Chris Harlan stories, Page 116
High school sports proposal would separate public, private playoffs, ax PIAA transfer restrictions
Public and private high schools will compete for separate state championships, and strict transfer rules will vanish under the “Parity in Interscholastic Athletics Act” introduced Tuesday by a Western Pennsylvania state representative. “This impacts hundreds of thousands of students,” said state Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) while announcing his legislation at...
Western Pa. representative readies legislation to separate private, public school playoffs
The executive director of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference sat down with outspoken public school advocates in February for a frank conversation about the current PIAA playoff system. Those talks in Harrisburg, facilitated by state Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence), led to the “Parity in Interscholastic Athletics Act” that the Western Pennsylvania...
PIAA postpones all baseball, softball semifinals involving WPIAL teams
The PIAA postponed many of Monday’s baseball and softball semifinals because of weather to Tuesday, including all involving WPIAL teams. Among the baseball games pushed back were those involving WPIAL teams North Allegheny, Beaver, Seton LaSalle and Serra Catholic. WPIAL softball teams Hempfield, Penn-Trafford, Mt. Pleasant, Elizabeth Forward, Frazier and...
Central Catholic defensive end A.J. Beatty commits to North Carolina
Central Catholic’s A.J. Beatty, who announced more Division 1 offers than any WPIAL football recruit in the 2020 class, cut his long list down to one. Beatty announced his commitment to North Carolina on Sunday night, choosing the Tar Heels over offers from West Virginia, Central Florida, Maryland, N.C. State,...
Aliquippa linebacker Zuriah Fisher adds 5th ACC scholarship offerVideo
Aliquippa linebacker Zuriah Fisher added his fifth ACC offer this week. N.C. State is now recruitinig the rising senior, joining Pitt, Boston College, Syracuse and Virginia Tech on his list of ACC options. Fisher (6-3, 230) announced his Wolfpack offer Friday on Twitter. Rivals ranks him as a three-star recruit...
Union lineman Aaron Gunn announces Michigan State offer
Union’s Aaron Gunn, a rising junior who’s recruiting stock is also on the rise, announced an offer from Michigan State. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman now holds three Power 5 conference offers. He earlier received West Virginia and Kentucky offers, and recently made a trip to Morgantown. The small school standout...
Baseball semifinal sites, times: WPIAL Class 2A finalists rematch at West Mifflin
Twelve days after Seton LaSalle defeated Serra Catholic in the WPIAL championship, the section rivals will rematch in the state semifinals. They’ll play at 1:30 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin. Seton won 11-2 when the teams met May 29 in the WPIAL Class 2A championship at Wild Things Park. Two...
Softball semifinal sites, times: 6 WPIAL teams 1 victory away from PIAA finals
Hempfield is one win away from its fourth consecutive appearance in the state softball championships. The Spartans already knew who they’d play in the semifinals. Now they also know where. Hempfield (18-6) will face District 3 champion Central Dauphin (23-2) at St. Francis University in Loretto at 4 p.m. Monday....
North Allegheny capitalizes on errors to defeat rival Pine-Richland
Twelve errors in three games will eventually catch up to any baseball team, even a talented WPIAL champion. Pine-Richland committed four errors Thursday, including one each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, and section rival North Allegheny capitalized on all three to win 4-1 in a PIAA Class 6A...
Pine-Richland sack leader Miguel Jackson announces 1st Division 1 offer
Pine-Richland sack leader Miguel Jackson, who earned all-conference recognition last season as a sophomore, announced his first Division 1 offer Wednesday from Akron. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound defensive end had a team-high 14 sacks last season when the Rams won the WPIAL Class 6A title. He also blocked a punt, returned...
PIAA postpones 3 softball playoff games, moves Class 6A baseball quarterfinal
The PIAA postponed three softball games scheduled Thursday at Slippery Rock University and moved the North Allegheny vs. Pine-Richland baseball game to a different site. The Class 6A baseball quarterfinal was switched to LaRoche College at 4 p.m., Thursday due to field conditions at Slippery Rock, the PIAA announced. The...
WPIAL suspends McKeesport basketball assistant 1 year for recruiting
McKeesport pays Troy Blackwell to convince charter school students to return to the school district, but the WPIAL ruled Wednesday that the assistant girls basketball coach’s efforts violated recruiting rules. The issue was that Blackwell sent a social media message to a girls basketball player at a charter school encouraging...
WPIAL delays eligibility decision on Moon basketball star Donovan Johnson
Donovan Johnson’s senior season remains in limbo. The WPIAL board held an eligibility hearing Wednesday for the Moon basketball star but delayed any decision until Johnson’s family provides more information about why he repeated eighth grade, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said. Johnson’s parents argued that Donovan should be eligible...
