Matthew Purucker stories, Page 2
East Post 981 poised for postseason push in District 31 Legion league
Known as Hempfield East at the time, East Post 981 reached Day 3 of the 2024 Pennsylvania Region 7 American Legion tournament before its second loss of the event — 3-0 to Bedford — ended its season. This summer, East is looking to do better. Coach Bill Carrera believes East...
Westmoreland Elite team to play in national girls volleyball tournament
It has been a season to remember for the Westmoreland Elite 14 Purple girls volleyball team. The squad began playing in October and honed its game throughout the year to make history. The 14 Purple team qualified for the 2025 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, becoming just the second team...
Former Washington Wild Things OF Chris Carter chosen for Frontier League Hall of Fame
Former Washington Wild Thing outfielder Chris Carter will enter the Frontier League Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2025. Carter played four seasons in the Frontier League from 2003-06, two with the Wild Things from 2005-2006. He batted .318 with over 180 RBIs and earned postseason...
Aliquippa QB Marques Council Jr. commits to Yale
Aliquippa quarterback Marques Council Jr. is headed to the Ivy League. The 6-foot-2, 191-pound rising senior announced his commitment to Yale via social media Monday night. Council completed 81 of 169 passes (47.93%) for 1,477 yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions last season. He also had 36 carries for 115...
Upper St. Clair grad makes 9 birdies, takes 1st-round lead at West Penn Open
Scott Jordan lost his ball after hitting it into the fescue on No. 18. Besides that miscue, he had an excellent day at the West Penn Open. Jordan led the field by making birdie on half of the holes at Sewickley Heights GC to take a two-stroke lead after the...
Central Catholic edge rusher Ashton Blatt commits to North Carolina
Central Catholic edge rusher Ashton Blatt committed to North Carolina on Saturday, giving a verbal to first-year coach Bill Belichick. Blatt (6-4, 230), a three-star recruit according to 247 Sports, is the 38th-ranked edge rusher in the country and 13st-best player in Pennsylvania. He chose the Tar Heels over offers...
Philip Barbaree Jr. passes ultimate stress test, making 5-foot putt to make US. Open cut
Philip Barbaree Jr. was on the eighth green Friday evening, but because dangerous weather suspended U.S. Open play, he could not finish the hole. When Barbaree returned to Oakmont’s No. 8 early Saturday morning, he completed a three-putt and bogied the hole. That left him 7-over-par, right on the cutline....
Pitt basketball to host Texas A&M in ACC/SEC Challenge
Pitt will host Texas A&M at the Petersen Events Center on Dec. 2, in an ACC/SEC Challenge matchup, ESPN announced Thursday. Pitt defeated Texas A&M, 79-62, in the Sugar Bowl Classic on Dec. 27, 1985 in the lone meeting between the two schools. Charles Smith led the Panthers with 24...
West Virginia football schedules future nonconference home games
The West Virginia athletic department announced opponents for several nonconference home matchups in the 2026, 2027, 2028, 2030 and 2031 seasons Tuesday. UT-Martin will face the Mountaineers for the first time Sept. 12, 2026. WVU added the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) to the 2027 (Sept. 11) and 2031 (Aug. 30)...
Rory McIlroy looks to build on Masters win at U.S. Open despite struggles sinceVideo
Rory McIlroy is brushing off his performance in the past few weeks as he prepares to face Oakmont. McIlroy missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open last week, and he finished tied for 47th place at the PGA Championship in May after his driver failed USGA testing. That came...
Tee times set for opening rounds of the U.S. Open at Oakmont
The USGA on Tuesday announced tee times for the first two rounds of the 2025 U.S. Open, set for Thursday and Friday at the Oakmont Country Club. Defending U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau will begin play, along with No. 3-ranked Xander Schauffele, at 7:29 a.m. Thursday on the first tee....
Young Township enters 2025 seeking bounce-back season
The Young Township Renegades fell short of the American Legion baseball Region 7 tournament last year. Coach Ryan Staats would be the first to say it was a disappointment. The goal for Young Township is to move on from past results and focus on qualifying for the regional tournament this...
Clarion outslugs Greensburg Central Catholic in state quarterfinals
The No. 9 hitter in a baseball team’s lineup could be perceived as the team’s weakest link. If that’s the case for Clarion, the weakest link is very strong. Designated hitter Billy Kahle, the No. 9 hitter, went 4 for 5 with five RBIs as the Bobcats tallied 14 hits...
