A-K Valley Class 2A wrestling preview: ‘Nothing has really changed’ for defending champ Burrell
After a two-year hiatus, Burrell wrestling returned to the top of the WPIAL Class 2A mountain by winning its 18th district championship last season. In the offseason, there was a shuffling of the coaching staff with longtime assistant Steve Ansani becoming head coach and Josh Shields stepping down to an...
A-K Valley Class 3A wrestling preview: Fox Chapel a dual threat
Fox Chapel wrestling coach Michael Frank watched his group strive to master the art of the dual last season. As a team, the Foxes worked together to win their first section title since 1971, and with 10 wrestlers who won at least 15 matches returning, expectations are high again. “For...
Defending WPIAL champion Shady Side Academy girls ready for ‘new journey’
After a historic season where the Shady Side Academy girls basketball team won the first WPIAL title in program history, there will be some change, but a solid core returns. The Bulldogs lost a pair of starters, Maggie Spell, who transferred to Thomas Jefferson, and Sydney Birchard, who graduated, but...
Fox Chapel wrestling expects to show dual meet prowess again
Wrestling often is viewed as an individual sport, and understandably so, because it’s one on one on the mat every match. But Fox Chapel coach Michael Frank has watched his group work to master the art of the dual. As a team, the Foxes worked together last season to win...
Knoch girls look to keep meeting program’s high standards
In the last seven years, the Knoch girls basketball program has built itself into a consistent contender. The Knights have been in the playoffs every season during that span, made a WPIAL Class 4A championship appearance in 2022 and have qualified for the state playoffs three consecutive seasons. With three...
Knoch boys bring back 5 starters, look to keep building process rolling
At times last season, a young Knoch boys basketball team showed how dangerous it could be. The Knights also went through some of the growing pains that come with being sophomore-heavy. In the end, they missed out on making the PIAA playoffs by one game, losing to Montour in the...
Thomas Jefferson tops McKeesport for WPIAL Class 4A championship, giving Bill Cherpak 10th title
Bill Cherpak has never been one to tout his own stats or accolades and that remained the case after becoming the first WPIAL coach to reach double-digit championships in football on Saturday. His Thomas Jefferson players did the talking for him. “He’s the G.O.A.T. Period,” Jaguars running back Tyler Eber...
Pine-Richland notebook: Rams start fast, win big in WPIAL quarterfinals
Led by stellar performances from juniors Mac Miller and Lawrence “Jay” Timmons, the Pine-Richland football team secured a 42-0 win over Franklin Regional in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals Nov. 8. The Rams looked to earn a third consecutive trip to the 5A championship game when they faced Bethel Park...
Nick McCullough’s 97-yard kick return touchdown sends Peters Township back to WPIAL finals
Nick McCullough knew he needed to make amends. He had a ball hit off him that led to an interception late in the second quarter and subsequently a field goal for Upper St. Clair. Well, he made up for it in a huge way a few seconds after that kick...
Fox Chapel girls focus on camaraderie in bid to clear playoff hurdle
Several ill-timed injuries over the last two seasons have hindered the Fox Chapel girls basketball team in their pursuit of making the playoffs. The Foxes have been narrowly on the outside looking in, missing by one game in 2022-23 and two games in 2023-24, but the hope is they possess...
Fox Chapel boys looking for right combination to compete in Class 6A
Last year, Fox Chapel put several different combinations on the court. That has led to six players returning with starting experience this year. Mixing and matching worked for the Foxes as they made the state playoffs and pulled a first-round upset over District 10 champion Cathedral Prep. With a few...
Veteran coach aims to get most out of Deer Lakes girls
Dana Petruska feels back at home for a couple of reasons. Being in a high school gym working with high school basketball players is a natural environment for Petruska, who’s amassed more than 500 wins in her 35-year career, and she’s doing so in a familiar spot. After taking some...
2-time defending WPIAL champion Deer Lakes hopes to keep train rolling
Winning consecutive WPIAL championships not only adds to the trophy case at the high school, but it also creates the potential for a self-sustaining foundation. Deer Lakes boys basketball coach Albie Fletcher has seen that come to fruition after the Lancers won WPIAL titles each of the last two years,...
