Chris Harlan stories, Page 102
WPIAL, Philadelphia-area football teams separated under PIAA playoff proposalVideo
MECHANICSBURG — The PIAA might move Pittsburgh and Philadelphia a little farther apart. Football teams from the WPIAL and the powerful Philadelphia Catholic League won’t share the same side of the state playoff brackets anymore — if the PIAA approves tentative brackets revealed Wednesday for the 2020 and ’21 football...
Aliquippa drops PIAA appeal, accepts promotion to Class 4A football
MECHANICSBURG — Aliquippa accepted its football team’s fate Wednesday and the school ended efforts to stay in Class 3A. School administrators were scheduled to appear before the PIAA board and argue their appeal, but instead they cancelled that hearing on the advice of Aliquippa’s school board, said athletic director Brandon...
Quaker Valley transfer Hunter Robison remains ineligible to wrestle this season
Quaker Valley wrestler Hunter Robison, a talented midseason transfer from General McLane, might not suit up for the Quakers this season. The WPIAL denied Robison’s request for a postseason waiver at a hearing Monday in Green Tree, leaving him ineligible for the upcoming team and individual tournaments. PIAA rules also...
WPIAL rules GCC transfers Bailey Kuhns, Mark Mizerak ineligible
The WPIAL ruled a pair of Greensburg Central Catholic transfers ineligible Monday. The board declared girls basketball player Bailey Kuhns and football player Mark Mizerak both ineligible based on transfer paperwork submitted by the schools, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said. Their previous schools flagged the transfers as possibly motivated...
WPIAL will address Propel Andrew Street’s allegations of racial slurs by Leechburg in boys basketball game
The WPIAL board voted Monday to call in school administrators and boys basketball coaches from Propel Andrew Street and Leechburg to address allegations of racial slurs. A date has not been scheduled. The section basketball game between the two schools was cut short in the final minute Friday after Propel...
WPIAL reveals football conference alignment for 2020, 2021 seasons
The WPIAL has witnessed a decline in football attendance, so it took steps Monday to address those concerns. The board approved an updated conference alignment that keeps the six classification format preferred by 70% of schools, but also attempted to quiet complaints about unwanted travel. To make that happen, the...
East Allegheny wide receiver Tyler Padezan commits to DuquesneVideo
East Allegheny’s Tyler Padezan, who earned all-conference honors at wide receiver and defensive back, committed Sunday to Duquesne. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior led East Allegheny with 33 catches for 721 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also listed Division I FCS offers from Albany, Morgan State, St. Francis (Pa.), Rhode Island...
Big 33 sees 3 alumni reach Super Bowl, extends streak to 54 years
The Big 33 Football Classic’s Super Bowl streak continues with help from a former WPIAL athlete. All 54 Super Bowl matchups have included at least one former player from the high school football all-star game, a streak that San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Kevin Givens and kicker Robbie Gould, and...
Trib WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 18, 2020
WPIAL rankings Girls basketball Class 6A 1. Bethel Park, 13-0, 1 2. Norwin, 11-2, 2 3. North Allegheny, 11-3, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 12-3, 4 5. Upper St. Clair, 9-4, NR Out: Baldwin (10-5, 5) Class 5A 1. Chartiers Valley, 15-0, 1 2. Woodland Hills, 13-2, 2 3. Trinity, 11-2,...
Trib WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 18, 2020
WPIAL rankings Boys basketball Class 6A 1. Fox Chapel, 15-0, 1 2. Butler, *10-4, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 11-4, 3 4. Pine-Richland, *9-4, 4 5. Upper St. Clair, 13-2, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Penn Hills, *11-2, 1 2. Chartiers Valley, 10-4, 4 3. Shaler, 11-4, 2 4. Mars,...
Important questions remain as WPIAL football realignment process continues
The WPIAL has already requested a weekend at Heinz Field for the football finals, but it’s too early to say which classifications will play their championships at the North Shore stadium. That’s because this is a realignment year for the PIAA, a resorting of teams that occurs across the state...
Woodland Hills basketball showcase draws teams from 7 states for anti-violence event
High school basketball teams from seven states are headed to Woodland Hills this weekend for the Martin Luther King Weekend Stand Against Violence Showcase, a four-day event that features 41 boys and girls varsity games. The showcase starts Friday. In the field are two teams that are ranked nationally. The...
