Chris Harlan stories

Western Beaver football is shining brightly nowadays and it’s not just the new lights above Rich Niedbala Field. The team is 6-0 for the first time in 20 years. That’s thanks in part to a running back with the perfect first name for starring in a “Western.” Instead of a...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 5-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 5-1, 2 3. Norwin, 4-2, 3 4. Hempfield, 4-2, 5 5. Canon-McMillan 3-3, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 5-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 6-0, 2 3. Woodland Hills, 4-2, 4 4. Upper St. Clair,...

The offenses gained momentum after halftime with three lead changes, but nobody was too surprised that Peters Township vs. Upper St. Clair eventually came down to the defenses. Each side delivered a late defensive stop. Ultimately, a last-minute stand 12 yards from its own end zone let Peters Township escape...

Forty-eight minutes is the length of a typical WPIAL football game, but at least one contest this week will be notably shorter. Fox Chapel and Baldwin each asked their opponents this week to show mercy and reduce the length of their conference games Friday night, though Baldwin later rescinded its...

The biggest games usually arrive a little later in the season, but Peters Township and Upper St. Clair won’t be easing into their conference schedules this year. The South Hills rivals meet in an Allegheny Six opener Friday night. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Week 7 or Week 8 or...

Baldwin football coach Dana Brown Jr. saw the social media comments saying he should immediately kick a player off the team for unsportsmanlike actions captured Friday in a viral video. Brown strongly disagrees. The third-year coach condemned the player’s actions — twisting the helmet off an opponent and taking a...

Fort Cherry’s offense was gathered for a timeout when the Rangers’ coach shared some news: Quarterback Matt Sieg was about to break a record. Tanner Garry says he typically wouldn’t worry about that kind of accomplishment in the middle of a drive, but there were only seconds left until halftime,...

WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 4-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 5-0, 2 3. Norwin, 3-2, 3 4. Canon-McMillan 3-2, 5 5. Hempfield, 3-2, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 4-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 5-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 5-0, 3...

Hopewell has a young quarterback who’s full of promise, but Avonworth’s Luca Neal pounced when he spotted a risky throw by the sophomore. No do-overs here. “If you give us any little mistake, we jump on it,” said Neal, who returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown Friday night...

The website MaxPreps.com predicted McKeesport would not only win a WPIAL title this year but also add a state championship. That prognostication came early last month, and the Tigers may very well celebrate their first PIAA title in 20 years come December. But an ankle injury to McKeesport junior Kemon...

Avonworth’s offense relies on a group effort in more ways than one. Five different players have scored a touchdown this season, balancing out an attack that can both run and pass. But four different coaches could’ve called those scoring plays, adding another wrinkle to one of the WPIAL’s top offenses....

Two weeks after cutting her college basketball choices to a dozen schools, Quaker Valley’s Mimi Thiero whittled her list all the way to one. The 6-foot-4 senior committed to Maryland on Wednesday, choosing a Big Ten program that just made a trip to the NCAA’s Sweet 16. Thiero announced her...

Pine-Richland’s Khalil Taylor had a busy day. A junior wide receiver and Penn State commit, Taylor received a recruiting visit from Nittany Lions coach James Franklin on Monday. A short time later, his school learned Taylor would be eligible to play in this year’s football playoffs. Taylor’s postseason eligibility was...

When Matt Mottes went out for breakfast Saturday morning, the Hopewell coach sat and listened to a recap of one of the wildest games of the year. Hopewell and Beaver combined for more than 1,300 yards and 101 points Friday in a high-scoring affair that stuffed the stat sheet. Each...

WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 3-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 4-0, 2 3. Norwin, 3-1, 4 4. Hempfield, 3-1, 3 5. Canon-McMillan 2-2, NR Out: Seneca Valley (1-3, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 3-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 4-0, 2 3. Upper St....

JJ Work felt like he’d already let his teammates down once, so the Aliquippa running back was determined not to let that happen again. A week ago, Work couldn’t play because of an off-the-field school issue. This week, he barreled into the end zone for two fourth quarter touchdowns Friday...

With fewer than 10 healthy players, Rochester has postponed Saturday’s football game against Neshannock. The game — a Class A Big 7 Conference contest — could be rescheduled for later in the season, said WPIAL chief operating officer Vince Sortino. If so, Sortino suggested the game might be played on...

Previously ruled ineligible by the WPIAL, Bishop Canevin quarterback Brady Wagner can now play the entire regular season after attorneys representing him and the PIAA reached an agreement. The deal halts a lawsuit filed by Wagner’s parents against the PIAA, said attorney Steve Toprani, who represents the Wagners. “The claims...

The push for the playoffs starts now. Football teams in 12 WPIAL conferences will play their conference openers Friday or Saturday, beginning a seven-week sprint to the postseason. Conferences with eight teams — the Midwestern, Eastern and Tri-County South — have seven consecutive conference games ahead. The Big East, Northeast,...

The PIAA hit the snooze button on the shot clock debate. The board on Wednesday was expected to take a second step toward adding a shot clock to high school basketball for the 2028-29 season. Instead, the board tabled the vote until October to give its basketball steering committee time...

Ryan Cecchini has tried some unique practice techniques in his 15 seasons at Avella, but he says that’s life as a small-school coach. “Sometimes we’ll do a half-a-line scrimmage,” Cecchini said. “We’ll go from the center over. And then only half the defense, and we’ll scrimmage each other that way....

WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 2-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 3-0, 2 3. Hempfield, 3-0, 3 4. Norwin, 2-1, 5 5. Seneca Valley, 1-2, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 2-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 3-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 3-0,...

No touchdown could ease the sorrow Harrison Kolling and his teammates felt for their grieving quarterbacks coach, but the Thomas Jefferson sophomore was adamant that he wanted to win this one for him. “I just did it for Daws,” said Kolling, who pushed across the goal line for a go-ahead...

Two WPIAL football teams got a call from the hall. Central Catholic and Woodland Hills each has a former player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a distinction that earned them an invite to play one another Saturday in Canton, Ohio. They’ll meet at 3:30 p.m. as part...

Shady Side Academy is standing behind its decision to call off a football game this week despite possible WPIAL repercussions. A day after announcing that the team was short on players and would forfeit its Week 2 nonconference game at Clairton, the school reaffirmed its stance Thursday, citing an “unwavering...