Matt Grubba stories, Page 2

Duquesne will be at home against Kennesaw State on Friday, but for many of the visiting Owls, the game is a chance to be home for the holidays. Kennesaw State, an Atlantic Sun Conference school located just north of Atlanta, boasts four former WPIAL standouts on its women’s basketball team,...

With playoff trips in each of the past three seasons, Valley boys basketball has built some consistency. Enough, the Vikings think, that a fourth trip can happen even with some roster turnover. Valley enters the new season with a good mix of experience and new blood in the starting lineup,...

It’s been a long, dark period for Valley girls basketball, but coach Ernie Sipolino believes there might be light at the end of the tunnel. The Vikings, a program 16 years removed from its last winning season, will face an uphill task ending that run this year, but there’s a...

Hempfield has a player it can lean on in senior Sarah Liberatore. But to win in a difficult Section 2-6A, the Spartans are going to come at teams with all five players on the floor. The Spartans enter this season with an even mix of experience and youth, and coach...

Higher expectations? Yes. Higher tempo and higher scoring? Hempfield boys basketball hopes those will lift them to loftier goals. The Spartans bring back an experienced group from a team that went 10-12 last season, and coach Bill Swan and his players believe they have a good idea of what needs...

A closer look at the Duquesne men’s basketball team. Players to watch Sincere Carry — The sophomore from Ohio was one of the top freshman point guards in the nation last season, playing with a maturity above his experience level on the way to leading the Atlantic 10 with 5.8...

Out the door went nearly 4,000 career points and four players who graduated and signed with pro teams. And while Duquesne women’s basketball might not be fully reloaded, coach Dan Burt said this is no rebuild. “The level of talent is not quite what we had in terms of scoring...

This is the second season for Pitt women’s basketball coach Lance White, but the cheerful Texan said, in many ways, it is like his first all over again. A major roster overhaul brings seven newcomers, including five freshmen, to Pitt, as White set out to recruit a more athletic team...

Greensburg Central Catholic’s boys soccer team has a WPIAL title, and it has a moment of individual excellence to thank for it. Senior midfielder Nathan Ward’s rumbling run into the box produced the only goal of the game, and the Centurions claimed a 1-0 victory over section rival Winchester Thurston...

Mt. Lebanon will finish among the top four in WPIAL Class 6A, but Blue Devils coach Bob Palko thinks his team can produce more. The Blue Devils leaned on their rushing attack and got out to a big early lead despite three first-half turnovers, and Mt. Lebanon clinched a first-round...

Like other playoff-bound squads, South Park’s boys soccer team is eagerly awaiting the release of the WPIAL playoff brackets later this week. In the meantime, the Eagles are happy for a moment to enjoy their regained section supremacy. The Eagles captured another Section 1 title after missing out a year...

West Greene brought the WPIAL’s leading rusher to Clairton, but the Bears ended up being the ones running wild. No. 2 Clairton put up big play after big play, scoring 35 points in the game’s first 18 minutes and cruising to a 49-7 win over No. 4 West Greene in...

Losing 10 players off a WPIAL championship team a year ago, it made sense at the start of the season to think there might be a slight step back by the Franklin Regional boys soccer team. So much for that idea. With the playoffs looming this week, the Panthers have...

They aren’t a ranked team, and they aren’t going to win their section, but something special is happening this year with Woodland Hills boys soccer. The Wolverines have forced opponents to take notice, knocking off teams that have blown past them in previous years and using a stout defense to...