Chris Harlan stories, Page 43
Blackhawk basketball coach Steve Lodovico took job ‘for a year,’ resigns 18 seasons later after building WPIAL powerhouse
Eighteen years ago, Steve Lodovico applied to be Blackhawk’s boys basketball coach, hoping to replace his legendary mentor John Miller, who was retiring. Instead, the school offered Lodovico the girls program. “I really wanted the boys job at that point, so I turned it down,” he said. “I didn’t want...
Trib HSSN WPIAL softball rankings: Week ending April 2, 2023
Class 6A 1. Seneca Valley, 1-0, 1 2. North Allegheny, 5-1, 5 3. Hempfield, 4-1, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 0-1, 2 5. Norwin, 4-1, NR Out: Pine-Richland (2-3, 4) Class 5A 1. North Hills, 5-0, 4 2. Shaler, 5-0, NR 3 Armstrong, 3-1, 1 4. Trinity, 4-1, 3 5. Latrobe,...
WPIAL baseball rankings: Week ending April 2, 2023
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 1-1, 1 2. Pine-Richland, 5-1, 2 3. Seneca Valley, 4-0, NR 4. North Allegheny, 1-0, 4 5. Butler, 2-2, 5 Out: Mt. Lebanon (0-4, 3) Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. South Fayette, 2-0, 1 2. West Allegheny, 3-0, 3...
‘Nobody has a perfect system:’ PIAA, critics remain at odds over public-private school debate
The Philadelphia Catholic League opponent Deer Lakes faced in the state basketball finals played tremendous defense, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone, the Lancers’ coach said. “I could put together one hell of a defensive team right now if I could make some phone calls for next year,” coach Albie Fletcher...
North Allegheny boys volleyball embarks on season of change
The senior-heavy lineup that won a state championship has graduated. The head coach who led the program for two decades has retired. Yes, this is a season of change for the North Allegheny boys volleyball team. The defending WPIAL and PIAA champions have only two seniors on the roster. Fortunately,...
Despite strong start, Deer Lakes comes up short to West Catholic in PIAA Class 3A final
HERSHEY — “Let’s go Lancers.” With the fourth-quarter clock running out, the Deer Lakes student section ignored the lopsided situation on the Giant Center scoreboard and chanted one last time. The Lancers were down 30 points and headed for an 83-55 loss to Philadelphia’s West Catholic in the PIAA Class...
Aliquippa again finishes as PIAA runner-up after loss to Lancaster Mennonite
HERSHEY — Trips to the so-called “Sweetest Place on Earth” have become bittersweet for Aliquippa. The Quips lost in the state basketball finals for the second year in a row Friday, this time doomed by a poor shooting night in a 60-44 loss to Lancaster Mennonite in a PIAA Class...
Lincoln Park beats perennial PIAA power Neumann-Goretti in state finals classic
HERSHEY — With 11 seconds on the clock, Lincoln Park’s Meleek Thomas knew it was time to “boogie.” That’s his word to describe the late-game heroics he can do with the basketball in his hands. The 6-foot-4 sophomore star split two defenders and broke a tie with a high-arcing floater,...
With tiny enrollment but tons of talent, Imani Christian claims PIAA Class A basketball crown
HERSHEY — One of the smallest high schools in the state won the biggest basketball trophy in Pennsylvania, yet few will call this an underdog story. Imani Christian has a tiny enrollment, but the East Hills private school is big in basketball talent. This was evident when 6-foot-11 sophomore Alier...
Deer Lakes makes more history with berth in 1st PIAA final
Neither team had ever reached the state finals, so the Deer Lakes and Penn Cambria boys basketball teams knew history would be made one way or the other Tuesday night. The Lancers made sure they weren’t just a footnote. Billy Schaeffer made a go-ahead 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter...
OLSH basketball coach Don Eckerle ‘good to go’ after collapsing at PIAA semifinal game
On a hectic game day, with all of the preparation that needs to be done, coaches can neglect themselves at times, said longtime basketball coach Don Eckerle. That happened to him Monday night. The Our Lady of the Sacred Heart girls coach collapsed after a state semifinal game at Kiski...
Imani Christian dominates rematch with Union, earns 1st trip to PIAA basketball finals
The words of an opposing coach and heated talk about public vs. private wasn’t what ultimately motivated Imani Christian for Monday night’s playoff win. The Saints want a state title. All five starters scored in double figures including a team-high 20 points from 6-foot-11 sophomore Alier Maluk as Imani Christian...
