WCCA cancels 7-on-7 football championship

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, June 14, 2020 | 3:30 PM

The holding pattern is over for the Westmoreland County Coaches Association.

There will be no 7-on-7 football championship after all.

The organization held out hope it could play but on Sunday decided it would be best to cancel the event as health concerns and question marks loom over the coronavirus pandemic.

Response to the idea of having the event was lukewarm at best.

Some coaches and teams showed concern and reluctance over playing in the annual passing tournament, which was supposed to be July 18 at Latrobe.

Others did not get back to the WCCA to confirm, decline or state a case about participating.

While teams can resume voluntary workouts as soon as their school board approves district-by-district safety guidelines that run alongside those announced by Gov. Tom Wolf, the WCCA opted to scratch the tournament and avoid potential issues.

Among them: teams would have limited time to prepare, the field could be watered down and the question of spectator safety also could have become an issue.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but the most reasonable given ongoing concerns for health and well being of the participants and fans that would be involved,” WCCA president Larry Sellitto said. “We as an organization are already looking towards the return of these events in 2021.”

The WCCA also canceled the boys basketball summer shootout scheduled for next month at Hempfield because of many of the same issues, including indoor guidelines.

Next up on the WCCA schedule are fall events: the golf and cross country championships. Those are green-lit for now, but the association will continue to monitor the wide-reaching impact of the virus.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough