Chris Harlan stories, Page 67
Serra Catholic forces 9 turnovers, wins for coach in WPIAL Class 2A finals
Serra Catholic coach Jose Regus wore a hat at Heinz Field that said “battle,” a brand name of sportswear, but also one word that captures both his determination to coach and his defense’s relentlessness to win. Those battles are intertwined. Motivated by their coach’s health struggles, Serra Catholic forced nine...
WPIAL Class 3A football championship breakdown: Central Valley vs. North Catholic
WPIAL Class 3A football championship No. 1 Central Valley vs. No. 2 North Catholic Noon Saturday, Heinz Field On the air: TV: WPCW; Audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com, WBVP-AM Winner plays: Winner of District 10 champion Grove City (10-2) vs. District 6 champion Martinsburg Central (13-0) in a PIAA semifinal Dec. 3 or...
Mt. Lebanon’s latest title gives youngest Harvey brother equal bragging rights at Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving means family, food and football in the Harvey household, and as the youngest of eight kids, William Harvey grew up hearing stories from the time his oldest brother won a WPIAL title. This year, when the siblings gather in Mt. Lebanon for dinner and their annual turkey bowl, he...
PIAA releases sites, times for state football quarterfinal round
PIAA football playoffs Quarterfinals Class 6A District 1 final: Coatesville at Garnett Valley, 7 p.m. Friday 12-1 St. Joseph’s Prep vs. 11-1 Freedom at Bishop O’Hara, 6 p.m. Friday 6-1 State College at 3-1 Harrisburg, 1 p.m. Saturday 10-1 McDowell at 7-1 Mt. Lebanon, 7 p.m. Friday Class 5A 10-1...
5 things we learned: Some WPIAL finalists wait decades for championship chance
Welcome to Heinz Field. When Bishop Canevin and Moon last reached the WPIAL finals, Three Rivers Stadium still was standing on the North Short, but those teams’ will end their decades-long waits next weekend. Moon is returning to the WPIAL finals for the first time in 23 years, and Bishop...
If forced to Class 5A, Aliquippa might consider leaving WPIAL football for independent schedule
Forcing the Aliquippa football team to play schools two, three or four times its size isn’t safe or fair, regardless of whether the Quips are winning those games, says the school district’s top administrator. Superintendent Phillip Woods wants the PIAA competitive-balance rule to be rewritten. Aliquippa will compete next weekend...
Alex Tecza’s 4 TDs help lift Mt. Lebanon to 1st WPIAL football title in 21 years
Central Catholic had about six weeks to devise a new strategy for stopping Alex Tecza, Eli Heidenreich and Joey Daniels, yet the three seniors and their Mt. Lebanon teammates proved undeniable. So, too, was the Blue Devils’ desire for a WPIAL title. Tecza alone rolled up more than 200 yards...
WPIAL 6A football championship breakdown: Mt. Lebanon vs. Central Catholic
WPIAL Class 6A football championship No. 1 Mt. Lebanon vs. No. 2 Central Catholic 7 p.m. Saturday, Norwin On the air: TV: WPCW; Audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com, 95.3 FM, 1020 AM Winner plays: McDowell in the PIAA quarterfinals Nov. 26 or 27 WPIAL titles: Mt. Lebanon 7 (1966, ’70, ’80, ’81, ’83,...
North Allegheny’s Mlecko steps into PIAA cross country history books as 4-time team champion
There was a time when Maura Mlecko was the freshman on North Allegheny’s cross country team, running at the state championship meet in Hershey for the first time. But like runners on that course, four years can go by fast. As a senior surrounded by freshmen, Mlecko was back in...
Mt. Lebanon seeks 1st WPIAL title in decades vs. Central Catholic team familiar with finals
On one sideline will be Mt. Lebanon, the undefeated No. 1 seed in the WPIAL playoffs that is making its first championship appearance since 2000. On the other side is Central Catholic, a two-time defending WPIAL champion that reached the finals more often than not in the past decade. Which...
Moon headed to 1st WPIAL final since 1998 after topping Penn Hills in semis
Heinz Field hadn’t been built the last time Moon made the WPIAL football finals, but the Tigers are headed there now. No. 1 seed Moon used a familiar combination of gritty defense, a physical running game and one long touchdown run to defeat No. 5 Penn Hills, 14-9, in a...
Covid-19 cases force Carnegie Mellon to withdraw from NCAA football playoffs
Carnegie Mellon’s journey in the NCAA football playoffs is over before it started. The university announced Friday that several football players tested positive for covid-19, so the team will withdraw from the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Tartans (8-2) were scheduled to play a first-round game Saturday against North Central...
