Chris Harlan stories, Page 105
Transfers will force Aliquippa football to Class 4A, pending appeal to PIAA
Aliquippa ranks among the smallest football schools in the WPIAL, with only four more boys than Jeannette and nine fewer than Shenango. But while those two schools will play in Class A next fall, the PIAA on Monday informed Aliquippa that it must compete in Class 4A against the likes...
WPIAL denies Butler request to join District 10 in football
Mired in a 20-game losing streak, Butler’s football team asked to leave the WPIAL and join District 10, but that request was denied by the WPIAL board Monday. Letting a school move just one sport to a different PIAA district would set a bad precedent, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley...
Missouri wrestling champion Wyatt Henson eligible for WPIAL, PIAA tournaments
Waynesburg transfer Wyatt Henson, a Missouri state wrestling champion, was ruled eligible Monday for the WPIAL and PIAA tournaments this winter. The WPIAL initially ruled Henson ineligible for the postseason under a PIAA rule that targets all transfers. But the WPIAL decided Monday that the junior qualified for a postseason...
WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley retiring, board promotes Amy Scheuneman
The WPIAL will have a change in leadership this summer. WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley is retiring June 30 after 14 years as the district’s top administrator and will be replaced by Amy Scheuneman, the associate executive director. The WPIAL board accepted O’Malley’s resignation letter Monday and voted to promote...
North Allegheny’s Sam Sheridan commits to Patriot League football
North Allegheny’s Sam Sheridan, an all-conference defensive end, has committed to Lehigh. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior also listed FCS offers from Duquesne and Rhode Island. He announced his decision last week on Twitter. North Allegheny (10-2) tied for the conference title in WPIAL Class 6A behind a defense that allowed...
Seton LaSalle’s Max Schipani follows high school connections to AlbanyVideo
Seton LaSalle’s Max Schipani will play college football for a coach who knows his high school very well. The all-conference wide receiver committed Friday to Albany, which is coached by Greg Gattuso, a 1980 Seton LaSalle graduate. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior also listed offers from Air Force, Columbia, Cornell and...
Gateway’s Derrick Davis named TribLive HSSN Football Player of the Year
With nearly 30 college scholarship offers, Gateway’s Derrick Davis admits he’s had to look back through his Twitter timeline just to remember them all. This fall, Davis showed why he’s in such high demand. The do-it-all running back and safety had more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 28...
Undefeated state champions, record-setting rusher among Trib 25 football all-stars
The WPIAL crowned six more champions this season, each with a unique story to tell. There was an undefeated state champion who celebrated win No. 16 in Hershey and a running back from Greene County who became the first to 3,000 yards. They’re all represented here along with many other...
WPIAL boys basketball rankings for week of Dec. 15, 2019
Boys Class 6A 1. Butler, 3-0, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 4-0, 2 3. Fox Chapel, 5-0, 3 4. Pine-Richland, 1-2, 4 5. Upper St. Clair, 3-1, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Mars, 3-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 2-1, 2 3. Shaler, 3-1, 4 4. Trinity, 3-1, NR 5. Laurel...
WPIAL girls basketball rankings for Week of Dec. 15, 2019
Class 6A 1. Bethel Park, 4-0, 1 2. North Allegheny, 3-0, 2 3. Peters Township, 2-2, 3 4. Norwin, 1-1, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 3-1, NR Out: Fox Chapel (2-2, 5) Class 5A 1. Chartiers Valley, 2-0, 1 2. Trinity, 3-1, 4 3. Thomas Jefferson, 4-1, 3 4. Mars, 4-0,...
PCN will re-air Pine-Richland’s snowy 2003 PIAA football final
The images are among the most iconic in PIAA football championship history. Hersheypark Stadium was blanketed in white and snowflakes fell from the sky as Pine-Richland and Manheim Central battled through two overtimes in the 2003 Class 3A state final. The Pennsylvania Cable Network will rebroadcast the game statewide at...
WPIAL survey results: Schools favor 6 playoff brackets, mixed on realignment approach
The WPIAL’s football survey produced mixed results on some topics, but a clear majority of schools want to keep six separate playoff brackets. “So we’re going to go with that approach,” WPIAL associate executive director Amy Scheuneman said. WPIAL schools also overwhelmingly opposed the idea of every football team making...
