Antonio RossettI stories, Page 5
North Catholic gets past Blackhawk in OT to win WPIAL title for 3rd straight seasonVideo
North Catholic took home its third WPIAL title in a row and seventh in the past eight years with a 40-37 win over Blackhawk in overtime in a championship rematch in the Class 4A finals Saturday at Petersen Events Center. The Trojanettes were spearheaded by Alayna Rocco, who tallied 26...
Cheswick Christian boys edge Pittsburgh Christian Academy for SWCAC title
The Cheswick Christian Academy boys basketball team defeated Pittsburgh Christian Academy, 42-39, on Saturday at a packed Steve Warden Gymnasium to take home its first SWCAC title since 2015. Grant Rochkind, the league MVP, finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for Cheswick Christian. The game featured eight...
Blackhawk makes adjustments, rolls past Greensburg Salem in WPIAL quarters
The Blackhawk girls defended their home court and mauled Greensburg Salem, 49-25, in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal Friday. The Cougars faced the Golden Lions earlier in the season, and Greensburg Salem took the 20-2 Cougars into overtime. Blackhawk came out on top 40-35, but going into the rematch, Blackhawk...
Deer Lakes bowlers take aim at defending WPIBL championship
The Deer Lakes girls bowling team won a second straight section title and captured the WPIBL crown last season, earning a spot in the state championships. “They were 100% committed, and they put in the time and everything worked out,” Lancers coach George Germanich said. “We got to where we...
Freeport bowlers off to strong start in quest to return to state tournament
The Freeport girls bowling team swarmed out of the gate, looking to make it back to the state tournament. The Yellowjackets finished third in the state last year and aim to finish even higher this year. Freeport won its first four matches behind some noteworthy efforts. Kylie McConahy bowled a...
Freeport hockey ready to take next step with young core
There is a lot to look forward to with Freeport hockey. The young Yellow Jackets started the season with a 1-5 record, but Freeport has racked up five points with two overtime losses and a shootout loss. Freeport remained competitive in November, especially during a shootout loss to Moon, which...
Westinghouse returns to PIAA title game after taking down Beaver Falls
Westinghouse is headed back to the PIAA championship game for the second year in a row. Behind a relentless defense, the Bulldogs defeated WPIAL Class 2A champion Beaver Falls, 28-8, in the state semifinals Friday night at West Allegheny. The Bulldogs forced Beaver Falls (9-6) to turn the ball over...
North Allegheny rolls into PIAA semifinals with rout of McDowell
WPIAL champion North Allegheny defended its home turf Friday, defeating McDowell, 41-7, in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs. Last season, the Tigers had an early exit in the first round of the state playoffs, but with a talented core of seniors, they wouldn’t let that happen...
Steel Valley grabs spot in WPIAL final by beating Mohawk
The Steel Valley Ironmen, propelled by a monstrous performance by Donald Barksdale, defeated Mohawk, 34-21, to return to Acrisure Stadium for the second straight year. Barksdale, the WPIAL Class 2A leader in rushing yards, made a statement, carrying for 254 yards and two scores on 26 carries. Barksdale, who surpassed...
Ligonier’s Sahara Robinson wins dirt bike racing national championship
Sahara Robinson found herself riding her dirt bike with a purpose, looking for her first Grand National Cross Country Series national championship. It was the 11th of 12 rounds of the series in Newburg, W.Va., and the Ligonier youth was determined, no matter the circumstances nor the condition of the...
Montour passing game gashes Thomas Jefferson in Class 4A quarterfinals
Montour threw the first punch, controlled the game throughout and rolled to a 51-21 victory over Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals Friday night. Montour was spearheaded by Jake Wolfe, who threw five touchdown passes and tallied 213 passing yards, completing 13 of 27 attempts. He also ran...
Fast start propels Central Valley to WPIAL 1st-round victory over Highlands
Central Valley’s defense was up to the task in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs Friday night. The No. 4-seeded Warriors held No. 13 Highlands to just 115 yards and didn’t allow a first down for the first 15 minutes en route to a 28-7 victory at...
Kiski hockey team reloads in quest to defend Class A title
Kiski Area’s hockey team put together a nine-game winning streak last season before losing two of its final three regular-season games. The Cavaliers were the underdogs heading into the Penguins Cup playoffs. Matt Behrik said no one expected them to win, but the Cavaliers continued to battle. “Fox Chapel said...
