Greg Macafee stories, Page 31
Freshman Jimmy Kunst playing big role for WPIAL champion Highlands
The Highlands boys basketball team relied on its trio of seniors this season. Johnny Crise, Luke Cochran and Korry Myers are averaging at least 14 points apiece, with Cochran leading the way at 17.2 points. They also have acted as coaches on the court, guiding their younger teammates. It showed...
Guy Deleonardis, Knoch’s 1st wrestler to make states, prepares for big stage
In its 14 years of existence, the Knoch wrestling program never sent a wrestler to the PIAA tournament. Until now. When senior Guy Deleonardis (23-3) placed fourth in the 160-pound bracket at the WPIAL Class AAA championship this past weekend, he became the first Knights wrestler to qualify for the...
Burrell’s Ian Oswalt more motivated than ever heading into PIAA tournament
Ian Oswalt already has placed himself among some of the best wrestlers who have been part of the prestigious Burrell program. He is a three-time WPIAL Class AA champion, he has more than 130 wins and two weekends ago he fell just short of winning his second Southwest Regional title....
A-K Valley wrestling notebook: 10 grapplers have high Hershey hopes
The road to an individual state championship begins Thursday in Hershey, and 10 Alle-Kiski Valley wrestlers will face three days of competition to bring home a state title. In Class AA, Burrell is sending four wrestlers. Juniors Ian Oswalt and AJ Corrado finished fifth at Hershey last season. Ricky Feroce,...
Trib HSSN Wrestler of the Week: Norwin’s Kurtis Phipps
Controversy arose last week on Twitter when the WPIAL Class AAA brackets were released for the 126-pound weight class. Norwin’s Kurtis Phipps, a three-time WPIAL champion and a two-time PIAA runner-up was given the No. 3 seed. He came in behind Franklin Regional’s Finn Solomon at No. 2 and Waynesburg’s...
Highlands handles Belle Vernon, wins 1st WPIAL boys basketball title since 1995
During the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs, top-seeded Highlands has shown the capability to win in a multitude of ways. Whether it be the post presence of Johnny Crise or the perimeter shooting of Korry Myers and Luke Cochran, the Golden Rams take whatever their opponents give them. On Saturday, at...
WPIAL Class AAA wrestling notebook: Kiski Area’s Blumer ties pins record
Kiski Area’s Jack Blumer has racked up pins throughout his entire wrestling career. On Friday, he reached a milestone not many have. With a pin of Hempfield’s Trevor Verkleeren in 55 seconds, Blumer earned career pin No. 106 and tied the Cavaliers career pin record set by Shane Kuhn. “Junior...
Plum’s Vince Citrano falls in quarters, vows to improve on Day 2 at WPIALs
Since his two losses at the WPIAL Class AAA tournament last season as a freshman, Plum’s Vince Citrano has been looking for redemption. In his second appearance at WPIALs, Citrano got off to a good start Friday night at Canon-McMillan. The 113-pound sophomore earned a gritty win in his first...
Highlands, Belle Vernon boys set to face off for WPIAL Class 4A basketball title
At this point in the season, every team is playing its best basketball, and over the past two weeks, Highlands and Belle Vernon boys have played better than anyone in WPIAL Class 4A. At 1 p.m. Saturday, the teams will clash at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center for the WPIAL championship....
Plum’s Max Matolcsy announces Harvard offer
It seems like Max Matolcsy’s football recruitment is just getting started. On Friday, Matolcsy announced an offer from Harvard via Twitter after he visited campus. After a great day on campus, I’m blessed to have recieved an offer from Harvard University @CoachKKennedy @ScottLarkee pic.twitter.com/4G2UOLguAW— Max Matolcsy (@MaxMatolcsy) February 28, 2020...
As school prepares to close, Vincentian Academy wins WPIAL championship
Earlier this week, just a few days before the boys basketball team was set to play for a WPIAL Class A championship, Vincentian Academy announced that it would be closing its doors at the end of the school year for financial reasons. The Royals were stunned. Players texted coach Tim...
Highlands seniors ‘living up to hype’ in WPIAL playoffs
In Highlands’ quarterfinal win Saturday against Ringgold, senior guard Korry Myers got hot from deep, making seven 3-pointers and scoring 25 points. So, naturally, heading into its WPIAL Class 4A semifinal matchup Wednesday, fifth-seeded Blackhawk tried to take away Highlands’ perimeter shooting. “I don’t think people realize how good of...
