Chris Harlan stories, Page 4
Allegheny Six rivals Peters Township, Upper St. Clair won’t ease into conference slate
The biggest games usually arrive a little later in the season, but Peters Township and Upper St. Clair won’t be easing into their conference schedules this year. The South Hills rivals meet in an Allegheny Six opener Friday night. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Week 7 or Week 8 or...
Baldwin coach says he will work with player fighting in viral video, not ‘throw him away’
Baldwin football coach Dana Brown Jr. saw the social media comments saying he should immediately kick a player off the team for unsportsmanlike actions captured Friday in a viral video. Brown strongly disagrees. The third-year coach condemned the player’s actions — twisting the helmet off an opponent and taking a...
5 things we learned in high school football Week 4: Fort Cherry star, Hopewell kicker make history
Fort Cherry’s offense was gathered for a timeout when the Rangers’ coach shared some news: Quarterback Matt Sieg was about to break a record. Tanner Garry says he typically wouldn’t worry about that kind of accomplishment in the middle of a drive, but there were only seconds left until halftime,...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept. 21, 2025
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 4-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 5-0, 2 3. Norwin, 3-2, 3 4. Canon-McMillan 3-2, 5 5. Hempfield, 3-2, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 4-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 5-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 5-0, 3...
Top-ranked Avonworth exploits ‘any little mistake’ in lopsided win over Hopewell
Hopewell has a young quarterback who’s full of promise, but Avonworth’s Luca Neal pounced when he spotted a risky throw by the sophomore. No do-overs here. “If you give us any little mistake, we jump on it,” said Neal, who returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown Friday night...
5 things to watch in Week 4 of high school football
The website MaxPreps.com predicted McKeesport would not only win a WPIAL title this year but also add a state championship. That prognostication came early last month, and the Tigers may very well celebrate their first PIAA title in 20 years come December. But an ankle injury to McKeesport junior Kemon...
Red-hot Avonworth brings diversified offense into matchup with high-scoring Hopewell
Avonworth’s offense relies on a group effort in more ways than one. Five different players have scored a touchdown this season, balancing out an attack that can both run and pass. But four different coaches could’ve called those scoring plays, adding another wrinkle to one of the WPIAL’s top offenses....
Quaker Valley basketball star Mimi Thiero commits to Maryland
Two weeks after cutting her college basketball choices to a dozen schools, Quaker Valley’s Mimi Thiero whittled her list all the way to one. The 6-foot-4 senior committed to Maryland on Wednesday, choosing a Big Ten program that just made a trip to the NCAA’s Sweet 16. Thiero announced her...
Penn State-bound wideout Khalil Taylor eligible for playoffs at Pine-Richland
Pine-Richland’s Khalil Taylor had a busy day. A junior wide receiver and Penn State commit, Taylor received a recruiting visit from Nittany Lions coach James Franklin on Monday. A short time later, his school learned Taylor would be eligible to play in this year’s football playoffs. Taylor’s postseason eligibility was...
5 things we learned in H.S. football Week 3: Plenty to chew on after Hopewell-Beaver clash
When Matt Mottes went out for breakfast Saturday morning, the Hopewell coach sat and listened to a recap of one of the wildest games of the year. Hopewell and Beaver combined for more than 1,300 yards and 101 points Friday in a high-scoring affair that stuffed the stat sheet. Each...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept. 14, 2025
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 3-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 4-0, 2 3. Norwin, 3-1, 4 4. Hempfield, 3-1, 3 5. Canon-McMillan 2-2, NR Out: Seneca Valley (1-3, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 3-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 4-0, 2 3. Upper St....
‘Hungry’ JJ Work leads Aliquippa to 4th-quarter rally over Mars
JJ Work felt like he’d already let his teammates down once, so the Aliquippa running back was determined not to let that happen again. A week ago, Work couldn’t play because of an off-the-field school issue. This week, he barreled into the end zone for two fourth quarter touchdowns Friday...
Illness, injuries force Rochester to postpone football game vs. Neshannock
With fewer than 10 healthy players, Rochester has postponed Saturday’s football game against Neshannock. The game — a Class A Big 7 Conference contest — could be rescheduled for later in the season, said WPIAL chief operating officer Vince Sortino. If so, Sortino suggested the game might be played on...
