Chris Harlan stories, Page 52
1st-time winners Beaver, Ligonier Valley among WPIAL Sportsmanship Award recipients
First-time winners Beaver and Ligonier Valley were among five schools named Wednesday as recipients of the annual WPIAL Sportsmanship Award. Hampton, Penn-Trafford and St. Joseph also received the award, which honored schools that demonstrated “the elements of good sportsmanship” in the 2021-22 school year. This was the 26th year for...
5 things we learned in Week 5: Rodney Gallagher makes history again
Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher was 0-3 against conference foe Thomas Jefferson, and his Mustangs were outscored 160-3 in the first three years of his high school football career. This series was as one-sided as could be. Laurel Highlands was 0-28 all-time against the WPIAL powerhouse, but that winless record changed...
TribLive HSSN WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 2, 2022
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 5-1, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 4-2, 3 3. Mt. Lebanon, 2-4, 4 4. Central Catholic, 3-3, 5 5. Canon-McMillan, 2-4, 2 Class 5A Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 6-0, 1 2. Bethel Park, 5-1, 2 3. Gateway,...
North Allegheny embraces being viewed as underdog, now leads Class 6A
Saying the biggest high school in Western Pennsylvania was overlooked might seem unlikely, but when football season started, North Allegheny’s players didn’t hear much talk about themselves. Central Catholic was the favorite. Seneca Valley was the team with the special senior class. Mt. Lebanon was the defending state champion. Canon-McMillan...
Brad Birch leads Gateway to rout of previously unbeaten Hempfield
Would anyone have been surprised if Gateway quarterback Brad Birch crashed the halftime homecoming ceremony, took the blue-and-white balloons and named himself Hempfield’s king? He’d already spoiled all of the Spartans’ other fun. Hempfield’s seasonlong winning streak ended in stunning fashion Friday night when Birch led the Gators to eight...
5 things to watch in Week 5 of high school football
In an ultra-competitive Class 5A, Bethel Park, Hempfield and Upper St. Clair are the only WPIAL teams that haven’t lost to a 5A opponent yet this season — a list that keeps getting shorter. The other 15 teams have all lost at least once. If that parity keeps up over...
WPIAL rules East Allegheny transfer eligible for regular-season football but not playoffs
East Allegheny junior Amir Rollins, a transfer from Penn Hills, is allowed to play football in the regular season, but he remains ineligible for the playoffs, the WPIAL ruled Tuesday. Penn Hills administrators had flagged his transfer as potentially motivated by athletics, but the WPIAL board didn’t find evidence to...
5 things we learned in Week 4: WPIAL upstarts winning over their doubters
The last time Mapletown started a season 5-0, longtime Maples coach George Messich was in middle school and the team’s quarterback was an older boy who lived next door. That was 1968. “They had some really good football players on that team,” said Messich, a 1973 graduate. “The running back...
Trib HSSN WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept. 25, 2022
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A TeamRecPrv 1. North Allegheny, 5-0, 1 2. Canon-McMillan, 2-3, 4 3. Seneca Valley, 3-2, 5 4. Mt. Lebanon, 2-3, 2 5. Central Catholic, 2-3, 3 Class 5A TeamRecPrv 1. Upper St. Clair, 5-0, 3 2. Bethel Park, 4-1, 4 3. Hempfield, 5-0, NR 4. Gateway,...
Talented sophomores pacing defending PIAA champion North Allegheny cross country teams
At this time of year, North Allegheny’s cross country team doesn’t talk much about winning championships, even if the boys and girls are both defending state champs. The two teams combined have swept all eight WPIAL big-school titles in the past four years and celebrated seven PIAA titles in that...
North Allegheny tops Central Catholic in low-scoring defensive battleVideo
North Allegheny’s Campbell Melzer was upset with himself after missing a tackle on a fourth-quarter hitch route that put Central Catholic in scoring position for a late touchdown. But he knew NA had already escaped worse. “I didn’t wrap up,” said Melzer, a senior captain. “I had to make up...
5 things to watch in Week 4 of high school football
It wasn’t too long ago that West Allegheny was the team to beat in the Parkway Conference, back before the Indians made the jump to 5A. Remember, they went 29-3 in that conference during their last four seasons there (ending in 2015), reached the WPIAL finals three times in that...
