Chris Harlan stories, Page 19
6 WPIAL coaches earn statewide honor from PIAA for 2023-24 seasons
Six WPIAL coaches earned statewide recognition Wednesday when the PIAA announced its coaches of the year for the 2023-24 school year. The list included two Peters Township golf coaches — David Kuhn (boys) and Michael Lacey (girls) — along with North Allegheny’s Russ Hoburg (girls volleyball), Shaler’s Paul Stadelman (boys...
Rochester football player Carter Mason recovering in hospital after in-game head injury, brain bleed
Terri Mason was home watching a livestream of the Rochester football game when she realized something was wrong. “No. 8 didn’t come back on that field,” said Mason, who was looking for her son, Carter, a senior running back. “Next thing you know, they said a Rochester player went down....
5 things we learned in high school football Week 6: North Allegheny’s Walker hits 250 wins
Art Walker as a kid witnessed plenty of wins at Mt. Lebanon’s stadium, a place where his father coached for years. On Friday, Walker celebrated a milestone of his own there. North Allegheny’s victory over Mt. Lebanon was win No. 250 for Walker, who is approaching the top 10 on...
‘Why change it?’: No. 2 Upper St. Clair rides running game to take down No. 4 South Fayette
There wasn’t much mystery around Upper St. Clair’s offense Friday night. The Panthers ran the football 43 times, which is pretty much what they did last week, too. And, again, it worked. Upper St. Clair rushed for 342 yards and senior Julian Dahlem scored twice as the second-ranked Panthers defeated...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 6, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 5-2, 1 2. North Allegheny, 6-1, 2 3. Hempfield, 3-4, 3 4. Seneca Valley, 2-4, NR 5. Canon-McMillan, 2-5, 4 Out: Mt. Lebanon (1-6, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 6-0, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 7-0, 2 3. Bethel Park, 7-0,...
Upper St. Clair faces yet another undefeated Allegheny Six foe, this time South Fayette
With the regular season already half over, Upper St. Clair will likely face three undefeated teams in a row. The Panthers handed defending WPIAL champion Peters Township its first loss last week, and their reward was a clash this week with undefeated South Fayette (6-0, 1-0). And waiting for USC...
5 things to watch in Week 6: Move over quarterbacks, is the WPIAL now the cradle of kickers?
Which decades-old kicking record might be broken this week? This season has already been a memorable year for WPIAL kickers, with record-tying performances celebrated on each of the past two Friday nights. In Week 5, Hopewell’s Rocco Marcantonio made a 55-yard field goal that tied the longest in WPIAL history....
Beaver boys soccer must forfeit section win under new PIAA rule
The Beaver boys soccer team must forfeit a section win because of a new rule that school administrators say should be reconsidered. The Bobcats defeated Keystone Oaks, 2-1, on Saturday, but that win was later overturned by a PIAA regulation that punishes a team if an ejected coach does not...
WPIAL erases section games vs. Allderdice, Obama Academy from soccer standings
The WPIAL has erased some section wins and losses in boys and girls soccer. Games against Allderdice and Obama Academy are no longer considered section matches and count only as exhibitions, WPIAL administrator Vince Sortino said Thursday. He said the two schools were included in soccer sections at the City...
WPIAL sets brackets for 2024 team golf championships
Thirty-four boys teams and 13 girls teams will compete next week for WPIAL golf titles. The WPIAL on Wednesday announced brackets for the league’s team playoffs. The girls tournament is one round while the boys have two. The championships are Oct. 10 at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Belle Vernon. The...
Imani Christian basketball player among 3 transfers ruled ineligible by WPIAL
Imani Christian basketball player Kieshaun Demus, a sophomore who transferred from North Hills, was ruled ineligible for his sophomore season by the WPIAL. WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said the board found Demus’ transfer was motivated at least partially by athletics following an eligibility hearing Monday. One concern for the...
5 things we learned in high school football Week 5: Hopewell kicker ties record with 55-yard boot
Hopewell hasn’t had many moments to celebrate in recent years, but kicker Rocco Marcantonio gave the team one Friday night. Marcantonio made a 55-yard field goal that tied for the longest in WPIAL history. With the help of holder Zander Muzy and long snapper Dominick Gaughan, Marcantonio converted a fourth-quarter...
