Brennan Valladares stories
Allegheny Badgers advance to 16U national tournament
Since taking over the head coaching position of the Allegheny Badgers, Justin Brown has had the expectation set from Day 1: win the Mid-American District Hockey Tournament. This month, the Badgers’ 16U team did just that. After going 3-0 in pool play, they defeated Pittsburgh Vengeance, 5-4, to secure the...
South Fayette starts strong, never slows down in win over Peters Township to return to state title game
South Fayette got off to a slow start in its PIAA quarterfinal game against Baldwin. However, after a close first half, the Lions eventually turned up the intensity and ran away with a win to advance to the state semifinals. “I thought (our ball movement and spacing) were poor the...
South Fayette pulls away from pesky Baldwin to reach PIAA Class 5A semifinals
It seems unthinkable that a team with the pedigree of South Fayette girls basketball would come into a game such as Saturday’s PIAA semifinal against Baldwin and not execute on its game plan. But that’s what coach Bryan Bennett saw after his team took a slim, five-point lead at halftime....
Burrell, Ringgold win thrillers to reach PIHL Division 2 championship gameVideo
The PIHL Division 2 semifinals delivered in dramatic fashion Thursday night at the RMU Island Sports Center. In the first game, No. 5 Burrell upset top-seeded Morgantown 3-2 in overtime after trailing 2-1 with 25 seconds left. In the second game, No. 3 Ringgold escaped with a narrow 3-2 win...
Defending champ Avonworth, Quaker Valley earn spots in PIHL Class A Penguins Cup finalVideo
The PIHL Class A Penguins Cup championship game is set between No. 2 Avonworth and No. 3 Quaker Valley. In the first semifinal matchup Wednesday night, Avonworth shut out top-seeded Canon-McMillan, 4-0, to make its second-straight Penguins Cup final. In the nightcap, Quaker Valley advanced to its ninth championship game,...
Burrell hockey aims to upset familiar foe in PIHL semifinals
As Burrell hockey prepares for a Division 2 semifinal matchup against Morgantown, W.Va., one just has to look back five months ago for proof the Buccaneers can topple the top-seeded Mohigans. Burrell was able to outlast Morgantown, 4-3, in overtime. But Bucs coach Drew Burkett knows all too well that...
Neshannock holds off Winchester Thurston to win 4th WPIAL championshipVideo
One year after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the WPIAL Class 2A championship, Neshannock girls basketball had a singular goal entering the 2025-26 season: win the gold. And after storming through the playoff bracket as the No. 1 seed, the Lancers defeated Winchester Thurston, 60-51, at the Petersen Events Center...
Robert Morris men extend winning streak to 6, take over 2nd place in Horizon League
Heading into the final two games of the regular season, the Robert Morris men’s basketball team was in a three-way tie for second place with the Detroit Mercy and Oakland. As luck would have it, one of the Colonials’ final two games would be against Detroit Mercy, giving them a...
Brentwood’s Deng Mu makes immediate impact on WPIAL basketball scene
Deng Mu always knew he’d eventually move to the United States. With both of his parents being American citizens, it was only a matter of time before he was reunited with them. What he didn’t know was that basketball would be a central part of his new American life. “I...
South Park finally solves Ligonier Valley defense, moves into 3A semifinals
Third-seeded South Park was struggling mightily offensively in the first half of its WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball quarterfinal matchup with No. 11 Ligonier Valley on Friday night. The Eagles trailed only by three points, but they were shooting a woeful 6 of 29 from the field. “(Ligonier Valley) took...
Teammates lend hand to big man Ryan Robbins as Upper St. Clair pulls away from Fox Chapel
Ryan Robbins was feasting in the first half against the smaller Fox Chapel front line in No. 1 Upper St. Clair’s first playoff game of its WPIAL Class 6A title defense. By halftime, the 6-foot-7 junior had 16 points. The only problem was that the rest of his team had...
Maggie Spell hits 2,000-point mark as Thomas Jefferson drops Fox Chapel in 5A quarterfinals
With 15 seconds left in the first quarter of Thomas Jefferson’s 72-44 WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinal victory over Fox Chapel, Maggie Spell made a layup. Right after, Jaguars coach Matt Gould called a timeout. “I was like, ‘What was he doing?’ ” Spell said. A strange response coming...
