Chris Harlan stories, Page 106
WPIAL championship rematch with fearsome Central Catholic line awaits Pine-Richland
One lineman is the talented nephew of an NFL superstar. One is 6-foot-5 and committed to North Carolina. The two others are gigantic twin brothers with more than 20 scholarship offers. Combined, the Central Catholic defensive linemen have formed a fearsome front four. “This group is special because of their...
Familiar foes Belle Vernon, Thomas Jefferson to meet for WPIAL Class 4A title
Belle Vernon knocked loudly on the WPIAL championship door two years in a row without an answer, each time losing in the semifinals. This year, for the first time in team history, the Leopards are headed to Heinz Field. “We were finally able to kick in that door and get...
PIAA postpones Tuesday’s state soccer semifinals at Hampton, Slippery Rock
Snow-covered fields forced the PIAA to postpone Tuesday’s soccer semifinals at Hampton and Slippery Rock. The two doubleheaders were rescheduled for Wednesday at the same sites. In Class A, the Shady Side Academy girls play Greensburg Central Catholic at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hampton. The Greensburg Central Catholic boys follow...
Midwestern: New Brighton’s Francona, Western Beaver’s Altenbaugh lead all-conference team
New Brighton receiver Jake Francona and Western Beaver linebacker Zach Altenbaugh earned MVP honors this season in the Midwestern Athletic Conference. The two seniors lead a coaches’ all-conference team announced Monday. Riverside senior Nate Sciarro appeared four times, earning all-conference honors as a wide receiver, defensive back, kicker and punter....
Northern: Penn Hills lands 9 players, coach on 1st-team, all-conference list
Penn Hills had nine players voted first-team all-conference by coaches including eight on the defensive side of the football. The Indians swept the defensive back spots with Dylan Bennett, Dontae Pollard, Aakeem Snell, Noel Roach and Anthony Grimes all making the list. Penn Hills’ Jon LeDonne repeated as conference coach...
Big East: 9 from Penn-Trafford voted 1st-team all-conference, Ruane top coach
bPenn-Trafford went undefeated in the regular season and dominated the Big East once again Monday in the all-conference voting. The Warriors had nine players earn first-team honors and John Ruane was named as the coach of the year. Conference coaches vote on the awards. The results were announced Monday. FIRST-TEAM...
Allegheny 8: Peters Township leads all-conference voting with 8 on 1st team
Moon went from one conference win to a share of the Allegheny Eight title, a turnaround that earned Ryan Linn conference coach of the year honors. Co-champion Peters Township led with eight first-team players in voting conducted by conference coaches. The results were announced Monday. Bethel Park was second with...
Central Catholic leads 6A all-conference team; Canon-Mac’s Evans top coach
Central Catholic, North Allegheny and Pine-Richland finished tied as tri-champions in WPIAL Class 6A, but the Vikings ran away with the all-conference vote. The conference coaches awarded first-team all-conference honors to nine Central Catholic players, including four linemen. North Allegheny placed six players on the first team and Pine-Richland had...
Mt. Lebanon’s Patrick Anderson leads PTFCA all-state cross country team
Two-time state cross country champion Patrick Anderson was named as the sport’s male athlete of the year by the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association. The Mt. Lebanon senior was among 10 WPIAL runners who earned all-state honors this week. North Allegheny’s John Neff was named as the girls coach...
Washington leads all-conference selections in Class 2A Century
Washington quarterback Zack Swartz, lineman Zakhi Marshall and coach Mike Bosnic won individual awards in the Class 2A Century. The Prexies led with seven first-team all-conference selections in a vote of coaches. Swartz was named as the conference’s top offensive player, Marshall was the top lineman and Bosnic earned coach...
Five things we learned in high school football Week 11
With another celebration at Heinz Field, Central Catholic or Pine-Richland can call itself the team of the decade in the WPIAL’s largest classification. For now, both could make that claim. Each team has won the WPIAL’s largest classification three times since 2010, tying them with North Allegheny (2010-12) during that...
Peters Township wins rematch with Moon in WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinalVideo
When Peters Township lost to Moon in the regular season, Josh Casilli’s stat line read: one catch, six yards. His role changed dramatically in the rematch. The Penn recruit totaled 183 yards from scrimmage and scored twice Friday night as No. 5 Peters Township defeated No. 4 Moon, 33-7, in...
