Ligonier Valley Rams host first home WPIAL playoff game
The Rams will face Riverside at Weller Field after stadium upgrades allowed the school to meet league inspection standards.
By Jonathan Reed ·
Ligonier Valley High School has traveled more than 450 miles to play in the WPIAL playoffs over the last three seasons. The Rams will finally host a first-round game at their home field on Friday.
The seventh-seeded Rams, who finished the regular season with an 8-2 record, will host No. 10 Riverside at 7 p.m. Friday. The visitors are 6-3. This marks the first time the program has played a playoff opener at Weller Field since rejoining the WPIAL in 2020.
The school recently passed WPIAL inspection after investing in upgrades to make the stadium handicap accessible. These changes satisfied league requirements for seating, parking, press box operations, and safety protocols that previously kept the Rams from hosting.
Prior to this season, the Rams played every playoff game on the road. In 2022, they played at Greensburg’s Offutt Field to beat Western Beaver 27-20. A power outage forced a mid-game relocation from Geneva College to Blackhawk later that postseason. In 2021, the team traveled to South Side, Frazier, Western Beaver, and Waynesburg, covering distances of up to 200 miles.
Longtime coach Roger Beitel said the home game allows the community to see what the players accomplished on the field. He noted that the team bus has logged extensive mileage in recent years, making a local venue a welcome change.
Quarterback Levi Foust, who rushed for 1,276 yards this season, said the home atmosphere will benefit the senior class. Foust described Weller Field as a comfortable environment for the team to compete in a big game.
The WPIAL typically schedules games on artificial turf, but it permits natural grass fields if other site requirements are met. Ligonier Valley expects to install turf in the near future, but the current stadium meets the necessary standards for this postseason appearance.
The Rams' home opener comes as other Westmoreland County teams set program records. Penn-Trafford broke three school marks in a 52-28 win over Latrobe, including the most points in a quarter and most defensive touchdowns in a season.
Greensburg Salem quarterback Brody Chismar finished the season with single-school records for passing yards and touchdowns. He also broke career marks with 5,512 yards and 56 touchdowns. Derry running back Max Doherty set the school record for career rushing yards with 3,020.
