High School category, Page 11
Defense, ground attack lift Highlands past Derry in WPIAL Class 3A 1st round
Not a lot of tricks, but plenty of treats to go around on Halloween night as both Highlands and Derry had their share of mistakes. Led by an opportunistic defense, the Golden Rams came away with a 14-0 win over the Trojans (6-5) in a WPIAL Class 3A first round...
Felitsky nearly perfect in leading North Catholic to 1st-round win over Burrell
North Catholic’s Joey Felitsky delivered a quarterback master class, throwing for 437 yards and six touchdowns to lead the No. 5 Trojans past No. 12 Burrell, 56-21, in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs Friday. “That’s a good team,” Burrell coach Dom Girardi said. “They’re more physical...
Clairton continues to keep opponents scoreless, blanks Monessen in WPIAL opening round
Clairton hasn’t allowed a point since August, and that scoreless streak has continued in the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The No. 2 Bears blitzed No. 15 Monessen, 50-0, with another stout defensive effort and an explosive offensive performance in the first round Friday night at Tyler Boyd Stadium. After suffering...
After quick Plum score, Upper St. Clair dominates to win going away
Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A first-round playoff game between Upper St. Clair and Plum started with a bang for the team that got in the playoffs thanks in, large part, to what has been dubbed the “Mustang Miracle.” But it was all Upper St. Clair after that bang, as the Panthers...
Neshannock uses fast start, tough defense to bounce Leechburg in WPIAL 1st round
Neshannock quarterback Jino Mozzocio felt the Lancers’ football season hasn’t been quite to his liking so far. He wanted to start writing a different story against Leechburg during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Friday at Veterans Memorial Field. No. 9 Neshannock took that first step by blasting the Blue Devils,...
In battle of section rivals, North Allegheny stings Seneca Valley in 2OT to win WPIAL 4A title
The road to Highmark Stadium for both the North Allegheny and Seneca Valley girls soccer teams had few tricks and many treats en route to a meeting for WPIAL Class 4A gold on Halloween. The cold autumn breeze that kicked off the banks of the Monongahela River proved to be...
Penn-Trafford, Belle Vernon stars, 3 doubles teams still in hunt for state tennis titles
Penn-Trafford’s Mia Williams, Belle Vernon’s Gabby Dusi and three doubles teams from the WPIAL are still in the hunt for gold after the first day of the PIAA tennis championships Friday in Hershey. Williams, the WPIAL runner-up, knocked out a pair of district champs Friday. She beat Alexandria Warsing of...
Rosters set for WCCA all-star volleyball
Rosters are finalized for the fourth annual Westmoreland County Coaches Association Girls Volleyball All-Star Match, set for 6 p.m. Nov. 18 at Ligonier Valley. The teams are as follows: West Cierra Alexander, Valley Ashlyn Black, Norwin Paige Chitester, Norwin Cianna Culgan, Penn-Trafford Hailey DeFazio, Yough Gianna Devito, Kiski Area Harper...
A-K Valley runners to vie for PIAA cross country medals
Saturday’s PIAA cross country championships in Hershey again will feature a cross section of experience over the six races. Several from the Alle-Kiski Valley are making return trips seeking medals and top finishes while other are making their debuts at the state’s climactic high school event. While Fox Chapel junior...
WPIAL 3A boys soccer championship preview for Nov. 1, 2025
WPIAL Class 3A boys soccer championship 3-Franklin Regional (18-3) vs. 8-West Allegheny (13-6) Noon Saturday, Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh Coaches: Nick White, Franklin Regional; Scott Zemba, West Allegheny Players to watch: Fabrizzio Costa, Franklin Regional; Aaron Bouch, West Allegheny Road to Highmark: Franklin Regional defeated Montour, 2-1, Chartiers Valley, 2-1 (OT),...
2025 WPIAL girls volleyball championship preview: Familiar faces, newcomers seeking titles
Four champions will be crowned Saturday at the 2025 WPIAL girls volleyball championships at Peters Township’s AHN Arena. Below is a look at the teams competing. Class 4A 5-Pine-Richland (13-5) vs. 2-Peters Township (13-3) 5 p.m. Saturday, AHN Arena, Peters Township Coaches: Angela Seman, Pine-Richland; Chris Kelly, Peters Township Playoff...
Grass fields a rarity in WPIAL playoffs nowadays — 5 things to watch in high school football
Bentworth’s football team has something that’s becoming rare in the WPIAL playoffs these days. That’s a grass field. Only a handful of first-round games — all in the small-school Class A and 2A brackets — won’t be played on artificial turf, with Laurel, South Side, Mohawk and Apollo-Ridge also hosting...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Oct. 30, 2025
High schools Football WPIAL playoffs All games 7 p.m. Class 6A Semifinals Nov. 7 Canon-McMillan (4-6) vs Central Catholic (9-1), site TBD; Norwin (7-3) at North Allegheny (7-3) Class 5A First round Friday’s schedule Kiski Area (4-6) at Shaler (3-7); Armstrong (4-6) at Moon (7-3); North Hills (3-7) at Bethel...
