Don Rebel stories, Page 60

Success is measured in various ways. All WPIAL baseball programs would love to do what Riverside did and win every game played, but various victories and achievements are what determine the success of a season when all is said and done. The Chartiers Valley baseball team finished 14-7 this spring...

This spring, those sitting at head of the baseball class had a chance to see a lot of unexpected title runs and in one case, perfection. Two teams showed April baseball means nothing as both Mt. Lebanon and Hopewell rose from the ashes of bad starts to win district titles...

This spring, those sitting at head of the softball class had a clear view of so many individual and team standout performances. The season included a WPIAL-record winning streak, repeat district championships in Class 3A, 2A and A while the three highest classifications saw the No. 2, No. 3 and...

The 2023 high school softball season is history with six new PIAA champions mining diamond gold. All six were double golden winners, taking home a district championship before claiming victory in their last four games to win a state title. Two of the new champions capped off perfect seasons with...

At some point in the near future, members of the Montour softball team will look back at the spring of 2023 with great memories of an 18-win season and reaching both the district and state championship games. However, the pain of coming up just short in one-run losses to Belle...

The 2023 high school baseball season is in the books six new state champions have been crowned. All six were double golden winners, winning their district championship before claiming victory in their last four games to win a PIAA title. Heading into next spring, the defending state champions will be...

Less than a week after leading Riverside to a perfect season, capped by a win the PIAA championship game at Penn State, sophomore Christian Lucarelli was out on the golf course. After doing well on the front nine, he struggled mightily on the back nine and ended up carding a...

There were a lot of silver linings at the end of the district baseball and softball season. Seven WPIAL teams reached the PIAA finals at Penn State; however, five brought home the silver runner-up trophy. Those teams coming so close to a state championship included Mt. Lebanon baseball, Hempfield softball,...

The end came quickly, and it hurt. While a season-ending loss in the PIAA Class A softball championship game may be a lesson and a stepping stone for a young Union team, for the lone senior starter, it was the end of a golden journey capped off with a silver...

In 55 years as head coach of the Riverside baseball program, coach Dan Oliastro has witnessed a lot. One of the things he had never seen a perfect season — until this past week. The Panthers became the first WPIAL baseball team to win a PIAA championship with a perfect...

One of the top high school basketball players in Pennsylvania is leaving the WPIAL and the state for his upcoming senior year. North Hills junior Royce Parham is transferring to Western Reserve Academy, a prep school in Northeast Ohio. The Marquette recruit said the idea of playing his high school...

The final day of the 2022-2023 high school sports season got a little busier after wet weather led to the postponement of five state baseball and softball games Friday. Check out our front page for previews of the two PIAA championship games involving WPIAL teams: Shaler softball in 5A and...

Five more state champions will be crowned on the diamonds of Penn State University on Saturday. Check out our front page for previews of the two PIAA championship games involving WPIAL teams: Shaler softball in 5A and Mt. Lebanon baseball in 6A. There are three others state title games set...

This is the sixth season the PIAA has hosted six state championship softball games. The WPIAL is sending four teams to the state softball championships at Penn State, including Union in Class A. The PIAA Class A final has not been kind to WPIAL teams. Since Class A was formed...

This is the sixth season the PIAA has hosted six state championship softball games. The WPIAL is sending four teams to the state softball championships at Penn State, including Shaler in Class 5A. This is the fifth straight year that one of the 5A softball participants is from the WPIAL....

This is the sixth season the PIAA has hosted six state championship baseball games. The WPIAL is sending three teams to the state baseball championships at Penn State, including Mt. Lebanon in Class 6A. The WPIAL is 1-1 in 6A state baseball title games. Canon-McMillan beat Bensalem, 10-3, to win...

Twelve state champions will be crowned on the diamonds of Penn State University over the next two days. Check out our front page for previews of the four PIAA championship games Thursday involving WPIAL teams: Hempfield softball in 6A, Montour softball in 4A, Shaler baseball in 5A and Riverside baseball...

This is the sixth season the PIAA has hosted six state championship softball games. The WPIAL is sending four teams to the state softball championships at Penn State, including Montour in Class 4A. Since expansion to six classifications, the WPIAL has had only two teams win PIAA 4A gold: Mt....

This is the sixth season the PIAA has hosted six state championship baseball games. The WPIAL is sending three teams to the state baseball championships at Penn State, including Riverside in Class 3A. The Panthers are the first WPIAL team to be playing for the PIAA 3A crown since South...

This is the sixth season the PIAA has hosted six state championship baseball games. The WPIAL is sending three teams to the state baseball championships at Penn State, including Shaler in Class 5A. The WPIAL has won three 5A state baseball title games in five years of 5A baseball. Latrobe...

Mother Nature did a great job cooperating through the district baseball and softball postseason and the first two rounds of the state playoffs. That changed on a wet Monday as several statewide baseball and softball games were postponed. They now join PIAA boys volleyball and boys and girls lacrosse semifinals...

The Union softball team is working very hard at earning the nickname the Cardiac Kids. For the fourth game in a row, the Scotties fell behind, then rallied not once but twice in the PIAA Class A semifinals to beat District 6 champion Claysburg-Kimmel, 10-8, in a wild battle of...

The Shaler softball team has been spending most of this spring savoring perfection. The Titans’ only loss didn’t come until the WPIAL semifinals against Trinity. Did six-year coach Tom Source see this kind of success coming? “We do a fall program, and we knew we had some good kids coming...

Following a second straight WPIAL Class A softball championship win the previous week, Union did not start the PIAA playoffs as planned. Two walks, a triple, a passed ball and a wild pitch helped Berlin-Brothersvalley jump out to a quick 3-0 lead after a half-inning. “I feel like in the...

The new poster boys of ‘Just make it to the playoffs and anything can happen’ are the 2023 Mt. Lebanon and Hopewell baseball teams. The Blue Devils overcame an 0-8 start to win a second straight WPIAL 6A crown and are still alive heading into the PIAA semifinals. The Vikings...