Seeking 1st WPIAL finals trip since 1998, No. 1 Moon faces Penn Hills in semifinals
A sign hanging inside Moon’s football stadium chronicles the milestone years in team history. One look at that board reminds the current Tigers that their team hasn’t reached the WPIAL finals in more than two decades. Yet this year’s roster, with a strong senior class, wants desperately to write 2021...
North Allegheny swimming brings back retired coach to replace Patrick Wenzel
Citing personal reasons, title-winning North Allegheny swimming coach Patrick Wenzel resigned this fall after leading the WPIAL’s top program for eight years. The Tigers swept the WPIAL boys and girls titles in each of Wenzel’s eight seasons as coach, and the girls enter this winter as reigning state champions. To...
WPIAL Sportsmanship Summit to be live streamed Wednesday on TribLive HSSN
Athletes from dozens of Western Pennsylvania high schools will gather Wednesday morning at the Heinz History Center for the annual WPIAL Sportsmanship Summit, which will be streamed live on TribLive HSSN. This is the 12th year for the event, scheduled from 9:30 a.m. until noon. Former Steelers defensive lineman Brett...
North Allegheny tops Shaler, earns 5th consecutive trip to state volleyball finals
North Allegheny will try for No. 5. Already a four-time defending state champion, the NA girls earned a trip to the volleyball state finals for the fifth year in a row after defeating rival Shaler, 3-1, in a PIAA Class 4A semifinal Tuesday night at Fox Chapel. The Tigers rallied...
Hampton girls volleyball rallies past Freeport, reaches PIAA Class 3A final for 1st time
Two sets away from a trip to the state volleyball finals, perhaps the Freeport girls showed their age for the first time all season. Hampton showed its poise. With two freshman starters on the court, Freeport won Game 1 in Tuesday’s PIAA Class 3A semifinal, but the WPIAL champion Yellow...
WPIAL investigates allegations of ‘racial bigotry, unsportsmanlike play’ by South Side football team
The WPIAL is investigating accusations of “racial bigotry and unsportsmanlike play” levied against the South Side football team. The allegations involve actions and derogatory comments made during last week’s WPIAL playoff loss to Steel Valley, which brought the concerns to the WPIAL’s attention. “Steel Valley and South Side played a...
Slippery Rock, Carnegie Mellon earn bids into NCAA football playoffs
Slippery Rock received an at-large bid from the NCAA on Sunday, joining Carnegie Mellon as the only Western Pennsylvania college football teams qualified for the Division II or III playoffs. Carnegie Mellon already was assured a spot in the 32-team Division III playoffs as an automatic qualifier from the PAC,...
Fox Chapel to host semifinal doubleheader in PIAA girls volleyball tournament
Fox Chapel will host a semifinal doubleheader Tuesday night in the girls volleyball state tournament. The PIAA on Saturday announced sites and times. Freeport and Hampton will play at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, with Shaler and North Allegheny following at 7:30 p.m. North Catholic and Bishop Canevin also have games Tuesday....
PIAA announces sites, times for state soccer semifinals
The WPIAL will have at least seven soccer teams in the state finals, and the league could have a finalist in all eight championship games. The PIAA on Sunday announced sites and times for the state semifinals with seven all-WPIAL matchups among them. All games are Tuesday. Boys semifinals Class...
5 things we learned: Big Seven keeps WPIAL Class A unpredictable
The WPIAL’s smallest classification was also its most unpredictable this fall, but Our Lady of the Sacred Heart coach Dan Bradley says he isn’t surprised by who is still standing. The final four in Class A has three teams from the Big Seven, including his ninth-seeded Chargers, who upset No....
Kiski Area lineman Brandon Lawhorn Moore commits to Miami (Ohio)
Kiski Area’s Brandon Lawhorn Moore, one of the WPIAL’s top offensive line recruits, committed Saturday to Miami (Ohio). The 6-foot-5, 290-pound senior tackle announced on Twitter his commitment to the RedHawks. He also had listed Division I offers from Duquesne, Bowling Green, Bucknell, Buffalo, Fordham, Kent State, Maine, New Hampshire,...
WPIAL announces sites for football semifinals
The WPIAL on Saturday revealed host sites for next weekend’s 10 football semifinals. Among them, West Mifflin will host conference rivals Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson next Friday in Class 4A. The game is a rematch from Week 4, when Belle Vernon won, 28-21, at home. All semifinal games are...
Thomas Jefferson returns to WPIAL semifinals with dominant win over HamptonVideo
Hampton’s offense had posted extraordinary rushing numbers all season, but Thomas Jefferson knows a little about running the football, too. The Jaguars proved it Friday night. Thomas Jefferson rushed for more than 300 yards, quarterback Joe Lekse scored five times and the Jaguars defeated host Hampton, 42-14, in a run-heavy...
