Chris Harlan stories, Page 110
WPIAL football rankings through Week 3
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...
Drastic changes in enrollment factor into high school football participation decline
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...
No. 4 Penn Hills forces 6 turnovers in 14-7 victory over MarsVideo
The halftime adjustment for Penn Hills’ defensive line seemed almost counter-intuitive: Try not to rush into the backfield too quickly. “We’re normally like rockets. We go,” said senior Sqy Featherstone, a three-year starter. “But in this particular game, against this team, we had to slow it down, key in and...
5 things to watch in Week 3 of high school football: Sept. 13-14
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...
Spotting ‘fakes’ crucial as Penn Hills prepares for Mars’ misdirection
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...
Central Catholic lineman Thomas Hartnett commits to Dartmouth
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, Avella consider rescheduling football game but agree to play Friday night
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...
5 takeaways from Week 2 of high school football action
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 through Week 2
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,...
South Fayette’s Naman Alemada throws 5 touchdowns in win over New CastleVideo
South Fayette’s Naman Alemada tossed five touchdown passes in Friday night’s 37-21 victory, but those throws weren’t the only ones that left New Castle coach Joe Cowart impressed. Rather, Cowart pointed to a 21-yard back-shoulder throw early in the fourth quarter and a few other well-placed ones like it. “Spectacular,”...
Washington lineman Chase Mitchell commits to FBS newcomer Liberty
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...
New Castle wants to stop South Fayette’s 3-year undefeated run in Northwest 8
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’s Kyros Thorpe among 3 denied postseason eligibility by WPIAL
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...
WPIAL rules North Catholic soccer transfer Jayden Sharpless eligible
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...
5 things to watch in Week 2 of high school football
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 football standout Kyros Thorpe seeks postseason eligibility
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...
WPIAL schedules eligibility hearing for soccer star Jayden Sharpless
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 reveals 8 favorite scholarship offers
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...
North Allegheny freshman adds Michigan State basketball offer
Jasmine Timmerson won’t make her high school basketball debut for a few more months, but the North Allegheny freshman already has a Big 10 scholarship offer. Timmerson announced an offer Friday from Michigan State while visiting the school’s campus. She now has three Division I offers with the others from...
Gateway junior Derrick Davis adds another SEC football offer
Gateway’s Derrick Davis might soon be able to choose any college in the country. The star junior announced a football scholarship offer from LSU on Sunday, making the Tigers the latest major college program recruiting Davis. He announced an offer last week from Florida, adding to a list that already...
5 takeaways from Week 1 of high school football action
Carlynton accomplished something Friday the program hadn’t done in 14 years. The Cougars reached 2-0. Not since 2005 had Carlynton started the season with consecutive wins, a small achievement for some but a big confidence boost for first-year coach Rich Piccinini’s team. “There’s a buzz around the school and the...
WPIAL football rankings through Week 1
Class 6A Team, W-L, Last 1. Pine-Richland, 2-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 2-0, 2 3. North Allegheny, 2-0, 3 4. Seneca Valley 0-2 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 1-1, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Penn-Trafford, 2-0, 3 2. Peters Township, 2-0, 2 3. Gateway, 1-1, 1 4. Penn Hills, 1-1,...
Central Catholic scores last-minute touchdown, stops Seneca Valley in wild finishVideo
Central Catholic scored with 28 seconds left and then its defense made a touchdown-saving tackle as time expired Friday night, a wild finish to a 10-7 victory at Seneca Valley. After three quarters without a touchdown, the final minute saw both teams holding their breath. “You can never get too...
Randy Rovesti retires as Gateway athletic director
Randy Rovesti thought he’d be Gateway’s interim athletic director for maybe two or three months, just long enough for the district to find someone else. Six years later, he was still on the job. Rovesti, 67, delayed retirement in 2013 to work for his alma mater, but said he decided...
5 things to watch in Week 1 high school footballVideo
Aliquippa’s Mike Warfield would like to see old Aschman Stadium renovated, but the second-year coach started with the field house that holds the team’s lockers and weight room. There are now flat-screen TVs for watching game film, modern workout equipment and a bright-red locker room that’s far more welcoming than...