Underdog Latrobe pushes Thomas Jefferson, but Jaguars hang on for Class 5A win
With three minutes left in the third quarter of its WPIAL Class 5A first-round game Tuesday, Thomas Jefferson found itself trailing No. 14 Latrobe by eight on its home court before rallying for an 86-79 victory. Both teams entered the postseason among the top offenses in 5A, with the Jaguars...
South Park girls stifle Freeport for Class 4A 1st-round victory
South Park entered its WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball first-round matchup against Freeport as the fourth-best scoring defense in the classification. Getting stops and dictating the game on that side of the ball is something coach Ronnie Drennen has instilled in his team. “That’s our identity,” he said. “You know,...
Allderdice rolls past Obama Academy for 3rd straight City League girls basketball championshipVideo
Twelve days before the City League girls basketball championship, Obama Academy bounced back from a demoralizing loss to top-seeded Allderdice with a 47-41 home win. In that game, the Eagles’ defense proved troublesome for the Dragons, as it was Allderdice’s lowest scoring game in league play all season. But as...
Robert Morris women’s basketball enjoying turnaround under 2nd-year coach
Before Chandler McCabe took over as Robert Morris’ women’s basketball coach in March of 2024, the Colonials were spiraling. The team entered last season on an 18-game losing streak and with a 22-56 record in Horizon League play. This was McCabe’s first head coaching job, but she brought winning experience...
Oakland Catholic gymnast wins WPIAL all-around crown; Thomas Jefferson takes 2nd straight team title
Oakland Catholic’s Madeleine Wingerter took home the all-around title at the WPIAL gymnastics championships Saturday at Moon. Thomas Jefferson, meanwhile, was crowned the team champion for the second year in a row. Wingerter used three second-place finishes to claim the Advanced Division championship. “I was really shocked,” Wingerter said, “but...
2-sport star at Baldwin, Duquesne to join 2 halls of fame in a week
Robert Healy III, like every young athlete, aspired to be recognized as one of the best in his sport. At the end of January, that dream will become a reality — twice. The former standout football and track and field athlete will be joining Duquesne University and Baldwin High School’s...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Burrell’s Chase Coury, Deer Lakes’ Mason Cervone
Chase Coury School: Burrell Class: Freshman Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Burrell freshman Chase Coury extended her double-digit scoring streak to six after dropping 15 and 16 points in two section wins against Knoch and Derry this week. She now has 14 double-digit scoring games and is averaging 16.8 a...
Burrell boys defeat section foe Highlands to stay hot
After witnessing his team lose a 10-point lead in a section matchup with Highlands, Burrell’s Trey Coury found himself with the ball in his hands in the final 10 seconds of a tie game Friday night. Isolated on Golden Rams guard Ty Hall, Coury made his move. The Buccaneers guard...
Burrell hockey wants to finish strong after forfeits, suspension
Nearly 10 months ago, Burrell Hockey lost 5-1 in the Division 2 Penguins Cup Championship, fueling coach Drew Burkett to get an early start for the next season. “Yeah, after that championship game, I wanted to get started a lot earlier,” Burkett said. “So we had our tryouts a little...
Norwin girls rally past 1st-place Canon-McMillan
It was beginning to look like dire straits for Norwin not even three minutes into its girls basketball matchup with first-place Canon-McMillan on Friday. The Big Macs jumped out to an 11-point lead after Madison Clair hit her team’s second 3-pointer of the game. For better or for worse, though,...
Fink leading way for young, up-and-coming Greensburg Salem hockey team
Jake Fink wasn’t always a fan of hockey. In fact, he once took a short hiatus from the sport. “Yeah, I tried it in kindergarten. I just did not like it,” Fink said with a chuckle. His laughter was appropriate in that moment because, a short time beforehand, Fink had...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Riley Stephans, Fox Chapel’s Grant Fenton
Riley Stephans School: Plum Class: Senior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Stephans scored 57 total points across two games at the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament at Shady Side Academy. She went off for 33 points in a loss against Class 6A Pine-Richland on Monday. She then followed that with her...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Fox Chapel’s Lyla Jablon, Deer Lakes’ Collin Rodgers
Lyla Jablon School: Fox Chapel Class: Senior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Jablon scored 23 points in a nonsection win against Avonworth on Monday in the Pittsburgh Holiday Classic. She then had 10 points in a section loss to Franklin Regional on Tuesday. Jablon leads Fox Chapel (4-5, 2-1) with...
