Chris Harlan stories, Page 114
North Allegheny senior lineman Lugg forges his own path
North Allegheny’s Jake Lugg plays left tackle for the Tigers like older brother, Josh, did a few years earlier. With two Division I linemen in the same family, it’s inevitable they’re compared often — maybe too often. “I love being compared to him sometimes,” Lugg said, “and sometimes I feel...
WPIAL soccer referees will switch to diagonal system, if PIAA approves
The WPIAL could change the way soccer games are officiated next season, if the PIAA approves. The PIAA board must decide Wednesday whether to let the WPIAL organize a pilot program that transitions its officials to the “diagonal system of control” used by soccer organizations around the world rather than...
PIAA baseball committee wants games added to regular season
Pennsylvania high school baseball teams could play a few more regular-season games next season, if the PIAA baseball steering committee gets its wish. The PIAA board of directors on Wednesday will consider a recommendation from the baseball committee to increase the in-season maximum from 20 to 24 games. “This is...
Trib HSSN rewind: A look back at the 2018-19 boys basketball season
With Moon and Mars leading the way, it’s safe to say the 2018-19 WPIAL boys basketball season was out of this world. It helps that the two Class 5A rivals combined for one of the most memorable finishes in WPIAL championship history. Andrew Recchia made a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.6...
PIAA schedules appeal hearing for Moon’s Donovan Johnson
Basketball star Donovan Johnson will learn next week whether he can play his senior season at Moon. The PIAA has scheduled his appeal hearing for Wednesday, said PIAA administrator Mark Byers. The PIAA board meets that day in State College. The 6-foot-7 standout is ineligible for next season under a...
After 2 years without, light towers return to Northgate’s stadium
Northgate football coach Michael Fulmore was headed home after a summer workout when something high in the Bellevue sky grabbed his attention. For the first time in two years, there were light towers above Alumni Field. “I was driving down the street and could see them from the main avenue,”...
While awaiting PIAA eligibility hearing, West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson giving 100 percent effort
The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 23 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. West Mifflin’s season opener is only six weeks away, and Nahki Johnson doesn’t know...
North Allegheny’s Luke Colella gives Ivy League another WPIAL football recruit
Once a Tiger, always a Tiger? The Ivy League added another WPIAL football recruit Wednesday when North Allegheny’s Luke Colella committed to Princeton. The wide receiver and defensive back also listed offers from Central Michigan, Robert Morris, Columbia, Dartmouth, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Sacred Heart. Colella announced his commitment...
Central Catholic baseball’s Will Ray commits to Wake Forest
Central Catholic’s Will Ray is the lastest WPIAL baseball recruit heading south. The left-handed hitting outfielder committed Monday to Wake Forest, continuing a trend that’s seen ACC and SEC schools recruit players from Western Pennsylvania. Among them, Blackhawk graduate Michael Turconi was a freshman for the Demon Deacons this past...
NFHS expands exchange zones for some track relays
Some sprinters will have an extra 10 meters to make their relay exchange, the National Federation of State High School Associations decided. The NFHS followed the NCAA’s lead and extended exchange zones in the shortest relays from 20 to 30 meters. The change affects only relays with legs of 200...
Woodland Hills AD among candidates to coach boys basketball team
Woodland Hills’ next boys basketball coach might already work in the school’s athletic department. Athletic director Ron Coursey, who previously coached basketball at Propel Andrew Street and Greater Works, is among the candidates for the job. The school board is expected to make a decision soon. The group meets July...
Week Zero football showcase at Wolvarena expands to 2nd venue
The Western Pennsylvania vs. Everyone Football Showcase is officially too big for one stadium. The multi-game Week Zero event was held entirely at Woodland Hills’ Wolvarena last season, but this year will grow to include two games at North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium. All combined, there are eight games on Aug....
2 WPIAL football recruits announce 1st Division I offers from St. Francis
Two rising seniors in the WPIAL each received their first Division I football offers this week from St. Francis. Baldwin’s Naseer Penn and Bethel Park’s Jehvonn Lewis announced offers days apart from the Red Flash, an FCS program in the Northeast Conference. Lewis (5-10, 160) plays running back and defensive...
