Don Rebel stories, Page 127
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for April 3, 2021: Section rivals play 2
“It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame. Let’s play two.” That was the famous quote from Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, the late, great shortstop of the Chicago Cubs. His words are fitting for two WPIAL baseball teams Saturday afternoon. Two days after the snow was falling and the wind...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 1, 2021: South Hills neighbors meet on diamond
We aren’t trying to fool you as we touch on some of the scholastic events to watch here on this first day of April. Prior to 1979, there was only one classification in WPIAL boys baseball. From 1979-1998, high school baseball in the district had Class AAA and AA. Expansion...
Trib HSSN Boys Basketball State Rankings for March 31, 2021
The end of the season is here after six new boys basketball champions were crowned. Class 5A champion Cathedral Prep and 4A winner Allentown Central Catholic each captured their third PIAA boys basketball gold while it was state title No. 2 for Reading in Class 6A. The other three champions...
Trib 10: OLSH boys, NA girls top final power rankings
Five basketball champions from the WPIAL headed east last week for a trip to Hershey to play for a state championship. Three returned with state silver to go along with their district title while two struck more gold at the Giant Center in Chocolate Town and are now twin title...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 31, 2021: Volleyball heavyweights meet
The final day of March looks like it might be a wet one, so our focus on this Wednesday moves from the outdoors to the indoors and boys volleyball. While there are a handful of nonsection matches set, one that stands out is a battle between top 5 teams in...
Trib HSSN Girls Basketball State Rankings for March 30, 2021
The end is here after six new girls basketball champions were crowned. Class A champion Bishop Guilfoyle collected its seventh state title while Class 4A winner Archbishop Wood took its sixth PIAA crown home from Hershey. The other four champions — North Allegheny in 6A, Cardinal O’Hara in 5A, West...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 30, 2021: Ranked softball squads meet
In the 2017 WPIAL Class 6A baseball semifinals, North Allegheny defeated Canon-McMillan, 5-3. It marked the second straight year the Big Macs lost in the district semifinals. A year later in May of 2018, Canon-McMillan finally cleared the semifinals hurdle with a win over Central Catholic that set up a...
Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Team of the Week for March 29, 2021: North Allegheny
On the district stage, North Allegheny has been a dominant force since Spencer Stefko took over the girls basketball program in 2016. Since then, the Tigers have been to six straight WPIAL championship games, winning four of them, striking gold in each of the last two seasons. However, that incredible...
Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Player of the Week for March 29, 2021: North Allegheny’s Lizzy Groetsch
North Allegheny used a balanced attack on offense and a suffocating defense all season to win a second straight WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship. However, in the two biggest games of the season last week, the Tigers turned to Lizzy Groetsch to lead the way. The senior, averaging 16...
PIHL standings: Week of March 29, 2021
Here are the latest PIHL standings through Sunday. The PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs are set to start April 5. The Pennsylvania Cup championships are set for April 24. *- clinched a playoff spot x- eliminated from playoff chase Team – Wins – Losses – OT/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class...
TribLive High School Sports Network broadcasts: Week of March 29, 2021
With winter sports champions nearly all crowned, we spring into our spring high school sports coverage this week here on the TribLive High School Sports Network. We have the debuts of WPIAL baseball, softball, girls lacrosse and boys volleyball. We also begin our salute to the WPIAL basketball champions with...
Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Team of the Week for week ending March 28, 2021
During an imperfect time, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is celebrating a perfect boys basketball season. For only the 14th time in history and the third time this century, a WPIAL boys basketball team won district and state championships while going undefeated. OLSH (24-0) went wire to wire as...
Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Week for week ending March 28, 2021
Senior Dante Spadafora and junior Jake DiMichele made up one of the higher-scoring and more successful dynamic duos the WPIAL has seen in a long time. As point guard, Spadafora set the table and DiMichele dined and feasted on opposing defenses, averaging more 30 points in what turned out to...
Trib HSSN What to Watch for: Monday, March 29, 2021
Cooler but drier weather is expected Monday as a handful of WPIAL team begins their section schedule early. Twenty-eight district baseball teams are slated to begin section play. Some of the standout games include a clash of Class 4A powers as Quaker Valley hosts Montour. The visiting Spartans are ranked...
Carlynton girls show glimpses of bright future during .500 season
The Carlynton girls basketball team had turned itself around, going from a struggling program a decade ago to one that was a legit championship contender over the last six years. Since 2015, the Cougars won at least 19 games four times, participated in the state playoffs four times and reached...
Run to WPIAL finals helps Chartiers Valley boys carry on winning tradition
Brandon Sensor just completed his third year as boys basketball coach at Chartiers Valley. It is a program built on tradition that hasn’t skipped a beat the last three winters. The Colts are 59-17 in those three years with their district title hopes ending in the WPIAL semifinals in 2019...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for March 27, 2021: PIAA champions to be crowned
The champions-only version of the PIAA basketball playoffs has one day left with four more state title games to be played at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday. Two boys and two girls championship games will be held Saturday at noon, 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Here...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for March 26, 2021: Teams chasing PIAA glory
The champions-only version of the PIAA basketball playoffs has one day in the books with eight more state title games to be played at the Giant Center in Hershey over the next two days. Two boys and two girls championship games will be held Friday and Saturday at noon, 2:30...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for March 25, 2021: State championship weekend tips off
The champions-only version of the PIAA basketball playoffs comes to a close with 12 state title games played at the Giant Center in Hershey. Two boys and two girls championship games will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at noon, 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Here are...
Trib HSSN Boys Basketball State Rankings for March 24, 2021
The stage is set for six new PIAA champions to be crowned this week in Hershey with two boys state title games each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Kennedy Catholic, Lincoln Park and Math, Civics & Sciences were looking to “repeat” as champions until losses in the quarters and semifinals...
Trib 10: Girls power rankings crowded at the top with 4 teams vying for state gold
The Fantastic Five from the WPIAL still alive for a state championship take the final exit on the Road to Hershey as they head to the Giant Center and the PIAA finals this week. The only boys District 7 champion to survive two rounds of the state playoffs is the...
Trib HSSN Girls Basketball State Rankings for March 23, 2021
The end is almost here. Three days and 12 games remain in the crazy 2021 high school basketball season. Now that we’re down to the final few, you would think there would be few changes in the Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings. That would be accurate for the top...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 23, 2021: 4 more teams try to reach Hershey
With three WPIAL basketball teams punching their ticket to Hershey on Monday, four more district teams have a chance to join them later in the week in Chocolate Town. Semifinals on Tuesday feature WPIAL champions from boys 6A, boys 2A, girls 5A and girls A playing for a spot in...
Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Week for March 22, 2021: Lincoln Park’s Brandin Cummings
Nelly Cummings had a great career at Lincoln Park. The 2017 graduate averaged 22 points and 6 assists per game for his career, averaging 30 points per game his senior year. He was named all-state three times. He just ended his junior season at Colgate in the NCAA tournament. Those...
Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Team of the Week for March 22, 2021: The St. Clair Six
There were so many great stories from quarterfinals weekend in the state playoffs involving WPIAL basketball champions. We had blowout victories, comfortable wins, nail-biting triumphs, heartbreaking losses and a team eliminated before it took the court because of two dreaded words: positive test. While Bishop Canevin had to forfeit its...