Butler football skips independent route, joins District 10 as associate member
District 10 accepted Butler’s football team as an associate member Wednesday after the WPIAL endorsed the move. The WPIAL board had previously rejected the football team’s request to leave District 7 and join District 10, but later sent a letter in support of this limited arrangement. As an associate member,...
West Allegheny’s Austin Hendrick next WPIAL standout who could join MLB ranksVideo
West Allegheny’s Austin Hendrick tells a story about hitting baseballs two years ago with Neil Walker, the former Pine-Richland player and first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates. “It was a really cool experience meeting him and talking to him a little bit,” said Hendrick, describing himself as a sponge...
WPIAL headed for minor, not major, football realignment
WPIAL football will have some smaller conferences and handpicked nonconference matchups next season, but schools don’t want a radical overhaul. A significant majority of WPIAL schools preferred “Proposal 1” for football realignment, a plan that maintains six classifications and separates schools according to enrollment size rather than geography. School administrators...
PIAA denies Aliquippa request to remain in Class 3A football
The PIAA competitive-balance rule seems particularly harsh on lower-income communities like Aliquippa, said athletic director Brandon LeDonne, where residents tend to be more transient. “Parents change jobs, guardianship changes, living situations change,” LeDonne said. “Sometimes they change like some of us change underwear. It’s kind of unfortunate.” The new rule...
Will Pirates use 1st-round pick on West Allegheny’s Austin Hendrick?
West Allegheny baseball star Austin Hendrick, ranked as the top high school bat in the country, is expected to hear his name called early in this summer’s MLB Draft. How early? Well, Baseball America released a mock draft on Monday that predicted the left-handed hitting outfielder going seventh overall to...
Shenango shot putter Emma Callahan ranks 1st nationally in indoor season
Shenango sophomore Emma Callahan climbed to the top of the national shot put rankings this weekend. Callahan won the Youngstown State Open high school indoor meet Saturday with a 47-foot, 11-inch throw that ranked as the nation’s longest girls shot put distance this season, according to Milesplit.com stats. Three of...
Trib WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 12, 2020
WPIAL girls basketball rankings Class 6A 1. Bethel Park, 11-0, 1 2. Norwin, 9-2, 2 3. North Allegheny, 9-1, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 10-2, 5 5. Baldwin, 9-3, NR Out: Upper St. Clair (8-3, 4) Class 5A 1. Chartiers Valley, 13-0, 1 2. Woodland Hills, 10-2, 2 3. Trinity, 9-2,...
Trib WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 11, 2020
WPIAL rankings Boys basketball Class 6A 1. Fox Chapel, 12-0, 1 2. Butler, 9-4, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 10-3, 3 4. Pine-Richland, 9-3, 4 5. Upper St. Clair, 12-1, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Penn Hills, 9-2, 1 2. Shaler, 9-3, 3 3. Mars, 8-2, 4 4. Chartiers Valley,...
Short-handed Upper St. Clair uses ‘7 starters’ in victory over Bethel Park
With two starters out with injuries, Upper St. Clair could’ve easily explained away a lackluster effort Friday night, but the Panthers made sure that wasn’t necessary. Upper St. Clair showed its depth, made eight first-half 3-pointers and defeated Bethel Park, 67-50, for a key Section 2-6A victory. USC junior Luke...
Charity basketball event draws out-of-state talent to Montour
The Winter Jamfest to End Domestic Violence, a five-game basketball showcase, will bring out-of-state talent to Montour’s gym Saturday. The event begins at noon and the final game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students and seniors. The schedule starts with three WPIAL...
Gateway’s Derrick Davis accepts invitation to Under Armour All-American Game
Derrick Davis hasn’t decided his college future yet, but he knows where he’ll be next January. The Gateway junior announced Tuesday that he accepted an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Game, a high school football all-star game in Florida. The game features the country’s top college recruits and is...
West Allegheny football coach Chris Lucas resigns after 1 season
West Allegheny is searching once again for a new football coach. Chris Lucas, who stepped in last year and coached the Indians for one season, resigned Friday for family reasons, West A athletic director Dave McBain said. The school district will talk first with internal candidates and then interview outside...
Quaker Valley wrestling adds transfer ranked 2nd in state
Sophomore wrestler Hunter Robison, who’s ranked second in the state, has transferred to Quaker Valley. Robison, who arrived in late December from General McLane near Erie, will be eligible to compete starting next week, Quaker Valley athletic director Mike Mastroianni said. PIAA rules mandate that midseason transfers sit out 21...