PIAA could force Aliquippa football to Class 4A under competitive-balance rule
Add Aliquippa to the list of football teams that might be forced into a higher classification next season. The Quips already are voluntarily playing up two classifications but they could be moved to Class 4A under a PIAA competitive-balance rule that targets postseason success and transfers. That possibility came as...
Influential WPIAL administrator Charles ‘Ace’ Heberling dies
Charles “Ace” Heberling, who directed the WPIAL for more than two decades and is credited with making the league what it is today, died Monday. He was 94. The former NFL official became the first full-time administrator of the WPIAL in 1976, a job he held until retiring in 1997....
Peters Township’s Donovan McMillon adds 2 offers as NCAA coaches enter contact periodVideo
High school football players are in the midst of a two-week contact period on the NCAA recruiting calendar, a 14-day span that’s kept WPIAL juniors busy. Among them is Peters Township junior Donovan McMillon, who announced offers from Purdue and Miami (Ohio) in the past week. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound safety...
Gateway sophomore Patrick Body adds first Division I football offerVideo
Gateway sophomore Patrick Body made two of the Gators’ most important catches in the playoffs and was rewarded this week with his first Division I college offer. Body announced an offer from William & Mary. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver and defensive back played a key role in Gateway winning...
WPIAL leading receiver David Pantelis announces offer from Duquesne
As the WPIAL’s leading receiver, Upper St. Clair’s David Pantelis earned the attention of WPIAL defensive coordinators all across Class 5A. Now, after a standout junior season, it’s college coaches who seem to be focusing on Pantelis. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound wide receiver and defensive back announced a Division I offer...
Wyoming Area’s late rally stuns Central Valley in PIAA championship
HERSHEY — Momentum might be a myth to some, but Central Valley believes in it wholeheartedly. “One hundred percent, yes,” senior Reed FitzSimmons said with no hesitation. “You saw it right out there.” Wyoming Area’s offense was stagnant and scoreless for three quarters but scored touchdowns on three consecutive fourth-quarter...
Going up? PIAA could force Southern Columbia, others into higher football classification
Southern Columbia has no equal in Class 2A football, a lesson Avonworth learned Friday. The small-school power celebrated its fourth PIAA title in five years at Hersheypark Stadium, but the record-setting state champion and a few other top football teams might be forced into a higher classification next season. Archbishop...
Southern Columbia routs Avonworth in record-setting PIAA championshipVideo
HERSHEY — Avonworth’s Park Penrod and Trevor Faulkner connected for an electric 43-yard touchdown pass on the opening possession Friday, and for more than 4 minutes, the Antelopes led the state championship. Maybe this wasn’t the mismatch many expected? That question didn’t linger long. District 4 champion Southern Columbia answered...
Thomas Jefferson dominates Dallas, celebrates 4th PIAA titleVideo
HERSHEY — Thomas Jefferson’s Bill Cherpak had coached 24 seasons, won seven WPIAL titles and celebrated three state championships before this year. Needless to say, Cherpak has some fond memories. But as TJ marched toward Hershey, he insisted for weeks that this season was the most fun he’d ever had...
Avonworth will ‘relish’ underdog role against 9-time PIAA champion Southern Columbia
Avonworth coach Duke Johncour acknowledges the apparent mismatch his football team is walking into Friday when the Antelopes make their first state championship appearance. Waiting for them at Hersheypark Stadium will be nine-time PIAA champion Southern Columbia, a team that’s won 47 games in a row and has players committed...
Thomas Jefferson sees ‘mirror image’ in state championship opponent Dallas
Instead of heading home after last week’s semifinal win, Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak and a few assistants drove two hours from Hollidaysburg to Danville to watch Dallas win the other state semifinal. The road trip let them scout an opponent from the other side of the state, but the...
Ambridge basketball coach Mark Jula retires week before season opener
Ambridge boys basketball coach Mark Jula started to question his passion for the job, so he retired a week before the season opener. “I’ve coached primarily on passion more than anything,” said Jula, who was about to start his eighth season at his alma mater. “When that passion starts to...
Central Catholic loses in overtime to nationally ranked St. Joseph’s PrepVideo
ALTOONA — Nationally ranked St. Joseph’s Prep needed overtime Saturday to defeat Central Catholic, 31-24, but the WPIAL champion didn’t leave Mansion Park Stadium satisfied with just coming close. The Vikings knew they could have won — maybe even should have won — and they couldn’t hide their hurt. “We...
