Matt Grubba stories

With a chance to play at Heinz Field, Xavier Nelson took the opportunity to look like the All-Pros and Heisman candidates who usually call the stadium home. Nelson scored three long second-quarter touchdowns, which sparked Bishop Canevin to its first WPIAL football title in 31 years with a 42-7 victory...

Central Catholic’s playoff rematch with Seneca Valley left both teams with a feeling of deja vu. The Vikings capitalized on turnovers and powered out to a 21-point first-quarter lead on the way to defeating the Raiders, 42-21, and advancing to their eighth WPIAL final in nine seasons with a win...

After splitting two regular season meetings and playing evenly through 80 minutes of regulation, it was going to take something special to separate Avonworth and North Catholic. Freshman midfielder Fiona Mahan produced the winning moment for Avonworth in the 101st minute, scoring with a driven shot that got just under...

At halftime, the WPIAL Class A boys soccer final looked to be on the same script as the past two seasons. The last 40 minutes, however, turned out quite different. Winchester Thurston scored three second-half goals to overturn a halftime deficit and knock off two-time defending champion Greensburg Central Catholic,...

Therese Doering was in the right place to win it for Steel Valley, but earlier this season, it seemed like she might not be on the field at all. Doering, a freshman midfielder, redirected a free kick into the goal nine minutes into the overtime period to give Steel Valley...

Pine-Richland’s football program has been no stranger to headlines of all sorts this year, but Friday night, it earned one it would be happy to read. The Rams clinched a share of the Northeast Conference championship by turning it on in the second half, turning a tie score at halftime...

Deer Lakes showed no signs of backing down from North Catholic, but the Class 3A No. 2 Trojans’ quality eventually shone through. Jack Fennell and Kyle Tipinski had a rushing and a receiving touchdown each for North Catholic, which scored twice in the final three minutes of the first half...

At halftime, the Freeport band played the Dolly Parton classic “Jolene” in their set. The lyrics to that song were appropriate for the night, as all East Allegheny could do was beg the Yellowjackets not to take away their ball. Freeport forced five turnovers, including a 26-yard interception return by...

After being shut out in the first half, it seemed Baldwin’s winless start to the season might continue. But with one kick of the ball, the Highlanders ignited a second half to remember. Baldwin recovered an onside kick to begin the third quarter and then scored touchdowns on special teams,...

On a night when defenses ruled, Fox Chapel got just enough big plays from its offense. Colin Kwiatkowski caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Collin Dietz on a fourth-down play with 4 minutes, 47 seconds left, and that gave the Foxes a 13-9 nonconference win Friday night at Franklin Regional....

Leechburg picked the right way to break in the new artificial turf at Veterans Memorial Stadium — with an emphasis on “pick.” An 82-yard interception return touchdown by Thomas Burke and a 100-yard pick-six by Braylan Lovelace bookended another high-scoring night for the Blue Devils in a 50-20 nonconference win...

Westinghouse is once again the City League football champion, but not without being put to a test unlike any other this season. The Bulldogs gave up the first two touchdowns of the game after allowing just two in their first six contests, but they charged back with 30 unanswered points...

Peters Township’s offense put enough points on the board to top Woodland Hills. As a matter of fact, so did the Indians’ defense. The third-seeded Indians got a pair of defensive touchdowns from junior linebacker Luke Petrarca and recorded two safeties on the way to a 39-6 win over visiting...

Recovering from a nightmarish first quarter, South Park ended with a dream finish. The Eagles gave up the first 13 points of the game against Mt. Pleasant before roaring back with four takeaways to claim a playoff berth and second place in the Class 3A Interstate Conference with a 30-19...

South Fayette’s senior stars were turned loose — and not just in their no-huddle offense. Charley Rossi scored three touchdowns — two receiving and one on a 70-yard interception return — and linebacker Tristan Bedillion had two sacks and an interception return touchdown of his own as the Class 5A...

Contrasting styles clashed between Fox Chapel and Kiski Area, and the result was each team’s standout turn in a huge performance. Lorenzo Jenkins pulled in a 66-yard, go-ahead touchdown reception — his third of the game — with 7 minutes, 3 seconds remaining for the Foxes, who held on for...

As one of the powerhouse programs of the WPIAL over the past decade, South Fayette found itself in a rare position — on a losing streak. The Lions quickly put an end to that skid, and in the process, snapped another team’s winning run. Naman Alemada threw for 237 yards...

Even if things hadn’t always gone to plan Friday, Chartiers Valley coach Dan Knause had faith in his players. In the end, his trust paid off. Senior kicker Jacob Salsberry connected on a 22-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining, and Chartiers Valley completed a second-half comeback to top visiting...

The start of Gateway’s WPIAL title defense was a dominant display of offense. Senior receiver Chamor Price hit the end zone four times in the first half, and the Gators scored touchdowns on their first six drives on the way to a 41-7 win over Franklin Regional in the season...

North Catholic is coming into the playoffs running, that much is for sure. Making sure they keep running deeper into March is the Trojans’ challenge this postseason. The Trojans have zipped up and down the court to the tune of a WPIAL-leading 78.6 points per game and an 18-2 record,...

Andrew Mastovich did plenty of winning during his Penn State Behrend soccer career, and the awards keep coming his way for his contributions to that success. Mastovich, a 2016 Franklin Regional grad, was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the Eastern College...

Most coaches will tell you experience and depth are two key elements that most successful teams possess. The Mt. Lebanon girls basketball team, however, is proving you can put together a pretty good squad without much of those traits. The Blue Devils start three sophomores and have only one senior...

Woodland Hills has been a team on the rise the last two seasons, but after their past seven days, the Wolverines look like contenders to reach a WPIAL final. The Wolverines, ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, took command of the Section 3 race with consecutive last-minute wins last week,...

Monessen has a long, proud girls basketball history filled with WPIAL and state titles, but the past decade was a lean one for the Greyhounds. Those tough times finally seem to be coming to an end. The Greyhounds, at 10-4 (4-2 in Section 2-A), already have as many wins this...

Greensburg Salem’s Abby Mankins has developed into a star for the Golden Lions. Still, the 5-foot-10 sophomore guard and the rest of her team know there’s plenty of room for everyone to keep growing. Mankins has established herself as one of the top sophomores in the WPIAL, averaging 24.0 points...