Don Rebel stories, Page 81

Every two years based on enrollment numbers, the PIAA sets the parameters for each classification in every high school sport. The WPIAL then sets up sections in each sport based on which schools are in each class. In this two-year cycle that started this school year, realignment to the WPIAL...

The Chartiers Valley boys and girls cross country teams are not shy about their goals this fall. “Our goal for the boys and girls team is to challenge for a state qualifying spot,” Chartiers Valley cross country coach Lori Poe said. “If we keep working hard and improving throughout the...

Following two straight weeks of ultra-competitive games, the opening weekend of conference play landed some big-time eyebrow raisers as the Trib HSSN top-ranked teams in Class 6A, 5A and 3A all lost. What surprises are in store for Week 4 as we officially kick off the first weekend of autumn?...

Week 4 of the high school football season begins with a possible preview of the District 8 championship game later this fall. Undefeated powerhouse Westinghouse will battle defending champion Allderdice at Cupples Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Bulldogs appear to be the class of the City League this season....

Week 3 of the WPIAL football season may be remembered as Freaky Friday. As teams across the district opened up conference play last weekend, the top proved to be a slippery slope as half of the Trib HSSN top-ranked teams were knocked off. Central Catholic (6A) and Belle Vernon (3A)...

The first day of autumn brings another warm day throughout the district, as well as a red-hot matchup on the pitch in WPIAL Class 6A girls soccer. Before the mercury drops in the days ahead, the first big clash between Section 1-6A powers North Allegheny and Seneca Valley will take...

As tidal waves of surprises crashed down on the heads of WPIAL top-ranked teams in Week 2, the rest of the elite teams in the state were closing out victories, making for little movement in the weekly Trib HSSN state football rankings this week. Central Catholic in 6A, Gateway in...

Defending champion Ashley Close of Sewickley Academy has earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WPIAL Class 2A girls singles tennis championships. The two-day event will begin with the first round, quarterfinals and semifinals matches Wednesday and conclude Thursday with the district championship and consolation matches. Close won’t have...

A drop down in classification has helped a pair of district boys soccer teams that are shooting for first place in their respective sections on a busy night of WPIAL boys soccer. Last year, West Mifflin finished in fifth place in Section 4-3A with an overall record of 8-9-1. On...

Through Week 2 of the high school football season, McKeesport senior Bobby Boyd was dominating on both sides of the ball. At running back, he had rushed for nearly 450 yards and seven touchdowns. As a defensive back, he already had five interceptions. So when Boyd went down with an...

Another big week of district soccer begins Monday with a showdown for first place in girls WPIAL Class 3A. Elizabeth Forward (5-0) has a half-game lead over Thomas Jefferson (4-0) in the Section 2 standings. The Warriors host the Jaguars in the first of two regular season meetings at 7:30...

Let the transition begin as we say so long to summer and hello to autumn with plenty of fall high school sports broadcasts this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN has video and audio football coverage of Week 4, with 32 WPIAL, District 6, D-9 and...

In an effort to instill confidence, trust and more leadership, second-year Hempfield coach Mike Brown decided against naming four team captains and instead asked 11 seniors to guide what they call the “leadership group.” More cooks in the kitchen usually doesn’t end well, but more leaders has proven to be...

If the district playoffs are Christmas for high school football fans, then Week 3 is like Thanksgiving Day. Sure, you eat plenty of meals over the course of a year, but there is something special about that one meal in late November. Hours and hours of prep time in the...

For the first time this high school football season, a weekend of district gridiron action kicks off on Thursday. It will be a busy two days of District 8 football at the home of the City League, George Cupples Stadium on the South Side of Pittsburgh. It kicks off Thursday...

Week 3 and the start of conference play. It’s like opening up that first Christmas catalog as a kid and going to town on the wish list. Conference games have a little extra special feel. Players know it. Coaches know it, though they won’t admit it. These are the games...

Last fall, the Moon girls soccer team got very defensive in the district postseason. The Tigers defeated Butler, Peters Township and finally Seneca Valley in the finals to win the 2021 WPIAL 4A girls soccer championship. They did so without allowing a goal. That mindset continued into the PIAA playoffs...

A pair of top-ranked teams in the weekly Trib HSSN state football rankings tasted defeat in Week 1, yet both held on to their top spot in a week that featured little movement. Imhotep Charter from District 12 lost by a touchdown to Archbishop Spalding out of Maryland, yet the...

Many people around the area will take advantage of a nice, late summer day Tuesday with some sort of run, jog or brisk walk at a nearby park. Also Tuesday, many young athletes who enjoy a longer run on a more challenging course will be in action as section play...

When Ellwood City sophomore running back Elijah Palmer-McCaine scored the second of his three touchdowns in Week 2 in the first quarter that put the Wolverines up for good, little did he know that he was making history. Palmer-McCaine rushed for 102 yards on 18 carries and scored on touchdown...

We inch our way toward the middle of September with a busy night of WPIAL girls soccer section action. One of the marque matchups Monday features a pair of undefeated teams fighting for first place in Section 2-3A as Thomas Jefferson hosts Laurel Highlands. The Mustangs are a perfect 3-0...

When it comes to finishing off drives in the end zone, Shaler senior running back Luke Cignetti enjoys them in all shapes and sizes, knowing it all leads to six points on the scoreboard. “I’m more of a speed back myself, but those bellies and pulls and watching those guards...

We hit the middle of the first month of the fall sports season with a great long-term forecast, both weather-wise and with broadcast coverage this week here on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN has video and audio football coverage of Week 3 with 33 WPIAL, District 6,...

Welcome to Week 2 of the 2022 WPIAL football season. The district is slowly creeping toward the start of conference play. Last week, there was one Class 6A conference contest; this week, there is another 6A game to go along with two Class 5A conference openers. If this weekend is...

Call it the Clash of the Golf Champions II. With the forecast cooperating, 2021 WPIAL boys team golf champions will meet for the second time this fall on Thursday as North Catholic faces Fox Chapel at the Pittsburgh Field Club at 4 p.m. A year ago, Fox Chapel won the...