All first-round playoff games will be on artificial turf

It is now certain. All 32 WPIAL football first-round playoff games will be played on artificial turf.

Twelve teams were scheduled to play home games on natural grass Friday, but all 12 have informed the WPIAL that they have moved their games to schools with an artificial turf surface because of the rainy weather from Hurricane Sandy. The WPIAL gave all teams until tomorrow at 9 a.m. to decide whether to move the games. If the schools did not move the game, the WPIAL reserved the right to change the game site.

The new game sites in Class AA are: Steel Valley vs. Aliquippa at Moon, Mount Pleasant vs. Burrell at Valley; South Allegheny vs. Jeannette at Norwin; Beaver Falls vs. Freeport at Highlands; Shady Side Academy vs. Washington at Washington & Jefferson College.
The new Class A sites are: Frazier vs. Clairton at Belle Vernon; Brentwood vs. Springdale at Fox Chapel; Neshannock vs. Jefferson-Morgan at Waynesburg High School; Apollo-Ridge vs. Monessen at Charleroi; Carmichaels vs. Sto-Rox at North Hills; Union vs. Beth-Center at California High School; Avonworth vs. Rochester at Ambridge.