High School category, Page 1038
Jefferson-Morgan looking to find swagger, end playoff drought
The Jefferson-Morgan football team has some players who might turn some heads as they step off the bus this season. A pair of wide receivers who stand at least 6-foot-3. A 1,000-yard rusher in the backfield. A 300-pound defensive tackle. These are assets that most teams don’t have at the...
Young Mapletown roster making push to improve
As Mapletown coach George Messich and his staff gathered at his home on Friday nights last season, watching video of the game their team just played, a thought often occurred to them. “We have a really, really great JV football team,” Messich said with a laugh. “They just happened to...
West Greene in position to thrive despite graduation of big-time backs
Don’t look for West Greene to be one-hit wonders, or in this case two-hit wonders Second-year coach Brian Hanson sees a bright future at the school located southwest of Waynesburg in Greene County. West Greene rode a powerful running game featuring Ben Jackson (Army) and Kolin Walker (Waynesburg) to consecutive...
Numbers up at Monessen, but Greyhounds are young
Rumblings about Monessen possibly folding its proud football program because of low roster numbers were quickly stamped out when Shane Swope was hired during the winter to lead the Greyhounds. Numbers actually began to grow over a coronavirus-disrupted spring and summer as Swope, a former Yough assistant, began his mission...
Westmoreland notebook: 5 soccer players on All-American game watchlist
Fifteen WPIAL players are up for the country’s premier soccer all-star game. Five hail from Westmoreland County. The watchlist for the 10th High School All-American Game was announced last week, and the WPIAL is well-represented, particularly on the girls side with 11 of the 30 nominees picked from Pennsylvania coming...
WPIAL volleyball teams grappling with indoor coronavirus safety restrictions
Girls volleyball teams in the WPIAL are beginning to feel like the walls are closing in on them. Volleyball is an outlier in the fall season because it is the only indoor sport, so it is up against tighter covid-19 safety guidelines. The virus, experts say, thrives in enclosed spaces,...
California keeps winning despite less-than-ideal offseasons
Ed Woods is in his second season as football coach at California High School. It’s been a difficult two seasons in the terms of preparing his squad. He was hired late in the process before the 2019 season, and the coronavirus has cut into his preparation for the 2020 season....
Running back tandem of Hough, Livingston to bring thunder for Beaver Falls offense
When it comes to describing a running back tandem, most football coaches normally stick with the age-old phrase of “Thunder and Lighting.” One back normally has the power and strength to run between the tackles and ram defenders over, while, in a change of pace, the other has the speed...
Ellwood City embraces obstacles on path to success
Coach Joe Lamenza read a book over the summer that he found useful when preparing for the Ellwood City football season. Called “The Obstacle is the Way,” it explores the philosophy of stoicism, the wisdom of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the idea that struggles are a necessary part of...
With playmakers back, Freedom has tools to contend in Class 2A
In the first eight years of this past decade, the Freedom football team struggled mightily, going a combined 18-62. However, the decade finished with a flourish for Freedom. The Bulldogs found their bite by going a combined 19-6. The bar has been raised for the program to the extent that...
Line leads Laurel in quest for elusive playoff berth
It’s not the kind of distinction any football team would want to earn, but Laurel is one of the top candidates all the same. The Spartans might just be the best team to not qualify for the WPIAL playoffs either of the last two seasons. “It’s nice to be noticed,”...
Mohawk looking to take 2 steps forward after 1 step back
The Mohawk football team has made the climb from the bottom of the standings to playoff contender once in the past few seasons. Now it’ll just have to do it again. After winning a total of one game in his first two seasons on the Mohawk sidelines, coach Tim McCutcheon...
With line leading way, Neshannock looks solid despite personnel losses
After going 8-2 in the regular season and advancing to the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals last season, Neshannock lost some productive skill players to graduation. Gone are 1,500-yard rusher Braden Gennock, who coach Fred Mozzocio called the MVP of the Midwestern Athletic Conference, and 1,000-yard passer Jason Nativio. Yet optimism...
