Don Rebel stories, Page 113

A historic shuffling of the deck in the Trib HSSN state baseball rankings as the district playoffs conclude and the state playoffs begin. Never before have the HSSN state rankings done an all-out line change with five new teams in one class turning over. In Class 4A, the five ranked...

Twelve newly minted district champions have been crowned, and they are not only hoisting gold, they are also taking up the top six spots in the weekly Trib 10 power rankings. With great power comes the great responsibility of leading WPIAL teams into the state playoffs starting next week. Congrats...

The 2021 WPIAL softball playoffs are history with four new champions crowned and two others continuing their title runs. With the WPIAL playoffs done, the final order of the district teams is set for the upcoming PIAA postseason. The state softball playoffs begin Monday with sites and times to be...

The Bethel Park softball team remained undefeated in grand style. Junior catcher Sandra Soltes smacked two home runs, including a first-inning grand slam that put the Black Hawks up for good in a 9-2 win over Canon-McMillan in the WPIAL Class 6A championship game Thursday afternoon at Cal U’s Lilley...

The 2021 WPIAL baseball playoffs are now in the books with six new champions crowned and the order of district teams set for the PIAA postseason. The state baseball playoffs begin Monday with sites and times to be determined. Here are the matchups that are set for the first round...

Not even a global pandemic can slow down the West Greene softball team. What many thought would be a fifth straight WPIAL softball championship in 2020 had to wait a year after last season was postponed due to the covid-19 outbreak. Now the Pioneers have their one for the thumb...

Three days, 12 championship games, one network. That is all the math needed for diamond championship week starting Tuesday and continuing through Thursday in WPIAL baseball and softball. The spotlight shines on Wild Things Park in Washington on Tuesday with the first three district baseball games. The Class A finals...

The Montour baseball team won the tough Section 2-4A title by two games. It was a blue collar team with white collar success. It won 13 of 18 games, but many were nail-biters that were a preview of the Spartans’ postseason. “We have been in so many close games this...

Most coaches are worried about team rust if they go 10 to 14 days between games. Union went nearly a month between baseball games. Practice and scrimmages must make perfect. The Scotties played what turned out to be their final regular-season game April 28, then opened the Class A playoffs...

The final district gold rush of the 2020-21 school year takes place at Wild Things Park in Washington for baseball and Lilly Field at Cal (Pa.) for softball this week, only here on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Post-holiday, we have exclusive video coverage of all twelve of the...

While most teams were one or two games into the district postseason last week, Class 4A Beaver was just getting started. The Bobcats softball team had to wait 12 days from its final regular-season game to their quarterfinals contest thanks to a first-round bye as the No. 2-seed. “I was...

All season, the talk in WPIAL Class 4A softball has been the pitching dominance of Kailey Larcinese of Elizabeth Forward and Payton List of Beaver. While they certainly deserve their share of the headlines, it might be time to add Highlands pitcher Jaycee Haidze to that list. “Jaycee works hard...

The Bishop Canevin softball team started the season losing four of its first five games. The Crusaders then won four of the next five contests. It was that kind of spring for the Crusaders, one in which everything balanced out, including their final record of 7-7. “This season was a...

It was not a good week for the favorites in district baseball playoff across the state. Top seeds fell left and right in the biggest turnover week in the Trib HSSN state baseball rankings this season. Ten of the top 30 teams across the Commonwealth lost out on the chance...

What you see this time of year on scholastic diamonds across the state is the cream slowly rising to the top. Only four teams out of 30 from last week’s Trib HSSN state softball rankings lost in their district playoffs and fell out of the Top 5 for good. That...

The WPIAL baseball and softball semifinals are all in the book. Well, almost. All 12 baseball final four games were played Tuesday and 11 district softball semifinals were decided Tuesday and Wednesday, except one. The Class 2A semifinal between top-seeded Ligonier Valley and No. 5 seed Shenango was halted Wednesday...

There were some major changes to the Trib 10 this week with some eyebrow-raisers that forced a shift in power heading into diamond championship week. Half of the baseball field was bounced in the quarterfinals and semifinals while only three softball teams didn’t have the power to stay ranked through...

The week long gold rush begins Wednesday as the WPIAL will crown champions in four spring sports over the next seven days. On Wednesday, boys volleyball and girls lacrosse take center stage with championship matches in both Class AAA and AA. In girls lacrosse, Shady Side Academy will play for...

Veteran Serra Catholic coach Brian Dzurenda didn’t have much to say after his team lost to Seton LaSalle in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals at West Mifflin, but what he did share said it all. “They were just better than us.” Seton LaSalle dominated all aspects of the game in...

Wet weather, maybe more accurately, the threat of wet weather forced the WPIAL to shuffle the deck on the lineup for Monday. All of the district changes have created Semifinals Tuesday around the WPIAL with a dozen baseball games to decide who will play for gold next week at Wild...

This winter, high school sports fans from across the WPIAL watched as the Ellwood City boys basketball team stunned the experts with a district championship run from the No. 11 seed in Class 3A. Is there any of that Wolverines magic golden dust left over to sprinkle on the No....

The Peters Township baseball program has an outstanding tradition with great success in the district and state postseason. Under the now-retired former coach, Joe Maize, the Indians won back-to-back WPIAL championships in 2007-2008, were the district runner-up once and reached the state finals twice, bringing home silver both times. However,...

The Big Three in Section 3-5A baseball is down to the Big One through two rounds of the WPIAL playoffs. First, South Fayette was stunned by Peters Township in the opening round, then Shaler lost a heartbreaker to Bethel Park in the quarterfinals. West Allegheny remains standing, thanks in part...

Every little kid who loves baseball or softball seems to have the same dream. Bottom of the last inning, tied score, bases loaded and you come to bat with the fate of your team in your hands and,. Then, a walk-off grand slam to win a playoff game. Dreams can...

It’s the diamond version of the countdown to the final four as the spring postseason heats up this week on the Trib High School Sports Network. We have exclusive video and audio coverage of the 2021 WPIAL baseball and softball playoffs as we feature the quarterfinals and semifinals rounds. We...