Chris Harlan stories, Page 8
State champion football coach Rod Steele joins Bishop Canevin
Title-winning football coach Rod Steele, who celebrated a state championship at Steel Valley, is the new coach at Bishop Canevin. The school announced the move Thursday. Steele spent the past six seasons at West Mifflin after a nine-year stint at Steel Valley, where his teams won two WPIAL titles and...
Tale of Cranberry’s Matt Vogt qualifying for hometown U.S. Open captivates golfing public
As a high school and college golfer, Matt Vogt spent summers caddying at Oakmont Country Club and admits he wondered what playing a U.S. Open there might feel like. He’ll know soon enough. “You walk down those fairways, and there’s so much history there,” Vogt said. “You’re playing the course...
What is a Stimpmeter? Learn the term that will be in heavy use at OakmontVideo
How fast are the greens at Oakmont Country Club? That question can be answered thanks to the Stimpmeter, a measuring device invented almost 90 years ago by amateur golfer Edward Stimpson soon after attending the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont as a spectator. Discussions about the green speeds reportedly led...
Nick Lackovich remains ousted as Aliquippa boys basketball coach — at least for now
Nick Lackovich remains out of a job as Aliquippa boys basketball coach — at least for now — despite winning a school board vote to bring him back. The board held a special meeting Monday night specifically to reconsider Lackovich’s job after ousting the two-time state champion coach May 21....
South Fayette pass rusher Anthony Charles commits to Minnesota
South Fayette defensive end Anthony Charles committed Sunday to Minnesota, choosing the Golden Gophers over several other Big Ten options. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound edge rusher will be a senior in the fall. He also listed Big Ten schools Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin among his 14 offers, along...
‘One foot in front of the other’: Canon-McMillan football coach Mike Evans on leave amid 2nd battle with cancer
Mike Evans felt a 15-inch needle stab into his liver three times to biopsy a cancerous tumor. The Canon-McMillan football coach also endured chemotherapy for weeks and recently battled a case of pneumonia. He’ll have surgery soon. But with all of that in mind, Evans is adamant that facing a...
Hare Medal: Riverside pitcher throws perfect game vs. Quaker Valley in WPIAL 3A championship gameVideo
Zach Hare was chasing a WPIAL title, while also knowing that folks were marveling at his no-hit streak. The Riverside senior hadn’t allowed a hit in almost two weeks, a dominant stretch of pitching that upped the pressure Hare was feeling as he warmed up Wednesday for the finals. But...
Rain forces WPIAL to postpone softball championship games to Thursday
Wet weather forced the WPIAL to postpone Wednesday’s scheduled softball championships by a day and move them away from Cal (Pa.). Rain initially led the WPIAL to delay start times for the Class 4A, 5A and 6A finals while trying to wait out the rain Wednesday at Lilley Field. But...
After aces duel to draw, Shaler downs Pine-Richland in 8 innings to win WPIAL 5A crownVideo
Shaler’s Colby Weber and Pine-Richland’s Keegan Deihl waged a pitchers’ duel in the WPIAL finals, but this one was decided only after the two aces ran out of pitches. The game belonged to the bullpens, and Shaler won that battle. Three Pine-Richland relievers combined to allow four walks, a single,...
2025 WPIAL Class A baseball championship breakdown: Serra Catholic vs. Carmichaels
WPIAL Class A baseball final No. 1 Serra Catholic vs. No. 6 Carmichaels 11 a.m. Wednesday, EQT Park, Washington On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Serra Catholic 4 (2022, ‘16, ‘10, ‘09), Carmichaels 3 (2008, ‘05, ‘03) Serra Catholic (19-3) Coach: Brian Dzurenda Projected starting...
2025 WPIAL Class 3A baseball championship breakdown: Riverside vs. Quaker Valley
WPIAL Class 3A baseball final No. 1 Riverside vs. No. 7 Quaker Valley 5 p.m. Wednesday, EQT Park, Washington On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Riverside 6 (2023, ‘17, ‘16, ‘11, ‘06, 1996), Quaker Valley 1 (1984) Riverside (16-2) Coach: Dan Oliastro Projected starting lineup...
2025 WPIAL Class 2A baseball championship breakdown: OLSH vs. Freedom
WPIAL Class 2A baseball final No. 2 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart vs. No. 8 Freedom 2 p.m. Wednesday, EQT Park, Washington On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: OLSH 0, Freedom 0 OLSH (15-7) Coach: Phil McCarren Projected starting lineup 8, Bruno Williams, C,...
