By: Chris Harlan


Thursday, September 4, 2025 | 3:00 PM

Shady Side Academy is standing behind its decision to call off a football game this week despite possible WPIAL repercussions.

A day after announcing that the team was short on players and would forfeit its Week 2 nonconference game at Clairton, the school reaffirmed its stance Thursday, citing an “unwavering commitment to student safety.” A team that forfeits a game without written WPIAL approval can be excluded from the playoffs and stripped of any section championship plaque.

“At Shady Side Academy, the health and well-being of our students will always come first,” Shady Side Academy athletic director Sean Simmons said in a statement. “Our players are teenagers, not professionals. Their safety is non-negotiable. We will not compromise our principles to satisfy the demands of an athletic league, and if sanctions are imposed, we are prepared to defend the dignity and safety of our student-athletes in every possible forum.”

The WPIAL said Wednesday it would consider the game postponed, a designation that could allow the teams to reschedule later in the season, if possible. If the game weren’t played, it would be considered a forfeit.

The Bulldogs are off to a 2-0 start under first-year coach Andrew Geisler.

Shady Side Academy on Thursday clarified that only nine of the “almost 40 total players on the roster” are healthy and eligible to play this week. The school said the injuries ranged from fractures and broken wrists to back issues and concussions, as well as ongoing rehabilitation.

The school’s update said the nine available athletes included three offensive linemen, while the six other players are ninth graders “new to the game,” including a kicker.

A day earlier, the school had said “nearly 20” of the 40 were unavailable.

WPIAL chief operating officer Vince Sortino noted that rules about forfeits, which come from the PIAA bylaws, are included in the WPIAL football cover letter sent to schools.

The cover letter says: “In accordance with Article XII ATHLETIC RELATIONS, Section 5.A. of the PIAA By-Laws, any school forfeiting a League-scheduled contest without written approval from the WPIAL Office will result in the loss of Championship Rights under Article XIII PENALTIES, Section 5, with reference to Section 2.A. This includes the awarding of a Section Championship plaque.”

Sortino said Thursday that the school had not received written approval.

However, Shady Side Academy noted in its statement that the school had previously forfeited games in the 2016, ‘19 and ‘23 seasons without facing such repercussions. The school said small roster sizes, injuries or illness led to those forfeits, noting that other WPIAL schools also have forfeited without penalty.

“Protecting injured players is not only the right decision, it is the only decision,” Simmons said. “Threats of punishment for prioritizing safety run counter to the mission of the PIAA itself, which clearly states its purpose is ‘to promote and support safe and healthy interscholastic competition.’”

Clairton defeated Shady Side Academy, 50-0, last season.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Clairton, Shady Side Academy