The football game between Woodland Hills and Penn Hills was stopped with 10 minutes, 50 seconds remaining following a shooting two-tenths of a mile down the street in the CVS parking lot on Lynn Avenue in Turtle Creek.
The Wolvarena was cleared as a precaution, with Woodland Hills ahead of Penn Hills, 26-6.
Penn Hills athletic director Steph Strauss and Woodland Hills football coach Brian Tarrant didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment.
The Wolverines looked strong despite playing without injured linebacker Zykir Moore.
Lenair Butler, Earl Perry, Jaden Prince and Malik McCloud gave the Wolverines what they needed. All four players scooped up fumbles to help Woodland Hills crush Penn Hills’ offense.
The Wolverines won the King of the Hills trophy for the first time. It was introduced before Penn Hills’ 26-21 win last season, and the Wolverines lead the all-time series 19-15.
Moore was injured during the Wolverines’ loss to McDowell in Week Zero. Woodland Hills, No. 4 in the TribLive HSSN WPIAL rankings, often struggled to keep up with Penn Hills’ running attack. However, the Indians (0-2) kept making significant mistakes.
In addition to losing three fumbles, two of No. 5 Penn Hills’ first-half drives ended on downs.
Woodland Hills opened the scoring on its first possession. Wolverines quarterback Cam Walter found Amere Brown for a 20-yard touchdown. Woodland Hills stretched its lead to 19-0 thanks to its excellent running game.
Elijah Nesby, who finished with 99 yards on 15 carries, scored two touchdowns in the first half. Nesby’s second touchdown run, a dazzling 43-yard effort, was set up after McCloud recovered a fumble by Penn Hills running back Naytel Mitchell.
Mitchell didn’t make many mistakes against the Wolverines. He piled up a game-high 193 rushing yards on 23 carries despite battling cramps.
Mitchell scored Penn Hills’ first touchdown with 5 minutes, 1 seconds left in the first half to cut the Indians’ deficit to 19-6.
After halftime, the Indians’ offensive woes continued on their first possession. A 21-yard run by Mitchell set up Penn Hills on the Woodland Hills’ 34-yard line. Two plays later, the snap caught Indians quarterback Devin Harris off-guard, and he couldn’t see it cleanly.
Prince fell on the ball to give Woodland Hills another turnover.
Five plays later, Walter hit Scoot Smith for a 40-yard catch-and-run touchdown to extend Woodland Hills’ lead to 26-6 with 5:23 left in the third quarter.
The game was halted after Woodland Hills had opened the fourth quarter with a goal-line stand. Wolverines quarterback Cam Walter had scrambled for 7 yards to open the drive when people started sprinting toward the exits.
The sounds of gunshots sent fans scrambling up the bleachers and toward the gates.
Turtle Creek mayor Adam Forgie responded to the scene and said he didn’t know if there were any injuries because it is an active investigation.