Charleroi school board approves use of district stadium for Sabres
CHARLEROI – Myron Pottios Stadium will be the home for another Charleroi football team this summer.
Charleroi Area School Board Tuesday officially announced a one-year agreement with the Charleroi Sabres, a semi-professional football team that is part of the Premier Amateur Football League. Under terms of the agreement, the Sabres will play their 2019 home football games at Myron Pottios Stadium from May through August. Starting game times will range from 4 to 7 p.m.
Head coach Brad DeiCas and several players were present for the board’s regular monthly meeting, where they thanked the district for granting the team permission to play football in Charleroi.
“We’re very excited about bringing semi-pro football to Charleroi,” said DeiCas, who called Myron Pottios Stadium the best football facility in the WPIAL. “We want to promote something good for the community and give families an opportunity to enjoy a night out at the stadium.”
DeiCas added that the PAFL gives football players ages 18 and older a chance to compete at a higher level.
“We have players from as far away as Pittsburgh and Uniontown, but most of our players are from the Mon Valley,” he said. “The PAFL also gives young men an opportunity to continue playing football after graduating from high school. Some of these guys dream of playing football at the collegiate level, and they build up a football recruiting video while playing for the PAFL.”
Myron Pottios Stadium is also home for the Charleroi Cougars football team, which finished its 2018 season with a 10-2 record and reached the WPIAL Class 2A semifinal game.
In other business, Superintendent Edward Zelich announced that Charleroi Area School District will begin participating in the “Safe2Say” program in January 2019. Using an app, website or hotline, tipsters can anonymously report concerning behaviors or suspicious activity at schools. Safe2Say will also help identify students who are at risk for suicide. Pennsylvania is the first state in the nation to roll out this program that was designed by parents of children who were killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Zelich and Charleroi’s three principals will serve as liaisons for the district.
Zelich also noted that the state police, Domestic Security Division, will be conducting a risk and vulnerability assessment at no cost to the district. During a comprehensive examination of the district’s physical facilities and operational procedures, the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Team will identify critical assets, threat potentials and vulnerabilities. The assessment will also include recommendations for security improvements.
The board also approved the purchase of safety and security equipment with a $25,000 grant through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The district plans to use the money to buy four fixed metal detectors for entrances to its schools, along with several hand-held scanners.