Don Rebel stories, Page 8
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Mt. Lebanon’s Patrick Smith
Patrick Smith registered more than 2,700 yards from scrimmage and was part of 27 touchdowns as a junior quarterback last season. However, he didn’t get the kind of recognition a player with those kinds of numbers for a Class 6A would usually get because the 2024 campaign was a bit...
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Thomas Jefferson’s Tyler Eber
The one constant in more than three decades of excellence for Thomas Jefferson football is having stud players on the line, where longtime coach Bill Cherpak shined in his playing days at Steel Valley and Pitt, and a bell cow running back to carry the load of the running game....
Indiana takes another step forward, wins Class 4A Trib Cup
Last year, Indiana was close but ended the year with no cigar, finishing second in district and state baseball as well as the Class 4A Trib Cup. This year, the Little Indians turned silver into gold on the baseball diamond and in the chase for cup glory. Indiana rallied with...
Softball dynasty sparks Neshannock to another Trib Cup victory in Class 2A
Heading into the 2025 spring sports season, the close battle for the Class 2A Trib Cup title came down to a two-school chase. Then another perfect season on the softball diamond turned the nail biter into a runaway victory. Neshannock captured a fourth straight Class 2A Trib Cup on the...
Fueled by girls sports, Peters Township repeats as Class 5A Trib Cup champs
After winning a Sports Cup in the competition’s very first school year in 2003-2004, it took 20 years for Peters Township to capture its second crown in 2023-2024. Now it took the Indians only 12 months to capture a third. “This is a great honor and a testament to the...
North Allegheny remains unbeatable in Trib Cup all-sports competition
The more things change in high school sports, the more they stay the same, especially when it comes to the chase for the Trib Cup in Class 6A. North Allegheny wins again. The Tigers are 9 for 9 in Class 6A Trib Cups and remain perfect with 22 Sports Cup...
2025 Trib 25 Preseason Football All-Star Team: Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg
Editor’s note: Each day through Aug. 3, Trib HSSN will profile one member of the 2025 Trib 25 preseason high school football all-star team. Fort Cherry quarterback and safety Matt Sieg has rushed for 6,176 yards and passed for 4,177 yards in his career and, last fall, joined former Jeannette...
Quaker Valley stands out among Class 3A schools to repeat as Trib Cup champs
Quaker Valley started the school year strong in the fall of 2024 and ended it with a double golden bang in the spring of 2025 to not only repeat as Class 3A Trib Cup champions, but crush the competition in winning its fifth title in the last six years. The...
Greensburg Central Catholic captures 5th Trib Cup in 6 years in Class A
Midway through the 2020s, Greensburg Central Catholic is closing in on clinching school-of-the-decade honors in Class A after claiming a second consecutive Class A Trib Cup, its fifth in the last six years. The Centurions remain alone in third place overall after winning the schools 11th Sports Cup, trailing only...
Winners of Trib Cup for all-around sports excellence set to be revealed
Over the course of the last two-plus decades, 24 WPIAL schools have won at least one Sports Cup, which recognizes the best sports programs in each WPIAL class over the entire school year. The first Sports Cup was handed out after the 2003-2004 school year to North Allegheny in 4A,...
Trib HSSN 2024-25 parade of champions: Individual titles
There is no I in team, but there is an I in the word impressive. These district athletes rose above all others to claim gold in their respective high school sports in the 2024-2025 school year. This salute to champion’s parade includes these folks who marched alone to what turned...
Trib HSSN 2024-25 parade of champions: Team titles
What better way to honor the top teams from the 2024-2025 school year than to march the WPIAL champions in a victory parade stretching from Lawrence County down to Washington County. Everybody enjoys a nice parade in the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer as we wrap up another District...
Head of the Class: The top WPIAL softball players in each classification for 2025
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 the end of some incredible high school softball careers, a return to the front of the class for several prized students and another record breaking...
Head of the Class: The top WPIAL baseball players in each classification for 2025
This spring, pitching seemed to be a notch above offenses around WPIAL baseball. Come postseason time, there were a lot of shutouts, plenty of low scoring games and extra inning marathons dominated by pitching. In fact, in the championship round, there was not one, but two no-hitters thrown, one of...
Head of the Class: The top WPIAL softball coaches in each classification in 2025
This was a golden spring for our Trib HSSN coaches of the year. Three of them enjoyed district championship runs; one led his team to a state title while a pair of coaches from Lawrence County had their brooms in hand as they swept both WPIAL and PIAA softball gold....
Head of the Class: The top WPIAL baseball coaches in each classification for 2025
Five WPIAL teams made it through the first three rounds of the PIAA playoffs to finish the Path to Penn State and play in the state championship games in their respective classifications. Only two of the five district teams returned home with gold, but that was two more than the...
Trib HSSN softball player of the week for June 16, 2025Video
Trib HSSN softball player of the week – Kylie Anthony School – Penn-Trafford Class – Senior Position – Shortstop #Earned – While Anthony went hitless in the PIAA Class 5A championship game, she was rock solid on defense in helping Penn-Trafford win a second PIAA championship in the last six...
Trib HSSN baseball player of the week for June 16, 2025
Trib HSSN baseball player of the week – Tim Birch School – Indiana Class – Senior Position – Outfielder #Earned – Indiana leaned heavily on its pitching depth on the road to sweeping both district and state gold this season. Senior Greg Minnick was the Trib HSSN Player of the...
Penn-Trafford, Neshannock, Union complete season atop Trib HSSN state softball rankings
It turned out to be a banner state softball postseason for WPIAL teams. Six PIAA champions were crowned, and half of them returned to District 7 with gold. Penn-Trafford in 5A, Neshannock in 2A and Union in Class A are celebrating state championships. The others were spread out among three...
Indiana, Riverside finish season atop Trib HSSN state baseball rankings
The baseball diamond crown will be shared in 2025 as two districts were able to boast of double state champions. The WPIAL sent five teams to Penn State, but only two came home with gold — Indiana in 4A and Riverside again in 3A. District 1 in suburban Philadelphia also...
Trib HSSN baseball team of the week for June 14, 2025Video
Trib HSSN baseball team of the week – Riverside Panthers Coach – Dan Oliastro (58th season) Records – Riverside won the Section 1-3A title with a record of 9-1, one game in front of runner-up Ellwood City and three games better than the team they defeated in the WPIAL championship...
Trib 10: State champs occupy top spots in final baseball, softball power rankings
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 for June 14, 2025
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...
PIAA Class 4A baseball championship preview: Indiana vs. Montoursville
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....
PIAA Class 2A baseball championship preview: Freedom vs. Faith Christian
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...
