Six weeks into the season, Keystone Oaks has another athlete for its lineup.
The PIAA overturned an earlier WPIAL decision and ruled eligible senior Quran Powe, a wide receiver and defensive back who transferred from Brashear this summer. The WPIAL board ruled Powe ineligible Aug. 31, a decision reversed Wednesday after an appeals hearing in Mechanicsburg, KO coach Greg Perry said.
“The odds were against him a little bit, but he didn't give up on himself or his teammates,” said Perry, who let Powe run the scout team at practice. “He was very helpful coaching some of the younger kids up. He's been all in, just waiting for the day he could put that helmet on on a Friday night.”
Powe missed KO's first five games but can join the lineup Friday night when Burrell visits Dormont Stadium, the first of four Allegheny Conference dates left on the schedule. Keystone Oaks (4-1, 3-0) is tied with Freeport atop the conference.
At 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, Powe was an all-City League defensive back last season at Brashear. He likely will provide another target for KO quarterback Alex Smith, a Duquesne recruit who ranks third among WPIAL passers with 1,525 yards.
“We're happy that now we have another kid we can put in,” Perry said. “We were getting a little bit banged up here. We're down some kids. Now we have a guy who can hopefully come in and give us another breath of fresh air.”
Hot ticket
Clairton coach Wayne Wade has fielded Aliquippa-Clairton ticket requests since the WPIAL released its schedule in February. Friday will be sold out, said Wade, who expects a standing-room crowd.
“The week the schedule came out I had people call,” he said, “and they'd say: ‘I'm putting Oct. 7 on my calendar. I'm taking that day off of work. I need two tickets.' ”
Among the alumni returning as honorary captains are brothers Gary Mullen (WVU) and Davlin Mullen (Eastern Kentucky), Jim Kelly (Notre Dame) and Ray Weatherspoon, who played at Penn State and Pitt. The school added portable bleachers for a game that could draw around 4,000.
“If this was on a Saturday,” Wade said, “we might have to play this game at Heinz Field.”
TV timeout
With Root Sports starting its high school schedule this week, WPIAL football fans can choose between two live TV games Friday. WPNT will televise Aliquippa vs. Clairton at 7 p.m., and Root has New Castle vs. South Fayette at 7:30 p.m. Xfinity will show tape-delayed West Allegheny at Upper St. Clair through on-demand.
Pink-Out
As many WPIAL teams and fans don pink this month, the Moon football program will present Magee Women's Breast Cancer Center an $8,000 check prior to Friday's game. The donation is the largest from the team and cheerleaders since their first in 2013 and brings their four-year total to more than $20,000, according to the school.
Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.