Like famous uncle, Central Catholic’s Elliot Donald seems poised for ‘great things’
The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 23 during Trib HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. Central Catholic’s Elliot Donald noticed a video on Twitter this week that showed...
Pine-Richland pitcher Tommy Beam commits to West Virginia
Pine-Richland pitcher Tommy Beam, who helped the Rams win a WPIAL title this spring, committed Friday to West Virginia. Beam will be a junior in the fall. The 6-foot-5 right-hander went 5-3 with a 1.48 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. He earned the win in the WPIAL...
Trib HSSN rewind: A look back at the 2018 football season
Fifteen years had passed since Darrelle Revis last played WPIAL football, but his name came up often last December in Hershey. Penn Hills senior Daequan Hardy had a four-touchdown, three-interception effort in the PIAA Class 5A football championship that drew comparisons to the former Aliquippa great. A day later, Revis’...
Former North Allegheny track star Ayden Owens transferring to Michigan
Ayden Owens enjoyed his freshman year on the West Coast, the warm weather and the Los Angeles lifestyle. But to reach his decathlon dreams, the former North Allegheny track star decided he needed a change. Owens announced Monday that he’ll transfer from Southern Cal to Michigan, leaving the Pac-12 for...
Incoming North Allegheny freshman announces Division 1 basketball offer
North Allegheny’s Jasmine Timmerson hasn’t started high school but already has a Division 1 basketball offer. The freshman-to-be announced an offer this week from Duquesne coach Dan Burt. The Dukes recruit Western Pennsylvania thoroughly and has five current players with WPIAL roots, but rarely does an incoming ninth grader receive...
Trinity basketball’s Riley DeRubbo adds St. Francis offer
Trinity’s Riley DeRubbo, who missed most of her junior basketball season after knee surgery, has added another Division 1 offer. DeRubbo announced a Fordham offer earlier in June and added St. Francis, Pa. this week. Her AAU program, the Western Pa. Bruins, announced her latest offer. The 5-foot-9 guard will...
Pennsylvania has nation’s No. 1-ranked small school football team
Defending PIAA champion Southern Columbia was ranked Sunday as the No. 1 small school football team in the country by the website High School Football America. The District 4 power has won the state’s Class 2A title three of the past four years and owns nine PIAA titles overall. The...
2 WPIAL schools honored nationally in preseason football rankings
WPIAL football teams Penn Hills and Pine-Richland were recognized by High School Football American in its national preseason rankings. Neither school cracked the Top 125 released Friday, but both were included in a list of 100 honorable mention selections. Three Pennsylvania teams were ranked. St. Joseph’s Prep was fourth overall,...
Aliquippa’s Devonshire named Trib HSSN Boys Athlete of the Year
MJ Devonshire might be too humble to rank himself among the high school greats from Aliquippa, but his accomplishments speak for themselves. As a senior, he guided the Quips to a state football title, led his basketball team to the WPIAL playoffs and won two gold medals at the PIAA...
Looking back at the top 15 high school sports stories of the 2018-19 school year
8.6.18 The WPIAL receives a wave of paperwork from athletes hurrying to beat an Aug. 6 deadline for a new PIAA rule that makes transfers automatically ineligible for the postseason. 9.6.18 Connellsville defeats Penn Hills, 6-1, in a boys soccer game marred by allegations of racial slurs. The accusations against...
Mars basketball’s Bella Pelaia commits to Mount St. Mary’s
For the third time in three years, the Mars girls basketball team has a Division 1 recruit. Bella Pelaia, a 6-foot forward and rising senior, announced her commitment to Mount St. Mary’s on Friday. She follows former teammates Tai Johnson (Bucknell) and Lauren Wasylson (Xavier) as D1 recruits. Johnson was...
Ex-Blackhawk baseball star Brendan McKay making major league debut
As the Trib’s player of the year in 2014, Blackhawk’s Brendan McKay was asked to predict where he saw himself in five years. “Hopefully playing baseball somewhere,” he answered. “In the minor leagues, probably. Maybe even close to the major leagues.” Accuracy always was a strength for the talented left-hander....
