Don Rebel stories, Page 5

There was little movement in the final Trib 10 power rankings of the season. In baseball, two teams swept WPIAL and PIAA gold, and it is Indiana in 4A that remains on top, edging out 3A winner Riverside. Shaler and Freedom finish No. 3 and 4 after winning WPIAL championships...

Trib HSSN softball team of the week – Neshannock Lancers Coach – Jackie Lash (seventh year) Record – Neshannock literally won everything this spring. The Lancers captured the Section 1-2A crown with a record of 12-0, finishing two games ahead of second-place Laurel. Neshannock captured a fourth straight WPIAL championship...

For two decades, the PIAA has crowned a state champion in Class 4A. The first 4A state champion was Penn Manor from District 3 in 2005. Since then, five teams from District 7 have won state championships in Class 4A. Seneca Valley was the first to do it in 2007....

The PIAA has been deciding a champion in Class 2A baseball for more than 45 years. The first 2A baseball state champion was West Perry from District 3 in 1979. WPIAL teams have captured 12 PIAA 2A crowns with Riverside leading the way with four. Others from District 7 to...

There have been 25 PIAA Class A softball champions crowned since Minersville from District 11 won the inaugural classification championship in 1999. The first WPIAL team to win a PIAA Class A title was Vincentian Academy in 2008. Since then, District 7 teams have won three state crowns with Chartiers-Houston...

This will be the eighth season the PIAA has hosted a Class 5A baseball championship. Four of the previous seven winners were from the WPIAL. Latrobe was the first champion crowned in 2017. Bethel Park won back-to-back state gold in 2021-2022 and Shaler won the 5A title two years ago...

The PIAA has been deciding a champion in Class 3A baseball for nearly a half-century. The first 3A baseball state champion was Hatboro-Horsham from District 1 in 1977. The second winner in 1978 was Penn Hills from the WPIAL. There have been 14 Class 3A state champs from the WPIAL...

The first PIAA Class 2A softball champion was crowned 46 years ago when Minersville from District 11 won the 1979 championship. The first WPIAL team to win a 2A softball state title was 10 years later when Sto-Rox captured the 1989 crown. Five years later, Central Columbia became the first...

There have been 25 PIAA Class A baseball champions crowned since Camp Hill from District 3 won the inaugural classification championship in 1999. Since then, there have been five state Class A champions from the WPIAL, including Vincentian Academy twice (2016 and 2018), Serra Catholic (2011), Neshannock (2004) and Greensburg...

Last year, WPIAL teams were shut out of the PIAA baseball gold rush. District 7 had two teams win state crowns in each of the previous three years. Buckle up, as five WPIAL teams — including four of district champions — are trying to capture gold this week at Penn...

The 2025 WPIAL softball championship games are set for Thursday and Friday at Nittany Lion Softball Park at Penn State University. Only one defending champion is back in an effort to repeat, and is part of the only title game rematch from 2024. Undefeated Neshannock looks to not only repeat,...

Two WPIAL boys volleyball champions reached the PIAA semifinals, but only one is moving on to play for state gold. North Allegheny knocked out Central York in four games to reach the PIAA Class 3A title match for the first time in three years. Meanwhile Shaler’s two-year run of playing...

Prior to this spring, the Shady Side Academy boys lacrosse program had reached the PIAA quarterfinals three times. The Bulldogs lost all three — by one goal, one goal and three goals. However, the program made history Saturday when it stunned District 3 champion Manheim Township to win and advance...

In the 2012 PIAA boys volleyball championships, Chambersburg defeated Pennridge in the Class 3A finals and Bethlehem Catholic knocked off York Suburban in the 2A title match. That was the last year the PIAA boys volleyball finals were contested without a WPIAL representative. Heading into the 2025 PIAA boys volleyball...

From 2011-2022, the North Allegheny boys volleyball program reached the PIAA championship match in every season but three. The Tigers did not qualify for the 2012, 2015 and 2016 Class 3A state finals. The Tigers also missed out the last two years but are one victory away from returning to...

Penn-Trafford softball coach Denny Little was under the weather Sunday night and was not sure he would be able to make his team’s PIAA Class 5A semifinal against West Allegheny on Monday. The perfect prescription was an all-around solid effort by the Warriors that left the Indians feeling ill. Penn-Trafford...

It’s the final countdown with a light at the end of the tunnel marking the end to the 2024-2025 high school sports season. The final week of action includes the semifinals and championships in four PIAA spring sports this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. For the final...

Six years ago, the West Allegheny and Penn-Trafford softball programs celebrated championships: The Indians won a third straight WPIAL Class 5A crown, and the Warriors captured their first PIAA title. Now the two tradition-rich teams square off to see who will play for a 2025 state championship Friday at Penn...

There were some tweaks and small changes in five of the six classifications through the quarterfinals of the PIAA softball playoffs, and then there was Class 5A. All five teams from last week’s post-district playoffs Trib HSSN state softball rankings were bounced in either the opening round or the second...

From last week to this week, two rounds of the PIAA baseball playoffs were played. The results left the weekly Trib HSSN state rankings almost unrecognizable in four of the six classifications. Only the teams ranked in the Class 3A and 2A Top 5 from last week tasted success in...

A couple of district baseball and softball teams that came up short of their goal of winning a WPIAL championship are trying to take advantage of a second chance at gold that the PIAA postseason offers. The state playoffs are halfway through the four rounds with six baseball and six...

Trib HSSN softball team of the week – Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers Coach: Tricia Alderson (22nd year) Record: Chartiers-Houston captured the Section 3-2A crown with a record of 10-0, finishing three games ahead of both Seton LaSalle and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. The Buccaneers have a current overall record of...