Mars girls volleyball wins WPIAL rematch with Beaver to reach state finals for 1st time
Before the season started, Mars libero Alaina Graham said coach Tamara Caraway told the team they were going to play for the state championship. It may have seemed like a lofty goal at the time, because no Fightin’ Planets team had been there before, but on Tuesday, the preseason prediction...
Neal brothers carry No. 5 Avonworth to quarterfinal win over No. 4 Beaver
Antelopes became Wildcats and then became dominant. Using a Wildcat formation with brothers Nico and Luca Neal, No. 5 Avonworth scored on its first five possessions on its way to a 42-21 victory over No. 4 Beaver in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals Friday at Gypsy Glen Stadium. Nico rushed...
Freeport brings momentum into clash with 2nd-seeded Central Valley
Given how many times Freeport and Central Valley have made the WPIAL playoffs in the past decade, it’s fairly surprising that the two teams have never met. That will change when the seventh-seeded Yellowjackets travel to play No. 2 Central Valley in the Class 3A quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday....
Fox Chapel makes early goals stand up in PIAA boys soccer 1st-round victory
With near record temperatures for early November on Tuesday, the Fox Chapel boys soccer team decided to add its own heat to the equation. The Foxes put Mechanicsburg under pressure from the opening kickoff, forced a bevy of turnovers and feasted off them. Sean Regan and Rocco Poli scored within...
Mars takes down No. 1 Beaver to win WPIAL Class 3A girls volleyball title
About a month ago, Mars traveled to Beaver for a nonsection match and lost in straight sets, but coach Tamara Caraway said her players left with valuable lessons about their opponent and maybe more importantly themselves. The Fightin’ Planets applied what they learned on Saturday and won the program’s first...
North Catholic holds on to beat Deer Lakes in 1st round
Listed at 5-foot-4, Will Waskiewicz is the smallest player on North Catholic’s roster, but he made the biggest play of the night. With less than 15 seconds remaining, Waskiewicz leaped high in the air to intercept a pass in the end zone and preserve a 21-14 upset victory for No....
With painful losses in rearview mirror, Plum, Fox Chapel ready to duke it out in WPIAL finals
Plum and Fox Chapel have a similar story entering the WPIAL boys soccer championship game. Both have seen their share of heartache in the postseason, but that came to an end Tuesday with wins in the semifinals. Now, the Alle-Kiski Valley schools separated by 10 miles will meet in the...
Mars earns spot in 2nd WPIAL volleyball final with 5-set win over Freeport
Before the beginning of the fifth set, the Mars girls volleyball players looked into a packed grandstands and started waving their arms up and down to pump up the crowd. Then they gave their fans plenty to cheer about. Lily Javor had five kills, and Cecilia Christy had two in...
Fox Chapel boys gets past Peters Township to finally clear semifinal hurdle
After four consecutive years of semifinal heartbreak, the Fox Chapel boys soccer team finally exorcised the demon. Aidan Stein scored the game-winning goal in the 69th minute as No. 3 Fox Chapel earned a 1-0 win over No. 2 Peters Township on Tuesday night at Gateway’s Antimarino Stadium. “It means...
Top-seeded Plum boys soccer team headed to 1st WPIAL final in 19 years
For years, Plum boys soccer coach Raf Kolankowski has talked about how the soccer gods haven’t shined on his group in the postseason. Well, on Tuesday, the Mustangs went to an “Alter,” and their prayers were answered. Christian Alter scored three minutes into the second half for what proved to...
Player of the year Danny Battista, South Park teammates beat Burrell to return to WPIAL finals
On Monday afternoon, Danny Battista was named the WPIAL Class 2A boys soccer player of the year, and a few hours later, he helped make sure South Park would defend its title. Battista scored twice, and the top-seeded Eagles ended No. 13 Burrell’s improbable run in the WPIAL playoffs with...
Riverhounds clinch playoff spot with win over El Paso in regular season finale
With nine games remaining in the regular season, Pittsburgh Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley forecasted that 48 points was needed to get into the playoffs. Talk about foreshadowing. The Hounds achieved exactly that number and got the final three needed to clinch a playoff berth in a 2-0 victory over El...
