Chris Harlan stories, Page 62
Grandfather-grandson duo works together officiating WPIAL basketball games
When Matthew White was a little kid, he enjoyed going to high school basketball games and seeing the officials, because his grandfather was one of them. “From when I was very young, I have memories of him taking me with his partners back to the locker room and then going...
WPIAL asks playoff basketball teams: ‘What have you done for me lately?’
The WPIAL basketball committee had a question for playoff teams: “What have you done for me lately?” The Montour boys, the Aliquippa boys and a number of other qualifiers with strong regular-season finishes had the right answer. They received a bump to higher seeds Monday night when the WPIAL revealed...
Breaking down the 2022 WPIAL boys basketball playoff brackets
Class 6A Favorite: North Hills went undefeated and ran away with the Section 1 title, putting the Indians in position to maybe win their first WPIAL title. They’re led by a trio of double-digit scorers, including 6-foot-7 sophomore Royce Parham (20.9 ppg) and 6-3 senior guards Alex Smith (18.6) and...
Tough decisions prompt debate as WPIAL announces 2021-22 basketball playoff brackets
Laurel Highlands or New Castle? Mt. Lebanon or North Allegheny? Most No. 1 seeds were easy choices, but the WPIAL basketball committee was divided on a couple of others, said chairman Bill Cardone, whose committee met for nearly three hours Monday. The No. 1 seeds in Class 5A boys and...
North Allegheny’s Cole Young projected as 1st-round pick in MLB Draft
Cole Young has a Twitter account, so the North Allegheny senior usually notices whenever someone publishes a new MLB mock draft or an updated list of high school baseball prospects. His name gets mentioned often nowadays. “It’s always fun reading it to see what some people say,” said Young, a...
WPIAL bracketology: Chris Harlan, Don Rebel forecast 2021-22 girls basketball pairings
The February Frenzy is about to heat up as WPIAL basketball teams hop on the Path to the Pete. The real WPIAL playoff pairings will be revealed at 5 p.m. Monday on TribLive HSSN. However, while we wait, here’s a look at how HSSN’s Don Rebel and Chris Harlan would...
WPIAL bracketology: Chris Harlan, Don Rebel forecast 2021-22 boys basketball pairings
The February Frenzy is about to heat up as WPIAL basketball teams hop on the Path to the Pete. The real WPIAL playoff pairings will be revealed at 5 p.m. Monday on TribLive HSSN. However, while we wait, here’s a look at how HSSN’s Don Rebel and Chris Harlan would...
Trib HSSN WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 13, 2022
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 19-1, 2 2. Mt. Lebanon, 20-1, 1 3. Upper St. Clair, 17-4, 3 4. Norwin, 15-5, 4 5. Bethel Park, 10-9, NR Out: Peters Township (11-10, 5) Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 19-1, 1 2. South Fayette,...
Trib HSSN WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Feb. 13, 2022
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Hills, 21-0, 1 2. Fox Chapel, 20-1, 2 3. Central Catholic, 17-5, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 13-8, NR 5. Upper St. Clair, 14-6, 4 Out: North Allegheny (14-8, 5) Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Laurel Highlands, 20-0, 1 2. New...
Fox Chapel survives Eli Yofan injury scare, clinches sole possession of section title
Fox Chapel’s Eli Yofan went from laying under the hoop in pain in the third quarter to swinging on the rim in celebration in the fourth. The second-ranked Foxes extended their winning streak to 19 games and clinched the section title outright Friday night with a 75-65 victory over No....
WPIAL asks Greensburg Central Catholic to explain possible recruiting violations
The WPIAL is looking into possible recruiting violations by Greensburg Central Catholic. The WPIAL board on Wednesday ruled three transfers eligible after hearings, including eighth-grader Samir Crosby, who switched schools from Jeannette to Greensburg Central Catholic. However, the WPIAL has asked GCC administrators to respond in writing to “potential recruiting...
North Allegheny wrestling coach Sunny Abe resigns prior to postseason tournaments
North Allegheny wrestling coach Sanshiro “Sunny” Abe, a former NCAA champion and Olympic wrestler, resigned with one meet left in the regular season and the individual tournaments still ahead. Athletic director Bob Bozzuto said Abe resigned Wednesday for “personal reasons,” but Bozzuto didn’t elaborate. Abe was in his seventh season...