Former Duquesne star Megan McConnell injured during debut with WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury
Megan McConnell’s regular-season WNBA debut turned bittersweet Tuesday night. Hours after the Phoenix Mercury announced the former Duquesne star had signed a rest-of-season contract, she made her debut against the Minnesota Lynx. McConnell played 13 minutes and hit a 3-pointer in an 88-65 loss, finishing with three points, three assists,...
Shaler shows strength in PIAA 1st-round sweep of Saegertown
Shaler raced through the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball playoffs without dropping a set, and the Titans came into the first round of the PIAA tournament eager to keep that streak intact. Despite a close third set, Shaler continued its impressive run. Shaler resumed postseason action with a determined performance...
Colby Weber throws 1-hit shutout in Shaler’s PIAA 1st-round win over Conestoga Valley
In the WPIAL Class 5A championship game against Pine-Richland, Shaler pitcher Colby Weber reached the 105-pitch limit and had to sit on the bench to watch the Titans find a way to win. The East Carolina commit did not leave anything to chance this time around. Weber took charge, throwing...
Neshannock rolls past Chartiers-Houston for 4th consecutive WPIAL Class 2A championship
Neshannock pitcher Addyson Frye led the Lancers to a fourth straight WPIAL title Thursday, tossing a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 7-1 victory over Chartiers-Houston in the Class 2A championship game at Cal (Pa.). Top-seeded Neshannock (22-0) dominated opponents all season, and it was business as usual for the...
Freedom outduels OLSH to win 1st WPIAL 2A championship
Second-seeded Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and No. 8 Freedom entered Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 2A championship game at EQT Park in Washington looking to win their first WPIAL baseball title. They had both been to the title game before, but this time, the lowest seed to make a WPIAL...
2025 WPIAL Class A softball championship breakdown: Union vs. Carmichaels
WPIAL Class A softball final No. 1 Union vs. No. 2 Carmichaels 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Union 2 (2023, ’22), Carmichaels 2 (1998, ’97) Union (18-2) Coach: Doug Fisher Projected starting lineup 21, Olivia Williams, SS,...
2025 WPIAL Class 2A softball championship breakdown: Neshannock vs. Chartiers-Houston
WPIAL Class 2A softball final No. 1 Neshannock vs. No. 2 Chartiers-Houston 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Neshannock 5 (2024, ’23, ’22, ’14, ’13), Chartiers-Houston 9 (’24, ’12, ’11, ’07, ’06, ’05, 1999, ’88, ’87) Neshannock (21-0)...
Mt. Lebanon scores in final minute to rally past Shady Side Academy for WPIAL 3A boys lacrosse title
Scoring a game-winning goal is something that many young athletes dream of doing but few achieve — fewer still in a championship game. Junior Mt. Lebanon attacker Max Prezioso can forever say he accomplished that feat, as with 34 seconds left, he buried the game-winning goal to give the Blue...
Valley boys doubles tennis team to play in PIAA tournament
The Valley boys tennis team has had a banner season. The Vikings won the Section 1-2A title at 7-0, were runners-up in the WPIAL team tournament and reached the PIAA quarterfinals, finishing with an overall record of 14-2. That, however, is only part of the story. The doubles team of...
Former Pitt guard Bub Carrington receives NBA All-Rookie Team recognition
Former Pitt guard Bub Carrington earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Carrington with the No. 14 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and immediately dealt the Baltimore native to the Washington Wizards. Entering the league at 19 years old, Carrington...
Penn-Trafford pitcher steps up in 1-hit shutout of North Hills in Class 5A semifinals
One of the best attributes an athlete can have is a short memory. After getting past a tough challenge from Chartiers Valley in the WPIAL quarterfinals, giving up 11 runs, Penn-Trafford sophomore pitcher Allyson Paulone was determined to step up. Paulone pitched a gem in Tuesday’s Class 5A softball semifinals:...
Former Pitt guard Ishmael Leggett declares for NBA Draft
After entering the NCAA transfer portal April 23, Pitt guard Ishmael Leggett has followed in former Pitt and current Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington’s footsteps by declaring for the NBA Draft. Leggett’s mother broke the news through a Sunday Instagram post detailing his decision. “Thank you to everyone who’s played...