Strong 3rd quarter leads Aliquippa past Bishop Canevin in ‘testy’ PIAA quarterfinal
The atmosphere around the Aliquippa vs. Bishop Canevin state quarterfinal was tense, to say the least. Individual fans were escorted out of Peters Township’s gym three times, including once after an argument spilled onto the court. Between the lines, there was physical play, some hard fouls and words were exchanged...
After early playoff exit, North Allegheny aims to ‘get that fire back’
The gaggle of professional baseball scouts is gone, but that doesn’t mean there’s a quiet atmosphere nowadays at North Allegheny practices. “Quieter from the external side of things? Yes,” North Allegheny coach Andrew Heck said. “Quieter from the internal side of things? No. We felt like we need to make...
‘Other three’ key as Lincoln Park holds off Laurel Highlands in PIAA quarterfinals
Lincoln Park’s Dontay Green left the locker room without a shoe on his right foot, the troublesome one that needed screws and plates to fix a lisfranc fracture several months ago. What he did wear was a smile. At times since his September surgery, Green wanted to quit the basketball...
PIAA announces sites, times for Saturday state basketball quarterfinals
Peters Township will host an all-WPIAL doubleheader Saturday in the quarterfinals of the state basketball tournament. The McKeesport and Oakland Catholic girls play at noon followed by the Aliquippa and Bishop Canevin boys at 1:30 p.m. The PIAA has announced sites and times for all Saturday contests. Saturday quarterfinals Class...
Central Catholic’s PIAA bracket busted by son of Penn State basketball coach
EBENSBURG — State College’s Braeden Shrewsberry didn’t accompany his father to the NCAA tournament, but the son of Penn State’s basketball coach created his own moments of March Madness. He busted Central Catholic’s bracket in the process. Shrewsberry scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter and...
Despite defensive shadow, Rodney Gallagher leads Laurel Highlands into PIAA quarterfinals
Laurel Highlands coach Rick Hauger’s practices can include some junk defenses, maybe a diamond-and-one or triangle-and-two, but the Mustangs don’t use them in games. Instead, he wants his offense to solve them. Rodney Gallagher faced one of those combination schemes Tuesday night and still scored a game-high 28 points as...
Butler’s Drew Griffith leads 2023 PTFCA all-state honors as indoor track athlete of the year
Butler junior Drew Griffith, one of the state’s top distance runners, was named the boys indoor track athlete of the year by the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association. The statewide honor was the second this school year for Griffith, who received the Gatorade Award as Pennsylvania’s top boys cross...
Butler rejoining WPIAL football in 2024, ends dispute with PIAA
The Butler football team will rejoin the WPIAL in 2024, ending a legal dispute between the school district and PIAA over the team’s desire to stay in District 10. Butler athletic director Bill Mylan said the school district reached an agreement with the PIAA in an effort to avoid further...
Deer Lakes boys open state playoffs with dominant win on home floor
The stairs that lead from the Deer Lakes locker room to the gym floor are quite steep, but the Lancers were confident they wouldn’t stumble on this day. A so-called “hangover” has tripped up some previous WPIAL champions, but those teams weren’t playing a state tournament game in their home...
‘Bad night’ eliminates North Hills in 1st round of PIAA playoffs
North Hills spent the past 10 days putting up shots in its own gym, making Friday’s shooting woes hard to explain. The Indians shot 39% from the field and endured two single-digit quarters in a 56-52 home-court loss to Mechanicsburg in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs....
Union H.S. basketball coach reignites public vs. private debate with postgame commentsVideo
Union basketball coach Mark Stanley said he wasn’t trying to spark a firestorm with his critical comments at the WPIAL finals but instead shared out loud thoughts other public school coaches keep to themselves. Moments after losing to Imani Christian in the WPIAL Class A boys championship, Stanley said it...
Behind big night from Dante DePante, Central Catholic stops New Castle to win 2nd WPIAL title
Central Catholic hadn’t won a WPIAL title in 15 years, but Dante DePante made himself at home in Petersen Events Center, an arena that’s about a mile from the Vikings’ gym. The big college floor seemed advantageous, said DePante, who found lanes into the paint and scored a game-high 29...
In the end, Lincoln Park too much for North Catholic in Class 4A WPIAL title game
Lincoln Park’s Brandin Cummings and Meleek Thomas hear praise from many places, but on this championship night, the best accolades came from the coach of the other team. The coach who tried everything to stop them. “You’re talking about the two best players in the area,” North Catholic coach Jim...
