Chris Harlan stories, Page 87
WPIAL reveals 2020 football playoff brackets
The WPIAL promised its football teams weeks ago that if they canceled games for covid-19, those decisions wouldn’t hurt their qualifying chances come playoff time. The WPIAL kept it word. In playoff brackets released Saturday night, the WPIAL included a couple of teams that played only four regular-season games as...
WPIAL football rankings for Week 7
Class 6A 1. North Allegheny, 5-0, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 4-2, 2 3. Central Catholic, 4-2, 3 4. Seneca Valley, 4-2, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 3-3, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 6-0, 1 2. Gateway, 4-0, 2 3. Peters Township, 6-0, 3 4. Penn-Trafford, 5-1, 4 5. Upper St....
WPIAL bracketology: Chris Harlan, Don Rebel make final predictions for football pairings
This was a football season unlike any other. Coaches, players, administrators and fans endured covid-19 concerns and cancellations, but for the most part, WPIAL teams successfully completed the regular season, an achievement that shouldn’t go overlooked. Now, it’s playoff time. The WPIAL will reveal its six playoff brackets at 7...
Mt. Lebanon tops Seneca Valley with blocked extra point in overtime
With its playoff hopes in jeopardy, Mt. Lebanon would’ve gone for two in overtime Friday night, sticking with coach Bob Palko’s win-or-go-home reputation. Instead, the decision was made for them. Blue Devils junior Joey Peters blocked an extra point in overtime, letting teammate Casey Sorsdal kick the game-winner a few...
Home field in playoffs likely at stake as Mt. Lebanon visits Seneca Valley
If Mt. Lebanon wins Friday’s regular-season finale at Seneca Valley, the Blue Devils will likely receive one of the top two seeds in the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs. With it comes a first-round home game. But if Seneca Valley wins, the one-loss Raiders can make an equally strong argument to...
Avonworth cancels Friday football game, Central Valley finds new opponent
Avonworth canceled Friday night’s football game over covid-related concerns, Central Valley athletic director Sam Cercone said Thursday. The matchup could have impacted the Northwest Six standings, where Central Valley (6-0, 4-0) is first and Avonworth (4-2, 3-1) is second. Avonworth announced its high school campus will be closed through Sunday....
North Allegheny’s Khalil Dinkins commits to Penn State
Video conference calls replaced many of the in-school recruiting visits and campus tours canceled during the pandemic. North Allegheny senior Khalil Dinkins, one of the WPIAL’s top football players, navigated that new normal this year and committed Wednesday to Penn State. Dinkins announced his decision on Twitter. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound...
5 things we learned in Week 6: WPIAL linemen can score touchdowns too
Could there be a quarterback controversy brewing at Pine-Richland? With a laugh, Miguel Jackson says yes. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound senior lived every lineman’s dream Friday night when he rushed for a touchdown and threw for another as undefeated Pine-Richland maintained its No. 1 ranking in WPIAL Class 5A with a...
WPIAL football rankings for Week 6
Class 6A 1. North Allegheny, 5-0, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 3-2, 2 3. Central Catholic, 3-2, 3 4. Seneca Valley, 4-1, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 2-3, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 5-0, 1 2. Gateway, 3-0, 2 3. Peters Township, 5-0, 3 4. Penn-Trafford, 4-1, 4 5. South Fayette,...
Covid-19 shutdown forces defending champion North Allegheny girls to turn focus to playoffs
As a defending WPIAL champion, no one would’ve blamed North Allegheny’s girls soccer team for glancing ahead to the playoffs. Now, that’s their only focus. Covid-19 concerns caused the team to shut down for the final two weeks of the regular season, canceling section games with Butler, North Hills and...
Sto-Rox forces 7 turnovers, lets Josh Jenkins shine in victory over Western BeaverVideo
Sto-Rox’s Josh Jenkins is a little like Taysom Hill of the New Orleans Saints, says coach LaRoi Johnson. Or, if you want an old-school reference closer to McKees Rocks, he suggests Kordell Stewart. Either way, his point is the same: Jenkins does a little bit of everything. The sophomore quarterback/wide...
5 things to watch in Week 6: Some WPIAL conferences may crown no champion
Some WPIAL football conferences may have no champion this season. The WPIAL announced this week that no conference champion would be recognized if canceled games could have changed the outcome. In the Class 2A Allegheny for example, Apollo-Ridge and Serra Catholic are both undefeated but their head-to-head matchup was canceled...
