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Nov 19, 2025
Mirror file photo Justin Wheeler attempts a pass for Bishop Guilfoyle against Bellefonte from earlier this season.
Westinghouse High School of the Pittsburgh City League qualified for the PIAA Class 2A state championship football game in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, losing both games to perennial state powerhouse Southern Columbia.
Westinghouse moved down to the Class 1A level last season and was picked by many to win the state championship in that classification in 2024.
Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, however, had other ideas.
The Marauders ambushed Westinghouse in the quarterfinal round of the Class 1A state playoffs last November at Farrell High School, jumping out to a 35-0 second-quarter lead en route to a 56-15 victory that served as a springboard for BG winning the school’s fifth state title in early December.
The two teams will meet again in a PIAA quarterfinal-round matchup Friday night at Panther Stadium in Blairsville, when the District 6 champion Marauders (11-2) face Pittsburgh City League runners-up Westinghouse (7-4) for a berth in next weekend’s semifinal round. Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m.
BG coach Justin Wheeler is certain that the Westinghouse players and coaches have the bitter result of last year’s game etched into their collective memory bank, and will use it as motivation for Friday night’s rematch.
“I think that (Westinghouse) has probably been circling this game all year,” Wheeler said. “Everybody had them picked to win the state championship last year, but we won’t be sneaking up on them this year. I imagine they’ve been gearing for this game all year to try to get their revenge, so we will have to play very well.”
Both teams played very well last Friday night, when BG won its ninth district championship in 11 appearances since the 2012 season, routing Juniata Valley, 62-6 at Mansion Park. Westinghouse pounded Meyersdale, 44-0 in a District 5-8 subregional playoff game at Meyersdale.
Westinghouse showcased its splendid athletic versatility in last week’s victory. Junior Jordan Reid returned two punts for touchdowns, running one back 57 yards in the first quarter and 61 yards in the third quarter, and senior safety DeJheerit Mellix, an NCAA Division I recruit, ran an interception back 80 yards for another TD. Mellix — who has already had college offers from the University of Akron and Ball State — had three of Westinghouse’s four interceptions in last week’s game.
Sophomore quarterback Zahir Isameli entered the game in the second half, completing six of eight passes for 101 yards, and junior K’Shawn Hawkins, who leads Westinghouse in touchdowns scored this season with eight, started the game at quarterback and ran 53 yards for a first-quarter touchdown.
Junior Omar Pack also saw action at quarterback in the first half of last week’s game, running 15 yards for a touchdown, and junior back Dameon Hill ran 5 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Senior wideout Jaylen Stanford had four receptions for 84 yards against BG in last season’s game.
“They’re a really good football team,” Wheeler said. “They’ve had a bunch of interceptions and special teams returns for touchdowns this season, and they’ve been pretty consistent with that. When you’re playing against teams of this quality, you really have to be great in all phases of the game.”
Westinghouse’s defense is led by four-year veteran lineman Josiah Collins, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound Akron commit who helped the unit limit Meyersdale to a minus-2 yards rushing total.
“Ultimately, his leadership is his best quality,” Westinghouse coach Donta Green said of Collins. “He makes everyone around him better. He’s been a part of the program for four years, and he plays extremely hard.”
Green said that BG played extremely hard in last year’s game, and expects a similar effort from the Marauders on Friday night.
“I’ve only seen them briefly on film this year, and I’ve relied on input from my assistant coaches about them, but if they are anything like last year’s team, they will be well-coached, disciplined, and play very hard,” Green said of the Marauders. “That’s what we’ve got to prepare for against them.”
Westinghouse imploded in last season’s playoff game with BG, turning the ball over five times, including three on fumbles. Two of those fumbles led directly to BG touchdowns.
“We have to focus on not making as many mistakes as we made in last year’s game, and not shooting ourselves in the foot,” Green said. “I think that as long as we focus on executing at a high level, we should get the outcome that we desire.”
BG has had an excellent concerted effort from both its offense and defense through its three playoff victories this year. The Marauders’ first-team defense didn’t yield a single point in the team’s one-sided wins over Purchase Line, Homer-Center, and Juniata Valley, and BG’s offense, led by do-it-all senior Jake Kissell, has been providing the Marauders with plenty of firepower.
Kissell rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns while playing just one half in the district championship game, upping his season rushing totals to 1,445 yards on 207 carries and 27 touchdowns. He has also caught 25 passes, including one for a touchdown, and thrown for 412 yards and five scores.
Coach Wheeler’s son, sophomore quarterback Justin Wheeler, tossed two touchdown passes and ran for another TD in the district championship game. He’s passed for 1,279 yards and nine TDs this season, while rushing for 602 yards and three scores.
Senior wideout/cornerback Tyson Lestochi has a team-leading 35 receptions for 589 yards and five TDs, and has also made a team-leading eight interceptions, including one runback for a TD last week.
Freshman back Keegan Hewitt and junior back Jack Gioiosa have also made valuable offensive contributions for the Marauders, who lost star senior running back/linebacker Taurean Consiglio for the year with an arm injury very early this season.
“We still miss Consiglio every day, because he’s such a gifted player, but other guys have really had to step up maybe earlier than they expected, and they’ve all done that for us,” Coach Wheeler said. “Many of our underclassmen have really come a long way.”
Westinghouse has been a Pittsburgh City League power in the recent past, winning five league championships over the past seven seasons. The Bulldogs lost this year’s league championship game to USO (University Prep/Sci Tech/Obama Academy), and, after a three-week layoff, used the loss as motivational fuel for the Meyersdale game.
“The guys came prepared last week,” Green said. “After we lost that City (League) championship game, I think that the guys had a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, and I’m hoping that chip remains in this week’s game.”
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