Chris Harlan stories, Page 83
Damned if you do: Woodland Hills coach, WPIAL board to chat about Tweet
Woodland Hills boys basketball coach Matt Furjanic has a no cursing policy and violators run sprints at practice. Now, Furjanic might be the one running, although he disputes whether the word he uttered should count. Furjanic said he was assessed a technical foul Friday for yelling: “Dammit. That’s steps.” After...
WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 10, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 2-0, 1 2. Butler, 2-0, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 1-0, 5 4. Central Catholic, 1-1, 4 5. North Allegheny, 1-1, 3 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Mars, 2-0, 2 2. New Castle, 2-0, 4 3. Chartiers...
WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 10, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 2-0, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 1-1, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 1-0, 3 4. Norwin, 1-0, 4 5. Bethel Park, 0-0, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 2-0, 1 2. Trinity, 2-0, 2 3. Woodland...
Deep roster to play key role for North Hills boys basketball
North Hills boys basketball coach Buzz Gabos has plans for the 10th, 11th and maybe even 12th player on the team’s bench. They won’t all just sit there. After enduring a 31-day layoff, this season will require a group effort, especially in the early weeks, said Gabos, who intends to...
Mt. Lebanon’s strong 3rd quarter spoils Jeff Ackermann’s Baldwin debut
After practicing just four times since late November, Mt. Lebanon coach Joe David could only wonder what his basketball team might look like this season. There were out-of-sync plays in Friday’s opener and moments that felt sluggish, but the third quarter was vintage Blue Devils: 3-pointers, defense. It was all...
Return policy: Answering the big questions as WPIAL teams get back on the court
Worried? Skeptical? Angry? Choose your emotion, but WPIAL athletes and coaches were understandably nervous in the middle of December when Gov. Tom Wolf paused interscholastic sports for three weeks. Nobody was certain winter sports would resume any time soon. However, Friday is finally game day, so expect a collective cheer...
Uniontown leaving WPIAL football for independent schedule
Uniontown is leaving WPIAL football for an independent schedule, a decision school administrators hope can spark a struggling program. The football team has lost 34 consecutive games, a losing streak that started in 2016. “This decision will allow the football program to have a restart,” said Daniel Bosnic, assistant to...
Gov. Wolf: Shutdown of high school sports will end Monday
After a three-week pause of interscholastic sports, it’s time to push “play.” Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday his administration’s ban on extra-curricular activities won’t be extended, allowing high school teams statewide to resume their seasons next week. His covid-19 order expires at 8 a.m. Monday. The order kept sports teams...
PIAA, WPIAL delay team wrestling championships
The PIAA remains committed to crowning team wrestling champions this winter, but for now it doesn’t know when or where. The PIAA board voted Tuesday to postpone its team tournament until a date to be determined. The team tournament was delayed until after individual state champions are crowned March 12-13,...
PIAA relaxes preseason practice rule, anticipates restarting sports Jan. 4
Help has arrived for high school teams that fell behind schedule on their preseason practices. PIAA rules require 15 preseason workouts before starting competition, but the board Tuesday cut that number to 10 for teams this winter. As a result, many athletes will begin their winter seasons days sooner than...
5 Central Valley teammates voted all-state; Ameer Dudley named top player in 3A
Undefeated Central Valley was unmatched this season, a dominance that was rewarded in all-state voting Tuesday. Warriors quarterback Ameer Dudley was named the state’s Player of the Year in Class 3A, four teammates earned all-state honors and Mark Lyons was named Coach of the Year in a vote of Pennsylvania...
Beaver Falls trio leads 7 WPIAL players on Class 2A all-state football team
A month after winning a WPIAL football title, Beaver Falls teammates Josh Hough, Mitchell Myers and Tyler Jones have reason to celebrate again. The three seniors were among seven WPIAL players and one City League athlete who earned Class 2A all-state honors Tuesday in a vote of Pennsylvania football writers....
Jeannette’s Birch brothers among 7 WPIAL players named all-state in Class A
Jeannette brothers Brett and Brad Birch, who combined to lead the Jayhawks to a WPIAL title, are together again. Teammate James Sanders is there, too. They were among seven WPIAL players named all-state Tuesday in a vote of Pennsylvania football writers. Brad Birch, a freshman who passed for 1,676 yards...
