Chris Harlan stories, Page 34

Pairing the WPIAL football brackets is a difficult job once the playoff field is set, but it’s much, much harder when 15 spots are still undecided. That’s the situation now. The standings will surely change Friday night once the last dominoes fall. The official WPIAL bracket will be revealed Saturday...

Defending WPIAL field hockey champions Pine-Richland and Penn-Trafford each earned No. 1 seeds Tuesday when the WPIAL playoff brackets were announced. Pine-Richland (17-0) was seeded first in Class 3A, and Penn-Trafford (16-2) was first in 2A. The top seed in Class A went to Shady Side Academy (8-5). Each classification...

Not only did Keystone Oaks lose three of its first four games, the Eagles also started the season by losing their best player to injury. That misfortune could sink many seasons. But count Keystone Oaks among at least a dozen WPIAL teams who endured some early losses, yet put themselves...

WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 8-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 8-1, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 5-4, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 5-4, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 3-6, 5 Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 9-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 7-2, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 6-3, 3 4....

Only a sophomore, Luke Walkauskas skates on one of North Allegheny’s top lines, where he’s joined by two more 10th graders in Brendan White and Eddie Scherer. Yes, they’re young, but they’ll fit right in with this year’s youthful lineup. The NA hockey team has only seven seniors, but they’ll...

There is nothing fancy about Pine-Richland’s wildcat offense and by now, it could hardly catch anyone by surprise. These Rams won a state title a year ago by having their running back take direct snaps and barreling ahead. Yet, it keeps working. “What is comes down to, really, is who’s...

Former WPIAL basketball player Alier Maluk, who won a state title last winter with Imani Christian, announced his commitment to Florida State on Friday. The 6-foot-10 junior also listed offers from Pitt, LSU, Ohio State and Oregon among his final five. NOLESNATION????????????????????????????????????????????????#Committed pic.twitter.com/LPokLzcTGg— Alier Maluk (@Maluk_Alier12) October 20, 2023 ESPN.com...

The Parkway Conference was traditionally considered among the best battles in WPIAL football, and this year’s version has lived up to that reputation. With two weeks left in the regular season, four teams have one conference loss or less: Aliquippa (5-0), Montour (4-1), Central Valley (4-1) and West Allegheny (4-1)....

First-year Woodland Hills coach Brian Tarrant says he probably wouldn’t have his job without help from friend Jon LeDonne. The two worked together for almost a decade, first at Shaler and later at Penn Hills. LeDonne was head coach both places and Tarrant was his defensive coordinator. Now, LeDonne is...

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...