Chris Harlan stories, Page 13

Gene Matsook was hesitant to take the Rochester job when his brother resigned, unsure at first whether he wanted to run the football program himself. That was 25 years ago. “I didn’t know if I wanted it,” he said. “They said, ‘You’re the guy. You’re the guy.’ I said, ‘I...

After the dust has settled and the championships have been won, area high school football coaches take the time to identify the top performers in 17 WPIAL conferences as well as the City League. Here is a list of those teams: 2024 All-Conference Football Teams Class 6A Class 6A Conference...

2024 Parkway All-Conference Offense Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year Nate McKnight, New Castle, WR, 6-1, 175, sr. AJ Alston, Montour, WR, 5-11, 185, jr. Tyler Heckathorn, Blackhawk, WR, 6-4, 190, sr. Arison Walker, Aliquippa, WR, 5-9, 173, sr. Cameron Danna, West Allegheny, G, 6-0, 255, jr. Dante Baron, Montour,...

2024 Big Six All-Conference Offense Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year Zane Sable, Thomas Jefferson, C, 6-1, 265, jr. Hunter Martin, Trinity, G, 5-11, 260, sr. Dom Metz, Thomas Jefferson, G, 6-1, 230, jr. Semaj Fuse, Trinity, OT, 6-1, 255, sr. Shep Turk, Thomas Jefferson, OT, 6-5, 285, sr. Kooper...

2024 Greater Allegheny All-Conference Offense Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year Codi Mullen, Knoch, QB, 6-3, 150, sr. Armand Hill, West Mifflin, RB, 5-10, 180, so. Eric Kasperowics, Mars, RB, 5-10, 180, sr. Kemon Spell, McKeesport, HB, 5-9, 185, so. Ryan Scully, Hampton TE, 6-4, 220, jr. Gabe Hein, Mars,...

2024 Allegheny Six All-Conference Offense Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year Mason Geyer, Upper St. Clair, C, 6-3, 265, jr. Xavier Moyer, Moon, G, 6-1, 220, sr. Nate Stohl, Upper St. Clair, G, 6-3, 270, sr. Santino Lamolinare, Bethel Park, OT, 6-4, 255, jr. Bobby Fleckenstein, Upper St. Clair, OT,...

2024 Northeast All-Conference Offense Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year Frank Grazulis, Plum, C, 6-0, 285, jr. Camryn Price, Penn Hills, G, 6-1, 275, jr. John Curran, Pine-Richland, G, 6-4, 290, jr. Kris Bandurski, Fox Chapel, OT, 6-3, 280, sr. Jackson Bojanic-Hubbell, Pine-Richland, OT, 6-3, 265, sr. Ryan Carey, North...

2024 Big East All-Conference Offense Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year Troy Slezak, Franklin Regional, C, 6-0, 250, jr. Ethan Septak, Penn-Trafford, G, 6-0, 265, sr. Rocco Swartz, Armstrong, G, 5-9, 215, sr. Kellan Taylor, Penn-Trafford, OT, 6-1, 255, sr. Nick Anderson, Kiski Area, OT, 6-4, 260, fr. Dom Smith,...

2024 WPIAL Class 6A All-Conference Offense Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year Matt McMahon, Canon-McMillan, C, 6-2, 270, sr. Roman Kane, Central Catholic, G, 6-3, 270, sr. Ryan Logan, North Allegheny, G, 6-2, 245, jr. Jimmy Kalis, Central Catholic, OT, 6-6, 280, so. Jack Yatchenko, North Allegheny, OT, 6-3, 295,...

MECHANICSBURG — Khyan Billups isn’t the St. Joseph’s Prep running back bound for Ohio State, but the junior might’ve fooled anyone watching him Saturday night. With help from a talented offensive line, Billups took the first snap 80 yards to the end zone for one of his three touchdowns, and...

