying our hardest. Hearing our games really don't matter is frustrating," Peterson said.

Some City League schools have competed in the WPIAL as "associate members" because not enough City League schools can field certain sports like soccer. In July 2023, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association ruled that can't happen.

Only last week did Obama Academy and Taylor Allderdice learn this after playing most of the season. So, all opponents that were deemed section games at the start of the season are no longer section games.

"The minute we were taken out of the section, Hampton said we are not going to play you. It's a not sectional game. It's not worth it to us," parent Julie Shields said.

Parents like Shields are upset, to say the least. While the City League schools can still compete in local and state playoffs, the principle of the matter has upset them. They want to know why it took more than a year for this to be enforced and why now.

"This is these boys and this team understanding that nobody has the right just to delete your season because they made a mistake," Shields said.

Beyond this year, there is concern because local teams may not want to play them later in the season because they'll be focused on section games. This could force the schools to play teams as far away as Erie.

"We're just left with a team that's devastated," Shields said.

Now the teams are looking to just make the most of the rest of their seasons.

"Just to show that we're still going to play no matter what. It doesn't matter if they don't matter. We're just trying to have fun," Peterson said.

The WPIAL said it is complying with the PIAA's bylaws, but did not have a response on why it made the enforcement now.