High School category, Page 1131
Chartiers Valley grinds out section win at Thomas Jefferson
Chartiers Valley came to Thomas Jefferson and beat the home team at its own game. The Colts beat the Jaguars in a slow, physical half-court basketball game, 56-51. The third straight win for Chartiers Valley (3-1, 4-2) allows the Colts to leapfrog Thomas Jefferson (2-1, 3-4) in the Section 2-5A...
Seneca Valley, Canon-McMillan come out on top of Kiski Area quad meet
Four of the top five Class AAA wrestling teams in the WPIAL got together at Kiski Area on Friday evening for their second annual meeting. Trib HSSN No. 1 Hempfield and No. 2 Kiski Area both lost twice, as No. 4 Seneca Valley and No. 5 Canon-McMillan went undefeated. “It...
Derry’s Justin Huss suffers broken leg in basketball section opener
Derry senior basketball player Justin Huss broke his right leg Friday night in the Trojans’ emotional 59-57 victory over visiting Freeport. Huss went up for a rebound with 2 minutes, 44 seconds left in the second quarter and came down awkwardly. He crashed to the baseline, writhing in pain. The...
Section games and one-day events share the hoops stage Saturday
Dozens of WPIAL boys and girls basketball teams are playing in tournaments or one-day events on Saturday. Four teams, however, are ready for section games. In boys Section 3-A, Greensburg Central Catholic visits Aquinas Academy at 2 p.m. The Centurions look to improve to 2-0 in section play, and the...
Knoch heats up, rolls past Mt. Pleasant
Knoch went scoreless over the first four minutes of Friday’s Section 1-4A opener against Mt. Pleasant. But when Knoch started hitting, there was no stopping the Knights as they rolled to a 65-35 home victory. Scott Fraser didn’t hit his first field goal until the third period but finished with...
Hempfield uses poise, patience to hand Norwin its first loss
It was one of those games where the simplest tasks seemed the most difficult to execute. Passes, layups, even rebounds did not come easy. Nothing was crisp. What did seem to work smoothly for Hempfield in its section opener at Norwin, however, was how its seniors handled a double-digit lead....
Early season schedule testing mettle of Gateway boys
It might be only three weeks into the season, but the Gateway boys basketball team has faced its fair share of quality opponents. The Gators kicked off their season competing in the Highlands tip-off tournament, defeating Imani Christian, 64-52, in the semifinals Dec. 6 before falling to Highlands the next...
Shaler notebook: Titans bowlers showing potential
The Shaler Area bowling team hoped to be one of the major players in the WPIBL entering the season. Thus far, the Titans’ girls squad already has shown it will be a tough out in its section. Shaler is off to a 2-1 start, and its bowlers have been leaving...
Carlynton swimmers eye another section title with Chartiers Valley in pursuit
The Carlynton swimming team entered the season having won three consecutive section titles for boys and girls. Chartiers Valley is seen as the team most likely to challenge the Cougars, particularly on the girls side. A look at each team: Carlynton The Cougars, who co-op with Bishop Canevin, seem to...
Thomas Jefferson football star Nathan Werderber set to join Marines
Thomas Jefferson senior Nathan Werderber fulfilled a lifelong goal with his teammates in 2019. The Jaguars won the PIAA Class 4A title Dec. 5 with a 46-7 championship-game victory over Dallas at Hersheypark Stadium. Soon, Werderber will be tackling another longtime dream to join the military and enlist with the...
Senior Michael Silvio plays inspirational role for Brentwood football team
Michael Silvio quietly but effectively worked hard, went about his business and enjoyed an outstanding season on the Brentwood football team. Silvio, a 5-foot-11, 150-pound senior, manned a wide receiver slot on offense and a safety position on defense. He was part of a nine-man receiving corps that accounted for...
Brentwood’s Schwartz nabs pair of postseason awards
Brentwood’s Jaden Schwartz was a double award-winner after the girls volleyball season. Schwartz, an athletic 5-foot-3 senior libero, was named third-team All-WPIAL and first-team all-section. “Jaden is a level-headed defensive specialist,” Brentwood coach Kayla Hubsch said. “She rarely lets her emotions get to her and plays focused through (the) entire...