Led by NyaSanu Greene, New Brighton eyes another deep playoff run
Since making a playoff appearance in 2015, the New Brighton Lions have been building toward a special season. Although they missed the playoffs in both 2016 and ‘17, the Lions qualified the last two seasons and made a run to the WPIAL quarterfinals last year before losing to eventual WPIAL...
Led by returning offensive line, Riverside to rely on ground game
The Riverside Panthers shocked the WPIAL last season when they made a surprising run through the Class 2A playoffs. They started their playoff run by defeating undefeated No. 3 Burgettstown, 42-35. They then took their season one step further with a 41-27 win over McGuffey in the quarterfinals. Riverside’s run...
Shady Side Academy delays football season until Week 3
Shady Side Academy won’t start football season until Week 3, a decision meant to limit potential exposure to coronavirus. The voluntary delay, which involves all contact sports, was revealed Friday by the school’s administration, coach Chuck DiNardo said. The football team will skip its preseason scrimmage and two regular-season weeks....
WPIAL girls tennis preview: Knoch’s Laura Greb has shot at making history
Laura Greb wants to make WPIAL tennis history. The Knoch senior standout hopes to put herself in position to win a fourth WPIAL Class AA singles championship. She would be the first player to accomplish the feat in the history of either classification. “There’s a little bit of pressure, but...
Uniontown reinstates football, soccer seasons after initially canceling fall contact sports
Football and soccer seasons were reinstated Friday at Uniontown. Three weeks after the school board voted to cancel contact sports, the school’s athletic department announced that all fall sports seasons will take place. The football team hasn’t trained together since mid-June, coach Cedric Lloyd said, but could resume workouts as...
Peters Township has high-end talent to contend again
Peters Township came within one point of winning the WPIAL Class 5A title last season, but that rain-soaked loss didn’t close the team’s championship window. “We have some good guys coming back,” coach T.J. Plack said. “If we didn’t have (Donovan) McMillon, (Corban) Hondru and some of these others, we’re...
Lack of returning starters doesn’t faze Bethel Park
Bethel Park graduated all 11 starters on offense and 10 on defense, but coach Brian DeLallo won’t call this a “rebuilding” year. “I don’t like using the R-word,” he said. “We’re not building in excuses and saying we’re rebuilding. We’re going to try to reload and get after guys. If...
Moon looks to build off trip to WPIAL quarterfinals
Moon produced one of its best football seasons in recent memory last year, when the Tigers posted a record of 9-3, earned a share of the Allegheny Eight championship and made a run to the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals. While it was the best season of coach Ryan Linn’s tenure...
South Fayette brings cutting-edge offense into Class 5A competition
South Fayette quarterback Naman Alemada was running the New England Patriots offense at times last season, with plays designed for small-but-quick receivers. Charley Rossi, Joey Audia and Ryan McGuire were the WPIAL’s version of Julian Edelman and Co. But this year, offensive coordinator Ben Maracek borrowed ideas from another championship...
Dahlem, Pantelis return to bolster Upper St. Clair aerial attack
Ethan Dahlem and David Pantelis have a quarterback-receiver connection that Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko describes as nearly clairvoyant. The pair combined for 77 receptions and more than 1,100 receiving yards. “It’s almost intuitive,” Junko said. “They are very much in tune. They just know. They’re developing that rhythm...
Online offseason helps West Allegheny, new coach get up to speed
West Allegheny not only has a new head coach but also a new offensive coordinator and an entirely new offense. There was a lot to learn during the team’s twice-weekly video conference calls with everyone trapped at home this spring. Looking back, that online work let the Indians enter summer...
High school roundup for Aug. 27: WPIAL sports return with golf openers
For every golfer taking part in a match Thursday, it was a memorable occasion. High school sports took place for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down during the swimming and basketball postseasons in March. For Ligonier Valley’s golf team, it was a doubly historic moment. The...
