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Community Reacts To Charges Against 3 Monessen Football Players

MCKEESPORT (KDKA) -- The Monessen High School football team went to McKeesport where they played Serra Catholic without three of their key players.

The unidentified players, ages 15, 16 and 17, were arrested Thursday night after practice when their coaches called police after finding marijuana, heroin and two guns in their lockers.

Monessen handily beat Serra, 50-12 Friday night; however, it may not be so easy for those players who are now locked up in the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center.

"It's a shame for that situation to cast a shadow on the team and the kids who are out there playing and trying to do a good thing," Laurie Dickerson said.

Lee Johnson, a school board member, said the arrests were unfortunate, but hopes it doesn't shed a negative life on the entire team or school.

He praised the Monessen coaches who notified police after searching the lockers and finding the drugs and weapons.

"I take my hat off to him because I think he's representing what all of us feel in our town that sports isn't the most important thing," Johnson said.

The superintendent says the school district is launching its own investigation into what happened.

Meantime, parents are trying to make sense of it all.

"I don't know what they were thinking to be honest with you," Brenda Ostlund said. "I mean, these kids are our future and I don't know. What is this world coming to because there's so much of that going around."

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