Central Catholic basketball coach avoids 1-year suspension, must sit 2 gamesVideo
Central Catholic boys basketball coach Brian Urso avoided a one-year ban for recruiting, but the WPIAL still wants him suspended for a scrimmage and two regular-season games next season. If Urso isn’t suspended, his team will be barred from the playoffs, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said Wednesday, after the...
Softball sites, times: 11 WPIAL teams reach PIAA quarterfinals
WPIAL softball champions Laurel, West Greene and Elizabeth Forward will take part in a PIAA playoff tripleheader Thursday at Slippery Rock University. In all, 11 WPIAL teams reached the quarterfinals. Laurel and West Greene play teams from District 9 while Elizabeth Forward faces District 10 champion Grove City. In Class...
Baseball sites, times: North Allegheny, Pine-Richland rematch in quarterfinals
Section rivals Pine-Richland and North Allegheny will rematch Thursday in a PIAA Class 6A baseball quarterfinal at LaRoche College. They split their two regular-season games. Pine-Richland won the first 5-4 and North Allegheny won the second 2-0. The game was originally scheduled for Slippery Rock University but was moved because...
Baseball sites, times: North Allegheny, Pine-Richland rematch at Slippery Rock
Class 6A rivals Pine-Richland and North Allegheny will rematch Thursday night at Slippery Rock University in a PIAA quarterfinal matchup. In all, 11 WPIAL teams reached the quarters. All quarterfinal games are Thursday. Class 6A bracket 7-1 Pine-Richland (19-4) vs. 7-3 North Allegheny (18-6) at Slippery Rock University, 6:30 p.m....
4 days after winning WPIAL baseball title, Shaler’s emotional postseason run ends
When Shaler’s championship season ended abruptly Monday, baseball coach Brian Junker gathered his players in right field and simply told them “thank you.” Four days after celebrating the team’s first WPIAL title in two decades, the Titans’ emotional run stopped with a 5-1 loss to Lampeter-Strasburg in the Class 5A...
Valparaiso recruits WPIAL with help from former Western Pa. standout
Football coaches at Notre Dame and Ball State have found success recruiting the WPIAL, but now another Indiana school has joined the picture. At least five WPIAL recruits announced offers in the past week from FCS program Valparaiso including three teammates at Thomas Jefferson. TJ quarterback Shane Stump, wide receiver/defensive...
Paul Posluszny, Sean Lee enjoy ‘special’ night at WPIAL Hall of Fame induction
Paul Posluszny and Sean Lee were teammates at Penn State, groomsmen in each other’s weddings and close friends throughout their NFL days. That relationship made Saturday all the more special, they said, as the two star linebackers entered the WPIAL Hall of Fame together in a star-studded 2019 class that...
Plenty of reasons to celebrate for NFBD All-Star players
If Hollis Mathis scores an all-star game touchdown Sunday, he might have to call somebody immediately. “I was thinking about tossing a phone underneath the field goal post and maybe doing a Joe Horn tribute,” Mathis said. “Pulling out the phone and maybe recording a video or making a phone...
Softball sites, times: 4 WPIAL teams headed to Penn State’s Beard Field for PIAA openers
Four WPIAL softball teams will take an early look at the state championship site. Penn-Trafford, Mt. Pleasant, South Park and Union all are scheduled to open the PIAA playoffs Monday with first-round games at Penn State University’s Beard Field, which will host the finals June 13-14. All first-round games are...
Shady Side’s Melissa Riggins among 9 WPIAL girls named PTFCA all-state
Shady Side Academy runner Melissa Riggins, who set a meet record at the PIAA Class AA track and field championships last week, earned first-team all-state honors from the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association. Riggins was the only WPIAL girls athlete to receive first-team honors. She was named first-team in...
North Allegheny’s Zach Kinne leads WPIAL boys on PTFCA all-state team
North Allegheny’s Zach Kinne, the WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA champion in the 3,200 meters, was named a first-team all-state selection by the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association. The senior was the only WPIAL boys athlete to make the first team. Shady Side Academy’s Melissa Riggins earned first-team honors...
Baseball sites, times: PIAA schedules tripleheaders at Latrobe, Butler
Pullman Park in Butler and Latrobe high school will host tripleheaders Monday in the first round of the state baseball playoffs. The PIAA revealed sites and times for first-round games. The Latrobe tripleheader will include WPIAL champions Pine-Richland, Shaler and California. Beaver, Steel Valley and Seton LaSalle will start their...
