Upon further review, the official erred. So Andy Pacak gets to coach Monessen in the WPIAL playoffs.

Pacak was thrown out of a game Friday against Carmichaels for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, which carries an automatic ejection and a one-game suspension, under PIAA and WPIAL rules. It was tough for Pacak to accept because he wasn't involved in either penalty.

As of yesterday morning, Pacak thought he would not coach his team in a first-round Class A game. But by the time the WPIAL announced its playoff pairings last night at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Moon, Pacak had found out his ejection was overturned and he was cleared by the PIAA to coach Friday night against Springdale.

Charles Hunnell, the referee on the officiating crew for the Monessen-Carmichaels game, wrote a letter to the PIAA admitting he was wrong for ejecting Pacak because one of the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties was against a Monessen assistant coach.

"I'm pleased with the outcome of this and pleased with the way the PIAA looked at it and said, 'Wait a minute. Maybe something did go awry here.' " Pacak said.

The first penalty was against Monessen's players for taunting California before the game. A taunting penalty on a team is charged to the coach.

In the second quarter, a Monessen assistant coach was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for saying something to an official. Hunnell thought an assistant coach's penalty also goes against the head coach. So that's why Hunnell ejected Pacak.

After receiving Hunnell's letter admitting a mistake, the PIAA decided to examine the situation and check the rule book. Bob Lombardi, associate executive director of the PIAA, informed Monessen in an e-mail that Pacak should not have been charged with the second penalty. Thus, he should not have been ejected.

"I had a real hard time dealing with this, ever since Friday night," Pacak said. "Not because I'm some great coach and not because I don't have a lot of faith in my assistants. But we're a small school and you create a bond with these kids. I felt as if I was disappointing them.

"Every sport nowadays you see using reviews. I have to be very complimentary to the official who stepped back and said wait a minute, 'We need to look at this.' "

One other notable ejection from last week won't be overturned. Clairton standout receiver-defensive back Kevin Weatherspoon was ejected for allegedly throwing a punch against Serra. Weatherspoon, a Pitt recruit, will not play against South Side Beaver.

The No. 1 seeds in the playoffs are Gateway (Class AAAA), Thomas Jefferson (AAA), South Fayette (AA) and Rochester (A).

"The hardest one to seed was Class AA," WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley said. "Just because of the number of quality teams."

Thomas Jefferson is trying to make history, becoming only the second team in WPIAL history to win four titles in a row (without a tie). Braddock did it in the 1950s. Penn Hills won four from 1975-79, but the Indians tied one title game.

FSN Pittsburgh will televise the Penn Hills-Upper St. Clair game live Friday night. Comcast cable television will show the Mt. Lebanon-Shaler game on tape delay Saturday night.

The MSA Sports Network will have all playoff games on radio or the Internet.

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