Bob Orkwis stories, Page 3
Led by Emily Smallwood, Pine-Richland divers have successful WPIAL meet
Senior Emily Smallwood and sophomores Kendyll Jerry and Jake Jones advanced to the final round of 16 divers at the WPIAL Class 3A diving championships at North Allegheny High School on Feb. 25. Smallwood finished best among the Rams qualifiers, placing eighth with a score of 380.25. Jerry was right...
More records fall, North Allegheny girls win 15th straight team title at WPIAL swimming championships
For the second straight day, most of the excitement and drama at the WPIAL swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool happened in Class 2A in the afternoon session. Five more WPIAL records fell and the team competition for second and third place for the girls, and first place for the...
6 records fall on 1st day of WPIAL swimming championships
Being the smaller classification but featuring more schools, Class 2A had the afternoon session Thursday at the WPIAL swimming and diving championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The smaller classification stole the show on the first day, setting six WPIAL meet records in 12 events. Last year’s Class 2A girls team...
Northgate beats Bishop Canevin, earns 1st WPIAL finals trip since 1988
The other three teams still alive in the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball semifinals Tuesday night had much more storied recent histories than sixth-seeded Northgate. Second-seeded Bishop Canevin had won the previous two WPIAL Class A championships. Aliquippa had been to the WPIAL semifinals six straight seasons and Greensburg Central...
North Allegheny’s Shi wins 4th straight WPIAL diving gold
One day after North Catholic’s Maggie Foley became the first girls diver in eight years to win four straight WPIAL gold medals, North Allegheny senior Christina Shi matched the feat, capturing her fourth with a score of 540.75. “It definitely feels amazing,” Shi said. “But it was a hard one...
North Catholic’s Maggie Foley goes 4 for 4 at WPIAL Class 2A diving championships
Change was afoot at North Allegheny High School for the WPIAL Class 2A diving championships. Last year’s boys champion, Nick Roddy from Ligonier Valley, graduated, so a new champion would be crowned. Additionally, the PIAA instituted a pilot program, changing the format for the state championships to six dives, down...
Moon fends off Mars again to return to state championship game
Just 11 days ago, Mars and Moon met for the WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer championship. The Tigers bested the Planets by a goal that day to capture their fifth title. The high stakes rematch tonight took place Wednesday night at North Allegheny with a spot in the PIAA championship...
North Allegheny tops Peters Township in WPIAL title game shootout
All the offense in the WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer championship match between top-seeded North Allegheny and third-seeded Peters Township took place within a span of 22 seconds in the second half, so it was no surprise that the contest went into overtime. In fact, the game Thursday night at...
Hampton keeps Mars from clinching playoff spot
The playoff scenario for Mars was much easier heading into this game: A win at home, and the Fightin’ Planets would be in. But Hampton had other ideas as the Talbots kept their playoff hopes alive with an exciting 49-42 road victory. First-year Hampton coach Steve Sciullo was impressed with...
Franklin Regional rides big 2nd half past Plum
Franklin Regional suffered a disappointing loss last Saturday in double overtime to Shaler. After the first half Friday in Murrysville, it looked like the Panthers may have been on their way to another disappointment. But special teams play changed the momentum for Franklin Regional and led it to 31-28 victory...
Gateway survives scare, beats North Hills on late field goal
Gateway is the top-ranked team in 5A and considered one of the favorites in the hunt for a third WPIAL title in 6 years. The Gators started the season 2-0, while their opponent, North Hills, had yet to pick up a win in two tries. None of that seemed to...
Hayes scores 4 times as Aliquippa uses pair of 4th-quarter TDs to top Armstrong
Aliquippa, the defending Class 4A WPIAL and state champion, chose not to play a Week Zero game, so tonight’s trip to Armstrong marked the Quips’ first step in defending the dual 2021 titles. Step 1 was a good one, as the Quips earned a hard-fought 28-14 victory at Armstrong. “It...
Running game helps propel Plum past Kiski Area in opener
In their first meeting since 2017 and the 34th overall between the football teams, Plum scored 21 second-half points to come away with a 35-14 opening-night victory over Kiski Area. Both teams were conference opponents from 2014-17, and, despite the loss, Kiski Area still holds a (17-16-1) lead in the...
