High School category, Page 118
Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore named TribLive Westmoreland boys basketball player of the year
Zion Moore Sr., G, Belle Vernon Asked to describe his senior basketball season in one word, TribLive Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year Zion Moore offered this: “History.” Belle Vernon’s high-volume scorer and his teammates produced the program’s first WPIAL championship since 1978 and did so as legendary coach...
Knoch’s Jackson Bauman headlines Valley News Dispatch boys basketball all-stars
Jackson Bauman 6-2, Jr., PG, Knoch When everything was on the line for the Knoch boys basketball team, Jackson Bauman shined. A heart-and-soul player for the Knights, Bauman came up big as his team faced elimination against section rival Deer Lakes in the WPIAL Class 4A fifth-place game with a...
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble headlines TribLive Westmoreland girls basketball all-stars
Erica Gribble Jr., G, Greensburg Central Catholic Even a second straight WPIAL championship doesn’t fully appease Erica Gribble. It doesn’t quite satisfy her appetite. Division I talents such as Gribble always seem to want more — from themselves, from their teammates, from their next goal. “I want to be more...
A-K HOF inductee Ondako excelled as an athlete, coach and still enjoys competition
Receiving the news that he had been selected to the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame left Larry Ondako pondering his place among local athletic legends. “It presented kind of a conundrum for me,” said the 81-year-old Ondako. “The hall is for greatness. I think I played well and was...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Apollo-Ridge’s Mikaila Ditty, Knoch’s Zane Pacek
Mikaila Ditty School: Apollo-Ridge Class: Freshman Sport: Softball Claim to fame: On the mound, Ditty threw a five-inning no-hitter, walking none and striking out 11, as the Vikings (5-1) beat Leechburg, 11-0, in a nonsection matchup. Helping her own cause, she went 2 for 3 with a grand slam, a...
Westmoreland high school notebook: County players, coaches set to take part in Roundball all-star games
The 21st Roundball Classic all-star basketball games are set for May 24-25 at North Allegheny. There will be seven all-senior games over two days, four boys and three girls. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, May 24 — Boys – Class 5A (South) vs. District 10, 3 p.m.; Girls –...
WPIAL softball rankings, week ending April 6, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Seneca Valley, 5-0, 1 2. Hempfield, 7-0, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 3-1, 3 4. North Allegheny, 3-4, 4 5. Norwin, 2-5, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Penn-Trafford, 4-1, NR 2. North Hills, 6-1, NR 3. West Allegheny, 4-3, 2 4. Shaler, 4-2, 4...
WPIAL baseball rankings, week ending April 6, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 2-2, 1 2. Canon-McMillan, 7-1, 4 3. Butler, 6-0, NR 4. Seneca Valley, 4-3, NR 5. Central Catholic, 4-2, 2 Out: Hempfield (4-4, 3), Mt. Lebanon (1-6, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 6-1, 1 2. Shaler, 5-3, 2 3. Bethel Park,...
Murrysville Star notebook: Franklin Regional baseball scoring runs in bunches
Through six games, Franklin Regional had scored more runs than any baseball team in the WPIAL. The Panthers (5-1) had 68 runs and had reached double digits four times, including back-to-back 18-run games. They outscored Penn Hills 36-3 in a two-game Section 1-5A sweep. In the second game, Jonah Willochell...
In season’s early days, Shady Side Academy girls lacrosse already making strides
The Shady Side Academy girls lacrosse team hasn’t played as many games as most of the other WPIAL teams. But when the Bulldogs kicked off the season with two section matches, they showed off their potential. The Bulldogs opened with wins over Shaler and Seneca Valley and scored a combined...
Fox Chapel alumni notebook: Wrestling ref Patrick Frank works national title match
Patrick Frank, who graduated from Fox Chapel in 1998, refereed the 141-pound title match during the NCAA Division I championships in March in Phialdelphia. Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez, who was the No. 3 seed, upset top-seeded Brock Hardy of Nebraska by winning a 12-9 decision. Frank, who was inducted into...
Penn Hills grad hopes to add to list of successful transfers
Defensive back Dontae Pollard wants to be a part of the group of Penn Hills alumni that found success at a higher level in college football. Corey Thomas Jr. found success at the University of Virginia after starting in Akron. Raion Strader landed with Auburn after excelling at Miami (Ohio)...
