Chris Harlan stories, Page 113
Bethel Park might be going to no-huddle offense, but toughness remains
There won’t be a fullback in the backfield, the tight end is optional and running backs might play wide receiver, but Bethel Park’s offense isn’t completely new. “To the lay person, it will look a lot different,” first-year coach Brian Delallo said. “It’s no huddle. We’re in more spread sets....
Upper St. Clair, Junko start with ‘blank slate’
Upper St. Clair returns only three players who started last season, a seemingly tough spot for a first-year coach. Mike Junko sees things differently. “We’re kind of excited about that,” said Junko, who was promoted to replace coach Jim Render. “In a lot of ways, with these kids it’s a...
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the tight ends
The traditional hand-on-the-ground tight end has disappeared from some offenses around Western Pennsylvania. As high school offenses have evolved, so too has the position. But it’s clear the tight end position isn’t going extinct. In fact, the WPIAL has sent quite a few tight ends to Division I colleges in...
Central Catholic turns the page after frustrating ’18 season
Last season was a difficult one for Central Catholic, hampered at times by turnovers and other self-inflicted mistakes. In a September matchup with Pine-Richland, the Vikings lost the football seven times to their rival, one of the low points in a season that they’re eager to put behind them. The...
Large, veteran offensive line to pave way for Mt. Lebanon
If there’s a difference between Class 5A and 6A football, maybe it’s the size of the linemen. At least, that’s what Bob Palko has seen since taking over Mt. Lebanon’s program in February. Palko coached West Allegheny for 24 seasons and won eight WPIAL titles, but this Blue Devils’ offensive...
WPIAL football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the wide receivers
Western Pennsylvania was known historically for producing hall of fame quarterbacks, a trend that shifted in recent decades to superstar defensive backs. But nowadays, the WPIAL seems to be producing quite a few Division I wide receivers. Last season, the WPIAL sent wideouts to Pitt, Ball State, Kent State, Maryland,...
WPIAL Class 6A football breakdown: Coaches expect competitive year, wide-open field
There was a worry the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs might be boring because every game is a rematch from the regular season. After last year, that’s no longer a concern. Not after watching fifth-seeded Seneca Valley celebrate a couple of postseason upsets, including a 17-point win over No. 1 North...
Mars’ Khori Fusco headed to prep powerhouse for post-graduate season
Mars basketball standout Khori Fusco, who was a senior last season, announced Tuesday he’s headed to a powerhouse prep school near Shippensburg. Fusco will attend Scotland Campus, he announced on Twitter. The Franklin County school has produced a number of Division I recruits under coach Chris Chaney, who just finished...
WPIAL football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the running backs
High school football has become a pass-oriented game, but that doesn’t mean teams across Western Pennsylvania have abandoned running the football. Eight of the 12 teams that reached WPIAL championships last year had at least one 1,000-yard rusher. Three of the finalists — Rochester, Steel Valley and Derry — had...
Bob Palko brings ‘tough love’ to Mt. Lebanon as football teams open camp
Bob Palko compared the first day of football camp to planning a beach vacation, even though the only deep blue in sight Monday was Mt. Lebanon’s helmets and his new Blue Devils shorts. “You dream all year about getting to the beach,” he said. “What’s it going to look like?”...
Mars’ Carmody picked for All-American Bowl, 4th WPIAL player in 4 years
For the fourth year in a row, the WPIAL had a high school football player chosen for the All-American Bowl. Mars senior Michael Carmody announced Monday that he’d accepted an invitation to the all-star game in San Antonio. The game, which features players from across the country, will be Jan....
WPIAL football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the quarterbacksVideo
WPIAL passing records have fallen one after another over the past five years, a sign high school football in Western Pennsylvania has changed. South Fayette’s Brett Brumbaugh set the WPIAL career yardage record in 2014. Gateway’s Brady Walker broke the WPIAL single-season yardage record in 2017. And last year, Sto-Rox’s...
Brewers pounce on Trevor Williams early, defeat Pirates againVideo
Trevor Williams’ Milwaukee magic couldn’t make a losing streak disappear. Williams won all off his three scoreless starts against Milwaukee last season, but the Brewers scored six times and homered twice off him Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates lost 8-3 at PNC Park. The loss was the fifth in...
