Chris Harlan stories, Page 20
WPIAL breaks unwritten rule about 1st-round rematches in basketball playoffs
Some WPIAL basketball teams won’t need to scout their playoff opponent much. Avoiding section rematches in the first round was an unwritten rule the WPIAL historically tried to follow, but this season the basketball steering committee at times moved away from that idea. The philosophical change was most obvious in...
Breaking down the 2025 WPIAL boys basketball playoff brackets
Breaking down the 2025 WPIAL boys basketball playoffs Class 6A Favorite: Defending WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair has some impressive size that’s tough to match, starting with 6-foot-10 senior Tyler Robbins (16 ppg), a Miami (Ohio) recruit. His sophomore brother Ryan Robbins is 6-7, and senior Kaamil Jackson is 6-6....
No time to waste for 3-time champion South Fayette as WPIAL reveals basketball playoff brackets
South Fayette girls basketball coach Bryan Bennett was surprised by what he saw when the WPIAL released playoff brackets Monday. His three-time defending champions were favored to win again as the No. 1 seed in Class 5A. Sure, that could’ve surprised somebody, but that wasn’t what surprised him. Bennett was...
WPIAL bracketology: Chris Harlan, Don Rebel forecast the 2025 boys basketball playoff pairings
The 2025 boys basketball playoff field is set with 85 teams in the six classifications. Class A heads straight into the quarterfinal round while the five other classifications start with first-round games. Class 5A has 17 teams with one pigtail game and 3A has a full 16-team bracket with no...
WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan forecast the 2025 girls basketball playoff pairings
The 2025 girls basketball playoff field is set with 84 teams in six classifications. Class 6A girls starts with eight teams in the quarterfinals while Class 5A has a complete 16-team bracket and 3A is one short with 15. Both 4A and 2A have 17 teams, which means pigtail-mania. Class...
WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 9, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 20-2, 1 2. New Castle, 18-3, 4 3. Imani Christian, 13-7, 3 4. Central Catholic, 13-8, 2 5. Mt. Lebanon, 14-7, NR Out: Fox Chapel (15-6, 5) Class 5A 1. Montour, 20-1, 1 2. Baldwin, 20-1, 2 3. Uniontown, 19-3,...
WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 9, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 13-7, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 15-6, 2 3. Seneca Valley, 15-5, 3 4. Canon-McMillan, 12-8, 5 5. Mt. Lebanon, 12-9, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 19-2, 1 2. South Fayette, 21-1, 2 3. Penn-Trafford, 22-0, 3 4. Shaler,...
Brady Mayo scores 45, Beaver outlasts Avonworth in OT to share section title
Brady Mayo found a way to let his coach know he wasn’t feeling stressed, even surrounded by a standing-room crowd in a nail-biting atmosphere that ultimately needed overtime. “He was at half-court guarding, and he looked at me and he winked,” Beaver coach Jason Bumblis said. “I swear to God....
PIAA to follow Trump’s order barring transgender athletes from girls sports
The PIAA, which has allowed transgender high school athletes to compete in its state championships, will heed a presidential executive order barring them from women’s and girls sports. “We are tracking and assessing the law as it evolves and encourage all member schools to do the same,” PIAA executive director...
Imani Christian’s R.J. Sledge celebrates senior night with OT winner vs. Central Catholic
This was for second place in the section and maybe a much better seed in the playoffs, but Imani Christian’s R.J. Sledge felt another strong motivation, too. “I couldn’t lose on my senior night,” said Sledge, who punctuated the first half with a heave from beyond half-court and delivered again...
Western Pa.’s top football prospects for the Class of 2026
The Class of 2026 is on the clock. With the arrival Wednesday of signing day, most of the top high school seniors in the WPIAL and City League have finalized their college football plans. That leaves college recruiters free to focus on a talented junior class that’s largely uncommitted. Here...
North Catholic takes control of section race with frantic, 1-point win over Knoch
The WPIAL’s tightest section race remains so thanks to a game that couldn’t get much closer. North Catholic’s Owen Maddalon blocked a shot with six-tenths on the clock Tuesday night, the last act in the frantic final seconds as the Trojans defeated visiting Knoch, 54-53, in a battle for first...