Baldwin celebrates reopening of indoor golf practice room
It has been a labor of love for former Baldwin golf coach Jim Stanko. Not only did he have tireless passion for the game of golf and the Baldwin boys golf team, he also developed a bond to the indoor golf room located in the Wallace Building. Stanko, who retired...
Quaker Valley’s Annie Wicker to run for William & Mary
A lead from a Quaker Valley alum convinced senior Annie Wicker to sign a letter of intent to compete for the William & Mary women’s cross country and track and field teams next season. Wicker, 17, of Sewickley, said the Williamsburg, Va., school was on her radar because of Zach...
Sewickley Academy hockey fighting to get into win column
Sewickley Academy’s hockey team should have been easy to pick apart in its most recent game against North Catholic. They were teams heading in opposite directions — the Panthers winless through 11 games and the Trojans owning the second-best record in Class A. Yet Sewickley Academy, a team that has...
Penn-Trafford swim teams working to refill talent pool
The Penn-Trafford swimming and diving teams are rebuilding but remain optimistic. “We have a core group who should perform well,” coach Dave Babik said. “We are working hard with our new swimmers and divers to build a competitive team.” The Warriors must replace two of the best divers in the...
Penn Hills grad Hollis Mathis makes impact as freshman at William & Mary
Heading into his freshman season at William & Mary, Hollis Mathis wasn’t sure how his game would translate to the collegiate level. A record-setting season provided answers to his doubts. Mathis, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound quarterback, threw for 976 yards and four touchdowns for William & Mary (5-7, 3-5) this season....
Step up in class doesn’t rattle Pine-Richland hockey team
With the first 10 games of the season behind them, the Pine-Richland hockey team has seemingly had very little difficulty in adjusting to PIHL Class AAA competition after winning Class AA division and state titles last year. Sporting a 7-2-1 record, the Rams sit in second place overall in AAA....
Pine-Richland fencing team begins rebuilding process
The 2019-20 school year marks the beginning of a new era for the Pine-Richland fencing program, as coach Brad Cellier is leading the boys and the girls teams through a rebuilding process. The Rams fencing teams have certainly had success in the past, as the girls are the two-time defending...
Plum boys basketball seeks secret to closing out games
First-year Plum boys basketball coach Mark Marino has been happy with the buy-in level from his players in the early part of the season. That’s led the Mustangs to be in a lot of games. Now, the next step is to figure out how to close them out. Aside from...
Norwin’s Federovich commits to Bucknell for track and field
It was a tough decision, but Norwin senior Matt Federovich committed to the Bucknell men’s track and field team next season. Federovich, 17, also was recruited for soccer. “Although I do love (soccer) and had a successful high school career, I am just as happy to be able to continue...
New wrestlers finding their way for North Allegheny
North Allegheny wrestling had a schedule set up to ease in a roster with four freshmen in the starting lineup. The Tigers were provided with an opportunity to get their feet wet. But it didn’t provide the best barometer for where North Allegheny is a group. First, the Tigers downed...
North Allegheny runner Hannah Lindgren headed to Delaware
North Allegheny senior Hannah Lindgren has signed a letter of intent with Delaware to continue her running career. Lindgren placed second in the WPIAL Class AAA girls cross country championship meet this season. She led the Tigers to their second consecutive WPIAL and PIAA titles. A four-time state qualifier, she...
Franklin Regional wrestlers running up medal count in early season tournaments
Finn Solomon and Carter Dibert recently won titles at the King of the Mountain Tournament, one of the most competitive regional wrestling events to start the season. The two Franklin Regional wrestlers, separated by six pounds, competed against each other in the following days as if they were in a...
Hampton soccer standout Lanie McLaughlin chooses Youngstown State
It takes a village to raise a good soccer player. Lanie McLaughlin knows this well — and it’s a big reason why she’ll continue her career after high school. Hampton’s senior class was special. It’s the first in recent memory to make the WPIAL playoffs in all four seasons, with...