2025 WPIAL Class 6A baseball championship breakdown: Seneca Valley vs. Norwin
WPIAL Class 6A baseball final No. 3 Seneca Valley vs. No. 4 Norwin 1 p.m. Tuesday, EQT Park, Washington On the air: Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Seneca Valley 4 (2014, ’12, ’11, 1994), Norwin 2 (2016, 1960) Norwin (14-8) Coach: Craig Spisak Projected starting lineup 22, Trevor Vitsas, C,...
2025 WPIAL Class 5A baseball championship breakdown: Pine-Richland vs. Shaler
WPIAL Class 5A baseball final No. 1 Pine-Richland vs. No. 3 Shaler 7 p.m. Tuesday, EQT Park, Washington On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Pine-Richland 6 (2019, ‘17, ‘10, ‘06, ‘05, ‘04), Shaler 6 (2023, ’19, ’99, 1981, ‘80, ‘64) Pine-Richland (20-3) Coach: Kurt Wolfe...
WPIAL announces schedule for 2025 softball finals, 3rd-place games
The WPIAL announced start times for the six softball finals Wednesday and Thursday at PennWest’s Lilley Field in California. The championship schedule starts with the Class 4A final at noon Wednesday, followed by Class 6A at 2:15 p.m. and Class 5A at 4:30 p.m. The Thursday schedule begins with the...
WPIAL sets schedule for 2025 baseball championships, 3rd-place games
The WPIAL announced times for its six baseball championship games Tuesday and Wednesday at EQT Park in Washington. The schedule includes an earlier than usual start Wednesday to accommodate Class A finalist Serra Catholic, which has a graduation ceremony that evening, WPIAL administrator Vince Sortino said. The Class 6A, 5A...
Riverside outlasts South Park in epic 12-inning pitchers’ duel in Class 3A semifinals
There were moments in Friday’s semifinal when Riverside coach Dan Oliastro and his players wondered if either team would ever score. The scoreboard ran out of innings, and they were all full of zeroes. The stadium lights were even turned on. But in the 12th inning, Riverside’s Jackson Barber finally...
WPIAL postpones baseball, softball semifinals to Friday
For the second day in a row, the WPIAL postponed its baseball and softball playoffs because of rain. An unfavorable weather forecast led the WPIAL to move the Class 3A, 2A and A semifinals in both sports to Friday. There were two sites changes: • In Class 2A baseball, Freedom...
PIAA track preview: Quaker Valley athletes seeded 1st in 6 state championship events
Here are storylines to follow when the PIAA track and field individual championships are held Friday and Saturday at Shippensburg University. The meet starts at 9 a.m. each day. Special season for Quakers Quaker Valley might spark another gold rush. The Quakers have the top qualifying time or height in...
Aliquippa ousts 2-time state champion Nick Lackovich as boys basketball coach
Aliquippa boys basketball coach Nick Lackovich was holding an open gym Wednesday, unaware that the school board gathered nearby was voting him out. Lackovich said he was told his coaching contract was not renewed despite leading the Quips to the WPIAL finals and the state semifinals this past season. The...
Inclement weather leads WPIAL to postpone baseball, softball, lacrosse games scheduled Wednesday
An unfavorable weather forecast led the WPIAL to postpone all baseball, softball and lacrosse games scheduled for Wednesday. The baseball and softball semifinals moved to Thursday. The Class 2A girls and boys lacrosse finals are now Friday with the 3A finals remaining on Thursday. Sites and times for the softball...
Riverside’s Zach Hare no-hits Burrell as short-handed Panthers advance to Class 3A semis
It takes more than rain to mess up Riverside’s Hare. Riverside senior Zach Hare ignored the dismal weather and threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts Tuesday night as the top-seeded Panthers defeated No. 8 Burrell, 11-0, in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal at North Allegheny. The rain-soaked game ended under...
Swinging bunt helps Norwin rally past Butler and into Class 6A semifinals
Norwin celebrated a walk-off win in nine innings thanks to a swinging bunt that rolled only a few feet. In a way, it summed up the Knights’ grittiness. “There are no style points,” Norwin coach Craig Spisak said after the fourth-seeded Knights rallied late to defeat No. 5 Butler, 5-4,...
Transgender girl from Eastern Pa. fails to qualify for PIAA track and field championships
A transgender high school student from Eastern Pennsylvania authorized by a judge to compete in girls track did not qualify for the state championships. Plymouth Whitemarsh senior Luce Allen, an openly transgender girl, finished 12th in the 200 meters at the PIAA District 1 championships Saturday. The top five finishers...
H.S. notebook: PIAA survey on shot clocks will be ‘good litmus test’ for hotly debated topic
Shot clocks or no shot clocks? The PIAA is tabulating results from its recent survey of schools and game officials to gauge their interest in adding the timing devices for high school basketball. But the survey alone won’t decide whether Pennsylvania ultimately adds the clocks, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi...
