Chris Harlan stories, Page 3
College coaches make Friday night visits to WPIAL football stadiums — 5 things to watch in Week 8
Jon LeDonne can still recall the day a big-name college football coach visited his high school. “I remember in my playing days, Paterno coming to Aliquippa for Josh Lay,” said LeDonne, now Pine-Richland’s coach. “You look down the hallway and say, ‘That’s Joe Paterno. That’s awesome.’” Now is around the...
‘Playoffs started this week’ for Aliquippa, Montour with pivotal Parkway clash
The WPIAL calendar says the football playoffs don’t start until Halloween, but Aliquippa, Montour and the teams they’re tied with atop the Parkway Conference might disagree. “Our playoffs started this week,” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said. “That’s how we’re looking at it. We knew at the beginning of the season...
PIAA notebook: New policy lets some private school students play sports at home public school district
Students attending a “faith-based” private school can play sports at their home public school district under a new PIAA policy. The policy — adopted to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a religious rights group — applies only when the students’ faith-based private school doesn’t offer a particular sport that...
PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi to retire as state’s top high school sports administrator
High school sports have changed in many ways since Bob Lombardi joined the PIAA nearly four decades ago, including a few troubling trends he shared Wednesday while discussing his plans to retire as executive director. He was dismayed by a lack of sportsmanship, an unwillingness to adhere to rules and...
WPIAL’s biggest games produce some big blowouts — 5 things we learned in Week 7
A slate of big games in Week 7 led to more big blowouts than big battles. Seven games matched opponents with undefeated conference records, and only one was decided by fewer than three touchdowns. Southmoreland held off Mt. Pleasant, 14-0, on Friday to stay atop the Interstate Conference standings. Elsewhere,...
Imani Christian’s Gabe Jenkins latest WPIAL football recruit to decommit from Penn State
Add Imani Christian’s Gabe Jenkins to the growing list of Penn State football commits reconsidering their futures. Jenkins, a highly recruited defensive back, decommitted on Sunday, following similar decisions this week by Pine-Richland wideout Khalil Taylor and McKeesport running back Kemon Spell. All three are juniors. Jenkins’ decision came after...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 12, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 7-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 6-1, 2 3. Norwin, 5-3, 3 4. Canon-McMillan 4-4, 5 5. Seneca Valley, 3-5, NR Out: Hempfield (4-4, 4) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 7-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 8-0, 2 3. Woodland Hills, 6-2, 3 4....
Pine-Richland wide receiver Khalil Taylor no longer committed to Penn State
Pine-Richland junior Khalil Taylor, one of the top wide receiver recruits nationally, is no longer committed to Penn State. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound wideout had committed to the Nittany Lions in March, but Taylor on Friday told recruiting website Rivals he had decommitted. Taylor on social media shared the Rivals story...
Westinghouse football team forfeits victory to Butler
City League football power Westinghouse has forfeited a win over Butler for using an ineligible player. Westinghouse athletic director Anthony Hall confirmed the team’s forfeit and said the Week 4 victory at Butler was the only contest affected. Westinghouse had won 40-14. The matchup was a non-league game with no...
Fort Cherry QB Matt Sieg nears another WPIAL record — 5 Things to Watch in Week 7
Airliners often fly at 35,000 feet, but that’s also just about the height senior Matt Sieg has lifted the Fort Cherry football program in his four years. Combined rushing and passing, Sieg has gained 11,528 yards of offense for the Rangers, leaving the quarterback on the doorstep of breaking another...
McKeesport ‘getting healthy’ just in time for Greater Allegheny battle with No. 1 Mars
Status updates from the training staff became all too common for McKeesport coach Matt Miller, whose football team suffered a rash of injuries this season. Eventually, it wasn’t just the trainers. “Unfortunately, it actually got worse,” said Miller, who didn’t want anyone to rush back too soon. “We were checking...
PIAA endorses basketball shot clock for 2nd time with final vote ahead
The PIAA is one step away from adding a shot clock to high school basketball games statewide. A much-debated proposal to start using the clocks in the 2028-29 season earned a second vote of approval Wednesday when the PIAA board met in Mechanicsburg. The tentative plan must pass a third...
