Nov 1, 2016 4 min read

The bricks are secured neatly in the rows that lead up to the flag pole at the front gate.

Embossed on the bricks are the names of donors. Each stone a testament to the dedication of a community.

On this day, an unusually warm Tuesday afternoon, the sun reflects off the aluminum stands that lead up to the mid-sized press box.

Just to the left, on the same hillside, a giant ‘B’ is sunk into the ground surrounded by stones. A white fence guards the steep drive to one of the parking lots. A sparkling scoreboard sits at the far end zone, the locker rooms and concession stand at the other.

These are all hallmarks of Hill Memorial Stadium, which sits along Route 18, about a mile or so from Burgettstown High School. It has been the home field of Burgettstown’s football team for as long as there has been a Burgettstown football team. Renovations that began 15 years ago made it more impressive.

Names such as Havelka, Vallina, Bongiorni and Conley each contributed to the stadium’s history. Through all the years and all the games, Hill Memorial is going to be the site for something folks in these parts say has never happened before.

It will be the host field for a Burgettstown football playoff game.

The sixth-seeded Blue Devils hope to take advantage of those familiar surroundings when North Catholic arrives Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.

“I talked to Terry Havelka, who played in the ’70s when Burgettstown was winning conference titles and he believes we have never hosted a playoff game here,” said Burgettstown head coach Mark Druga of the former football coach and athletic director. “Back then, they went to neutral sites. We had some lean years when they expanded the playoffs in the ’90s. In the 2000s, we were one of the lower seeds and could not get a home game.”

The Blue Devils earned the home game, thanks to three key victories in the Century Conference: a 27-19 win over Frazier in Week 1; a 35-7 rout of Bentworth two weeks later; and a 28-0 shutout of Beth-Center in Week 6. Those wins helped the Blue Devils reach 4-3 in the conference and third place in the conference standings. It also meant a first-round playoff game at home.

“It’s an incredible advantage,” Druga said. “I know one year we went all the way up to Laurel (located just outside New Castle) to play when we were in Single-A and that’s at least an hour and 10 minutes away. Some teams have turf. We don’t have turf and are at the mercy of the elements but our field is in fantastic shape for November.”

Quarterback Brad McLaughlin has passed for more than 1,000 yards and is coming up on 500 yards rushing. He is the key to the Blue Devils engine that produced 187 points over nine games.

“My expectations for the team (at the beginning of the season) was to qualify for the playoffs,” Druga said. “We lost a lot of seniors … but we still expected to make the playoffs.”

North Catholic sports some historic names in football lore, producing degrees for much of the Rooney family – yes, that Rooney Family – and welcoming such names as Michael Tomlin and Joey Porter Jr., onto the roster. Yes, they are the sons of Steelers coaches Mike Tomlin and Joey Porter.

Porter, a wide receiver, averages 15.6 yards on his 14 reception and has eight touchdowns. Tomlin has six catches for 121 yards and a score.

Efforts to reach North Catholic head coach Jason Gildon – yes, that one – were unsuccessful.