Expect ‘throwback game’ when Thomas Jefferson, Mars collide in playoff opener
Being a former lineman himself, Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak likes the look of a six-man offensive line, a run-game tactic the Jaguars have used lately. “I’ll put 10 linemen in there next,” Cherpak said with a laugh. The reigning WPIAL champions hope to defend their Class 4A title largely...
Bentworth completes 3-peat, Bearcat sweep with win over OLSH in WPIAL soccer finals
To say there was a lot of pressure on the Bentworth boys soccer team would be an understatement heading into their WPIAL Class A championship game Thursday night at Highmark Stadium. The top-seeded Bearcats were looking for a three-peat. They were also looking to beat No. 2 Our Lady of...
High school roundup for Oct. 30, 2025: Thomas Jefferson boys, Springdale girls claim state playoff berths
Owen Householder scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, as No. 5 Thomas Jefferson defeated No. 2 Bethel Park, 3-2, in the Class 3A third-place match Thursday to claim the WPIAL’s final berth in the PIAA playoffs, which begin Tuesday. Evan Olsen scored in the first half for...
Bentworth uses late goal to get past Sewickley Academy, win program’s 1st WPIAL soccer title
Bentworth coach Tyler Hamstra and the Bearcats girls soccer team knew they’d have a chance to capture their first WPIAL Class A soccer championship Thursday night. On a wet and rainy night at Highmark Stadium, it played out how they’d hoped. With 1 minute, 33 seconds left in regulation, sophomore...
Quaker Valley girls soccer grabs PIAA spot, beats Mt. Pleasant
Quaker Valley was building toward something in the waning minutes of overtime. The players felt it, the coaches could sense it and the fans hidden under umbrellas perked up. Ari Bosh clanged a shot off the crossbar and then sent the rebound just wide off a defender to set up...
In WPIAL final, Fox Chapel seeks 3rd win of season vs. Seneca Valley
Fox Chapel boys soccer coach Erik Ingram doesn’t always get bogged down by tactics when the Foxes play section rival Seneca Valley. Many times, Ingram gets caught up in being a spectator. Ingram appreciates competing against the Raiders because he admires the program they’ve built. Seneca Valley will be the...
Breaking down WPIAL football playoff matchups for Oct. 31, 2025
Welcome to the start of the 2025 WPIAL football playoffs. Don’t be thrown off if the start of the postseason is a little creepy. There are 25 first-round or quarterfinals games slated for Halloween night around the WPIAL, so 50 teams will have to wait until about 9:30 to find...
Familiar foes Freeport, Burrell to square off in WPIAL Class 2A girls soccer championship
Burrell hopes the third time’s the charm. Freeport hopes to get out the brooms. A new chapter in one of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s most intense girls soccer rivalries will be written Saturday at Highmark Stadium. The No. 2 Yellowjackets, who won both games against the Bucs in the Section 2...
Franklin Regional, West Allegheny expect goals won’t come easy in Class 3A soccer final
Franklin Regional and West Allegheny are a combined 29-0 this season when they score two or more goals. No. 3 seed Franklin Regional (18-3) is 17-0, and No. 8 West Allegheny (13-6) is perfect on 12 occasions. Both teams won 1-0 games in the semifinals, so scoring could be at...
2025 WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer championship breakdown: North Allegheny vs. Seneca Valley
WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer championship 5-North Allegheny (16-3-2) vs. 2-Seneca Valley (12-3-2) 6 p.m. Friday, Highmark Stadium Coaches: Chuck Kelley, North Allegheny; Mark Perry, Seneca Valley Players to watch: Emma Schupansky, North Allegheny; Maddie Marcotte, Seneca Valley WPIAL titles: North Allegheny 3 (2022, 2020, 2019); Seneca Valley 5 (2018,...
Hempfield boys, Norwin girls set sights on PIAA cross country gold
When Hempfield cross country coach Jeff Mayo first met his team in 2022, he knew this was a special group. Four years later, Mayo’s view was spot on. Hempfield won its first WPIAL Class 3A cross country title Oct. 23, and it heads to Hershey for the PIAA championships Saturday....
Through the Years: 5 years ago, Plum sent McKeesport packing
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. Plum got by McKeesport, 12-9, in a WPIAL Class 4A opening-round contest Oct. 30, 2020. A 12-yard run by Eryck Moore with 51...
