The Pittsburgh City League tournament came to an end on Saturday, when the Westinghouse Bulldogs stormed past the Taylor Allderdice Dragons, 40-12 behind a 28-point second half outburst, giving Westinghouse their third City League title in a row and fourth in the past five years.
With the City League bracket concluded, it’s time for the teams involved to turn an eye to the wider PIAA state playoff bracket. Each of the four teams who appeared in the City League tournament secured an automatic playoff spot: Perry and USO in addition to Allderdice and Westinghouse.
As tournament champions, Westinghouse locked in a double bye in the Class-1A PIAA bracket, a change from the past two seasons, when they made the State Championship game in the Class-2A bracket. Westinghouse will host a first-round state playoff game against the champion from PIAA District 5, which has teams in the area of Bedford and Somerset counties. That game will be played on either Nov. 15 or 16 at Cupples Stadium on the South Side.
Allderdice, who plays in Class-5A, advances to face Hollidaysburg on the road at 7 p.m. in a subregional on Friday. The two teams met in Pittsburgh on Aug. 30, with Hollidaysburg winning in blowout fashion, 42-0. The Dragons are returning to the state playoffs after a one-year hiatus. After losing to Westinghouse as City League runner-ups in 2022, they lost to McDowell in the state playoffs.
USO players walk onto the field for a game against Westinghouse on Oct. 28, 2023. — Jared Todhunter / Pittsburgh Sports Now
USO is the final PIAA team playing in this year’s state tournament. will face Punxsutawney at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 in a subregional in the Class-4A bracket. USO lost to Meadville in the state playoffs last season. Perry, the fourth and final team to qualify for the state playoff, opted out of making an appearance. Brashear finished 0-8 and was eliminated from contention.