Bishop Canevin QB Brady Wagner eligible for entire regular season after deal with PIAA
Previously ruled ineligible by the WPIAL, Bishop Canevin quarterback Brady Wagner can now play the entire regular season after attorneys representing him and the PIAA reached an agreement. The deal halts a lawsuit filed by Wagner’s parents against the PIAA, said attorney Steve Toprani, who represents the Wagners. “The claims...
5 things to watch in Week 3 of high school football: Playoff races begin as conference play kicks off
The push for the playoffs starts now. Football teams in 12 WPIAL conferences will play their conference openers Friday or Saturday, beginning a seven-week sprint to the postseason. Conferences with eight teams — the Midwestern, Eastern and Tri-County South — have seven consecutive conference games ahead. The Big East, Northeast,...
PIAA board tables vote to add shot clock to high school basketball
The PIAA hit the snooze button on the shot clock debate. The board on Wednesday was expected to take a second step toward adding a shot clock to high school basketball for the 2028-29 season. Instead, the board tabled the vote until October to give its basketball steering committee time...
5 things we learned in high school football Week 2: WPIAL’s smallest schools off to undefeated starts
Ryan Cecchini has tried some unique practice techniques in his 15 seasons at Avella, but he says that’s life as a small-school coach. “Sometimes we’ll do a half-a-line scrimmage,” Cecchini said. “We’ll go from the center over. And then only half the defense, and we’ll scrimmage each other that way....
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept 7, 2025
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 2-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 3-0, 2 3. Hempfield, 3-0, 3 4. Norwin, 2-1, 5 5. Seneca Valley, 1-2, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 2-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 3-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 3-0,...
‘I just did it for Daws’: Amid unfathomable tragedy, No. 1 Thomas Jefferson rallies past No. 2 McKeesport
No touchdown could ease the sorrow Harrison Kolling and his teammates felt for their grieving quarterbacks coach, but the Thomas Jefferson sophomore was adamant that he wanted to win this one for him. “I just did it for Daws,” said Kolling, who pushed across the goal line for a go-ahead...
5 things to watch in Week 2: Central Catholic, Woodland Hills relish chance to play at Pro Football Hall of Fame
Two WPIAL football teams got a call from the hall. Central Catholic and Woodland Hills each has a former player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a distinction that earned them an invite to play one another Saturday in Canton, Ohio. They’ll meet at 3:30 p.m. as part...
Shady Side Academy may face WPIAL repercussions if football team forfeits game vs. Clairton
Shady Side Academy is standing behind its decision to call off a football game this week despite possible WPIAL repercussions. A day after announcing that the team was short on players and would forfeit its Week 2 nonconference game at Clairton, the school reaffirmed its stance Thursday, citing an “unwavering...
McKeesport star Kemon Spell on the mend heading into showdown with Thomas Jefferson
Kemon Spell’s coach describes him as a finely tuned Ferrari, a fitting analogy since the McKeesport running back goes faster than most. But when there’s an issue with your Ferrari, you don’t dare drive it until it’s fixed. “You’re not dealing with a Jeep Wrangler,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said....
Citing injuries, Shady Side Academy calls off football game vs. Clairton
Citing “an extraordinary rash of significant injuries,” Shady Side Academy has canceled this week’s football game against Clairton. The school on Wednesday announced plans to forfeit, saying nearly 20 of the team’s 40 players were sidelined, “leaving the program unable to field a competitive roster safely.” The WPIAL will consider...
Basketball standout, Lincoln Park transfer Josh Pratt eligible for playoffs after WPIAL hearing
Lincoln Park transfer Josh Pratt, one of the state’s top basketball players, is fully eligible for his senior season following a WPIAL hearing Tuesday. A hearing panel granted Pratt playoff eligibility, finding the former Aliquippa star qualified for a postseason waiver under PIAA rules, WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said....
5 things we learned in high school football Week 1: Sophomore passers show big-time growth
James “Booboo” Armstrong isn’t one of Hopewell’s team captains this season, but that’s only because the sophomore quarterback declined the honor. He had the votes. “I called him into my office and said, ‘Look, Booboo, you were voted a captain,’ and he got this big smile on his face,” Hopewell...
