Penn Hills-Gateway football game restricted to family members only after reported threat
PENN HILLS, Pa. —
Attendance at the Gateway-Penn Hills high school football game Friday night was restricted to players’ family members only, the superintendents of both school districts said.
The decision was made because of “a potential threat” that was reported via the Safe2Say app, Penn Hills Superintendent John Mozzocio and Gateway Superintendent Guy Rossi said in a joint statement. Details regarding the nature of the threat were not released.
“No other community members, including students, band members, or cheerleaders, will be allowed to attend,” the school administrators said in the statement.
Operation Football: Scores of Friday night’s high school football games
Penn Hills hosted the matchup. Livestreaming video of the game was made available through a link on the school’s social media channels.
“We have been working with our law enforcement and school security partners to ensure the safety of everyone who attends this game,” the statement said, in part. “We realize this is an unfortunate turn of events for everyone who enjoys Friday night football, but we believe this is the appropriate approach to take in light of this potential threat.”
“It’s just sad, it really is. And the cheerleaders can’t be here. It’s just horrible,” said Deanna Mason, the mother of a Penn Hills player.
Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel
Some fans said school officials and law enforcement made the right move.
“You can’t just not do anything. You have to be proactive, and I think that’s what they’re doing. They’re being proactive, they’re out, they’re very visible,” Bernard Mathis said.
However, others said they thought it was an overreaction.
“I have a daughter that cheers for Gateway. She was so heartbroken because she prepared all week for this game,” David Dixon Sr. told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Jordan Cioppa.
Dixon’s grandson is the quarterback for Penn Hills. A fun family rivalry game didn’t go as planned.
“They punished the kids,” Dixon said. “It did dampen the attitude.”
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to the Monroeville and Penn Hills police chiefs for more information on the threat, but did not immediately hear back.
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.