Westinghouse cements itself as City League favorite with 38-7 win over Allderdice
Keyshawn Morsillo threw three touchdowns Thursday night and helped Westinghouse solidified itself as the team to beat in the City League with a 38-7 victory over Allderdice at Cupples Stadium. The game was a rematch of last year’s city championship game, won by Allderdice. Westinghouse’s performance wasn’t always dynamic —...
Central Catholic, North Allegheny battle for edge in WPIAL’s unpredictable Class 6A
After watching the first few weeks, Central Catholic coach Terry Totten suggests a new plan for finding the best team in 6A. “Put us all in a bag and pull two out,” Totten said. “Whoever plays well that night is the winner.” Yes, the WPIAL’s big-school classification is the league’s...
WPIAL hopes ticket trend continues after topping $2 million in revenue last school year
The WPIAL sold more than $2 million in tickets last school year, a jump from recent pre-pandemic days that has the league in solid financial shape. WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer says the increase in ticket sales could be a sign that fans found a renewed appreciation for high school...
Trib HSSN WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept. 17, 2022
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 4-0, 2 2. Mt. Lebanon, 2-2, 4 3. Central Catholic, 2-2, 1 4. Canon-McMillan, 1-3, 3 5. Seneca Valley, 2-2, 5 Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Penn-Trafford, 3-1, 3 2. Penn Hills, 3-1, 2 3. Upper...
5 things we learned in Week 3 of high school football
Pick a word: Unpredictable? Competitive? Chaotic? They all describe WPIAL Class 6A football this season, where top-ranked Central Catholic surprisingly lost its conference opener Friday night. Mt. Lebanon prefers the word “fun.” “It’s fun because there are five teams and we’re all very even,” said Mt. Lebanon senior Mike Beiersdorf,...
Despite revamped roster, North Allegheny girls soccer again off to strong start
The North Allegheny girls soccer team had six starting spots open this season, more than half of the lineup, but what the Tigers also had was depth. So, they have options. “It’s competitive from the seniors down to the freshmen,” said NA coach Chuck Kelley, who’s in his eighth season....
Peters Township overcomes 5 turnovers to defeat South Fayette in Allegheny Six opener
Peters Township freshman Reston Lehman scored his first two career touchdowns a minute apart Friday night, one to tie and one to take the lead as the Indians defeated South Fayette, 42-28, in an Allegheny Six opener filled with unpredictable moments. Maybe most unpredictable was that South Fayette’s defense intercepted...
1st-year QBs lead Peters Township, South Fayette into Allegheny Six opener
T.J. Plack handed the key for Peters Township’s offense to a first-year starting quarterback and told him to drive. “You don’t need to buy any rims or anything like that, just make the correct turns, use your turn signal and get the ball to our guys,” Plack said with a...
5 things to watch in Week 3 of high school football
Ready or not, it’s conference time. Most WPIAL teams had a few exhibition games to prepare, but this week the WPIAL starts conference play in earnest with a nearly full slate. By the end of the day Saturday, 94 of 117 teams will have played at least one conference game....
PIAA puts NIL debate on hold until October
A groundbreaking Name, Image and Likeness policy proposed by the PIAA must pass three separate votes to take effect, but that second vote won’t happen this week as initially thought. The PIAA board meets online Wednesday, but the new NIL policy wasn’t included on this month’s agenda. PIAA executive director...
Five things we learned in Week 2: WPIAL’s longest losing streak is over
Team captains Aaron Hobel and Brighton Mariacher are fourth-year players on Ellwood City’s football team, yet their senior class never had celebrated a win. That changed Friday night. Ellwood City snapped the WPIAL’s longest active losing streak with a 46-6 nonconference win over Carlynton, the team’s first since Oct. 26,...
Trib HSSN WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept. 10, 2022
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 2-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 3-0, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 1-2, 5 4. Mt. Lebanon, 1-2, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 1-2, 3 Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Gateway, 3-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 2-1, 2 3. Penn-Trafford,...
New coach overhauls boys soccer program at ‘University of North Allegheny’
As a soccer coach who’d reached the college ranks, Manuel Montero wasn’t interested in coaching high school soccer again, but North Allegheny’s unofficial nickname intrigued him. “The University of NA,” he said. “That’s what attracted me.” Montero had coached high school, club and college soccer on the West Coast before...
