Don Rebel stories, Page 130
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 9, 2021: Early season showdown for softball powers
Since expansion from four to six classes throughout the PIAA in softball four years ago, two programs have dominated the Class 4A landscape: Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward. The Leopards won back-to-back WPIAL championships, beating Yough in the 2017 finals and Elizabeth Forward by a 5-4 score in the 2018...
Trib 10: For the first time in a long time, WPIAL baseball, softball power rankings
It has been two years since we felt the spring power. Or should I say, two years since we’re released our weekly Trib HSSN baseball and softball power rankings. These are the ranking where classifications don’t matter. If you’re good, you’re good. Beaver and Elizabeth Forward were the two teams...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 8, 2021: Section volleyball matchups aplenty
WPIAL Class AA boys volleyball completes its first week of section play Thursday. Defending district champion Ambridge has its home section opener when the Bridgers host North Catholic on Thursday. The Trojans were a playoff team two years ago, beating Keystone Oaks in the first round before losing to Our...
Trib HSSN State Baseball Rankings for April 7, 2021
The last time we released the Trib HSSN state baseball rankings was nearly 22 months ago. As a reminder, here are the state champions that sat atop the six classifications. They were Souderton (6A), Red Land (5A), Selinsgrove (4A), Mount Union (3A), Devon Prep (2A) and West Middlesex (A). With...
Hempfield bounces back to earn split with Upper St. Clair
Hempfield not only won a section baseball game Tuesday evening, it also was able to put a check in the box next to the team’s mental toughness. A day after losing a three-run lead in the seventh inning and losing in eight innings to Upper St. Clair at home, the...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 7, 2021: Rams, Vikings meet again
Just call the Pine-Richland and Central Catholic baseball programs the odd couple. And if recent trends continue, you may be calling one of them champion by the end of spring. The pattern these two have followed is an odd one. In 2019, the most recent WPIAL baseball season, Pine-Richland was...
Trib HSSN State Softball Rankings for April 6, 2021
It has been a long time since we released the final edition of the 2019 Trib HSSN state softball rankings. Back then, the six state champions sat atop the six classifications. To refresh your memory, they were Central Dauphin (6A), Penn-Trafford (5A), West Perry (4A), Pine Grove (3A), Frazier (2A)...
Sophomore Andrew Kocan comes up big for Canon-McMillan baseball
Sophomore Andrew Kocan wasn’t even supposed to be playing varsity baseball this year. Canon-McMillan is glad he is. Kocan went from being a JV player to varsity hero Tuesday when he went 2 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs in helping the Big Macs win their section...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 6, 2021: Section series start on baseball diamond
Some sunshine and temps in the mid 70s will be the backdrop Tuesday as most of the WPIAL baseball teams hit the diamond to begin section play. The district has set up a different look to section play this spring in response to pandemic related concerns. Instead of playing every...
Trib HSSN Baseball Player of the Week for April 5, 2021: West Mifflin’s Jake Walker
Without a 2020 season and with offseason workouts sporadic due to the ongoing pandemic, few people knew what to expect at the start of the 2021 high school baseball season. Batting .846 five games and 10 days into the much-anticipated campaign is something not even the most optimistic hitter could...
Trib HSSN Baseball Team of the Week for April 5, 2021: Valley
The first full week “back to work” for the Valley baseball team was nearly perfect. After losing their season opener Mar. 26 at Highlands, the Vikings nearly matched their win total of five in 2019 in one week, going 3-0. “The biggest concern coming into the season is always the...
North Allegheny’s Lizzy Groetsch named Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Player of the Year
North Allegheny senior basketball player Lizzy Groetsch has been taking piano lessons since she was 6 years old. She enjoys playing classical music. That’s seems appropriate since she and her Tigers teammates have just completed a season for the ages. Groetsch led North Allegheny to a 27-1 season in which...
Trib HSSN What to Watch for: Monday, April 5, 2021
In the spring of 2019, the Armstrong softball team lost its first 13 games. The River Hawks won two of their final three games two years ago but ended up tied for last place in Section 1-5A with an overall record of 3-16. Two years later, and things have changed...
Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Week for week ending April 4, 2021
After a great start to the season March 26-27, the strikeouts and the victories kept coming for Mia Edwards and Shenango softball last week. In three games, all wins, the senior pitcher threw 18 innings without giving up a run. She allowed six hits and struck out 37. “The biggest...
TribLive High School Sports Network broadcasts: Week of April 5, 2021
No need to hunt here and there for outstanding high school sports coverage, just check out the basket of video and audio treats this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. We have the start of section play with WPIAL baseball and softball on the diamonds, along with boys...
Final regular season PIHL standings through April 4, 2021
Here are the final PIHL high school hockey standings through the end of the regular season. The PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs are set to start with all of the quarterfinals games Monday. Trib HSSN will have video steam coverage of the semifinals and finals. The Pennsylvania Cup state hockey championships...
Trib HSSN Softball Team of the Week for week ending April 4, 2021
When last we saw the Norwin softball team, it was falling in the final four. The Knights lost to North Allegheny, 8-4, in the 2019 Class 6A semifinals, ending their season with a 13-8 overall record. Now in his sixth season as coach at Norwin, Brian Mesich knows a lot...
Strong season has South Fayette girls basketball excited about program’s future
Every team had to deal with the pandemic this past basketball season, but covid-19 related issues hit some programs more than others. The South Fayette girls basketball team had several stops and starts it had to deal with, but it was able to enjoy success in a season that started...
Trib HSSN Head of the Class: WPIAL boys basketball’s best in each classification
Many years ago, when a student did well in the classroom, the teacher would sometimes move him to a seat in the front of the class. Well, this is the Trib HSSN boys basketball version of that with social distancing protocols still in effect. There were plenty of players and...
Trib HSSN Head of the Class: WPIAL girls basketball’s best in each classification
There are certain perks to doing well. Sometimes you get to move to the front of a line, like the long line of standout girls basketball players in the WPIAL in 2021. There were plenty of top-notch players and coaches who stood out for their performances on the girls basketball...
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...