MECHANICSBURG — Avonworth trailed by two touchdowns in the second half of a state championship game and rallied to force overtime. It was a gutsy comeback, but one met with tears when Northwestern Lehigh scored a touchdown in overtime to defeat Avonworth, 36-33, in the PIAA Class 3A final Saturday...

On this side of the state, St. Joseph’s Prep probably finds few fans. The Philadelphia Catholic League power is a lightning rod for critics who say the eight-time PIAA champion has won titles with players who crossed state lines to get there. But don’t expect to hear any such gripes...

As Avonworth makes its second trip to the state finals in five years, the Antelopes feel differently about this one. “We’re not playing the Green Bay Packers,” coach Duke Johncour said with a laugh. That’s no knock on their opponent. Undefeated District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh (15-0) awaits in the...

Former Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said he found himself missing the players and coaches even more than he’d expected when he took this past football season off. So, he’s coming back. The three-time state champion was reinstated as Aliquippa’s head coach on Wednesday, ending a leave of absence he took...

Only teams that reach the state finals will be affected by the PIAA competitive-balance rule following a change approved Wednesday. The revision comes a year late for the Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball team, which was forced to move up to Class 3A this winter without reaching the state finals....

The early signing period arrived earlier than usual. Typically scheduled in late-December since its adoption in 2017, high school football recruits were able to sign with Division I programs this year starting Wednesday. Here’s a look at senior football players from the WPIAL and City League who chose to sign...

ALTOONA — Chrys Black Jr. hoped to take a game ball home with him Saturday, surely a rare treat for a Central Catholic freshman in the state playoffs. If so, he surely earned it. A 5-foot-8 defensive back who wears No. 1, Black made a game-saving interception in the end...

ALTOONA — Bishop McDevitt is headed to the state finals, thanks to a decades-old commitment by the Crusaders to embrace WPIAL football. The District 3 champion got three more touchdowns from its record-setting quarterback, but Bishop McDevitt relied most on the physical running of Nazir Jones-Davis. The junior rushed 29...

ALTOONA — A dominant second quarter by Thomas Jefferson meant a trip to the state finals was just 24 minutes away. That made Friday’s loss tougher to take. Two failed fourth-down tries, a near-miss on a sure touchdown pass, a couple of lapses on defense, penalties and some other forgettable...

An SEC-bound quarterback with a record-setting arm and rock-solid game awaits Pine-Richland in the state semifinals. Bishop McDevitt senior Stone Saunders is a Kentucky recruit with a state-record 199 career touchdown passes. While preparing for Friday’s matchup with the District 3 champion, Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne talked with some coaches...

Whenever Thomas Jefferson holds a Thanksgiving Day practice, coach Bill Cherpak never knows who might show up. One year it was Barry Sanders. OK, so it wasn’t really the NFL legend. But instead, the Jaguars players have a favorite holiday tradition of wearing a jersey representing a favorite college team...

Former Serra Catholic assistant coach Akeeme Robinson was hired as head coach, the school announced Wednesday. Robinson replaces Jose Regus, who resigned after eight seasons and won a WPIAL title in 2021. Robinson, a Serra Catholic assistant from 2017-22, was defensive coordinator when the Eagles won the Class 2A title....

Chartiers Valley may start looking for a new football coach. The district’s school board was poised to open the jobs of coach Aaron Fitzpatrick and his assistants, according to the agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting. Chartiers Valley went 8-22 in three seasons under Fitzpatrick. The Colts finished 3-6 this fall...

Jay Timmons pointed to a corner of Acrisure Stadium where he watched games as a kid, remembering back to when his father played linebacker for the Steelers. So, yes, he knows a little about defense. “I’ve been dreaming of playing on this field for so long,” said Timmons, a Pine-Richland...

Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne wonders what the grass at Acrisure Stadium might look like when the WPIAL 5A final kicks off Saturday night. He’s not necessarily worried, just curious. The three WPIAL championship games LeDonne coached in previously were all played elsewhere on artificial turf. Peters Township’s T.J. Plack shares...