Former WPIAL record holder heard footsteps before Fox Chapel kicker booted 57-yarder
East Allegheny teacher Josh Miller woke up early Saturday morning to a half-dozen text messages, each sharing a video of Fox Chapel’s Harran Zureikat kicking a field goal the night before. Miller knew what that meant. “When (Rocco Marcantonio) from Hopewell hit a 55-yarder last year, everyone texted me. And...
2nd-half rallies spark Friday night comebacks — 5 Things We Learned in Week 6
There was no fiery halftime speech in Trinity’s locker room when the Hillers found themselves down by 15 points on Friday night. Coach Dan Knause said he didn’t see a need for one. “Honestly, the longer you coach, you learn the less you say the better it is sometimes,” Knause...
Trib HSSN WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 5, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 6-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 6-1, 2 3. Norwin, 5-2, 3 4. Hempfield, 4-3, 4 5. Canon-McMillan 4-3, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 6-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 7-0, 2 3. Woodland Hills, 5-2, 3 4. Upper St. Clair,...
Freshman Marino Graham powers Parkway-leading New Castle past No. 4 Montour
If last week’s win wasn’t already enough, then quarterback Marino Graham says this one surely proves New Castle is for real. The star freshman rushed for four touchdowns and passed for another as host New Castle defeated No. 4 Montour, 34-14, on Friday night at Taggart Stadium. The resurgent Red...
Former college coach has Chartiers Valley football winning again — 5 things to watch in Week 6
Chartiers Valley’s Steve Spence jokingly says there’s at least one difference between coaching football in college or high school. “In college, when things are going badly at practice, you can threaten them with, ‘Hey, we’re going to be here all night,’” Spence said with a laugh. “In high school, if...
Sparks will fly when resurgent New Castle hosts Montour in Parkway battle
Fireworks punctuate every New Castle touchdown at Taggart Stadium, a home-field tradition that the Red Hurricanes have enjoyed even more lately. Might the budget need an increase? “We always have a plethora of fireworks here,” New Castle coach Fred Mozzocio said. “It’s the fireworks capital of the world.” But the...
Quick study Alyssa Zhang of Shady Side Academy repeats as WPIAL 2A golf champ
Alyssa Zhang needed to learn more about Sewickley Heights Golf Club with each shot she took Wednesday, and the Shady Side Academy sophomore was a quick study. She’d passed up a practice round a couple of days earlier yet defended her WPIAL Class 2A title with a six-shot victory on...
Fueled by runner-up finish, Elizabeth Forward’s Mya Morgan wins 2nd WPIAL 3A golf title
Elizabeth Forward’s Mya Morgan was playing in a foursome with the golfer who beat her in last year’s WPIAL championship, but don’t call this a grudge match. “I don’t hold grudges,” said the senior. “I think everyone deserves what they get.” But Morgan, the 2023 WPIAL champion, freely admits she...
Fox Chapel proposes WPIAL football alignment based on roster size, win-loss records
Rather than separate football teams by school enrollment, should roster size and win-loss records be considered when the WPIAL creates new conferences? A proposal recently sent to the WPIAL office would do just that. In a plan spearheaded by Fox Chapel athletic director Mike O’Brien that was made public Tuesday,...
Western Beaver starts 6-0 for 1st time in 20 years — 5 things we learned in Week 5
Western Beaver football is shining brightly nowadays and it’s not just the new lights above Rich Niedbala Field. The team is 6-0 for the first time in 20 years. That’s thanks in part to a running back with the perfect first name for starring in a “Western.” Instead of a...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept. 28, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 5-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 5-1, 2 3. Norwin, 4-2, 3 4. Hempfield, 4-2, 5 5. Canon-McMillan 3-3, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 5-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 6-0, 2 3. Woodland Hills, 4-2, 4 4. Upper St. Clair,...
No. 2 Peters Township’s last-minute defensive stand seals victory over No. 3 Upper St. Clair
The offenses gained momentum after halftime with three lead changes, but nobody was too surprised that Peters Township vs. Upper St. Clair eventually came down to the defenses. Each side delivered a late defensive stop. Ultimately, a last-minute stand 12 yards from its own end zone let Peters Township escape...
2 schools request opponents show mercy with shorter quarters — 5 things to watch in Week 5
Forty-eight minutes is the length of a typical WPIAL football game, but at least one contest this week will be notably shorter. Fox Chapel and Baldwin each asked their opponents this week to show mercy and reduce the length of their conference games Friday night, though Baldwin later rescinded its...
