High School category, Page 1137
Westmoreland high school basketball notebook: Greensburg Salem boys moving up to Class 6A
When the PIAA last week released a list of schools that plan to play up in classification for the 2020-21 and 2012-22 school years, one team stood out. Greensburg Salem was one of the 10 WPIAL schools among the “voluntary upgrades” for the next two-year cycle. The Golden Lions are...
Zach Rocco helping Penn-Trafford boys basketball be all it can be
Zach Rocco is an Army of one. Not in terms of his role on the Penn-Trafford basketball team this season — although he is the only returning starter and senior — but rather in the way he goes about his business. The way he deals with an always regimented, always...
Kiski Area boys basketball on verge of taking next step
A year ago, the Kiski Area boys basketball team finished their 2018-19 season with just four wins in the first year of coach Will Saunders’ tenure. Now, after a 54-52 win over Connellsville this past Tuesday, the Cavaliers are already halfway to that total, and with the team that Saunders...
North Hills’ Hillegas motivated by loss in PIAA semifinals
North Hills’ senior Sam Hillegas seemed to be on his way to a third PIAA Class AAA title last season. However, Hillegas suffered his first loss of the season in the state semifinals, denying him a chance to become a state champion all four years. The Virginia Tech recruit has...
Competition fuels Hampton girls swim team
The only way to get better is to compete with the best. Bolstered by a team environment provided by the seniors, along with some fresh talent, the Hampton girls swim team hopes to do just that. Seniors Rosie Oh, Lydia Quaglia, Ansley Haught and Emily Berkebile look to lead a...
Hampton boys swim team primed for strong season
If last year’s 15th-place team finish at WPIALs was any indicator of what this small team can do in a pool of big fish, Hampton’s last year in Class AAA could be one of its best. Having lost no major senior contributors and returning all of its swimmers that participated...
Focus on defensive effort lifts Shaler Area girls to fast start
Senior guard Meghan Lacey wants this season to be a revenge tour for the Shaler Area girls basketball. The Titans made quite a statement to open the season at the Ambridge tournament. Opening against two teams that beat Shaler by double digits last season, the Titans showed they’ve learned from...
Penn Hills swimmers start fresh under new coach
The Penn Hills swimming program has a fresh, new look this year. A familiar last name isn’t on the roster for the first time in many years, and a new coach has taken over for the Indians. Nick Page, a 2013 Penn Hills alum, will lead the team after Cheryl...
Penn Hills’ Clayborn to continue soccer career in college
Several Penn Hills girls soccer players have gone on to play at the collegiate level in recent years. Midfielder Taylor Clayborn is the most recent Indian to make her college decision. After careful consideration, Clayborn committed to Thiel on Dec. 5. This moment has been something Clayborn has dreamed about...
Thirty-six from WPIAL make all-state volleyball teams
North Allegheny made it a PIAA Class AAAA three-peat this season in girls volleyball, while North Catholic won its first Class A state title in the sport. The best teams in the state usually produce the best players and each school had multiple players selected to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches...
WPIAL wrestling standings through Dec. 11, 2019
Here is the latest WPIAL team wrestling standings for the 2019-20 season through Dec. 11. The top three teams from each sub-section qualify for the section tournaments. The top team in each sub-section faces the runner-up in the opposing sub-section with the two winners then doing battle for the section...
WPIAL survey results: Schools favor 6 playoff brackets, mixed on realignment approach
The WPIAL’s football survey produced mixed results on some topics, but a clear majority of schools want to keep six separate playoff brackets. “So we’re going to go with that approach,” WPIAL associate executive director Amy Scheuneman said. WPIAL schools also overwhelmingly opposed the idea of every football team making...
McGuffey’s CJ Cole accepts preferred walk-on offer from West Virginia
McGuffey wide receiver and defensive back CJ Cole is heading south for college, but not too far south. McGuffey football coach Ed Dalton said the 6-foot-3, 175-pound standout athlete accepted a preferred walk-on offer from West Virginia Thursday morning. Cole also had a preferred walk-on offer from Pitt that he...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 11, 2019
Basketball Boys Wednesday’s results WPIAL Class 3A Section 1 Lincoln Park 68, Riverside 53 Nonsection Apollo-Ridge 42, Deer Lakes 41 Beaver 62, Freedom 52 Beth-Center 48, West Greene 31 Highlands 76, Nazareth Prep 53 Hollidaysburg 55, Hempfield 49 Hopewell 63, South Side Beaver 38 Keystone Oaks 64, Freeport 60 Neshannock...