Pirates notebook: Jose Osuna gets start again as role expands
Jose Osuna’s key for being a good pinch hitter is to always be ready. “Be ready in every inning,” said Osuna, who has excelled in that role this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I think that’s the most important, be ready for the first pitch.” Now, he seems more than...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle discusses grinding through giant slump
The past two dozen games, with 20 losses and only four wins, were the worst stretch Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle could remember. That’s mostly because his team still was mired in this slide. “Last year it seemed like the worst stretch I’d ever been in,” said Hurdle, whose team...
WPIAL rules Isiah Warfield eligible for senior season, ineligible for playoffs
The WPIAL approved Isiah Warfield to play basketball in the regular season, but the Central Valley transfer remains ineligible for the playoffs. The 6-foot-5 rising senior and Liberty recruit was a 25-point scorer at Sewickley Academy. The WPIAL board decided his eligibility Monday based on transfer paperwork submitted by the...
Former West Mifflin coach Lance Maha returns to WPIAL basketball
Lance Maha, who coached boys basketball at West Mifflin for two decades, is returning to the WPIAL after one season away. Maha was announced Tuesday as coach at Propel Braddock Hills, a charter school team that made its WPIAL debut last season. Maha’s teams reached the playoffs 17 times in...
Aliquippa’s Zuriah Fisher postpones commitment hours before decision day
On the eve of commitment day, Aliquippa linebacker Zuriah Fisher decided to postpone his decision. “Due to the process being a bit overwhelming for me I’ll be pushing my commitment date back,” Fisher wrote Sunday night on Twitter. The three-star recruit had initially said he’d commit Aug. 5. He lists...
2 big innings help Pirates break slump, beat Mets to open homestand
As teammates on a last-place club, the trade deadline could’ve seen Melky Cabrera, Starling Marte or Felipe Vazquez playing elsewhere this weekend. Instead, Cabrera lined a two-run double off the bullpen fence and Marte hit a three-run homer Friday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Mets, 8-4,...
Pirates’ Kela: Telling truth led to 10-game suspension
Keone Kela told the truth in Cincinnati, and he is pretty sure that’s why he’s facing a 10-game suspension. The Pittsburgh Pirates reliever drew the harshest punishment of anyone involved in Tuesday’s brawl with the Reds. Kela stirred long-simmering nastiness when he threw a pitch over Derek Dietrich’s head, an...
Pirates’ Jameson Taillon needs elbow surgery, won’t pitch again this season
Jameson Taillon needs surgery to repair a tendon in his pitching arm, ending any hopes that he could throw again this season. Taillon needs surgery to fix an injured flexor tendon, said trainer Todd Tomczyk, not the ulnar collateral ligament that was repaired in 2014 during Tommy John surgery. The...
Pirates designate Jung Ho Kang for assignment
The glove was still there, but two seasons away from the majors was probably too much for Jung Ho Kang’s bat to overcome. “That’s our take on it,” manager Clint Hurdle said Friday after the Pirates designated the Korean infielder for assignment. “Love the growth of the man off the...
WPIAL football recruits share their written scholarship offers as August arrives
The first day of August is the date each year that college football coaches can send written scholarship offers to high school seniors. The official offers began arriving just after midnight Thursday and WPIAL recruits quickly took to social media. Here’s a look at some of the announcements shared online....
Like his older brother, Seton LaSalle’s Dom Popa commits to Pitt baseball
Seton LaSalle’s Dom Popa, whose brother stars for Pitt, committed Monday to also play baseball for the Panthers. The younger brother is a rising senior who batted .470 for the Rebels, who went 21-3 and won the WPIAL Class 2A title this past spring. The outfielder led his team in...
Gateway transfer Diego Bledsoe remains ineligible over father’s critical comments
The PIAA listened to critical public comments made by Diego Bledsoe’s father and then upheld a WPIAL decision that leaves the Gateway transfer ineligible to play football. Bledsoe, a rising junior who transferred from Steel Valley, had a PIAA hearing Tuesday in Mechanicsburg. The WPIAL had ruled Bledsoe ineligible June...
