Report: WPIAL Bans Valley From Playoffs Unless Coach Is Suspended
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A local high school football team will be ineligible for the playoffs this year unless the district suspends its head coach.
According to our news partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the decision came after a fight broke out between Valley and Ellwood City on Friday.
The fight started with less than two minutes to play and officials had to separate the teams on the field. Valley coach Muzzy Colosimo reportedly refused to complete the game after the fight and Ellwood City was awarded a 20-18 win.
On Tuesday, the WPIAL held a hearing with both schools. As part of their decision, the board has banned Valley from competing in the playoffs unless the school suspends Colosimo.
While the WPIAL cannot force schools to suspend anyone, they can place restrictions on those that do not comply with rulings.
In the halls this week at Valley High School, conversations in the halls point to the fight being racially motivated.
"They're just talking about how Ellwood City and Valley got into a big fight. They're saying that they said racial slurs and then they just got into a big fight," Valley High School freshman Jonathan Hummel said.
WPIAL also put both the Ellwood City and Valley High school football programs on probation through 2018 and publicly censured Colosimo and Ellwood City coach Nick Hand.