Most of our WPIAL coverage on Steel City Blitz is objective coverage, discussing standings, playoff scenarios, and Games of the Week. This project is be something a little different – a first-person account of my family visiting different towns and stadiums throughout Western Pennsylvania. Three years ago I started the Tour of the WPIAL with visits to Rochester, Southmoreland, and West Greene. Unfortunately we weren’t able to make any visits in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, but with fans allowed back in attendance last year, the Tour continued! We were able to visit Sto-Rox, Laurel, and Belle Vernon. This year we kicked off the 2022 season with a trip to Seneca Valley. A unique opportunity presented itself this season – the ability to see a game between two teams that both play their home games in the same stadium. We jumped on the chance and went to Dormont Memorial Stadium to see Keystone Oaks take on Bishop Canevin. Since both teams use the stadium for their home games, this post will cover both institutions.
Keystone Oaks
Nickname: Golden Eagles
WPIAL Championships: 4 (as Dormont High School in 1939, 1942, 1943, and 1945)
Municipalities: Dormont Borough, Green Tree Borough, Castle Shannon Borough
Bishop Canevin
Nickname: Crusaders
WPIAL Championships: 2 (1990 and 2021 – also won Pittsburgh Catholic League title in 1969).
Town History
Keystone Oaks is unique among school districts in the WPIAL for its geographic distribution. The school was the result of the 1964 merger between Dormont, Green Tree, and Castle Shannon. The three municipalities that make up the district are non-contiguous and do not share any common borders. Additionally, Keystone Oaks high school is actually located in Mt. Lebanon – a fourth municipality which does not send any kids to the high school.
Dormont
The area that would become Dormont, the “Mountain of Gold,” was originally territory of the Delaware and Shawnee tribes. After a number of transactions from the time the land was purchased from the Six Nations, it became part of St. Clair Township in Allegheny County in 1788. Dormont as a borough was officially incorporated in March 1909. With a total area of less than one square mile, Dormont is the most densely populated municipality in Allegheny County. Dormont was originally built out as a street car suburb then the construction of the Liberty Tunnels brought direct vehicular access to downtown. With the direct access by road, along with The T light rail line, Dormont is an inner-ring suburb with excellent connectivity to Pittsburgh. The Borough also boasts the largest outdoor pool in Pennsylvania. The pool was originally built in 1920 when Andrew Philp created a wading pool by damming a creek along Banksville Road. In subsequent years, the pool expanded throughout the 1920s and eventually reached its current size in 1937.
Green Tree
Green Tree Borough is most commonly known throughout the South Hills for the commercial corridor of Greentree Road. The original pathway through the region was a Native American trail which the current Greentree Road roughly follows. George Washington used this trail when searching for a direct route between Fort Pitt and Fort Henry. The area which makes up the 2-square mile community of Green Tree was settled in the 1790s. It was mostly rural over the first century. The community took its name from a large sycamore tree where stagecoaches would deliver mail. This tree also gave its name to the nearby “Green Tree Hotel” which has sometimes been cited as the namesake of the community. Green Tree was incorporated in 1885. In the early 1900s, the Wabash Railroad made a connection in Green Tree with the construction of Rook Station. While development in Dormont was aided by the creation of the Liberty Tunnels, Green Tree’s population boom came with the Fort Pitt Tunnels. Green Tree
Castle Shannon
The area which would become Castle Shannon was settled in 1784 by a number of Scotch-Irish settlers. David Strawbridge, who had a large farm in the area, titled his land “Castle Shanahan” on his deed in remembrance of his Irish heritage. Much of the farmland consisted of rye farmers, an important cash crop of the region and one of the cruxes of the Whiskey Rebellion, which began in southern Allegheny and northern Washington counties. The street plan for the village was laid out in 1872, the same year a railroad connection was made to downtown Pittsburgh. Coal mining became the main industry as the area became more heavily populated with immigrants coming from various European nations. By 1904 there were eight mines in operation which brought a connection to the Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railroad. Castle Shannon was officially incorporated as a Borough in 1919. Like Dormont, Castle Shannon maintains a strong connection to downtown Pittsburgh via The T light rail lines.
Bishop Canevin High School History
Bishop Canevin High School is located adjacent to St. Paul’s Catholic Seminary, which serves the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The school was built in 1958 and opened in 1959 as “Canevin Catholic High School.” The school’s namesake was Archbishop John Francis Regis Canevin who was the fifth Bishop of Pittsburgh (from 1904-1921) and the first Western Pennsylvania native to hold the position. He was given the title of “Archbishop of Pelusium” by Pope Benedict XV upon his retirement due to ill health in 1921. Initially, Canevin Catholic high school had two separate faculties – one for boys and one for girls. The Diocese of Pittsburgh became the official administrator of the high school in 1976. In 2002 the school officially changed the name to “Bishop Canevin High School.”
