Not all Week 0 wins are created equal.
Plenty of local teams picked up memorable season-opening victories over the weekend, including West Mifflin, Montour and Seton LaSalle, to name a few. But all across the WPIAL and City League, there should be no question who emerged as the biggest winner of all on opening night — the Allderdice Dragons.
Under any circumstance, going on the road to defeat a WPIAL Class 5A opponent is no small feat — but what Allderdice accomplished in an emotionally charged 20-9 triumph at Fox Chapel on Friday night goes far beyond the game of football. Because no matter what happens the rest of this season, for at least one night, the Dragons uplifted a community that had been mired in sadness and grief for the past month, ever since the tragic death of longtime Allderdice coach Jerry Haslett just before he was set to begin his 16th season.
“It was really encouraging to see just the difference between last year to this year, and I think a lot of it is because of what they’re playing for,” said Dragons coach Mark Matson. “My job is really just to make sure we’re staying positive and focusing on the good stuff. … We’ve just got to move on and stick with what we know.”
Also a business teacher, activities director and athletic director at the school, Haslett was a pillar of the Allderdice community for nearly two decades who left a lasting impact on all of his students, players and colleagues. And although his presence is sorely missed, his fingerprints were all over Friday’s come-from-behind win.
“I could just hear him talking to me in pregame,'” said senior linebacker Mario Watkins Jr., a team captain and four-year starter. “I know he was there.”
At halftime, the Dragons found themselves trailing by a score of 3-0, with the offense struggling to find a rhythm while the defense kept them in the game. Coming out of the locker room, though, Allderdice found an extra gear for the second half, with Nasir Scott rushing for a go-ahead, 13-yard touchdown in the third quarter followed by a 17-yard TD pass from Mekhi Butler to Dav’Veion Lee early in the fourth.
After Fox Chapel answered with a touchdown to cut the Dragons’ lead to three, speedy receiver Brandon Beechum polished off the win with a 64-yard catch-and-run TD from sophomore Trecyn Ford, who passed for 126 yards in his varsity debut. Ford completed 5 of 7 passes on the night while splitting time with Butler, who finished 5 of 8. The star of the game, though, was none other than Scott — aka “Nas” — who racked up 131 yards on the ground in his first game as a high school running back.
“I feel like we have a great chance to make this a very special season,” Scott said. “We’ve got way more work to do. … We’ve got to remain humble and keep putting the work in.”
Matson spent nine years as an assistant under Haslett, who went 47-31 in City League play with nine trips to the City League championship game and three titles during his 15-year stint as head coach. And with such little time to prepare for the season after taking the reins, Matson isn’t trying to change too much.
Former standout Allderdice running back Pat Ferguson is still the offensive coordinator, while Mario Watkins is still in charge of the defense. As for Matson, his main focus is to carry on Haslett’s vision for the program and honor his legacy the best way he knows how — by showing his players how to handle adversity and teaching them about football and about life.
And of course, he might sneak in a wisecrack every once in a while, too. After all, if Haslett isn’t there, then somebody has to, right?
“You’ve got to have fun. If you’re having fun, winning comes with that,” said Lukas Stead, a junior tight end-defensive end who excels in football, basketball and baseball. “[Coach] Matson did a very great job with us. I’m just proud of him stepping in.”
For Allderdice, which won three City League titles in a five-year span from 2017-21, the goal remains the same as it was all 15 years under Haslett — to get to the championship game and win it. Then again, that will be easier said than done with the Westinghouse Bulldogs in the midst of a bona fide City League dynasty.
Westinghouse has won four of the past five City League crowns and reached back-to-back PIAA Class 2A championship games, and many have the Bulldogs tabbed as the top team in the state in Class 1A this season. Even after a season-opening 28-26 defeat against Beaver, the WPIAL’s No. 2-ranked team in Class 3A, Westinghouse is still the clear team to beat in the city.
That being said, the seniors on both the Dragons and Bulldogs surely remember Allderdice’s stunning 14-0 upset win against Westinghouse in the 2021 City League title game — the last time the Bulldogs lost to a City League foe. Three years have passed and a lot has changed in the time since, but if lightning can strike once, who’s to say it can’t strike twice?
“Westinghouse is a great team and a great program, but there’s no reason why we can’t compete with them on any given day,” Matson said. “These guys have a will to win that I haven’t seen in a few years here. There’s so much leadership from the kids. … We saw it coming that this was going to be a pretty special group.
“We’ve got 20-plus seniors who just refuse to go out the way last year’s team went out.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
