Category: Wild World of Sports || By

They call this day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday."

But today is Red-and-Gold Friday in Haler Heights, the home of McKeesport's WPIAL Class A Champion Serra Catholic Eagles.

I'll allow that to sink in for a minute or two. It only took 26 years. Let me savor it.

They were 26 long, painful years in which the Eagles were the football doormats of the Mon Valley. This is a big, big victory for Coach Rich Bowen, Athletic Director Bill Cleary, and some very tired, hard-working Serra teen-agers and their parents.

For those of you who also attended this morning's festivities at the mustard palace, I was the jaboney at the 50-yard line with the crummy transistor radio, listening to McKeesport's Paul Paterra call the game on WPTT (1360). (Listen here.)

(I also was the one taking pictures with the camera that's older than dirt.)

My typing fingers have finally defrosted enough to offer this assessment: Whew. There ain't no flies on Springdale High School's football team, who forced Serra to earn its 10-6 victory.

Until today, Serra hadn't scored fewer than 33 points in a game this season, and had won all of its games by at least three touchdowns. The Dynamos' defense almost totally shut down the Serra running game, and if it hadn't been for a fourth-quarter interception of a Springdale pass, the contest would have gone down to the final minutes.

But a win is a win is a win. And let's hope it's not another 26 years before the next WPIAL football title.

Bring on the PIAA! Go Eagles!

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Photo Gallery: Hot off the photo processing machine at the drugstore, here are a few more snaps from today's game at Heinz Field. (I'm not Ansel Adams as much as I am Grizzly Adams. Or maybe Puggsley.)

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Oh, Christmas Tree: The deadline to enter McKeesport's Festival of Trees has been extended. If your group or organization would like to decorate a special Christmas tree for this annual tradition at Renzie Park's Jacob Woll Pavilion, hurry up and contact the festival committee or call city Recreation Director Jim Brown at (412) 675-5068.

Don't wait until the last minute. Despite the extended deadline, tee time ... er, I mean tree time ... is fast approaching. The Festival of Trees runs from 12 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6 through 9.

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To Do This Weekend: McKeesport Model Railroad Club, 2209 Walnut St. (Route 148), Christy Park opens its holiday train show tonight at 6. The show runs through Dec. 23.

Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 1 to 9 p.m. Saturdays, and 12 to 6 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $4 for adults and $1 for children. Call (412) 664-LOCO or visit www.mckeesportmodelrr.org. (Correction: The show opens Friday, Nov. 30.)

Trains not your speed? There's country line dancing at the Palisades, Fifth Avenue at Water Street, tonight at 8:30. Call (412) 678-6979.