High School category, Page 1077
Derry softball’s playoff-victory hunt turns to new coach DePalma
Derry’s softball team will embark on a new era with first-year coach John DePalma at the helm. He has coached about half of the roster on traveling teams and wants to increase expectations around the program, which has lost in the first round of the playoffs for three consecutive seasons...
Derry baseball team expects progress after challenging seasons
Batting .350 and receiving all-section honors would be nice, but a section championship is at the top of Austin Siko’s wish list. Siko, the only senior on Derry’s baseball team, said he believes the Trojans are ready to contend after two losing seasons. “I 100 percent feel we can do...
Latrobe’s Kilkeary making big noise at PIAA Class AAA wrestling championships
HERSHEY — The smallest guys in the PIAA Class AAA wrestling championships are making some big noise. On a day where controversial calls cost Franklin Regional junior Carter Dibert and Waynesburg freshman Mac Church possible state titles Friday, Latrobe freshman Vincent Kilkeary, a 5-foot ball of thunder, rolled into the...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball preview capsules for March 7, 2020
Today’s games Boys Class 3A first round Ligonier Valley (23-3) vs. Carlynton (15-9) 1 p.m. at Greater Johnstown Winner plays: Winner of Fairview (23-2) and Beaver Falls (14-8) on Wednesday in second round Coaches: John Berger, Ligonier Valley; Mike Kozy, Carlynton Players to watch: Michael Marinchak, Ligonier Valley; Chauncie Mickens,...
Burrell’s Corrado, Oswalt to wrestle for PIAA Class AA gold
HERSHEY — Burrell will have two wrestlers competing for gold medals Saturday at the PIAA Class AA championships at Giant Center. Ian Oswalt punched his ticket to the 132-pound final with a 3-1 win over Anthony Glasl of Brockway on Friday night. Shortly thereafter, AJ Corrado claimed his spot in...
Kiski Area’s Blumer dominant in PIAA wrestling quarterfinals victory
HERSHEY — Jack Blumer of Kiski Area is making his last wrestling trip to Hershey a memorable one. Blumer scarcely was challenged in a 7-1 win over Susquehannock’s Colby Ramjue in the Class 3A 160-pound quarterfinals Friday afternoon at Giant Center. The only point Blumer (38-2) allowed was because of...
Ligonier Valley, Carlynton hit reset buttons for PIAA playoffs matchup
Mike Kozy inferred District 6 Class 3A runner-up Ligonier Valley, which next season becomes a member of the WPIAL, is perceived to be out in the hinterlands though the Carlynton boys basketball coach is a bit familiar with the area. Kozy played at nearby Saint Vincent and is a member...
Pine-Richland’s Vacula earns trip to PIAA swimming championships
At the WPIAL Class AAA swimming championships Feb. 27-28 at Pitt’s Trees Pool, Trent Vacula turned in the best 200-yard individual medley time in Pine-Richland history. The Rams sophomore finished in 1 minute, 56.83 seconds to take sixth in the event and earn a spot on the podium. His time...
Plum’s Decheck earns shot to compete with best in state
Joey Decheck swims this week at the PIAA Class AAA championships at Bucknell. The Plum senior caps his career among the state’s best in the 50-yard freestyle. “Joey has always gone about it the right way,” Plum coach Shawn Haupt said. “He trains year-round, works hard, and there’s not a...
Gateway girls basketball sees potential for growth
The Gateway girls basketball players ended the season waiting and hoping. When Chartiers Valley, the state’s top-ranked team in Class 5A, defeated Trinity 58-40 in the WPIAL championship game Feb. 29 at Petersen Events Center, Gateway’s section championship-winning season came to an end. After losing in the quarterfinals Feb. 22...
Gateway boys basketball eager to build off WPIAL playoff appearance
Progress is defined by movement toward a destination, and despite an early exit from the WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball playoffs, Gateway’s season can be defined by growth. After a five-win season in 2018-19, Gators finished 6-6 in Section 1-5A this season, winning their last three section games to land...
Thomas Jefferson’s Findlan claims 1st WPIAL swimming title in program history
Hallie Findlan has been rewriting the Thomas Jefferson record book in girls swimming for three years. Findlan, a junior, added another historic chapter to her distinguished career by becoming the first TJ swimmer in school history to win a WPIAL championship. Findlan finished first in the 100-yard freestyle at the...