New Castle’s Joe Cowart resigns after 10 seasons, sent 2 former players to NFL
Not many WPIAL football coaches have had two former players active in the NFL at the same time, but New Castle’s Joe Cowart did during his coaching tenure, which came to a close this winter. Cowart resigned in late January after 10 seasons as New Castle’s football coach, but will...
Aliquippa ‘hitting stride,’ defeats Seton LaSalle for 1st-place tie in Section 2
A young basketball team can age considerably in the short span of 25 days. Aliquippa had a noticeable growth spurt between its two games against Seton LaSalle, said Quips coach Nick Lackovich, who starts three sophomores and two juniors. About a month after a heart-breaking loss in overtime, Aliquippa played...
Pine-Richland hires Penn Hills’ Jon LeDonne as football coach
As a parent with three kids in the district, Jon LeDonne already wore a number of hats around Pine-Richland. Scorekeeper for middle school basketball. Coach for a fourth-grade girls team. Scorers’ table duty at youth wrestling matches. “I see him at every event,” athletic director Joe Gironda said. “You’d think...
Mt. Lebanon’s Bob Palko named Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the YearVideo
Mt. Lebanon football coach Bob Palko, who led the Blue Devils to their first state championship, was named the 2021 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year on Sunday. The winner was announced on national television during the NFL Pro Bowl in Las Vegas. Nominees watched the all-star...
With longtime coach out of retirement, North Allegheny swim teams out to achieve more excellence
Longtime North Allegheny swimming coach Corky Semler didn’t hesitate when athletic director Bob Bozzuto asked if he was interested in coming out of retirement this winter. “I told him absolutely not,” said Semler, with a laugh. “I’m retired.” But the swim program Semler helped build into a WPIAL powerhouse needed...
Trib HSSN girls basketball rankings for Feb. 5, 2022
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Mt. Lebanon, 19-0, 1 2. North Allegheny, 17-1, 2 3. Norwin, 14-4, 4 4. Upper St. Clair, 15-4, 3 5. Peters Township, 10-8, NR Out: Seneca Valley (11-7, 5) Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 17-1, 1 2. Trinity, 15-1,...
Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings for Feb. 5, 2022
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. North Hills, 18-0, 1 2. Fox Chapel, 18-1, 2 3. Central Catholic, 15-4, 3 4. Upper St. Clair, 13-5, 4 5. North Allegheny, 12-6, NR Out: Pine-Richland (10-9, 5) Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Laurel Highlands, 18-0, 1 2. New Castle,...
Butler finds ‘desperation mode,’ boosts playoffs hopes by defeating Pine-Richland
One team in Butler’s brutal section may be left home when the playoffs start, which has the Golden Tornado convinced it can’t lose another game. In fact, senior Raine Gratzmiller described the players’ mindset as “desperation mode.” But their situation got a little less dire Friday night when they celebrated...
WPIAL delays release of football schedules over ‘unique situation’ with Aliquippa
The WPIAL decided not to release new football schedules this week because of a “unique situation” facing one of its schools. The WPIAL didn’t name the school in an email sent Thursday to athletic directors, but the situation involves Aliquippa, which wants to play in Class 3A rather than 4A....
Western Pa.’s Top 10 football prospects for the Class of 2023
Some of the nation’s top college football recruiters will visit Western Pennsylvania often in the coming months, because the WPIAL and City League have an uncommitted four-star Rivals recruit in the 2023 class. They’re now on the clock. In all, there is a trio of four-star juniors in the area,...
WPIAL disciplines South Side, Steel Valley football after hearing on racial allegations
The South Side and Steel Valley football teams must complete educational training organized by the WPIAL to “further develop cultural competency” after their playoff game in November ended with accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct and racial slurs. If not completed, the WPIAL board can impose a variety of additional disciplinary options,...
Shady Side Academy tops No. 4 South Allegheny to narrow section title race
Shady Side Academy used quickness and aggression to build a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead Tuesday night, a favorable position where many teams might then slow the tempo. Hold the ball. Run the clock. One problem: That’s not in Shady Side’s nature, but the Bulldogs still showed patience down the stretch, grabbed...
Clairton’s Tyler Boyd extends Super Bowl streak for Big 33 Football Classic
Thanks to former Clairton star Tyler Boyd, the Big 33 Football Classic’s Super Bowl streak lives on. Every Super Bowl has included at least one alumni from the high school football all-star game, a remarkable streak that Boyd will extend for another year as a wide receiver for the AFC...
