Doug Gulasy stories, Page 10

North Catholic knew it needed to adjust to the physicality of Deer Lakes after getting hit hard early by the Lancers’ offensive rebounding. The Trojans’ plan of attack was to attack. Isaac DeGregorio scored a game-high 37 points, and Jackson Paschall added 27 as No. 3 North Catholic shook off...

Girls Class 6A Quarterfinals No. 1 Peters Township (22-0) vs. No. 8 Fox Chapel (15-7) 6:30 p.m. Friday at Mt. Lebanon Winner plays: No. 4 Bethel Park (20-2) or No. 5 Seneca Valley (15-7) on Tuesday in the semifinals. Coaches: Bert Kendall, Peters Township; Jennifer O’Shea, Fox Chapel Points scored/allowed:...

The WPIAL’s top Class AA wrestlers took the stage last weekend. Now the Class AAA competitors will join them. The individual portion of the Class AAA season begins Saturday with sectional tournaments at Kiski Area (Section 1), Connellsville (2), Fox Chapel (3) and Chartiers Valley (4). Action begins at 9:30...

Highlands saw its playoff life flashing before its eyes against an unafraid underdog Belle Vernon. The Golden Rams prepared all season for such a moment, though, and ultimately it paid off. A career night from Johnny Crise, a few key defensive plays and some clutch free-throw shooting proved just enough...

Nick Salerno earned his nickname in his earliest days as a wrestler, when he drove a hard bargain with his mother before going to a camp. “I wouldn’t go until I got a milkshake,” Salerno said. So it was that Salerno walked into a full camp — late — holding...

Boys Class 3A Quarterfinals No. 3 North Catholic (19-4) vs. No. 6 Deer Lakes (16-6) 8 p.m. Thursday at North Allegheny Winner plays: No. 2 Aliquippa (15-7) or No. 7 Neshannock (18-5) on Monday in semifinals Coaches: Dave DeGregorio, North Catholic; Terence Parham, Deer Lakes Points scored/allowed: North Catholic, 76.0/55.3;...

Nick Smith spent two years as Kiski Area’s starting goalkeeper, allowed to pick up the ball when teammates couldn’t, and he took his recruitment into his own hands as well. Smith signed Tuesday with Duquesne’s men’s soccer team, calling it “an honor” to join a Division I program. “It just...

Boys Class 4A First round No. 5 Highlands (15-7) vs. No. 12 Belle Vernon (8-14) 8 p.m. Wednesday at North Hills Winner plays: No. 4 Uniontown (18-3) or No. 13 Beaver (6-15) on Saturday in the quarterfinals. Coaches: Tyler Stoczynski, Highlands; Joe Salvino, Belle Vernon Points scored/allowed: Highlands, 66.0/56.9; Belle...

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Derry The Trojans were a horse at the WPIAL Class AA individual tournament, as a pair of their wrestlers won titles and three others placed in the top three of their weight class. Tyler Cymmerman won his second consecutive WPIAL championship, beating McGuffey’s Jett Pattison by...

WRESTLER OF THE WEEK Thayne Lawrence, Frazier, jr. The Commodores junior commandeered a third WPIAL individual title in as many seasons, capturing the 160-pound weight class at the Class AA tournament Saturday at Canon-McMillan. Lawrence rolled through his bracket, picking up a technical fall in the quarterfinals, a pin in...

All conscious thought left Bailey Kuhns’ mind as she saw Apollo-Ridge’s Rylee Eaton break into the clear for a potential go-ahead layup in the final minute of Southmoreland’s first playoff game in more than a decade. “I was pretty far behind her, and I was like, ‘Gotta get there, gotta...

Boys Class 6A No. 6 Fox Chapel (15-7) vs. No. 11 Seneca Valley (11-10) 8 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Winner plays: No. 3 Mt. Lebanon (19-3) on Saturday in quarterfinals. Coaches: Zach Skrinjar, Fox Chapel; Kevin Trost, Seneca Valley Points scored/allowed: Fox Chapel, 59.3/52.6; Seneca Valley, 61.2/61.0 Players to...

Mallory Marzolf won on every day of the three-day Presidents’ Athletic Conference swimming and diving championships. Marzolf, a Deer Lakes graduate and sophomore at Chatham, defended her conference titles in the 200-yard individual medley (2 minutes, 8.60 seconds), 100 backstroke (57.64 seconds) and 200 backstroke (2:06.07). The strong Marzolf performances...

Gerrit Nijenhuis is ramping up for the upcoming individual wrestling postseason, but first he made his college decision. The Canon-McMillan junior 182-pounder verbally committed Sunday to Purdue, announcing his decision via Twitter. I am excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at Purdue university!...

Maybe there’s something in the water when it comes to basketball coaches, babies and big games. Deer Lakes coach Terence Parham and wife Leslie will welcome their fourth child on Thursday, the same day the No. 6 Lancers will play No. 3 North Catholic in the WPIAL Class 3A boys...

Ian Oswalt didn’t think he wrestled his best in his final match at the WPIAL Class AA championships, but even a ‘B’ performance earned him an ‘A’ result. The Burrell sophomore won an individual championship for a second consecutive season, beating Beth-Center’s Jimmy Gwyer, 1-0, in the 120-pound final Saturday...

WPIAL playoff previews Boys Class 3A No. 6 Deer Lakes (15-6) vs. No. 11 Charleroi (11-10) 3 p.m. Saturday at Keystone Oaks Winner plays: No. 3 North Catholic (18-4) or No. 14 Valley (8-10) on Thursday in quarterfinals. Coaches: Terence Parham, Deer Lakes; Bill Wiltz, Charleroi Points scored/allowed: Deer Lakes,...

Deer Lakes is no longer preoccupied with 1985. The Lancers’ 57-47 victory over Charleroi in the WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball first round gave them their first postseason win since that year, ending a drought of more than three decades and 10 postseason appearances. “It felt great to finally do...

Austin Mele sported a split lip and a sore elbow late Friday night at Canon-McMillan. He also had a smile. With the individual wrestling postseason underway, injuries are common. And while Mele suffered a couple, he still was standing at the end of the first day. Mele advanced to the...

Noah Hutcherson has a pretty simple goal for the individual wrestling postseason. “I just want to get off the mat as soon as I can,” the Valley senior said. One night in, Hutcherson is accomplishing his mission. The Vikings’ 170-pounder claimed his first section title when he pinned Elizabeth Forward’s...

MONDAY Girls basketball: Freeport makes its third consecutive appearance in the WPIAL playoffs as the No. 4 Yellowjackets (18-4) take on No. 13 Quaker Valley in the Class 4A first round at 6:30 p.m. at North Allegheny. TUESDAY Boys basketball: A first-round bye didn’t help Fox Chapel in the WPIAL...

Bryan Gaul spent much of the wrestling season on the sidelines because of a pair of injuries, one suffered at a preseason tournament and another at midseason. But the Burrell senior can become a four-time individual Section 3-AA champion if he takes home the title at Friday’s tournament at Canon-McMillan,...

Jordan Geist continues to prove himself one of the top throwers in the world. The Arizona sophomore, a Knoch graduate, threw a season-best 69 feet, 4.75 inches in the shot put at Saturday’s Texas Tech Shootout. That mark ranks second this season in the NCAA and fourth in the International...