Antonio RossettI stories, Page 4
Dominant Peters Township defense stops South Fayette cold
Peters Township put on a dominant defensive display Friday night, defeating South Fayette, 38-3, in a Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference clash. Peters Township racked up 436 of total offense and held the Lions to minus-20 rushing yards and 3 total yards in the game. Mickey Vaccarello spearheaded the Indians...
St. Joseph girls volleyball team continues its rapid rise in Class A
After winning nine of its first 11 matches, the St. Joseph girls volleyball team wants to ride the momentum and bring home its first section title. “It would mean everything to me, especially playing all four years, and I’m one of three generations of my family to go to the...
Peters Township defense clamps down in 2nd half in win over Moon
Peters Township’s defense blanked Moon in the second half, pushing the Indians to a 23-14 win Friday night at Tiger Stadium. Peters Township trailed 14-7 going into the second half after back-to-back big plays for Moon. Andrew Cross hit Jared Moyer on a 74-yard pass to tie it 7-7 and...
Upper St. Clair snaps Peters Township’s winning streak in clash of Class 5A powers
Upper St. Clair snapped Peters Township’s 17-game regular season winning streak Friday night, as Julian Dahlem ran 24 times for 191 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-7 victory at Panther Stadium. Dahlem’s signature moment came with the Panthers leading 14-7 with 5:29 left in the game. On a third-and-32...
OLSH’s fully charged defense shuts down Ligonier Valley
The Our Lady of the Sacred Heart defense held Ligonier Valley to just 107 yards of offense, leading the Chargers to a 28-7 victory Friday night in Moon. Vann Kavals recorded three sacks, Owen Nestor had an interception, and Talen Ellis tallied two interceptions. “I feel like all year we’ve...
Big plays in passing game carry Montour past Knoch
Montour used its explosive offense to defeat Knoch, 44-14, in a nonconference game Friday at Thomas J. Birko Memorial Stadium. Montour (3-0) piled up 636 yards of total offense. Trey Hopper led the charge, completing 12 of 22 passes for 428 yards in two touchdowns. Seven of those completions went...
Sanctuary Boxing Club earns medals at women’s championships as gym builds momentum
The Sanctuary Boxing Club in New Kensington continued its impressive run, earning national recognition at the USA Boxing women’s championships Aug. 17-20 in Lafayette, La. Makya Wade, 10, and Kabrynna Wiley, 8, won gold, and Katie Kerecz, 12, secured a silver and won the mitt competition with coach Rich Cantolina....
Highlands football game vs. New Castle canceled by lightning
It’s a myth that lighting never strikes the same spot twice. That proved to be true at New Castle when the Highlands Golden Rams took on the Red Hurricanes at Taggart Stadium. After an hour wait and multiple lightning strikes, Highlands vs. New Castle was canceled. New Castle coach Fred...
Led by line, Shady Side Academy runs past Burrell
The Shady Side Bulldogs barked up the right tree. Cam Mallory, Darrin Haynes and Shady Side Academy bulldozed Burrell, defeating it 42-7 at Buccaneer Stadium. Shady Side’s 166 rushing yards and 276 total yardage in the first half boosted them past the Buccaneers. Running back Haynes and quarterback Mallory led...
Bolstered by veterans, transfers, Robert Morris excited for return to NEC
Robert Morris finished its last football season in the Big South with a 2-4 record and a 4-7 mark overall. The Colonials will look for better results this season as they return to the NEC, a conference they helped start in 1996. The Colonials finished 6-1 in the NEC in...
Beaver, Amari Jackson make game’s biggest plays to knock off Westinghouse
Beaver held off Westinghouse, 28-26, to cap off a season-opening tripleheader Saturday at the Wolvarena in thrilling fashion. With Westinghouse down 28-26 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Khalil Green took it to the Beaver 36-yard line on a 35-yard run. On fourth-and-4, a pass interference penalty set Westinghouse up...
Leechburg gets 2 scores late to get past Apollo-Ridge
Leechburg was down 14-7 on Friday at Veterans Memorial Field against Apollo-Ridge. But the Blue Devils battled until the end, tallying 12 points in the fourth quarter and earning them a 19-14 victory. The Blue Devils were led by Jayden Floyd, who completed 13 out of 18 passes with a...
