Ligonier Valley, Imani Christian forfeit Week 6 football games
Oct. 6—Serra Catholic is picking up its second forfeit victory of the season after Ligonier Valley announced Wednesday it will be unable to field a team for Friday's scheduled WPIAL Class 2A Allegheny Conference football game.
The Eagles (8-0, 2-0) received a nonconference forfeit win against Carlynton on Sept. 24. Serra Catholic then beat Freeport.
Injuries, not covid-19 quarantines, have dwindled down the Rams roster, Ligonier Valley athletic director Wesley Siko said.
In a statement released by the district: "Due to a high number of injuries and lack of depth, Ligonier Valley High School will not be able to play football this Friday against Serra Catholic. This issue has created a health and safety concern for our learner (student) athletes and the ability to compete safely. As a district, we are put in a position to ensure that our learner's safety is the priority and we will never falter from that stance."
Siko said the decision wasn't easy and was made after conferring with coach Roger Beitel and school administration.
Ligonier Valley (5-2, 0-2) was missing at least three starters — quarterback Haden Sierocky, defensive back Ryan Harbert and slot back Miles Higgins — in last week's loss at Steel Valley. Other players suffered injuries in that game.
"We were hit with the injury bug," Siko said. "We're hoping to get players back to practice and ready for the Oct. 15 game against Summit Academy."
In addition to Ligonier Valley, Imani Christian (2-4, 1-3) — which already forfeited a game to Greensburg Central Catholic on Sept. 17 — is forfeiting its Class A Eastern Conference game Friday against Clairton (4-2, 4-0).
Also, the nonconference game between Washington (6-0) and Uniontown (1-3) has been canceled this week because the Washington School District has switched to virtual learning to slow the spread of covid-19 in the junior-senior high school.
Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Paul by email at pschofield@triblive.com or via Twitter .