Young Penn Hills softball roster adjusting to intensity of varsity action
The Penn Hills softball team has many new faces looking to fill key roles. The Indians know that, with such a significant personnel transition, some growing pains should be expected. First-year Penn Hills coach Michelle Stiller would like to see their long-term plan pay dividends by the end of the...
Riverview track teams quick off the starting blocks this season
Riverview boys and girls track coach Dave Ilnicki has seen quite a bit of running, throwing and jumping over the decades. Ilnicki, a teacher in the district, is in his 33rd year of guiding kids in the track program. It’s his 29th season in charge. “I was hired in 1992...
Plum athletes hit early marks at Altoona Igloo Invitational
The Plum boys and girls track and field teams are well into their 2025 spring season, and early invitational and dual-meet results have put a smile on the face of head coach Matt Proskin. He struck a positive tone last Wednesday after a competitive section dual meet with Franklin Regional...
Norwin track teams have depth to contend for WPIAL titles
Norwin has taken the upper hand in many section track and field matches in recent years and has the winning streaks to prove it. The program has the talent to add to those streaks — and maybe the trophy case, too. The girls have won 33 straight section meets and...
Norwin notebook: Saint Francis shakeup shocks former Knights
A shakeup at Saint Francis University disrupted the college plans of several Norwin athletes who had their future plans ironed out only to be left shaking the trees for other opportunities. SFU, a longtime NCAA Division I member, announced plans to drop to Division III. Red Flash teams will go...
North Allegheny’s Izzy Costa wastes no time in breaking school record
North Allegheny track star Izzy Costa was likely to break the school’s 400-meter record at some point this spring. But no one saw this coming. At a season-opening tri-meet in mid-March, with nobody to push her and little at stake, Costa recorded a fully automated time of 55.86 seconds to...
North Allegheny runner Jack Bertram ready to shine
North Allegheny senior Jack Bertram spent the past two seasons chasing two of the best distance runners in WPIAL history. But now he’s the one to catch. After settling for third in the 3,200-meter run at the past two WPIAL Class 3A championships behind Butler’s Drew Griffith and Ringgold’s Ryan...
Franklin Regional’s Colin Stalnaker, Sanshiro Ogawa advance to WPIAL singles tournament
Franklin Regional’s boys tennis team has put itself in good position to qualify for the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. The Panthers (4-1, 4-4) are in second place in Section 1-3A behind Gateway. They still have matches against Norwin, Penn-Trafford and Plum. They have defeated Connellsville, Hempfield, Latrobe and Kiski Area....
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 4, 2025
High schools Baseball Friday’s results Class 3A Section 1 Riverside 9, Ellwood City 5 Class 2A Section 1 Burgettstown at California, ppd. Section 2 New Brighton at Freedom, ppd. Section 3 Apollo-Ridge at Springdale, ppd. Class A Section 2 Rochester 15, Summit Academy 0 Rochester 16, Summit Academy 0 Nonsection...
High school roundup for April 4, 2025: North Catholic ace throws 6-inning no-hitter with 15 Ks
Kennedy Brown threw a six-inning no-hitter with 15 strikeouts to lead North Catholic to an 11-0 win over Western Beaver (1-5, 0-1) in Section 3-4A softball Friday. Natalia Rushak went 3 for 4 with a double, home run and four RBIs and Samantha Foley hit two doubles for North Catholic...
What rust? Deer Lakes’ Olivia Ryan wins hot shots event at Cager Classic skills competition
Deer Lakes senior Olivia Ryan wouldn’t have ever willingly signed herself up to do a basketball hot shots competition. Not just because the 5-foot-8 post player primarily played on the inside during her high school career. But Ryan expected a bit of rust when she competed during the event during...
Track and field notebook: Weather should not stop South Hills Classic
South Hills Classic meet organizer Rich Wright said the 21st annual track and field invitational will go as scheduled despite expected inclement weather Saturday at Baldwin High School. There are more than 30 schools entered in the early-season meet. Wright said action begins at 10 a.m., and the pole vault...
Martz sisters come through as Franklin Regional earns softball win over Latrobe
Adrianna Martz isn’t going to play softball past high school because of a back issue, so the Franklin Regional junior is making the most of her prep career, one clutch hit at a time. “I have two discs in my back,” Martz said. “I did 12 weeks of physical therapy,...