Seneca Valley hires former NFL lineman as football coach
Former NFL offensive lineman Don Barclay, who was an all-conference athlete at Seneca Valley, is returning to his high school alma mater as football coach. The school announced his hire Monday. A 2007 graduate of Seneca Valley, Barclay was a three-year starter for West Virginia’s football team and played five...
WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 2, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 11-6, 3 2. Upper St. Clair, 13-5, 1 3. Seneca Valley, 13-5, 2 4. Mt. Lebanon, 11-8, 5 5. Canon-McMillan, 11-7, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 16-2, 1 2. South Fayette, 18-1, 2 3. Penn-Trafford, 19-0, 3 4. Thomas...
WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 2, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 18-2, 1 2. Central Catholic, 12-6, 3 3. Imani Christian, 12-6, 4 4. New Castle, 15-3, NR 5. Fox Chapel, 15-4, 5 Out: Seneca Valley (11-9, 2) Class 5A 1. Montour, 17-1, 1 2. Baldwin, 18-1, 2 3. Uniontown, 17-3,...
Shady Side Academy hires former team captain as football coach
Shady Side Academy graduate Andrew Geisler, who served as Thiel’s defensive coordinator last season, is returning to his high school alma mater as football coach. The school announced his hire Friday. A former football team captain, Geisler graduated in 2012 and later played defensive line at Saint Vincent. His coaching...
Baldwin avenges loss to South Fayette, nears 1st section title since 1986
The boys basketball banner that lists section titles was conspicuously missing from Baldwin’s gym, moved instead to the locker room at coach Jeff Ackermann’s request. Before it goes back on the wall, the Highlanders are hoping to add “2025” next to “1986” as their newest section title. With that goal...
Former WPIAL standout Meleek Thomas chosen for McDonald’s All American Game
Former WPIAL basketball player Meleek Thomas, who transferred out of state for his senior year, was chosen Monday for the McDonald’s All American Game. A 6-foot-4 guard committed to Arkansas, Thomas was one of 24 boys chosen for the national all-star game played April 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn,...
Belle Vernon hits glass to beat Knoch in matchup of Class 4A contenders
Belle Vernon missed its share of shots after halftime Saturday, but somehow those misses kept finding their way into the basket. The Leopards were focused on the offensive glass and sparked a fourth-quarter run with a string of putback baskets to defeat Knoch, 54-50, in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall...
WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 26, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 17-1, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 11-7, 2 3. Central Catholic, 10-6, 4 4. Imani Christian, 9-6, 5 5. Fox Chapel, 13-4, NR Out: New Castle (13-3, 3) Class 5A 1. Montour, 14-1, 1 2. Baldwin, 15-1, 3 3. Chartiers Valley,...
WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 26, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 12-4, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 11-5, 2 3. Norwin, 9-5, 3 4. Canon-McMillan, 10-6, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 10-7, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 14-2, 1 2. South Fayette, 16-1, 2 3. Penn-Trafford, 17-0, 3 4. Thomas...
Zach Pollaro’s buzzer-beater in overtime lifts North Hills over No. 2 Seneca Valley
Zach Pollaro practices bank shots from spots all around North Hills’ gym, so bouncing in a 3-pointer off the glass might feel almost routine at times. But this one surely didn’t. Trailing by two points with 2.9 seconds left, Pollaro banked in a buzzer-beating 3 from the left wing as...
PIAA board expands girls volleyball to 6 classes, votes on competitive-balance rule changes
The PIAA will expand girls volleyball to six classifications starting in 2026. The sport currently has only four classes, but the PIAA board on Wednesday finalized plans to add two more. PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said the move was needed because girls volleyball now has nearly the same number...
Aliquippa players, coach suspended for in-game altercation ahead of section game vs. Freedom
“A travesty of justice” was how Aliquippa boys basketball coach Nick Lackovich described the situation his short-handed team will face Friday night. As a result of last weekend’s on-court altercation with Imani Christian, Aliquippa must play a section game with only five players and without Lackovich, who was suspended one...
Burrell hires former Highlands coach to lead football program
Burrell’s new football playbook might borrow some ideas from the Kansas City Chiefs. Newly hired football coach Dom Girardi already has cheered on the Chiefs at two Super Bowls and is headed to Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. He comes from a football family, and his...