Burgettstown looks to use toughness to make another trip to playoffs
When Burgettstown seemed to be down and out last season, the Blue Devils made a push and made the playoffs, using their physicality and aggression. Burgettstown defeated OLSH, Carlynton, and Avella in a row to earn a postseason berth. “We may not be the fastest guys, we might not be...
Bishop Canevin’s goal: Keep playing ’til it’s cold outside
Bishop Canevin’s football program continues to achieve success, going 40-9 under coach Rich Johnson. Last season, Bishop Canevin went 10-2 and was 6-1 in conference play, advancing to the WPIAL semifinals before falling to eventual champion Fort Cherry. The Crusaders, who won a WPIAL title in 2021, are now looking...
Jefferson-Morgan hopes to build on momentum of breakthrough season
Jefferson-Morgan skyrocketed to success last season. The Rockets started out 1-3 but won four straight games and made the WPIAL Class A playoffs. Jefferson-Morgan lost in the first round, but finished 6-5, having its first winning season and first playoff appearance since 2012. “Our team fights every day to get...
Roster packed with seniors brings confidence to Carlynton
The Carlynton Cougars have a pack of seniors that are more than ready for the Friday Night Lights. The Cougars’ roster showcases 17 seniors. Senior Mark Jameson, who played at Bishop Canevin for the past three years, returned to Carlynton for his last year of high school football. He knows...
South Allegheny looks to make impact in Class 2A with veteran lineup
Brian Hanson enters his second season at South Allegheny, eager to see improvement. Last season, the Gladiators went 1-9 and have won two games in the past two seasons. Hanson said the team improved drastically over the offseason and returns nine seniors and seven juniors to lead the way after...
Hopewell counting on mix of youth, experience to get back on track
Hopewell is no stranger to elite football. Tony Dorsett, Paul Posluszny and WPIAL all-time leading rusher Rushel Shell all roamed the halls of the high school. Senior Hank Berner understands the tradition of Hopewell football, and he can’t wait to run out of the tunnel with his teammates one last...
Beaver has pieces in place to add to program’s storied history
The Beaver Bobcats went 9-3 last year, adding to one of the largest win totals in Pennsylvania high school football history. They’re got 675 victories, good for 25th all-time. Beaver racked up that record last season despite playing a lineup filled with first-year starters after a mass exodus of seniors...
New Castle wants to turn the tide under new coach
Fred Mozzocio played for New Castle in the 1980s, so the team’s new head coach understands the tradition of Red Hurricanes football. Growing up, he and his friends would be in the classroom gazing out onto the field, wishing that someday they could play for the Red Hurricanes. “There’s an...
Sanctuary Boxing’s Makya Wade claims gold at national boxing competition
For the third summer in a row, Sanctuary Boxing Club in New Kensington took boxers to USA Boxing’s national competition in Wichita, Kan. This time around, the group returned with gold and bronze medals. Makya Wade, 10, joined Sanctuary Boxing Club one year ago and quickly became a national champion...
Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson wins wrestling gold at Pan-Am trials in El Salvador
Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson came, saw and conquered in the Pan-Am trials from June 11-16 in El Salvador, winning gold in the 75-kilogram (165-pound) weight class. His victory came a month-and-a-half after taking home the 15-under 75-kilogram U.S. Open title in Las Vegas, which was his second in a row....
North Allegheny returns to top in WPIAL Class 3A team tennis; Sewickley Academy wins 25th title
North Allegheny dethroned defending champion Gateway, 3-2, on Wednesday, winning its first WPIAL Class 3A boys tennis team title since 2009. The doubles teams got things going early as North Allegheny’s Shi Telang and Sri Thirumala landed the first punch, defeating Gateway’s Matthew Bonds and Zane Almoukamal. The brother tandem...
Kiski Area youth wrestler earns spot on Team USA, inspires younger brother
Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson, 15, is headed to El Salvador to compete for Team USA at the Pan-American Wrestling Championships on June 11-16. Hutcherson earned his spot on the team by winning the U.S. Open in the 15U 75 kg division April 28 in Las Vegas. Hutcherson put on a...
Toronto edges Montreal before nearly 9,000 fans during PWHL Takeover Weekend at PPG Paints ArenaVideo
Fans from all over Pittsburgh and Canada filled the lower bowl at PPG Paints Arena to watch some of the best women’s hockey players in the world Sunday afternoon as part of Professional Women’s Hockey League Takeover Weekend. There was a big-game atmosphere as the fans roared after every big...
