Chris Harlan stories, Page 106

The WPIAL wants two football coaches suspended for a scrimmage next season for violating preseason heat acclimatization rules. Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta and Aliquippa’s Mike Warfield violated PIAA rules when their teams worked out in full equipment in early August, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said. The only equipment...

The WPIAL ruled Seton LaSalle transfer Tyler Buzalka eligible for football season following a hearing Monday in Green Tree. The WPIAL board initially had concerns that the sophomore might have followed former Ringgold football coach Mike Zmijanac, who was hired at Seton LaSalle last December. But in a split vote,...

The WPIAL is calling in Connellsville administrators for the second time in two years to face allegations that the school’s boys soccer team targeted an opponent with racial slurs. A year ago, it was Penn Hills that made those accusations. This time, Allderdice parents are accusing Connellsville soccer players of...

A couple of weeks after adding a Michigan State basketball offer, North Allegheny freshman Jasmine Timmerson received one from a school much closer to home. Timmerson announced a Robert Morris offer this week, raising her Division I total to four. She won’t play her first high school game for a...

Rochester sophomore Corynne Hauser, who helped the Rams win a WPIAL girls basketball title last winter, received her third Division I offer this week. The 5-foot-7 point guard announced an offer from Duquesne, which joined Robert Morris and Youngstown state on her list. Hauser averaged 14 points as a freshman...

Football standouts Brian Eyerman and Alex Papson are among 11 former North Allegheny athletes who’ll be inducted next month into the school’s sports hall of fame. Joining them are Bill Brown (cross country, track), Matthew Buerger (swimming), Kristin Huysman-Grabill (field hockey, softball), Brian Levey (soccer, basketball), Briana Pittman (rowing), Andrew...

WPIAL Football Class 6A 1. Pine-Richland, 4-0, 1 2. North Allegheny, 5-0, 2 3. Central Catholic, 3-1, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 3-1, 5 5. Seneca Valley, 1-3, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Penn-Trafford, 4-0, 1 2. Peters Township, 4-0, 2 3. Gateway, 3-1, 3 4. Penn Hills, 3-1, 4...

When McKeesport coach Matt Miller was a senior in 1991, the Tigers had around 85 names on the football roster. This year, his team has 47. What isn’t lost on Miller is that when he walks the halls at the high school, there are far fewer students than there once...

If Avonworth quarterback Park Penrod throws a touchdown or scrambles for a first down, his name won’t echo through the stadium Friday night. Instead, the Oak Hill Field announcer will recognize Avonworth graduate Richard McCormick, an Army soldier who was killed in action in Vietnam. Penrod is among nine Avonworth...

Mars coach Scott Heinauer took time during film study to praise a run by Nick Spotti that gained exactly zero yards. Spotti ran hard, but didn’t have the football. Instead, he sold the fake really well, Heinauer said, drawing the defense away from teammate Teddy Ruffner, who rushed for 328...

The Ivy League added another WPIAL lineman Wednesday when Central Catholic’s Thomas Hartnett committed to Dartmouth. The senior announced his commitment on Twitter. Hartnett (6-3, 290) plays center for the Vikings, who are ranked third in WPIAL Class 6A. He also listed offers from Albany, Brown, Penn and VMI. He’s...

Jeannette and Avella school administrators discussed moving this week’s football game to a different date or time, but ultimately agreed to play the game as scheduled. The teams will play at 7 p.m. Friday at McKee Stadium. Avella had raised concerns in the wake of last week’s fatal shooting outside...

Less than a week after being shot in the leg and feet, West Mifflin quarterback Jaylen Dukes walked back onto a football field with crutches Friday night. The senior served as an honorary captain, coach Rod Steele said, as West Mifflin defeated Trinity, 40-0. “The kids wanted to rally and...

WPIAL football rankings Class 6A 1. Pine-Richland, 3-0, 1 2. North Allegheny, 3-0, 3 3. Central Catholic, 2-1, 2 4. Seneca Valley, 1-2, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 2-1, 5 Out: none ••• Class 5A 1. Penn-Trafford, 3-0, 1 2. Peters Township, 3-0, 2 3. Gateway, 2-1, 3 4. Penn Hills,...

The WPIAL added another Division I lineman to the 2020 recruiting class Thursday when Washington’s Chase Mitchell committed to Liberty. Mitchell announced his decision on Twitter. The 6-foot-5, 340-pound senior chose Liberty over offers from William & Mary, Seton Hill, Wheeling Jesuit, West Liberty, Tiffin and Notre Dame College. Mitchell...

The name changed from the Northwest Nine to the Northwest Eight, but whatever the Class 4A conference was called, South Fayette has owned it. The Lions are 24-0 in conference game since WPIAL football expanded to six classifications three years ago. “They’ve had a strangle hold on the conference,” New...

Avonworth transfer Kyros Thorpe can complete the regular season but the football standout remains ineligible for the playoffs. The WPIAL held a hearing Thursday at the league office in Green Tree and voted to deny a request from Avonworth to grant Thorpe postseason eligibility. Thorpe didn’t meet the waiver criteria...

A WPIAL hearing panel overturned an earlier decision and ruled North Catholic soccer star Jayden Sharpless eligible Thursday by a narrow vote. The sophomore was declared ineligible last month following her transfer from Freedom, but the WPIAL reversed that decision after a lengthy hearing at the league office in Green...

In more than a century of WPIAL football, only three schools have reached 700 all-time victories: New Castle, Jeannette and Aliquippa. Soon, they’ll be joined by a fourth. Washington is one win from reaching that rare milestone. The Prexies’ record stands at 699-368-56 for a program that started playing football...

Avonworth’s Kyros Thorpe has made an immediate impact since transferring from Central Catholic, but it’s unknown whether he’ll be eligible for the football playoffs. The senior has an eligibility hearing scheduled Thursday at the WPIAL office in Green Tree. Thorpe was granted regular-season eligibility when he transferred to Avonworth but...

North Catholic transfer Jayden Sharpless, the top WPIAL girls soccer player last season, will learn this week whether she can play this fall. The sophomore has an eligibility hearing Thursday at the WPIAL office in Green Tree. Sharpless was the TribLive HSSN Girls Soccer Player of the Year last season...

Central Catholic junior Elliot Donald posted a favorites list this week that included all three area colleges and some of the top programs nationally. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound defensive lineman posted a Top 8 that listed Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia, along with LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and...