Allegheny 8 co-champions Moon, Peters Township rematch in WPIAL quarterfinals
The WPIAL football playoffs often bring together unfamiliar teams, so their coaches spend hours studying one another on film. But that’s not always the case. Allegheny Eight co-champions Peters Township and Moon meet for the second time in six weeks Friday night in a Class 5A quarterfinal at West Allegheny,...
After 2 winless seasons, Butler football might leave WPIAL for independent schedule
Mired in a 20-game losing streak, Butler’s football team might leave the WPIAL for an independent schedule next season. “We are considering it,” athletic director Bill Mylan said Thursday, “but we haven’t made any kind of decision one way or the other.” The school district’s administration will meet later this...
5 things to watch in Week 11 of high school football: North Allegheny, Mt. Lebanon looking to flip script
How much can change in 14 days? That’s what North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon want to find out Friday night. Their WPIAL Class 6A semifinals are rematches from Week 9, with North Allegheny facing Pine-Richland for the second time in three weeks, and Mt. Lebanon facing Central Catholic. Neither was...
PIAA football realignment: What classification will teams call home in 2020, 2021?
PIAA football teams learned Thursday which classification they’ll call home next season. Among those switching classes are defending WPIAL champions Pine-Richland and South Fayette, who both appear headed to Class 5A, while Baldwin will jump to the largest classification, according to information released by the PIAA. Updated class parameters —...
Former WPIAL basketball star Donovan ‘Puff’ Johnson commits to North Carolina
Former WPIAL basketball star Donovan “Puff” Johnson committed Tuesday night to North Carolina, choosing a school where older brother Cameron played. The 6-foot-7 standout watched closely as his brother became a Tar Heels star over the past two seasons, and that familiarity ultimately led him to Chapel Hill. “He enjoyed...
WPIAL announces football playoff sites for Week 11: Class 5A rematch at West A
Peters Township and Moon, co-champions in the Allegheny Eight, will play for the second time in six weeks when they meet Friday night in a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal at West Allegheny. The WPIAL revealed Week 11 playoff sites Monday. Moon won 21-13 at home in Week 6. But that’s...
Pine-Richland lineman Miguel Jackson adds 3rd Division I offerVideo
Pine-Richland’s Miguel Jackson, one of the WPIAL’s top pass rushers, added his third Division I offer this week. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound junior announced an offer Friday from Toledo, his thirdMid-American Conference school. The guard and defensive end already holds offers from Akron and Bowling Green. Jackson has 8½ sacks, 47...
2 WPIAL seniors receive 1st Division I offers from Rhode IslandVideo
Two WPIAL football players received their first Division I offers this week from the same FCS school. Rhode Island extended offers to Mt. Lebanon senior Mason Ventrone and Moon senior Brenden Luffey, the players announced on Twitter. Leading the Rams’ recruiting efforts around the WPIAL is first-year assistant coach Josh...
5 things we learned in Week 10: McGuffey, West Greene celebrate 1st WPIAL playoff win in decades
McGuffey waited 25 years for Friday night’s celebration. West Greene waited 26. New Brighton waited 18. Cornell had waited forever. Sometimes, a WPIAL playoff win arrives only once in a generation, a fact McGuffey junior Evan Wright and a few of his teammates understand well. McGuffey’s wait ended when the...
QB Ethan Dahlem exits, but fast start leads Upper St. Clair past North HillsVideo
Like a scene from scary movie, Upper St. Clair quarterback Ethan Dahlem’s head and helmet were twisted around in the wrong direction as he crossed the goal line. Dahlem, with a laugh, called it a horror-movie moment. But for the most part, he was the one turning heads Friday night....
Upper St. Clair out to deny North Hills its 1st playoff win since 2010
North Hills and Upper St. Clair haven’t played one another in nearly a decade, but a first-round matchup has stirred some nostalgia. “It seemed like back in the day, that’s who we were matched up with quite a bit,” said North Hills coach Pat Carey, a 1988 graduate. “That’s back...
Home-field advantage weighs heavy in WPIAL playoffs
North Hills’ Rowdie Rooters, the team’s famed hilltop cheering section, hasn’t celebrated a home playoff game at Martorelli Stadium in almost a decade. But when the WPIAL football playoffs start Friday night, North Hills will be among the teams playing on home turf, an advantage that’s proven to be significant....
2nd WPIAL football playoff game moved to artificial turf
Friday’s forecast predicts drier weather, but Thursday’s rain was enough to force two WPIAL football playoff games to be moved off grass. The WPIAL announced that Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Clairton will play their Class A first-round game at West Mifflin. They were schedule to play at...