Mars boys lacrosse rolls to 6th straight WPIAL title with another dominant performance
Around these parts, “one for the thumb” was a popular rallying cry for a couple of decades. The Mars boys lacrosse team already took care of that last season. This year, the goal for the Fightin’ Planets was sixth consecutive WPIAL championship, and they reached that goal with a dominant...
Shady Side Academy boys beat Mt. Lebanon for WPIAL lacrosse title on J.P. Henry highlight-reel goal in OT
Shady Side Academy and Mt. Lebanon came into the WPIAL 3A tournament as the top two seeds. The teams met in the regular season in a tight, one-goal match one by the Bulldogs. So, it was no surprise that the championship rematch was close as Shady Side Academy’s J.P. Henry...
Shady Side Academy girls lacrosse completes WPIAL 3-peat
In 2019, Shady Side Academy needed two overtimes to beat Upper St Clair for its first girls lacrosse championship. Last season, the Bulldogs needed a goal from Jenny Wooding with 26.8 seconds remaining to best Mt. Lebanon. There was no such drama Wednesday night at Robert Morris. The Bulldogs shut...
Chartiers Valley runs past Mars to capture 1st WPIAL girls lacrosse championship
If Chartiers Valley raised a few eyebrows with an upset win over top-seeded Blackhawk in the semifinals, the remaining eyebrows are now up. The Colts used a couple of runs in each half to defeat second-seeded Mars, 17-6, to win the school’s first WPIAL girls lacrosse championship in the Class...
On night of upsets, Seneca Valley dethrones North Allegheny, Peters Township trips Pine-Richland in Penguins Cup semis
Seneca Valley’s Andrew Davis scored off a goal-mouth scramble with under seven minutes remaining in regulation and the Raiders made the goal stand up, defeating the two-time defending Penguins Cup champions North Allegheny, 2-1, in the first of two PIHL Class 3A semifinal games Monday night. Peters Township blanked Pine-Richland,...
North Allegheny girls win record 14th straight WPIAL swimming championship
The North Allegheny girls made history Friday, winning their 14th straight team title at the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships. The Tigers totaled 344 points to pass the Norwin girls volleyball team, which won 13 straight titles from 1973-1985, and claim sole possession of the record for most consecutive championships...
North Allegheny girls, Seneca Valley boys get off the blocks quick at WPIAL swim meet
The North Allegheny girls swimming team’s quest for a 14th straight WPIAL championship got off to a great start Thursday, as the Tigers netted 212 team points to lead after the first session. On the boys side, Seneca Valley is the first-day leader with 219.5 points. The totals for both...
Battle-tested Pine-Richland boys basketball better than record suggests
An initial glance at the overall record for the Pine-Richland boys basketball team might not look impressive, but diving into the details can change the perspective. Consider: After a season-opening victory, the Rams’ first three losses were in overtime by a combined eight points. Pine-Richland also went toe-to-toe in early...
North Allegheny’s Shi, Schenk sweep WPIAL Class 3A diving titles
Diving in her home pool and winning gold medals has become quite the habit for North Allegheny junior Christina Shi, as she captured her third straight gold medal with a score of 481.45 in the WPIAL Class 3A girls championship Saturday. Unlike the previous two championship meets in which Shi...
North Catholic’s Foley, Ligonier Valley’s Roddy win gold at WPIAL Class 2A diving championships
Coming in as the two-time defending champion, North Catholic junior Maggie Foley was the obvious favorite at the WPIAL Class 2A diving championships at North Allegheny. Foley did not disappoint, posting her highest finals score (470.70) to win her third-straight WPIAL title. “Overall, it went smoothly today, so that’s very...
Deontae Williams moves chains, leads Woodland Hills to 5A win over Bethel Park
Woodland Hills’ Deontae Williams rarely leaves the field for the Wolverines. So it was fitting that the senior quarterback was able to convert several fourth-down conversions in leading Woodland Hills to a 27-23 win on the road over Bethel Park in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs...
Pine-Richland completes WPIAL Class 3A field hockey 3-peat
The Pine-Richland Rams proved once again to be the dominant force in WPIAL Class 3A field hockey, as they defeated North Allegheny, 3-1, to capture a third straight title Saturday night at Washington & Jefferson. “It’s been a hunger to do it again, but it wasn’t necessarily pressure to do...
