Don Rebel stories, Page 97
Albert Gallatin football loving the independent life
These are the glory days of high school football at Albert Gallatin. The story is familiar by now. In 2018, the Colonials finished 0-10 and were outscored 479-46, an average score of 48-4 with most of the games ending with a running clock. The program hadn’t had a winning season...
Trib HSSN don’t-miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week Zero
Welcome to the 2022 WPIAL football season. Zero usually means nothing, but in this case, Week Zero equates into a lot of excitement and optimism as a new campaign kicks off. All but nine of the 117 WPIAL football teams will be in game action this weekend while eight others...
Carlynton working to end playoff drought
Twenty-one years. After finishing tied for third place in the 2001 Class AA Interstate Conference, Carlynton traveled to Reeves Field at Geneva College to battle heavy favorite Beaver Falls in the first round of the district playoffs. The Tigers, who eventually lost in the finals to Washington, had more than...
Burgettstown brings momentum into new Black Hills Conference
Burgettstown returned to the playoffs in 2021 for the sixth time in seven years thanks to a strong finish with three straight regular season must-wins. The Blue Devils finished 5-5 overall after falling to eventual champion Bishop Canevin in the Class A first round, but second-year coach Greg Marshall won’t...
Championship roster almost entirely intact as Bishop Canevin aims to defend WPIAL title
Two years removed from a one-win season, Bishop Canevin quickly built a solid foundation for the football program that led to the school’s first WPIAL championship since 1990 last fall. “It was a great year for the Bishop Canevin school, alumni, community and our program,” second-year coach Richard Johnson said....
Mohawk football season on hold amidst hazing allegation
As 117 WPIAL football teams prepare to begin their new season this weekend with a Week Zero game or a second scrimmage, one district team’s season is on hold after allegations surfaced of a possible hazing incident within the team. Lawrence County and Mohawk School District officials are investigating possible...
This week on Trib HSSN for week of Aug. 22, 2022
Let the games begin! We kick off another high school sports season with the start of scholastic football in the heat of August this weekend on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN has video and audio coverage of Week Zero with 29 WPIAL, District 6, D-9 and D-10...
After smooth coaching transition, resilient Keystone Oaks ready for another run
After eight successful seasons in which he went 45-34, Greg Perry left as Keystone Oaks football coach in the offseason, in part because of a cut in pay for his assistant coaches. However, one of Perry’s assistant coaches, Steve McCormick, has taken over the program and is set for a...
Chartiers Valley soccer teams determined to get back on playoff path
Five years ago, the Chartiers Valley soccer teams were in contender mode. The boys team finished 16-5 and reached the WPIAL semifinals. The girls squad was 12-6-1, tied for second in its section. But last time the girls team qualified for the WPIAL playoffs was 2017, and the boys have...
WPIAL Class 6A football breakdown: In tiny field of 5, contenders line up to take shot at Mt. Lebanon
At its zenith, the highest classification in the WPIAL, then called Quad-A, had 28 teams in the early 2000s. That number stayed steady over the next decade-plus and was at 25 teams for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Expansion to six classifications has steadily shrunk 6A, which started with 14...
South Park looks to regain winning ways after tough season
South Park enters the new season in rebound mode. After splitting their first four games in 2021, the Eagles lost their final five contests by a combined score of 171-27, keeping them out of the WPIAL postseason for the first time since 2018. “I commend our kids for doing the...
Avonworth hopes to climb to top of Western Hills and beyond
When it comes to consistently excellent football programs in the district, Avonworth is right there in the conversation. The 2019 WPIAL Class 2A champions and PIAA runners-up have reached the playoffs every season since 2007 with the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign when the Antelopes finished tied for second...
After close call last year, McKeesport hopes to make a run at Class 4A gold
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher used to say, “there is a fine line between winning and losing in the NFL.” The same could be said for high school football. One district team that found out the hard way how true that statement was in 2021 was McKeesport. The...
Experience puts Montour in the mix as a challenger in deep Class 4A field
For the last 17 years under Lou Cerro, the Montour football program has always competed. Even in years the Spartans finished under .500 or didn’t make the playoffs, they had a competitive team that usually is alive for the playoffs until the final week of the regular season. Staring at...
After injuries derailed last season, West Allegheny brings back experienced roster
Every football team has to deal with injuries. Some are able to stop the bleeding and continue toward a successful campaign, while others watch as the snowball becomes an avalanche and derails all the hopes for a season. Such was the case for West Allegheny in 2021. The Indians won...
Chartiers Valley hopes to be a Payne for Parkway Conference foes
When he was hired in April to replace Dan Knause as head coach of the Chartiers Valley football program, one of the first thoughts Aaron Fitzpatrick had was, ‘It’s go time.’ ‘Go time’ is just around the corner now as the first-year head coach prepares his Colts for a challenging...
Upper St. Clair loaded with returning starters, ready for another playoff run
After finishing in second place in the balanced Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference a year ago, Upper St. Clair qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for a 22nd straight year. That postseason run trails only Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson at 27 years on a row and McKeesport at 24 straight playoff...
Experienced Seneca Valley squad ready to make a run for gold in Class 6A
Editor’s note: Starting today, Trib HSSN will preview one WPIAL conference per day until the start of high school football season Aug. 26. Back in the mid-2000s, Seneca Valley was a struggling Class AAAA program just trying to stay out of the basement in the old Quad North Conference. The...
Perfection in the past, Mt. Lebanon starts new season with lots of fresh faces
Editor’s note: Starting today, Trib HSSN will preview one WPIAL conference per day until the start of high school football season Aug. 26. When Bob Palko made the big move to Mt. Lebanon after decades of success and championships at West Allegheny, he knew there was something special about the...
Central Catholic looking to regain championship swagger
Editor’s note: Starting today, Trib HSSN will preview one WPIAL conference per day until the start of high school football season Aug. 26. “Inexperience” is a word high school football coaches use a lot in August. Whether it is at a starting position or depth, the fear of the unknown...
Canon-McMillan looks to join elite in shrinking Class 6A
Editor’s note: Starting today, Trib HSSN will preview one WPIAL conference per day until the start of high school football season Aug. 26. Canon-McMillan football coach Michael Evans is not a math wizard. However, he seems to have a grasp on the numbers breakdown in Class 6A this season. “Lebo,...
North Allegheny expects to be in the title mix in Class 6A
Editor’s note: Starting today, Trib HSSN will preview one WPIAL conference per day until the start of high school football season Aug. 26. The bar is always set high at North Allegheny. While most football coaches would be content with a younger team finishing 7-5 overall and reaching the district...
Countdown to kickoff 2022: Scrimmage schedule set
Monday marks the start of the mandatory heat acclimation week for high school football teams across the state. Training camp officially begins for all 127 WPIAL, City League and independent teams the week of Aug. 15. That week concludes with a scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 20. The second week of...
Countdown to kickoff 2022: Saturday football hasn’t completely disappeared from WPIAL schedules
Are you old enough to remember when high school football carried a nice one-two punch every weekend? We had Friday night lights and sunny Saturdays filled with scholastic gridiron excitement. In the 1970s and ’80s, the number of schools that played on Saturday afternoon because they did not have lights...
Countdown to kickoff 2022: Rule change impacts intentional grounding calls
Many fans may think they are experts on the rules of high school football, making sure everybody in their section knows when they have witnessed a “bad call.” While we don’t condone that behavior, we do think it’s important to study up on the rules of the scholastic game before...
