Bob Orkwis stories, Page 2
Penn-Trafford runs past Kiski Area in Big East showdown
Both Penn-Trafford and Kiski Area came into the contest looking for their first win in 5A Big East Conference play. The Penn-Trafford rushing attack and defense was on display on the road, leading the Warriors to a 33-7 victory. “We trust our line, and we have two guys who can...
Gateway overcomes injuries to defeat Kiski Area
Gateway came into the start of Big East Conference play a bit banged up. That trend continued as the Gators lost their returning starting quarterback late in the first quarter Friday. Undaunted, Gateway scored touchdowns on its first three drives on the way to a 28-7 win at Richard A....
Hempfield gives up lead then gets dramatic win over Kiski Area on late field goal
Hempfield was looking for its first win of 2024, and the Spartans got it in a heart-stopper. With 32 seconds left, sophomore Sawyer Leuthold connected on his first field goal of the season from 26 yards, and Hempfield earned a 31-29 victory Friday night in a game delayed by storms....
Norwin uses strong ground game to defeat Kiski Area
For the second straight week, Kiski Area played out of conference, hosting Class 6A Norwin on Friday night to open a four game homestand. The Cavaliers, who jumped in front 7-0, trailed 20-7 at halftime. Kiski Area went back in the lead 21-20 before the Knights scored the game’s final...
Mars downs Chartiers Valley to repeat as WPIAL Class 2A girls lacrosse champs
Two years ago, Mars lost in the WPIAL championship game to Chartiers Valley when the Colts captured their first title. Last year, the Fightin’ Planets needed overtime against Blackhawk to win their second title. This year, Mars got its revenge against Chartiers Valley, and didn’t need any extra time to...
In another 1-goal game between rivals, Pine-Richland tops North Allegheny for Penguins Cup title
Pine-Richland defeated North Allegheny twice during the regular season in one-goal games, so it was no surprise when the PIHL Class 3A Penguins Cup championship was also decided by one goal. It also might not be a surprise, then, that it was the Rams emerging victorious, 3-2, at the UPMC...
Armstrong hands 1st loss to No. 1 Oakland Catholic, reaches 1st WPIAL final
Oakland Catholic came into the Class 5A tournament the only undefeated team in the entire WPIAL and the top seed in the bracket. Armstrong was also hot coming in, toting a school-record 15-game winning streak. The River Hawks prevailed 49-40 at Fox Chapel on Tuesday night, ending the Eagles’ perfect...
Shaler boys down Fox Chapel to clinch outright section title
Shaler came into Friday’s game at Fox Chapel needing a win to clinch the Class 5A Section 2 title outright, and the Foxes needed a victory to tie the Titans for first place. Shaler came away with a 57-44 win to earn its first section championship since 2012. “First off,...
Hampton hits buzzer-beater to drop Knoch, stand alone atop section
Knoch and Hampton came into Friday night’s contest with identical records, with both the Knights and the Talbots carrying unblemished 3-0 records in Section 1-4A. An intense and much-anticipated game went down to the wire, as senior Liam Mignogna took an inbounds pass with 3.5 seconds left and buried a...
Kiski Area puts scare into streaking Gateway in Section 3-5A boys basketball showdown
Kiski Area and Gateway came into Tuesday night’s contest in Monroeville heading in opposite directions. The Gators had won eight straight games, and the Cavaliers had dropped their last three. Kiski Area gave Gateway everything it could handle for three quarters before the Gators outscored the Cavaliers by seven in...
Kiski Area beats Armstrong to clinch playoff spot
It was a must-win situation for Kiski Area and Armstrong to claim one of the final playoff spots in the Greater Allegheny Conference. The Cavaliers were in a win-and-in situation. The Riverhawks needed a win and some help. It turned out the Cavaliers sealed their destiny at home with a...
Mars overcomes quick start by Kiski Area to roll to conference victory
It was homecoming for Kiski Area, and the Cavaliers scored first on a 14-play drive. But Mars took advantage of a short field to score three touchdowns on drives of one, two and one play to take a 14-point lead on its way to a 56-14 Greater Allegheny Conference victory....