Chartiers Valley 7th grader selected for international tour
Suzanne and Brian Krug remember when their son John was just a young boy. They would take him to his older brother’s soccer game and while Joseph was playing on the field, John would play in the sand or occupy his attention in other ways — anything that wasn’t soccer....
Johnny Crise scores 27 to lead Highlands past Blackhawk and into WPIAL title gameVideo
At this time of the year, the best teams learn how to overcome adversity. When an opponent delivers a blow, you rebound, take a deep breath and bounce back with the same amount of energy. Top-seeded Highlands did just that Wednesday night at North Allegheny in a WPIAL Class 4A...
With school about to close, Vincentian Academy to face Cornell in emotional Class A final
When Vincentian Academy and Cornell square off at the Petersen Events Center on Thursday night, it will be the 11th time the teams have met in the last four years. None of those contests has meant more than this one. No. 1 Vincentian Academy (20-4) is looking for its fourth...
A-K Valley wrestling notebook: Middleweights lead charge for Kiski Area
Two weeks ago, WPIAL Class AA wrestlers converged on Canon-McMillan for their individual sectional and WPIAL tournaments. Now, the Class AAA wrestlers get their chance this Friday and Saturday at the same site. The WPIAL released the brackets earlier this week after sectional tournaments last Saturday. Jack Blumer was the...
Kiski Area’s Jack Blumer looking to pin down a third straight WPIAL title
Kiski Area’s Jack Blumer has won back-to-back WPIAL titles and on Friday, he begins his quest for No. 3. “I feel like I need to back it up since I’ve won the last two years,” Blumer said. “I feel like I need to win this year, but the main goal...
Trib HSSN wrestler of the week: Frazier’s Thayne Lawrence
The 160-pound senior dominated at the PIAA Class AA Southwest Regional this past weekend at IUP’s Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. He captured his second regional title without giving up a point and recorded a perfect 4-0 record. He won three of his matches by fall and one by technical...
Sto-Rox boys erase 14-point deficit to defeat Shenango in Class 2A semifinals
Throughout the course of this year’s WPIAL playoffs, No. 2 Sto Rox has developed a flair for the dramatic. On Friday, the Vikings had to erase an 11-point halftime deficit to overcome Brentwood in their quarterfinal matchup. They found themselves in a familiar position Tuesday at Woodland Hills. They trailed...
Highlands, Blackhawk in peak form heading into WPIAL Class 4A semifinals
No. 1 Highlands and No. 5 Blackhawk have played through different types of seasons on their way to the WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball semifinals. The Golden Rams (20-3) have only suffered a few hiccups — an early season loss to Penn Hills in their fourth game of the season,...
Cornell knocks off Bishop Canevin and punches its ticket to The Pete
The Cornell Raiders have been working towards a goal for the past three years. Centered around a trio of seniors - Kaden DiVito, Isaiah Langston and Zaier Harrison - the Raiders wanted to make a trip to the Petersen Events Center and compete for a WPIAL championship. On Monday, after...
Team-first mentality leading Highlands boys during postseason run
For the third time in just as many years, the Highlands Golden Rams are heading to the semifinals of the WPIAL playoffs. This stage hasn’t been kind to the Golden Rams since their trip to the WPIAL championship in 2016-17. Two years ago, as the No. 2 seed in the...
As Edinboro football coach, Apollo-Ridge grad Jake Nulph putting a focus on A-K Valley
When Apollo-Ridge grad Jake Nulph was hired as the coach of the Edinboro football team in January, he knew there was one area of Western Pennsylvania he wanted to focus on when it came to recruiting “Whether it’s Apollo, Kiski, Leechburg, Burrell, Valley, I mean you name it, Freeport, Knoch,”...
New Castle boys hold on to beat No. 2 seeded Knoch
When the playoffs roll around, New Castle instantly becomes a tough team to beat and Knoch learned that the hard way Saturday afternoon at North Allegheny. At one point in the second half, the No. 7 Red Hurricanes (17-7) had built an 11-point lead on the second-seeded Knights (19-4). With...
Winchester Thurston shocks Springdale to earn second playoff win in school historyVideo
Sometimes, it’s not the third but the fourth time that’s the charm, and the Winchester Thurston Bears experienced just that Friday night at Shaler. After losing to Section 1-2A rival Springdale three times over the course of the regular season, the No. 12 Bears (12-10) finally got the better of...