Wolfe leads way as Montour beats rival West Allegheny
The Montour Spartans, led by Jake Wolfe and a talented crew of skill-position players, capped off their season defeating their rival West Allegheny Indians, 49-17, at Thomas J. Birko Memorial Stadium. The Spartans (9-1, 6-1 Parkway Conference) were down 10-7 but tallied 28 unanswered points to go up 35-10. Montour’s...
Brother combination leads Upper St. Clair past Moon in double OT thriller
The Upper St. Clair Panthers keep their playoff hopes alive Friday night, using a brother-to-brother connection to defeat division rival Moon, 43-42, in two overtimes. In the second overtime, the Panthers trailed 42-35. Ethan Hellman connected with Charlie Bywalski to make it 42-41, and USC decided to put it all...
Defense, rushing tandem of Grabowski, Whipple leads Penn-Trafford over Plum
Tasso Whipple and Ben Grabowski spearheaded the Warriors rushing attack as Penn-Trafford ran its way to victory over Plum, 21-6, on Friday night. Grabowski and Whipple combined for 281 rushing yards. The win put the Warriors one step closer to a playoff birth. Grabowski scored all three P-T touchdowns while...
Defense, rushing tandem of Grabowski, Whipple leads Penn-Trafford over Plum
Tasso Whipple and Ben Grabowski spearheaded the Warriors rushing attack as Penn-Trafford ran its way to victory over Plum, 21-6, on Friday night. Grabowski and Whipple combined for 281 rushing yards. The win put the Warriors one step closer to a playoff birth. Grabowski scored all three P-T touchdowns while...
Bethel Park runs well in home victory over Upper St. Clair
Bethel Park’s David Dennison and Ryan Petras spearheaded a relentless rushing attack, leading the host Black Hawks past rival Upper St. Clair, 22-10, on Friday. The Black Hawks won the battle in the trenches and didn’t trail once in a pivotal conference matchup, making them 2-0 in the Class 5A...
Matt Sieg accounts for 7 TDs, Fort Cherry makes statement with wild win over Bishop Canevin
Behind a spectacular performance from sophomore quarterback Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry stated its case as a legit contender for a WPIAL Class A title with a 48-41 victory over Bishop Canevin at Dormont Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. Sieg accounted for seven touchdowns and 437 yards of total offense. He...
Mars jumps on Highlands early to claim conference win
Gabe Hein lifted a whole planet Friday night. Many of them, actually. Hein sparked the Mars Fightin’ Planets to a 48-15 victory over visiting Highlands, scoring three touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury midway through the second quarter. The Planets’ student section and their faithful fans erupted when...
Aliquippa scores in final seconds to pull off comeback win over West Allegheny
Aliquippa remained undefeated Friday night with a wild 29-22 comeback win over West Allegheny at Joe P. DeMichela Stadium. The Indians took a late 22-21 lead after a 17-yard touchdown pass from Brodie Cornell to Tyler Hatton and Andy Cosnek’s PAT with 52 seconds left. The Indians were one step...
Despite some anxious 2nd-half moments, Aliquippa puts away Montour
A pair of undefeated teams squared off in a pivotal Class 4A Parkway Conference matchup when Aliquippa took on Montour on Friday night at the new Heinz Field. The Quips went on to win 42-18, but there were some interesting moments in the second half. Aliquippa started the game with...
Montour stages big rally in second half to defeat South Fayette
Montour rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat South Fayette, 42-35, thanks to scoring the game’s final 24 points at Thomas J. Birko Memorial Stadium at Montour High School. The Spartans won on a 6-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Jake Wolfe. Montour’s defense, meanwhile, held the Lions to seven points...
Former Pitt long snapper Cal Adomitis finds his NFL niche in Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bengals long snapper Cal Adomitis walked out of the tunnel and witnessed the sheer size of AT&T Stadium. He saw the legendary star in the center, and he was surrounded by 80,000 screaming fans, cheering on their Dallas Cowboys. This was the first NFL start for the Central Catholic...
Kushner carries North Allegheny to victory over Canon-McMillan
The last time North Allegheny and Canon-McMillan faced off was during one of the rainiest days of the year last November. Friday night, there wasn’t a cloud in a sky, but the Tigers still rained on the Big Macs’ parade. Logan Kushner ran for 167 yards on just 13 carries,...
