High School category

High schools Football Class 6A PIAA playoffs Friday’s schedule Easton (13-0) vs. La Salle College (9-4) at Liberty, 7 p.m.; North Penn (11-2) at Pennridge (12-1), 7 p.m.; Central York (11-0) vs. Harrisburg (12-0) at Cedar Cliff, 7 p.m.; State College (10-2) vs. Central Catholic (11-1) at Mansion Park, Altoona,...

Grant Shroads scored a hat trick and added an assist to send Blackhawk to a 6-1 victory over Hampton in PIHL Class A hockey Thursday night. Daniel Ostrom, Finn Conlon and Dominic Giocondi also scored for Blackhawk (5-1). Preston Cochran had a goal for Hampton (3-3-1). Avonworth 11, South Park...

WPIAL Class 5A football championship No. 1 Pine-Richland vs. No. 2 Peters Township 8 p.m. Saturday, Acrisure Stadium On the air: Audio stream: TribLive HSSN; TV: KDKA+; Radio: KDKA (1020 AM, 100.1 FM); Video stream: NFHS Network Winner plays: The District 3 champion in a PIAA semifinal Nov. 28 or...

Members of the Kiski Area boys wrestling team worked out Wednesday in their spacious new wrestling room at the high school. Their Cavaliers female counterparts did the same in an adjoining room not far away. Some of them would pause for a moment, still taking in their new surroundings with...

On one side of the coin in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game Saturday is the reigning, defending champions in the Avonworth Antelopes, who are set for their fourth consecutive appearance in the title game. The ‘Lopes (12-0) won their third WPIAL title last year, getting over a small hump...

The Deer Lakes girls basketball team experienced a big turnaround last season. The Lancers won just four games and went winless in section play two years ago. Dana Petruska returned to Deer Lakes in 2024 and began her second stint as coach of her alma mater. A spark was lit...

There again are high expectations for the Deer Lakes boys basketball team as another season is set to begin. The Lancers, WPIAL champions in 2023 and 2024, had another strong season last winter, but a tough loss to section rival North Catholic in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals and a...

WPIAL Class 3A football championship No. 1 Avonworth vs. No. 2 Imani Christian 5 p.m. Saturday, Acrisure Stadium On the air: Audio stream: TribLive HSSN; TV: KDKA+; Radio: KDKA (1020 AM, 100.1 FM); Video stream: NFHS Network Winner plays: District 6 champion Penn Cambria (11-2) or District 10 champion Sharon...

While many eyes will be on the four WPIAL championship games at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, the big weekend of high school football begins Friday with three area teams taking part in the PIAA quarterfinals. Newly minted WPIAL champions Central Catholic in Class 6A and Aliquippa in 4A,...

Norwin already has proven itself to the state by winning its first PIAA Class 3A cross country championship. Now, the mighty girls team will try to make its mark nationally. Norwin will compete at the Nike Cross Country Northeast Regional on Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. The...

WPIAL Class 2A football championship No. 1 Seton LaSalle vs. No. 3 Steel Valley 2 p.m. Saturday, Acrisure Stadium On the air: Audio stream: TribLive HSSN; TV: KDKA+; Radio: KDKA (1020 AM, 100.1 FM); Video stream: NFHS Network Winner plays: District 10 champion Farrell (10-2) or District 6 champion Richland...

WPIAL Class A football championship No. 2 Clairton vs. No. 4 Laurel 11 a.m. Saturday, Acrisure Stadium On the air: Audio stream: TribLive HSSN; TV: KDKA+; Radio: KDKA (1020 AM, 100.1 FM); Video stream: NFHS Network Winner plays: District 10 champion Greenville (11-1) or District 9 champion Port Allegany (12-0)...

Each week throughout the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch will take a look at the players, coaches and events that shaped our scholastic legacy. Leechburg garnered the school’s second WPIAL title with a 37-7 victory over California on Nov. 19, 1965. Fullback Gene Yajko and split end...

High schools Football Class 6A PIAA playoffs Friday’s schedule Easton (13-0) vs. La Salle College (9-4) at Liberty, 7 p.m.; North Penn (11-2) at Pennridge (12-1), 7 p.m.; Central York (11-0) vs. Harrisburg (12-0) at Cedar Cliff, 7 p.m.; State College (10-2) vs. Central Catholic (11-1) at Mansion Park, Altoona,...

Two district champions have been crowned, and four are set to be determined on Championship Saturday in the WPIAL. The number of active district teams continues to shrink to the point that the power rankings now have six big school and four small school teams that are done for the...

Having a good gameday experience at Acrisure Stadium for the WPIAL football championships isn’t always within the control of officials, players or coaches. Seton LaSalle coach Tim Storino would like to have a more regimented lead-up to the Class 2A title game on Saturday at 2 p.m. against No. 3...

Being an assistant on the Cheswick Christian girls basketball team last year, Nicole Dias had firm knowledge of the team she would inherit coming into 2025-26. Although the roster is small — eight players this season — and inexperienced, returning just two regulars from a year ago, Dias says her...

The seniors on the Cheswick Christian Academy boys basketball team have a chance to do something many don’t often accomplish. Last year’s team finished first in the Greater Pittsburgh Division of the Southwestern Christian Athletic Conference (SWCAC) with a 10-0 record and went on to claim the SWCAC championship with...

Hang another WPIAL championship on the Reitz family tree. Jeannette natives Ray and Ryan Reitz, a father-and-son coaching duo at Central Catholic, brought home a Class 6A title last week with the Vikings’ 42-7 victory over North Allegheny. Next, they are primed to chase a PIAA championship. Ryan is the...

High schools Football Class 6A PIAA playoffs Friday’s schedule Easton (13-0) vs. La Salle College (9-4) at Liberty, 7 p.m.; North Penn (11-2) at Pennridge (12-1), 7 p.m.; Central York (11-0) vs. Harrisburg (12-0) at Cedar Cliff, 7 p.m.; State College (10-2) vs. Central Catholic (11-1) at Mansion Park, Altoona,...

Zackary Meneely, Brendan Monko and Jacob Hlawati scored to lead Peters Township to a 3-1 victory over Upper St. Clair in PIHL Class 3A hockey Tuesday night. Chay Lamagna dished out two assists and Anthony Herman made 26 saves for Peters (5-2-1). Nevin Shegan Siniawski scored and Owen Laurent made...

Laurel and Clairton have developed a unique rivalry over the last 45 years. The teams have never been in the same conference and rarely play each other outside of the postseason. However, the Spartans and Bears will square off for the third time with district gold on the line in...

There was a line of demarcation among the elite high school football teams with the top teams in the three highest classifications surviving for the most part into the state elite eight. However, teams in Class A, 2A and 3A weren’t as fortunate, suffering season-ending losses. Of the 15 teams...

Coach Shaun Reddick and the Burrell girls basketball program are looking to accomplish more. After a season in which the Bucs went 13-10 and punched their ticket to the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs with just one senior, Reddick and the Bucs are far from satisfied. “We still have some kids...

Over the past few years, Burrell boys basketball coach Mike Fantuzzo has always had a player to lean on who could contribute 15 to 20 points a night. Brandon Coury, Macky Bennis and Tucker Bitar are all names that come to mind. But, as the Bucs prepare for the 2025-26...