Dave Mackall stories, Page 2
Penn-Trafford cruises past Armstrong to seize playoff spot
As he watched his football team stumble, fumble and bumble its way through most of the first quarter Friday night, Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane perhaps was figuring on a tougher test from visiting Armstrong. Turns out Ruane’s fretting was a bit premature. “We thought we had a slow start tonight,...
Derry lineman leaves on stretcher in high-scoring win vs. Greensburg Salem
It went quiet for a time at Greensburg’s Offutt Field on Friday night when Derry lineman Aiden Piper lay still on the turf. “From what I know, he’s stable and moving his legs,” senior Trojans lineman Dylan Pitzer said after Derry raced past Greensburg Salem, 43-28, to end a three-game...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel settling in as 1 of ACC’s elder statesmen
It seems like only yesterday that Jeff Capel sat alongside ultimate Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski as Duke’s associate head coach. Where did the time go? Already, as Capel enters his eighth season in Oakland, his tenure at Pitt is the second longest among current ACC men’s basketball coaches...
Artman throws 5 TD passes as Kiski Area earns Big East victory over Latrobe
After a boisterous celebration by players and fans, the Kiski Area football team gathered for a final word. Indeed, with the dust still settling Friday night from a 34-13 Class 5A Big East Conference victory over visiting Latrobe, first-year Cavaliers coach Colyn Haugh joined the huddle and was brief. “It’s...
Defending Horizon Tournament champion Robert Morris turns the page with new team
What will they do for an encore? Following a year in which both Robert Morris basketball programs finally captured the attention of Horizon League fanatics, the Colonials are tasked with — shall we say? — keeping the ball bouncing. “Every group is different,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said Wednesday...
Duquesne men’s and women’s basketball teams out to prove they are big-time
They play hoops in college basketball’s mainstream. You know them. They’re the big boys. We’re talking mainly of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. Certainly in Pittsburgh, it’s no secret Duquesne plays second fiddle. The Dukes routinely operate in obscurity in the lightly regarded Atlantic 10....
Duquesne basketball teams picked in middle of the pack in Atlantic 10 preseason polls
The Duquesne basketball teams will kick off their 2025-26 seasons looking to earn a measure of respect after both were swept aside Tuesday in voting for the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference. So, too, were their players ignored. Flanked on Tuesday by sophomore guard Mackenzie Blackford at the...
Freeport scores early, often to defeat Valley, run record to 6-0
A pair of WPIAL Class 3A football teams continued to streak in opposite directions Friday night as Freeport stayed unbeaten, and Valley remained without a victory. The Yellowjackets settled matters early, scoring all their points in the first quarter of a 42-7 victory to ensure a running clock in the...
Guard from Ohio, center from Greece commit to Duquesne basketball
A pair of high school seniors appear headed to Duquesne next season to play men’s basketball for the Dukes. Separate Instagram posts indicate that 6-foot-4 guard Jackson Williams, from Geneva (Ohio) Spire Academy, and 6-11 Greek-born center Dimitrios Ntapsis, from Ontario (Calif.) Veritas Academy, have become Duquesne coach Dru Joyce...
Backup quarterback helps Gateway rally for victory over Franklin Regional
Gateway coach Don Holl doesn’t quite understand how his Gators football team is doing it, but he’s not about to question the process of back-to-back wins without the team’s star quarterback. With freshman Mayson Mitchell filling in for injured starter Elvis Koutsakis Jr., Gateway continued to rally Friday night from...
WVU crowd, coach Rodriguez revel in Mountaineers’ victory in Backyard Brawl
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s disdain for Pitt was evident at virtually every corner before, during and after Saturday’s Backyard Brawl, where an overflow crowd of mainly WVU fans crammed into Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium to witness a classic comeback victory by the Mountaineers. Think Pitt’s home at...
Latrobe claws way to victory, keeps Franklin Regional winless
It has become a fierce football rivalry when Latrobe and Franklin Regional meet. The latest encounter Friday night — a 13-7 Latrobe victory in the Class 5A Big East Conference opener — followed the script. “Every year since I’ve been the coach at Latrobe, it’s been the same kind of...