WPIAL adopts ‘open tournament’ for basketball playoffs allowing all teams to participate
WPIAL basketball teams can forget about playoff scenarios this winter. Everybody’s already in. The basketball playoffs will be an open tournament and include all teams willing to participate, the WPIAL board decided Monday. Picking playoff qualifiers would be a difficult task if covid-related cancellations leave section standings unbalanced, so this...
Subsection wrestling tournaments among ideas WPIAL board to consider
The WPIAL wrestling committee wants subsection tournaments added to the individual postseason schedule this winter as the league adjusts to covid-19 restrictions. The move would let additional wrestlers compete in the postseason while also complying with a PIAA directive to limit brackets to no more than eight athletes. “Everybody would...
PIAA will consider relaxing 15-practice requirement for winter sports teams
Will the PIAA let athletes skip practice? Some coaches hope so. Currently, rules require all teams to complete 15 preseason practices before starting regular-season competition, but the PIAA board on Tuesday will consider reducing that number to 10. If not, that practice requirement could become a hindrance for teams that...
North Catholic sweeps MVP awards on Allegheny 7 all-conference football team
Conference champion North Catholic was rewarded with nine first-team spots on the all-Allegheny Seven football team, and three Trojans earned individual awards in a vote of coaches. North Catholic quarterback Joey Prentice was named the conference’s offensive MVP and teammate Mathias Benson earned the defensive award. Jack Friel was honored...
WPIAL finalists Jeannette, Clairton lead all-Eastern Conference football team
WPIAL Class A finalists Jeannette and Clairton combined to earn 19 first-team spots on the all-Eastern Conference football team in a vote of coaches. Clairton led with 10 including senior running back and linebacker Dontae Sanders, who earned two individual awards as both the conference’s top offensive and defensive player....
WPIAL’s 2021 football recruits make commitments official by signing early
For the fourth year, the NCAA allowed college football recruits to sign early, making their commitments official in mid December rather than early February. The early signing period was added in 2017. A number of WPIAL seniors took that opportunity Wednesday and then celebrated on social media. Here’s a look...
WPIAL champion coach brings spark to North Allegheny boys basketball
Matt McDonough and Robby Jones knew there would be some wide eyes in the gym, so they offered words of advice to their North Allegheny teammates about new basketball coach Dan DeRose. “We let everyone know his style and how he can yell a little bit,” McDonough said. “But he...
WPIAL teams in action Friday night savor the moment, worry about what’s nextVideo
In all of his years as the Mars boys basketball coach, Rob Carmody has never celebrated an undefeated season. Not until now, said Carmody, who was in a deprecating mood Friday night after Mars won its season opener over Knoch, 79-59. He joked about hanging a banner in the gym,...
PIAA doesn’t anticipate ‘pause’ becoming lengthy shutdown
PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said he doesn’t believe this “pause” of interscholastic sports will drag on for months like the shutdown last spring. “I take them for their word that it’s a pause,” Lombardi said Friday, a day after Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration halted practices and contests statewide until...
Gov. Wolf shuts down interscholastic, recreational sports until Jan. 4
With covid-19 cases increasing statewide, Gov. Tom Wolf “paused” interscholastic and recreational sports Thursday, one day before high school teams were scheduled to start their winter schedules. Once the order takes effect Saturday, teams cannot practice or compete until Jan. 4. College and professional sports were allowed to continue. “The...
PIAA moves forward with winter sports despite pleas from school administrators
The PIAA will let winter sports start Friday as scheduled over pleas from school administrators asking to delay as covid-19 cases rise. The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and the Pennsylvania Principals Association sent separate letters to the PIAA prior to the board’s online meeting Wednesday. According to the PASA...
Trib HSSN 2020-21 WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball preseason breakdown
This will surely be a boys basketball season like no other. WPIAL teams are set to tip off Friday and embark on a masked journey through a schedule likely to change many times as the year progresses. Teams all have hopes of hoisting a WPIAL championship trophy in March, much...