Thomas Jefferson’s Werderber honored with Breisinger Award
Thomas Jefferson senior Nathan Werderber officially enlisted Dec. 30 with the U.S. Marines Corps. One of the toughest athletes in the starting lineup for the TJ football team last fall, Werderber will leave Sept. 14 for basic training at Parris Island in South Carolina. Not only was Werderber known for...
Baldwin gymnasts earn 9th state championship
Baldwin can add another year on the state championship banner for gymnastics in its high school gym. The Highlanders finished first in the silver division team competition at the Pennsylvania Classic last month at Moon. The classic is representative of the state championship meet in gymnastics. Baldwin took first place...
Quaker Valley’s Huang seeking more hardware at PIAA meet
After earning two gold medals at the WPIAL Class AA championship, Quaker Valley sophomore swimmer Isabel Huang looks forward to more awards at the PIAA meet Friday and Saturday at Bucknell. “My main goal is to continue dropping time, but I also hope to make the podium in both of...
Penn-Trafford junior wrestling has banner year, sends 9 to state tournament
Gavin Ellwood ran to his coaches, Chris Hartman and Mike Enick, beaming with excitement at the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling Area III tournament. He told them he completed his goal sheet, a list of three objectives he set for himself at the beginning of the season, the last of which was...
Pine-Richland’s Spencer brothers each win wrestling championships
Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer snared his first WPIAL wrestling title Feb. 29 at Canon-McMillan High School, earning his status as a champion after edging Kiski Area’s Sammy Starr, 2-1. To make the win even sweeter, Spencer (38-0) clinched career win No. 100 with the victory at 152 pounds, and did so...
Norwin’s Phipps joins elite group of WPIAL wrestlers
Kurtis Phipps became the 30th wrestler in WPIAL history to win four district titles. But that wasn’t enough history for the Norwin senior, who wanted to finish his career by winning another gold medal. He overcame a poor seeding and then pinned Franklin Regional sophomore Finn Solomon and defeated Waynesburg...
Franklin Regional’s Dibert celebrates WPIAL title
Franklin Regional senior Carter Dibert won his first WPIAL Class AAA title on Feb. 29 and quickly turned his focus to winning his second PIAA gold medal. Dibert defeated West Allegheny freshman Nico Taddy, 5-2, in the WPIAL finals at 113 pounds. He placed second at 106 in 2019, losing...
Fox Chapel track athletes quickly move from indoor to outdoor season
Fox Chapel’s indoor track season came to a close at the Tri-State Coaches Association indoor track championships held at Penn State on Feb. 29. “We were not bad and not great,” FC coach Tom Moul said. “Grace Sisson and Brooke Krally had been sick all week. They gutted it out,...
Fox Chapel boys basketball fell short of states but has bright future
For a week in late February, the Central Catholic boys basketball team picked up a new legion of fans. It consisted of the players, coaches and fans of the Fox Chapel boys basketball team. Central Catholic defeated the Foxes in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs. It was...
Apollo-Ridge softball expects offense to produce
Expect to hear the crack of the bat a lot when watching Apollo-Ridge’s softball team. The Vikings bring back seven starters from last season and are eager to put up some runs. “We’re returning a lot of girls and we have a decent grasp of what we need to do,”...
Apollo-Ridge baseball team looks to bounce back
Apollo-Ridge’s baseball team got off to a positive start last spring when the Vikings won their season opener at Leechburg, 6-4. However, that turned out to be the only time the team got in the win column. The Vikings finished 1-13 overall and 0-10 in Section 3-2A. “We’re definitely looking...
7 WPIAL wrestlers advance to PIAA Class AA semifinals
HERSHEY — Friday has gone a lot better for WPIAL Class AA wrestlers at the PIAA individual championships at the Giant Center. But can the evening session make it a great day for the WPIAL. Seven wrestlers advanced to the semifinals, which will begin at 7:15 p.m. The group includes...
WPIAL Class AAA wrestlers shine, Class AA struggles on Day 1 of PIAA tournament
HERSHEY — You couldn’t ask for a crazier day for WPIAL wrestlers than Thursday at the Giant Center. Talk about your polar opposites. The WPIAL Class AAA wrestlers shined, as 34 of 56 competing advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals. Class AA wrestlers didn’t do very well, as only 11 of...
