Chris Harlan stories, Page 48
2022 WPIAL All-Conference Football: 2-way standouts lead Big Seven postseason honors
McKeesport teammates Bobbie Boyd and Jahmil Perryman were two-way stars for the Tigers this season, but they weren’t the only players in the Class 4A Big Seven pulling double duty. Coaches also named Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher, Thomas Jefferson’s Jordan Mayer and Trinity’s Ty Banco all-conference on both sides of...
Former North Allegheny star Ayden Owens runner-up for top college track award
North Allegheny graduate and Arkansas decathlete Ayden Owens-Delerme was the runner-up for college track and field’s top honor Thursday night. The Bowerman Award, created in 2009, is awarded annually to the top male and female athletes by the U.S. Track Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Florida State’s Trey Cunningham,...
Woodland Hills seeks to replace football coach Tim Bostard
After 22 years of coaching Woodland Hills football, first as an assistant and later head coach, Tim Bostard says he often joked that he’d be there until they kicked him out. “I guess they did what I said,” said Bostard, who learned Thursday that the school district was opening his...
2022 WPIAL All-Conference Football: North Allegheny coach Art Walker joins 9 players on 6A team
The WPIAL classification for the biggest schools was the league’s smallest overall with only five teams. Yet, the schedule was maybe the most competitive in the WPIAL, with only North Allegheny going undefeated in conference play. The Tigers were rewarded with nine first-team spots on the all-conference team and Art...
2022 WPIAL All-Conference Football: Penn-Trafford has 7 spots on Big East 1st team
Penn-Trafford’s size up front was a strength this season and opposing coaches recognized that group favorably when voting for the all-conference team. The Warriors, who led the Big East with seven first-team spots, had four linemen chosen: center Joe Enick, guard Mike Paterra, offensive tackle Zach Tomosovich and defensive end...
2022 WPIAL All-Conference Football: Penn Hills, Pine-Richland lead Class 5A Northeast honors
The playoff race in the Northeast was among the most competitive in the WPIAL, depth that showed in the all-conference team. Penn Hills saw a conference-best eight players earn first-team honors including quarterback Julian Dugger and running back Amir Key, despite narrowly missing the postseason. Pine-Richland, the eventual WPIAL and...
2022 WPIAL All-Conference Football: Upper St. Clair places 10 on Allegheny Six team
Upper St. Clair’s Aidan Besselman and Mark Banbury earned first-team honors on both sides of the ball, helping the Panthers claim 10 spots on the Allegheny Six all-conference team. Besselman, a wide receiver and defensive back, and Banbury, a two-way lineman, helped Upper St. Clair reach the WPIAL Class 5A...
Former Gateway star Derrick Davis announces plans to transfer from LSU
Former Gateway standout Derrick Davis, the TribLive HSSN Football Player of the Year in 2019, has announced plans to transfer from LSU. The 6-foot, 210-pound safety and running back said he’d entered the transfer portal Monday. Davis played in four games this season for LSU and saw action on both...
Belle Vernon sees no ‘racial intent’ by football players in controversial social media video
The Belle Vernon football players involved in a controversial social media video weren’t trying to racially taunt anyone, said the school’s top administrator, but they will face consequences for including a racial slur. The TikTok video, which used an audio file popular in the app, was filmed on the team...
PIAA wants investigation into signs, video targeting Westinghouse football team
The PIAA has directed the Southern Columbia administration to investigate allegations of racist taunts involving signs and a social media video targeting Westinghouse’s football team. The two schools met Friday in the PIAA Class 2A championship in Mechanicsburg. Afterward, photos of hand-drawn signs saying “Whip Westinghouse” and “Southern State of...
After 7-year hiatus, Jamie Kyriazis returns to coach North Allegheny wrestling team
Timing is important in wrestling. Since Jamie Kyriazis resigned seven years ago as North Allegheny’s coach, he’d spent more time with wife Amy, saw his daughter Hannah enter high school and welcomed a new addition to the family in now-6-year-old son Nico. “The timing was just right to step down...
Pine-Richland stuns Imhotep Charter in PIAA Class 5A final on Ryan Palmieri’s big night
MECHANICSBURG — Pine-Richland quarterbacks sure have a knack for big performances in the biggest games, a history that includes Ben DiNucci, Phil Jurkovec and Cole Spencer. Add another Rams QB to the list, even if he didn’t start the year playing that position. Ryan Palmieri rushed for 184 yards and...