Behind crew of 1st-time starters, North Allegheny cross country teams leading the pack
If North Allegheny defends its boys and girls WPIAL country titles this fall, the celebration will surely include a number of first-time champions. Since sweeping the league titles last season, the Tigers graduated seven of the 14 runner who competed that day at White Oak Park. WPIAL runners-up Jack Bertram...
Pick-6 propels Central Catholic past rival North Allegheny in WPIAL finals rematch
Against an offense with a sophomore at quarterback and a banged-up running game, Central Catholic didn’t allow them any stress relief in Friday’s second half. The Vikings picked off a pair of passes about two minutes apart, one returned by linebacker Colsen Gatten for a touchdown that propelled Central Catholic...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept. 29, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 4-2, 2 2. North Allegheny, 5-1, 1 3. Hempfield, 2-4, NR 4. Canon-McMillan, 2-4, 3 5. Mt. Lebanon, 1-5, NR Out: Seneca Valley (1-4, 4), Norwin (2-4, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 5-0, 2 2. Upper St. Clair, 6-0, 3 3....
Familiar championship foes North Allegheny, Central Catholic won’t look beyond Friday
Central Catholic and North Allegheny seem likely to meet twice this season, maybe with a rematch in the WPIAL finals. They’ve met there the past two years. So, does that potential rematch shape game plans for their regular-season game, leading teams to hide their best for later? Both coaches say...
5 things to watch in Week 5: Little room for error in WPIAL 4A with 8-team playoff ahead
Eight maybe isn’t enough when counting WPIAL playoff berths. That’s how many — or how few — playoff spots are available for the 18 teams in Class 4A, which starts conference play Friday night. That’s down from 12 spots last year. The smaller bracket leaves less room for error and...
Westinghouse’s defense dominates Allderdice in battle for 1st place in City League
Dozens of skulls and crossbones already decorate Josiah Collins’ helmet, decals awarded by Westinghouse coaches for sacks, tackles for loss and other explosive plays made on defense. There will be more stickers on the defensive end’s helmet very soon. Collins scored two defensive touchdowns Thursday night, which was one more...
Derry javelin champ Sophia Mazzoni commits to Auburn
Derry javelin thrower Sophia Mazzoni, an elite talent with state and national titles, committed Wednesday to Auburn. The senior announced her college decision on social media. Mazzoni won a PIAA Class 2A title in May with a personal-best throw of 161 feet, 10 inches at the state meet in Shippensburg....
5 things we learned from Week 4 of WPIAL football season: Power shifts south in Class 5A
There could be a lot of football talk in the South Hills this fall, maybe while eating sandwiches stuffed with French fries and coleslaw. “The Primanti’s in between Upper St. Clair, Bethel and us, it’ll be fun for those kids,” South Fayette coach Marty Spieler said. “They’ll have something to...
WPIAL high school football rankings: Week ending Sept. 22, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 5-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 3-2, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 2-3, 5 4. Seneca Valley, 1-3, 3 5. Norwin, 2-3, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 5-0, 1 2. Pine-Richland, 4-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 5-0, 3 4. Bethel...
Behind determined defense, Penn Hills hands Aliquippa 1st regular-season loss since 2021
The night ended much the way it started with the Penn Hills defense celebrating a stop. The Indians shut out Aliquippa for the first three quarters Friday night, built a three-touchdown lead and made a game-ending stand late in fourth to hand the Quips their first regular-season loss in three...
Despite mismatch in enrollments, Aliquippa draws nonconference clash vs. Penn Hills
Aliquippa went to court to avoid a promotion to Class 5A football this fall, but the Quips still get a taste of that classification on Friday. Their opponent — Penn Hills — has three times as many students and maybe twice as many players. “That’s a great big difference,” Aliquippa...
5 things to watch in Week 4: Excitement builds in Monessen for battle of undefeated teams
The buildup to facing a defending WPIAL champion was always going to be big, but undefeated records make this Monessen’s biggest home game in quite a while. “It’s the biggest game since I’ve been here coaching,” coach Wade Brown said. “And this is my fourth year.” Undefeated Monessen (4-0, 1-0)...
Shady Side Academy football coach Chuck DiNardo resigns
Chuck DiNardo has resigned as football coach at Shady Side Academy, stepping down four games into his eighth season with the Bulldogs. A school spokesperson confirmed DiNardo’s departure, saying the coach resigned Monday. “This was a personal decision for Coach DiNardo, and we respect his choice,” said Diana Toole, the...