Explosive 1st quarter leads Woodland Hills past Shaler
If any fans heading to the Class 5A Northeast Conference matchup between Woodland Hills and Shaler were stuck in homecoming traffic on Mt. Royal Boulevard and were late arriving in the opening quarter, they missed a lot. The teams combined for 56 first-quarter points with the Wolverines leading 42-14 after...
North Catholic stymies Kiski Area for Week 4 win
A week after shutting out Highlands in their conference opener, North Catholic came on the road and authored another strong defensive performance in a 28-7 win over Kiski Area. “They are a focused and locked in group,” coach Chris Rizzo said of his defensive unit. “We tackle the ball pretty...
North Catholic defense shines, shuts out Highlands
North Catholic came into its Greater Allegheny Conference opener allowing more than 36 points per game. Highlands had started the season undefeated in large part because of a stingy defense and a great running attack. The defense helped keep the Golden Rams (3-1) in the game through the first half,...
Kiski Area victory tempered by injury to Laurel Highlands standout Antwan Black Jr.
Kiski Area scored the winning touchdown with less than a minute to play to defeat Laurel Highlands, 28-24, on Friday at Richard A. Dilts Stadium. But the high-intensity contest was marred by a late injury to Laurel Highlands star Antwan Black Jr. After catching a pass near midfield with 34...
South Fayette comes alive in 2nd half to top old conference rival West Allegheny
It was technically a Class 4A vs. 5A nonconference matchup, but it was more like a clash of two old rivals as West Allegheny and South Fayette collided Friday night. The former foes in the Allegheny Six conference came into the game after opening-week wins, and it was the Lions...
Franzi, Odom lead Plum to victory over Kiski Area
For the second straight season, Plum and Kiski locked up in the season opener. Last year at Plum, the score was tied at halftime before the Mustangs pulled away. This year at Kiski Area, the Mustangs held a one-point halftime lead before scoring on their first two second-half drives on...
Mt. Lebanon finishes strong to defeat Shady Side Academy for WPIAL Class 3A championship
In last year’s championship game between Mt. Lebanon and Shady Side Academy, J.P. Henry was the hero in overtime for the Bulldogs. For a while in this year’s rematch, it looked like another fantastic finish was in the offing, but the Blue Devils had other ideas, finishing strong in regulation...
Pine-Richland gets past Mt. Lebanon in dramatic WPIAL Class 3A girls lacrosse title game
In the regular season finale, Pine-Richland defeated Mt. Lebanon, 13-12, a win that most likely gave the Rams the top seed in the WPIAL Class 3A girls lacrosse tournament. The stakes were higher Thursday at Robert Morris as the teams squared off for the WPIAL championship. The Rams again emerged...
Mars surges past South Fayette to claim 7th straight WPIAL boys lacrosse championship
Undefeated and second-seeded South Fayette was the latest team to step up to try to end the Mars title run, which dates to 2016. The Lions gave the Fightin’ Planets everything they could handle in the first half, trailing by only three goals at the break. But Mars used a...
Mars tops Blackhawk for WPIAL girls lacrosse title in OT thriller
Mya Cote’s fourth goal of the game 1 minute, 42 seconds into overtime sent Mars to a 10-9 victory over Blackhawk and gave the Fightin’ Planets their second WPIAL Class 2A girls lacrosse title in three seasons. The lead for Mars was the first of the game in a contest...
Second-period surge helps LaSalle College beat Peters Township for Class 3A state hockey title
The LaSalle College Explorers broke a 1-1 tie with four second-period goals on their way to a 7-3 victory over Peters Township on Saturday, capturing their seventh state high school hockey championship. “The second period is what hurt us,” said Peters Township coach Rick Tingle. “We came back in the...
South Fayette shuts out Armstrong to capture 1st Penguins Cup championship
Armstrong came into the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game as the top-seeded team in the tournament, having scored 19 goals in its two playoff wins. Armstrong had also won two previous titles, the last coming in 2018. None of that mattered to second-seeded South Fayette. The Lions scored...
Peters Township, Upper St. Clair earn trips to PIHL Class 3A Penguins Cup finals
Last season, Peters Township won the PIHL Class 3A Penguins Cup. The top-seeded Indians will have a chance to defend that title after a 4-0 win over No. 4 North Allegheny on Monday night at Robert Morris’ Island Sports Center. Peters Township had a distinct territorial edge from the outset...
