Chris Harlan stories, Page 35
2-time state champion Joe Rossi resigns as South Fayette football coach
Joe Rossi says his wife, Karley, should teach a course for coaches’ wives. The Rossis have four kids, they’re all involved in sports, and he was often busy as South Fayette’s football coach. “I’m watching her try to drive to Jersey on a Friday, come back on Saturday, drive the...
WPIAL adding teams to Class 6A football; PIAA releases enrollment parameters for next 2 school years
The WPIAL will have more Class 6A football teams next season with Hempfield and Norwin set to join the league’s big-school classification. Butler also could rejoin WPIAL football next season, giving the league another 6A team, but the decision to return hasn’t been made yet. The PIAA on Tuesday released...
Hopewell football coach Matt Weiss resigns after 5 seasons
Hopewell football coach Matt Weiss resigned Monday after five seasons with the Vikings, a program that has struggled significantly for more than a decade. Weiss went 8-37 as coach. Hopewell finished this fall with a 1-9 record overall and 0-6 in the Class 3A Western Hills Conference. Weiss, a former...
WPIAL shows love for traditionally tough Parkway, gives home games to 4 teams
West Allegheny’s football team rode on a bus for more than an hour a year ago when the Indians opened the WPIAL playoffs in Fayette County. The drive was 70 miles each way. “I’m just thinking of the toll it took on our kids going out to Laurel Highlands,” coach...
Breaking down the WPIAL football playoffs: Favorites, challengers, predictions
Favorite: Central Catholic reached the WPIAL finals in nine of the past 10 seasons, winning five titles in that span. This year’s team outscored conference opponents 190-35, led by senior QB Payton Wehner (2,300 yards, 31 TDs). WR Peter Gonzalez (Penn State), LB/TE Cole Sullivan (Wisconsin) and LB Anthony Speca...
Trib HSSN high school football rankings, Week ending Oct. 29, 2023
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 9-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 9-1, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 6-4, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 5-5, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 3-7, 5 Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 10-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 8-2, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 7-3, 3 4....
WPIAL reveals pairings for 2023 football playoffs
Neshannock is already the Midwestern Conference champion, but to reach the WPIAL finals the Lancers will need to win the Century Conference, too. At least that’s how the Class 2A bracket looks since the three best Century teams — No. 3 Washington, No. 6 McGuffey and No. 7 Keystone Oaks...
North Allegheny plans ‘Learn to Row’ event to teach students, prospective team members
Bailey Chick wasn’t someone who grew up rowing, and in fact didn’t try the sport until she was a college student at Temple. But one day the rowing team there was inviting novices to practice, so she went and gave it a try. Seventeen years later, Chick is the rowing...
Final WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan forecast 2023 football playoff pairings
Let the guesswork begin. The field is set for the 2023 WPIAL football playoffs with four teams in Class 6A, eight in 5A, 13 in 4A, 12 in 3A, 14 in 2A and 16 in A. Visit TribLive HSSN at 3 p.m. Saturday to see the official playoff brackets announced....
Aliquippa uses 1-play touchdown drives to top rival Central Valley, clinch Parkway title
The biggest worry for a defense facing Aliquippa isn’t a long, grinding touchdown drive that eats the clock and wears you away physically. It’s the one-play drive that crushes your spirit. Central Valley felt that Friday night when Aliquippa’s John Tracy and Tikey Hayes scored on consecutive one-play drives in...
5 things to watch in WPIAL Week 9: Head-to-head matchups to decide 9 conference titles
The wait is over. Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward ran through their Interstate Conference schedules without any mistakes. Mohawk and Neshannock did the same in the Midwestern, reaching Week 9 with perfect records. As a result, the titles in those conferences will be decided on the field Friday night with...
Conference title hopes add heft to Aliquippa, Central Valley rivalry
One of coach Mike Warfield’s favorite sayings compares the fragility of success with that of a crystal glass, saying both can “break into 1,000 pieces” if you don’t hold onto them. When it comes to winning conference titles, Aliquippa rarely lets go. The Quips have won the Parkway Conference title...
WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan forecast 2023 football playoff pairings
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...
WPIAL announces pairings for 2023 field hockey playoffs
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...
5 things we learned in high school football Week 8: WPIAL playoff hopefuls shake off early-season losses
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: Week ending Oct. 22, 2023
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....
‘Young and hungry’ North Allegheny takes ice with new-look roster
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...
Pine-Richland’s punishing ground game too much for Woodland Hills
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 Imani Christian standout Alier Maluk commits to Florida State
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...
5 things to watch in WPIAL Week 8: Traditionally tough Parkway lives up to reputation
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)....
Close friends to match wits when Pine-Richland, Woodland Hills meet in critical Class 5A clash
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...
Former Kiski Area athlete Kyrell Hutcherson suing school district, WPIAL, PIAA, claiming racial discrimination
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...
Steelers, NFL roots run deep with North Allegheny football team
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...
Coin flip decides final 2 spots in City League football playoffs
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....
5 things we learned in Week 7 of WPIAL high school football: Long playoff drought over
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...