Westinghouse’s hopes of state championship dashed by Southern Columbia in Class 2A final
MECHANICSBURG — Westinghouse fairy-tale ending was spoiled by a team that’s very familiar with being cast as the villain in the state football championships. Southern Columbia broke open a 1-point game with three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a well-timed 61-yard pass Friday afternoon to win its sixth consecutive state championship, this...
Westinghouse welcomes underdog role in PIAA finals against 12-time champion Southern Columbia
Westinghouse coach Donta Green gathers his football players after each practice and every game for a session he calls highs and shout-outs. One by one, the players identify an area of team success or praise a teammate, coach or position group that made a difference that day. That’s followed by...
Bishop McDevitt punishes Aliquippa for mistakes in PIAA Class 4A title game
MECHANICSBURG — In the state football championships, against a quarterback with major-college talent and an opponent seeking redemption, there’s very little room for error. Aliquippa can attest. The Quips lost two fumbles, threw two interceptions and watched Bishop McDevitt quarterback Stone Saunders convert their mistakes into touchdowns Thursday night as...
Union playoff run ends with loss to Steelton-Highspire in PIAA Class A football final
MECHANICSBURG – Union could see the end zone all afternoon, but didn’t get there enough. The offense created four red-zone chances Thursday and crossed the goal line only once in a 22-8 loss to Steelton-Highspire that ended the Scotties’ Cinderella story in the PIAA Class A final at Cumberland Valley’s...
Defending state champion Aliquippa draws PIAA finals rematch with Bishop McDevitt
Aliquippa started a sophomore at quarterback and a freshman at running back in the state finals last season while opponent Bishop McDevitt had a freshman behind center that day. So, no, this rematch isn’t a surprise. Defending champion Aliquippa (13-0) faces runner-up Bishop McDevitt (12-1) in the PIAA Class 4A...
Trib HSSN high school football state rankings for Dec. 7, 2022
The PIAA football playoffs are down to 12 teams as the season approaches the final weekend. The six state championship games, no longer held at Hersheypark Stadium, will be played Thursday-Saturday at Cumberland Valley in Mechanicsburg. Aliquippa in Class 4A and Southern Columbia in 2A are the only defending champions...
Plans to expand, strengthen PIAA competitive-balance rule rejected by board
MECHANICSBURG — Plans to revamp the competitive-balance formula were rejected Wednesday by the PIAA board, meaning only football and basketball teams are still impacted by the rule — and only those that add too many transfers. The PIAA board voted 18-10 against a proposal that expanded the rule to include...
After PIAA approves NIL policy, Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher quickly adds 1st deal
MECHANICSBURG — The vote was only a couple of hours old when Laurel Highlands senior Rodney Gallagher announced the first NIL deal for a PIAA athlete. Pennsylvania high school students can maintain their amateur status and accept money for use of their name, image and likeness under a groundbreaking policy...
PIAA concerned with rising ejection rates among boys soccer players, coaches
The PIAA was optimistic that the rising number of player and coach ejections would subside statewide after adding a two-game suspension in 2020 for the most egregious unsportsmanlike acts. Two years later, that optimism has waned, especially when it comes to boys soccer. The PIAA counted 338 ejections this fall...
Westinghouse ends City League’s 25-year wait, tops Steel Valley to reach state finals
No City League football team has reached the state finals in 25 years, but Westinghouse is headed there next week. The rest of Western Pennsylvania might be surprised but the Bulldogs sure aren’t. Senior running back Khalil Taylor ran for 157 yards and one of four Westinghouse rushing touchdowns Friday...
In storied Aliquippa football history, could these Quips show they’re best with another PIAA title?
There’s always room to debate which Aliquippa football team was the best in school history. With 19 WPIAL titles and four state championships, there are plenty of options to consider. In the state championship era, the Quips won their first PIAA title in 1991 with Ty Law as a senior....
Central Catholic football coach Terry Totten resigns after 18 seasons, 6 WPIAL titles
When Central Catholic football coach Terry Totten officially met with his players one final time Thursday, he showed them the watch on his wrist and told them how it just keeps ticking. You can’t speed it up or slow it down, Totten explained, and after 18 years as head coach,...
Pine-Richland draws PIAA semifinal opponent that rarely passes
The football itself is usually an essential piece of practice equipment, but when Pine-Richland’s scout-team offense took the field this week, coach Jon LeDonne had the group run plays without one. Coaches come up with creative ways to practice when they run into a team like District 3 champion Cocalico,...
