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Sunday, May 25, 2025 | 11:01 AM
Josh Rizzo | For TribLive
Sharelle Short looks to weave through the defense for Penn Hills on May 14 at Yuhas McGinley Stadium. The Indians lost to Woodland Hills.
Josh Rizzo | For TribLive
Penn Hills freshman Trinity Fielder can’t evade a Woodland Hills defender May 14 at Yuhas McGinley Field.
Penn Hills athletic director Steph Strauss always wants to keep an eye out for whatever can help the district’s athletic programs. When she became aware of the NFL’s grant program to help schools with money for new turf, Strauss wanted to make sure Yuhas McGinley Stadium would see some benefits.
On May 14, the district was presented with a $250,000 grant from the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers for a new turf field. The work was completed last summer, and it included an upgrade to the lights surrounding the field.
“The NFL Grassroots Grant is truly special in the way it supports youth sports,” Strauss said. “When I was writing the grant in 2023, I remember trying to capture what this meant for the Penn Hills community.”
Jackie Blakey-Tate, who is vice president of the Penn Hills School Board, attended the ceremony and then attended the Indians’ two girls flag football games with Jeannette and Woodland Hills that followed.
Penn Hills beat the Jayhawks but were shut out by the Wolverines.
“This is a beautiful field. I’ve lived in Penn Hills for 12 or 15 years now,” Blakey-Tate said. “I love it. I think the students and community are proud of this field. I think it will bring more people back to Penn Hills.”
Blakey-Tate said this grant was a good opportunity for the community.
The field got a needed facelift, while the school board wasn’t faced with stressing over the budget to complete the work.
“When we look at the things that are real necessities, in terms of upgrades, we have to be able to go out and get as many grants and awards as we can,” Blakey-Tate said. “This has been really positive. The boards have been good stewards of their money. This didn’t cost the community too much of anything other than time and the ability to go out and say this is a good thing.”
Trio helps West win
The players from Western Pennsylvania represented their region well by helping the West team beat the East team at the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association Large School all-star game, 17-12, at Cumberland Valley High School.
Donovan Burnett, Naytel Mitchell and Darrell Banks all played in the game representing Penn Hills.
Tags: Penn Hills