Hempfield ends nonconference schedule unbeaten with rout of Kiski Area
From the start, Hempfield took control. Kiski Area had no chance. Indeed, the Spartans rolled to a 43-10 victory Friday night at home. Deron Hunter returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, Dominic Detruf threw four touchdown passes — two to Jack Kopas — and Class 6A No....
WVU overcomes slow start to pull away from Robert Morris in season opener
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A “Tiger” was on the loose Saturday at West Virginia. When Robert Morris coach Bernard Clark met the media after the Colonials’ season-opening 45-3 loss to the Mountaineers, he wasn’t in the mood for moral victories. “It’s just not in my DNA,” said Clark, the former Orange...
Greensburg Salem happy to rebound with win vs. Ligonier Valley
The Greensburg Salem and Ligonier Valley football teams were looking to bounce back Friday night from last weekend’s season-opening losses, and the Golden Lions managed to succeed. Barely. “A win’s a win. That’s the line,” Greensburg Salem coach Ty George said. Brody Chismar passed for two first-quarter touchdowns, and Greensburg...
Kevin May steps up to lead Seton Hill football team into season opener
From Day to May. By a single letter, Seton Hill enters another college football season under its fifth coach since the birth of the school’s program in 2005. Kevin May is in. Dan Day is out. “I didn’t need to be a figurehead, but when this really came down, I...
Derry powers past Ligonier Valley behind stout offensive line
Moments after Derry’s season-opening 33-14 victory over visiting Ligonier Valley on Friday night, Trojans coach Mike Arone implored junior running back Max Doherty to acknowledge the team’s massive offensive linemen. Doherty, who shined in his first test as the Trojans’ featured running back, stood up from the team’s postgame huddle...
Pirates induct Vernon Law, Al Oliver, Kiki Cuyler into team hall of fame
They celebrated their victories, but there was no time for partying where Vernon Law and Al Oliver were concerned. Besides, even if they could, neither wanted anything to do with it. For those two former Pittsburgh Pirates greats, faith has ruled their lives. “Baseball has been my career. Yes, I’ve...
Greensburg Salem seeking another run to playoffs
For one of the WPIAL’s all-time winningest programs, Greensburg Salem has seen more than enough losing in recent years. Following a head-turning 7-4 record in 2024, perhaps the culture is changing again. “We’re trying to get back to winning football games and get back to the playoffs,” coach Ty George...
Strong junior class driving Derry’s hopes for a successful season
Despite that five-game skid, Mike Arone is not deterred. Forget the season-ending implosion, Derry’s fourth-year coach insists. And while thoughts of another season-turned-bad linger, Arone is hopeful the Trojans will rally. “The 11 guys we put on the field on offense, the 11 on defense and the 11 on special...
East Allegheny focused on erasing 1-9 memory
East Allegheny wishes it could forget that awful record, but the returning players and coaches won’t. Besides, they really can’t. One win and nine losses. “We went 1-9 last season,” Wildcats coach Frank Cortazzo lamented. “We don’t want to do that again.” Frankly, who would? “It’s sort of been the...
Defending WPIAL champ Avonworth hungry to take care of unfinished business
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. There’s been a bit of a sour mood lurking in the Avonworth camp, where the Antelopes play. They almost won it all in 2024, but close...
Revamped offensive line holds key to Greensburg Salem’s success
A new offensive line for the Greensburg Salem football team will be on display when the Golden Lions begin play Aug. 22 at Albert Gallatin. “I’m really excited to see what we can do,” junior quarterback Brody Chismar said. By the time the team plays its first home game at...
With 4-year starter under center, Trinity primed for another playoff season
Trinity has been making a lot of racket lately. Maybe it’s time for the Hillers to rumble. Armed with a four-year starting quarterback and a coaching staff oozing with confidence, the Washington-based school is marching into another season with a purpose. “We’re proud of what we’re doing here. And I...
Indiana banking on familiar coach to get program turned around
Hey, Indiana, an old acquaintance is back in town. Four years after setting out for Arizona, where he spent time as an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University, former longtime coach Mark Zilinskas will be back on the Indians’ sideline. He’s hoping to jump-start a program that hasn’t enjoyed a...