High school roundup for Dec. 11, 2019: Elizabeth Forward wins early season showdown on Class AA mats
Elizabeth Forward used five pins to post a 46-31 victory over Southmoreland in a matchup of top teams in WPIAL Class AA on the opening night of section wrestling action Wednesday. Austin Wilson (106), Noah Hunnell (152), Nick Hunnell, Ethan Cain (195) and Nick Murphy (285) recorded falls for the...
Full night of section openers in WPIAL girls hoops highlight Thursday
One of the best section races in district girls basketball last season was in Section 1-3A where Avonworth, Beaver and Neshannock battled for first place. Neshannock pulled away and won the section title, two games ahead of both Avonworth and Beaver. All three teams ended up reaching the quarterfinals in...
Final HSSN football power rankings with a comparison to the first Trib 10 of 2019
Here is the final edition of the Trib 10 football power rankings for the 2019 season. The six WPIAL champions own the top six spots with the top three going to the district teams that played for state gold this past weekend in Hershey. Thomas Jefferson was the lone WPIAL...
The debut of the 2019-20 Trib HSSN basketball power rankings
For the first time in the 2019-20 WPIAL basketball season, the Trib Live High School Sports Network presents the boys and girls weekly power rankings. Each Thursday during the high school basketball season, we will rank the top 10 for each gender. These rankings have zero classification boundaries. As a...
Hempfield lineman Cole Graham commits to St. Francis (Pa.)
Cole Graham was a late-bloomer in the recruiting game, but that did not stop the Hempfield football lineman from finding his way to a Division-I program. Graham, who saw an uptick in interest in recent weeks, announced Wednesday his commitment to play at St. Francis (Pa.). The Red Flash offered...
Kiski Area wrestling tops Norwin to start section schedule
The Kiski Area wrestling team got its first dual win of the season on Wednesday after capturing the Eastern Area tournament this past weekend. Led by back-to-back pins from seniors Jack Blumer and Nick Delp at the top of the match, the Cavaliers produced six total pins throughout and topped...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Penn-Trafford savors dramatic victory
Penn-Trafford showed a flair for the dramatic Tuesday night against a quality opponent. Sophomore Maura Suman ignited a celebration when she made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the wing to lift the Warriors to a 59-58 upset of No. 2 Gateway in a Class 5A nonsection game in Harrison City. Suman...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Freeport looks to repeat fast start
Last season, the Freeport girls basketball team went 1-1 at the season-opening Southmoreland tournament before winning six straight to head into the new year 7-1 en route to an 18-4 regular season and a runner-up finish in Section 1-4A. Yellowjackets coach Fred Soilis hopes his team, which split a pair...
Deer Lakes’ Makayla Blair makes successful return from hoops hiatusVideo
Makayla Blair scored a game-best 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds Monday in the Deer Lakes’ girls basketball team’s 57-41 victory over Burrell. It was a breakout game for the Lancers senior guard in a comeback of sorts after three seasons away from the sport. “My main goal was...
PIAA could force Aliquippa football to Class 4A under competitive-balance rule
Add Aliquippa to the list of football teams that might be forced into a higher classification next season. The Quips already are voluntarily playing up two classifications but they could be moved to Class 4A under a PIAA competitive-balance rule that targets postseason success and transfers. That possibility came as...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 10, 2019
Basketball Boys Tuesday’s results WPIAL Mike Rettger tournament At Franklin Regional Baldwin 68, Franklin Regional 49 Bethel Park 107, Trinity 80 Norwin 70, Monessen 52 Nonsection Allderdice 49, Central Catholic 46 Avella 74, Bentworth 59 Avonworth 71, Northgate 50 Brentwood 61, Carlynton 50 Burgettstown 70, Fort Cherry 65 (OT) Butler...