Explosive Sto-Rox offense, Western Beaver’s big-play defense share Week 6 limelight
The lights above Sto-Rox’s football field aren’t new, but they might feel a little brighter this week. Big games have that effect. The stadium in Stowe Township will host two Class 2A contenders from the Three Rivers Conference when Western Beaver (5-0, 3-0) visits Sto-Rox (4-1, 2-1) at 7 p.m....
WPIAL reveals postseason plans, awards home games to higher seeds
If playoff qualifiers can’t be determined from the standings, the WPIAL steering committee for each sport will decide who makes the postseason this fall. That surely will be the most scrutinized change the WPIAL board approved Wednesday while finalizing plans for an unprecedented postseason under covid-19 conditions. Among its other...
Baldwin, Seneca Valley delay football game to Saturday
Baldwin and Seneca Valley have delayed this week’s football game to Saturday. The WPIAL Class 6A schools were scheduled to play Friday night but the game was delayed after Baldwin briefly paused workouts to test its players for coronavirus. All players tested negative, superintendent Randal Lutz said Wednesday in a...
PIAA flexibility lets Blackhawk, New Castle reschedule football game Oct. 30
Blackhawk and New Castle rescheduled their postponed football game for Oct. 30, the first week of the WPIAL playoffs, taking advantage of a PIAA decision to let teams extend the regular season. Neither New Castle (0-4, 0-2) nor Blackhawk (2-3, 1-2) is in position to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs...
WPIAL football rankings for Week 5
Class 6A 1. North Allegheny, 4-0, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 2-2, 5 3. Central Catholic, 3-2, 2 4. Seneca Valley, 3-1, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 2-2, 3 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 4-0, 1 2. Gateway, 2-0, 2 3. Peters Township, *3-0, 3 4. Penn-Trafford, 3-1, 4 5. South Fayette,...
5 things we learned in WPIAL Week 5
How will the WPIAL decide which football teams make the playoffs since covid-19 cancellations made the standings unbalanced? Week 5 didn’t make the answer any easier. The WPIAL football steering committee met last week and discussed that question at length, but the group’s recommendations won’t be revealed until after the...
After strong section season, North Allegheny runners prepare for championship meets
When North Allegheny’s runners walked to the starting line wearing masks for their early-September scrimmage, coach John Neff wasn’t sure what to expect from cross country season under covid-19 conditions. Looking back, it all went fairly well. “It was not as different as I was afraid of, to be honest...
Small-school Aliquippa shows big-play ability in victory over Chartiers ValleyVideo
Aliquippa is a small school known for its big plays. Chartiers Valley came to Aschman Stadium determined to limit them Friday night, but that strategy ran into trouble after just 13 seconds. Vernon Redd returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and Aliquippa added to its big-play reputation...
Covid-19 case forces New Castle to shut down football activities for 2 weeks
New Castle is shutting down its football program for two weeks after a varsity player tested positive for coronavirus, costing the Red Hurricanes at least two games, athletic director Sam Flora said Friday. The team was scheduled to host Beaver on Friday night and Blackhawk on Oct. 16. “This is...
5 things to watch in Week 5: Gateway returns to ‘normal’
After a two-week coronavirus hiatus, Gateway’s football team is getting back to normal. Or as close to normal as possible in a week that starts on Wednesday and ends with a game Sunday night. “It’s not normal but nothing’s been normal, right?” Gateway coach Don Holl said. “We’re just going...
Aliquippa, Chartiers Valley follow different routes to Parkway clash in Class 4A
Anthony Collura heard stories about the horse, the rider and the flaming spear that arrives at Aliquippa football games, but the Chartiers Valley senior wasn’t sure they were true. “So, I went right onto YouTube,” he said, “and I saw that horse for real.” Now, Collura can’t wait to see...
PIAA tweaks fall playoff brackets, cross country qualifiers for state championship
The PIAA made changes to its fall postseason plans Wednesday including a move that lets more WPIAL runners into the state cross country championships. Also, the playoff brackets for team sports were altered to remove the Pittsburgh City League, which opted out, and add District 12, after the Philadelphia Catholic...
PIAA readies covid-19 guidelines for winter, intends to start seasons as scheduled
As fall sports approach the postseason, the PIAA is turning its attention to winter. Covid-19 guidelines for basketball, wrestling and all other winter sports will be produced soon, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said, adding that the PIAA intends to start those seasons next month as scheduled. The PIAA board...
