Chris Harlan stories, Page 34

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,...

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

This is year two for Manuel Montero, and the North Allegheny boys soccer coach says there’s a much greater comfort level for the team this fall, and it shows. Some of the differences might go unnoticed, but he sees them. “A perfect example is warm-ups,” Montero said. “I don’t micromanage...

There already were reasons to believe Central Catholic was the team to beat in the WPIAL, starting with a roster that’s heavy in major-college recruits. Now, there’s no doubt. Running back Elijah Faulkner scored four times, and Michigan-bound senior Cole Sullivan made big plays on offense, defense and special teams...

North Allegheny’s practices were noticeably faster this week, said coach Art Walker, but the Tigers weren’t getting off the field any earlier. It’s just that the defense was working at a quicker pace. “We practice for the team that we’re playing,” Walker said. “I’ve been here 19 years now, and...

If a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup wasn’t enough excitement for a Friday night, this week also is homecoming at Peters Township, so football coach T.J. Plack had a message for his players. “I don’t care if you’re dancing at the pep rally or who your date is or...

Citing concerns over safety and fairness, one WPIAL school district has adopted a gender policy that limits girls sports to biological females. The school board at Laurel unanimously approved the new policy, which bases gender on a student’s chromosomes. The rule applies to any sports contest hosted at Laurel’s facilities,...

“Egregious” was how WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer described Friday’s fight between Imani Christian and Steel Valley football players, but he was optimistic there’d be a resolution without WPIAL intervention. “It was a horrible thing that happened in that 60 seconds … but we really believe the schools will handle...

Call this the year of the turnaround. Twenty-one WPIAL football teams already have matched or surpassed their win totals from a year ago, and this is only the fourth week of the season. The most dramatic is Waynesburg, which improved to 4-0 on Friday night after a victory over Keystone...

The WPIAL will look into an on-field fight that marred the final minute of Friday night’s football game between Imani Christian and Steel Valley. WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said the league will request information from the schools’ administrations, including available video, as well as review reports from the game...

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

Amari Jackson was upset for about 15 seconds and Beaver teammate Qualan Cain felt down for no more than 20. That’s how long it took them to sprint more than 80 yards on a pair of kick return touchdowns Friday night as No. 4 Beaver defeated No. 5 South Park,...

West Mifflin started the season ranked second in WPIAL Class 3A, but the Titans are still winless after three weeks. So, now what? That 0-3 record might cause panic inside some locker rooms, but coach Rod Steele said he hasn’t seen any from his players. In fact, they’ve held onto...

Westinghouse sophomore Kyshawn Robinson scored twice and senior Sincere Shannon forced a fumble with a strip sack, but neither was all too happy. Their team won Thursday night at Cupples Stadium, defeating City League foe University Prep, 34-18, but the Bulldogs were mostly concerned with the mistakes they’d made. Specifically,...

Public schools will see their enrollments increase in the next few months, at least according to PIAA statistics. The PIAA is changing the formula used to count students, which might cause some sports teams to unexpectedly move into a different classification for the 2024-25 school year. Currently, school districts count...

Pennsylvania high school athletes who repeatedly violate name, image and likeness rules would lose their eligibility entirely under penalties adopted Wednesday by the PIAA. The PIAA board approved a three strikes approach for violations of the NIL rules enacted last winter. A student’s period of ineligibility increases with each violation,...

Week 2 was a rough night for defending WPIAL champions. Three of the six teams that celebrated district titles last season were defeated Friday, with Pine-Richland, Steel Valley and Union all taking losses. But Pine-Richland knows better than anyone that it’s a long football season and one game doesn’t define...

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

As injured teammate Antwan Black Jr. was on his way to the hospital, first by ambulance and then by helicopter, Laurel Highlands players had a tough decision to make. Should they play the final 34 seconds or cancel the rest of the game? “We just kind of said, ‘This is...

First-time starters on the North Allegheny girls volleyball team surely have more seasoning than most since they’ve practiced for years against a state championship lineup. The six-time defending champions sure hope so, because they’re relying on new faces in their quest for seven. “We’re lucky because our second side is...

It’s no exaggeration when Penn Hills quarterback Julian Dugger says he did everything he could to win this one. After Dugger passed for two touchdowns, rushed for two more and served as the team’s punter, he joined the defense in the final seconds when the Indians were shorthanded in the...

There’s an old saying about football teams with two starting quarterbacks actually having none, but Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak clearly disagrees. This year, the Jaguars have two QBs and they’re finding success with both. Senior quarterback Brody Evans and junior Luke Kosko have rotated every two possessions this season,...

Penn Hills is ranked No. 1 in WPIAL football, but Pine-Richland is the reigning conference, WPIAL and PIAA champion until someone takes those titles away. That’s how Penn Hills coach Charles Morris sees the situation. “They’re the state champs. They’re the WPIAL champs. I’ve got the old school mentality: In...

College football teams from the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 are among the eight favorites to land Aliquippa running back Tiqwai Hayes. The junior on Tuesday announced a top eight recruiting list that included Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia, along with Cincinnati, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio...