Chris Harlan stories, Page 33

A former high school athlete who defeated the WPIAL and PIAA in court almost three years ago has sued the organizations again, this time saying they violated his civil rights by racially discriminating against him. Kyrell Hutcherson filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court against the WPIAL, the PIAA, attorneys...

There usually is a Super Bowl champion or two somewhere in the crowd at North Allegheny football games and it’s been that way for about a decade. In fact, sometimes there are four or five NFL alums there for game days. That’s because coach Art Walker’s teams have enjoyed a...

Allderdice, Brashear and Perry finished tied in the City League standings, which was a problem since only two could qualify for the football playoffs. As a tiebreaker, the three head coaches flipped coins Friday night in the athletic director’s office at Cupples Stadium and Brashear was the team left out....

One of the WPIAL’s longest active playoff droughts is over, and another long streak also could end this year. Jefferson-Morgan was one of four WPIAL teams that had gone at least 10 seasons without reaching the postseason, but the Rockets clinched a playoff spot with a win Friday. Second-year coach...

WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 7-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 7-1, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 5-3, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 4-4, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 3-5, 5 Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 8-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 6-2, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 5-3, 3 4....

McKeesport fullback Keith Spell was losing steam on a 79-yard touchdown run, so the senior turned, stiff-armed the nearest tackler to the ground and continued into the end zone. That pretty much summed up McKeesport’s offense Friday night as the Tigers’ running backs bullied their way to a 38-28 victory...

The WPIAL schedule-makers gave McKeesport a nonconference game this week, which some coaches might dread this late in the season. It interrupts a stretch of seven consecutive conference games for the Tigers, but coach Matt Miller said they’ll attack a matchup with Gateway as seriously as they do any Big...

Needless to say, Penn Hills was interested in watching game film from Central Catholic’s loss last week, since that was the first time the Vikings had looked vulnerable all season. But that doesn’t mean the Indians will try to copy what they saw. “It can be difficult on the high...

Undefeated state champion, national coach of the year and the winningest coach in Pennsylvania girls soccer history. Moon’s Bill Pfeifer was all of those last fall and says he thought about retiring on top after a season that couldn’t have gone any better. The six-time WPIAL champion stresses team goals,...

There’s a popular meme that shows two miners digging for diamonds, but one gives up within inches of striking it rich. Trinity coach Dan Knause and his assistants thought the analogy was perfect for their Hillers, who hadn’t seen much reward despite their hard work. Would they give up or...

WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 6-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 6-1, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 5-2, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 4-3, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 2-5, 5 Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 7-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 6-1, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 4-3, 5 4....

North Allegheny’s football stadium was filled nearly to capacity for a hyped-up game with rival Central Catholic. There was an electric atmosphere in the crowd, yet the Tigers ended the night feeling drained after a lopsided loss. But those feelings didn’t last too long. A week later, a re-energized North...

Shady Side Academy has forfeited Friday night’s football game against Knoch because of an illness among “several players,” the school announced hours before kickoff. The contest is a conference game in the Allegheny 6, where Knoch and Shady Side each were 1-0. “After careful consideration and in consultation with WPIAL,...

Peters Township’s T.J. Plack is an offensive-minded head coach of a high-scoring team that averages five touchdowns a week, yet he raves about a defense he calls special. “They do something a little bit different than what other teams do in Western Pennsylvania,” Plack said. “They think a little outside...

Dick Butkus became legendary as one of the fiercest linebackers in NFL history, but folks around the WPIAL might remember him as “Coach” Butkus. Long after his playing days with the Chicago Bears were over, Butkus spent one season as a made-for-TV coach at Montour in 2005. It was the...

One of the WPIAL’s leading rushers shook off an ankle injury and returned to the field Friday night, helping West Greene’s offense run its way to victory. In his first game back, senior Colin Brady topped all WPIAL rushers in Week 5 with 301 yards. Brady handled 23 carries and...

WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 6-0, 1 2. North Allegheny, 5-1, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 4-2, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 4-2, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 1-5, 5 Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 6-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 5-1, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 5-1,...

When it comes to putting down cones, North Allegheny might be second only to PennDOT. There are always plenty lining the school’s cross county course in North Park. “We put a ridiculous amount of cones up,” NA coach John Neff said. “There’s no way anybody is going to get lost....

There was no fiery halftime speech, but instead, one offensive adjustment had Avonworth looking like a different team in the third quarter. The Antelopes turned to the wildcat. Wide receiver Andrew Kuban started taking direct snaps and scored on a pair of rushing touchdowns 28 seconds apart Friday night as...

WPIAL teams are now five weeks into the football season and 14 schools had yet to play a conference game. That’ll change Friday when the Interstate and Allegheny 6 open conference play. Both are WPIAL Class 3A conferences, not to be confused with the similarly named Allegheny Six in Class...

Would there be more buzz for a type of cat, bear or angry bird? Avonworth has started 5-0 this season, a year after reaching the WPIAL finals, but coach Duke Johncour says the Antelopes don’t seem to draw the attention others do. “I think we kind of fly under the...

Shady Side Academy girls basketball coach Jonna Burke, who’s facing a one-year suspension for an alleged recruiting violation, has sued the PIAA seeking an injunction that would let her coach. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court, Burke’s attorney, Kendra Smith, said the WPIAL violated due process rights during...

North Catholic junior Brady O’Hara has visited Penn State’s campus enough times that he’s almost lost count. Maybe seven? Maybe eight? His latest visit came this past weekend to see a stadium “White Out” when Penn State hosted Iowa, and soon afterward he was ready to commit. O’Hara, a 6-foot-6,...

When Penn State assistant coach Terry Smith visited an Aliquippa football practice three years ago, he approached Quips coach Mike Warfield with a question. Smith was ready to offer a scholarship to Tiqwai Hayes, but the running back was only a freshman. Should he wait? “Sometimes, when you get that...

The drive home from Cupples Stadium is about an hour, but good news travels faster than Brownsville’s team bus. The Falcons had won. “The bus came through town, and there were people on the street waving towels and stuff,” Brownsville coach Skooter Roebuck said. “We get back to the school,...