Football History
Keystone Oaks
Dormont High School originally opened in 1922. Keystone Oaks school district was formed in 1964 by the agreement to merge students from Green Tree, Dormont, and Castle Shannon. Interestingly, the merger happened mid-year with Green Tree and Castle Shannon students joining Dormont high school in the winter of 1964. Previously, Green Tree residents had attended school in Carnegie and Castle Shannon residents had attended Bethel Park.
Dormont High School was a wartime powerhouse in the WPIAL. The “Bulldogs” as they were known began playing football in 1922. Dormont had undefeated seasons in 1945 and 1947. Dormont was awarded the WPIAL Class A (later renamed AA) Championship in 1939, winning outright on Gardner Points and not playing a Championship Game. In 1942, Dormont and Mt. Pleasant Hurst tied 14-14 in the WPIAL Championship Game. Since there was no overtime before the 1980s, both teams claimed a share of the title. Dormont would tie for the title again in 1943, playing Glassport to a 13-13 draw in the Championship Game. The Bulldogs would finally win a title game in 1945, beating Derry Township 30-19. Dormont would make it back to Championship games in 1946 and 1949, losing to Springdale and California. Since the joining of Dormont, Green Tree, and Castle Shannon, Keystone Oaks has not been to a WPIAL Championship Game. The best seasons for Keystone Oaks have been runs to the semifinals in 2009, 2016, and 2020.
Bishop Canevin
Bishop Canevin has played football since 1962. They originally competed in the Pittsburgh Catholic League before joining the WPIAL in 1975. Canevin had the distinction of losing the most games in the history of the Pittsburgh Catholic League, but did win the League title in 1969. After joining the WPIAL, Canevin did not make the playoffs until 1983 when they made a run to the AA Championship Game, losing to Jeannette. Canevin would return to the title game in 1990, beating Washington to claim their first WPIAL title. Canevin would not return to the WPIAL title game until 2021, but had a solid run of success in the 2000s. The Crusaders made the playoffs 10 times in a 13-year span from 2000-2012 and reached the semifinals three times. After a three-year absence from the playoffs, Bishop Canevin won the 1A WPIAL title last season. The 2021 title was their first since 1990 and second WPIAL crown in school history.
Our Visit
Bishop Canevin vs Keystone Oaks
Dormont Stadium is regularly named as one of the top high school venues in Western Pennsylvania. Dormont Stadium is home to Keystone Oaks High School, but Bishop Canevin and Seton LaSalle both use the stadium for their home games as well. The stadium sits on the western edge of Dormont, perched on a hill up above Banksville Road. From Dormont Pool and historic Dormont Park, it is a short walk up the hill to the stadium. With the stadium sitting at a higher elevation, the setting sun splashes over the home grandstands before kickoff and into the first quarter.
Bishop Canevin is the defending 1A WPIAL Champions and the presumed favorites for this season after losing just a handful of seniors to graduation. Keystone Oaks reached the quarterfinals in 3A last year and moved down to 2A this season. The game itself started slow and sloppy, with teams trading punts and both defensive lines controlling the action. The first quarter ended in a 0-0 tie. Both teams have strong passing games that just couldn’t find their rhythm early. Keystone Oaks has a strong-armed quarterback in Nick Buckley who threw some nice deep balls that didn’t connect with his receivers. On the other side, Bishop Canevin used both Kole Olszewski and Jason Cross at quarterback. Canevin also boasts one of the best receiver tandems in the WPIAL in Lasae Lacks and Xavier Nelson.
In the second quarter, Keystone Oaks was able to march down the field with the help of some Bishop Canevin penalties. The Eagles would punch it in for a touchdown on a slant route from Nick Buckley to Clinton Robinson. Canevin couldn’t overcome their mistakes in the first half. They turned the ball over three times (including two interceptions in the red zone) and committed numerous penalties. Other than the penalty-aided touchdown drive, Keystone Oaks didn’t do much on offense either and the game went into halftime 7-0.
Canevin made an immediate splash in the second half as 1A Player of the Year Xavier Nelson took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. This tied the game at 7 and from there it was all Canevin. Jason Cross, who has D1 offers at safety, played more at quarterback in the second half and brought a dual-threat dynamic that KO struggled to defend. Cross put Canevin ahead later in the third quarter with a 20-yard touchdown run. Canevin’s defense continued to stifle KO’s offense into the fourth quarter. Keystone Oaks started to put a drive together and got across midfield but Canevin came up with an interception to halt the threat. Canevin put the game on ice shortly thereafter with a 55-yard TD run by Marquis Carter slicing through the KO defense.
All in all, Bishop Canevin as the presumptive favorite in 1A was as talented as advertised. The Crusaders have gamebreakers all over the field and are threats to score any time they touch the ball. If it wasn’t for the penalties and turnovers in the first half, Canevin likely would have run away with this game as their defensive line was dominant. For Keystone Oaks, Nick Buckley is a quality quarterback who is still working on developing timing with his receiving corps, which is all new this season. Keystone Oaks is a solid squad with some good size in the trenches and should be good enough to compete for a playoff spot in 2A this season.
