High School category, Page 15

Addison Ayres saves most of the shots she faces, but the Franklin Regional senior goalkeeper couldn’t save herself after Wednesday night’s game. As the Panthers gathered in their customary circle after a 5-0 Section 4-3A girls soccer victory over visiting Elizabeth Forward, Ayres didn’t see junior teammates Grace Copeland and...

The PIAA is one step away from adding a shot clock to high school basketball games statewide. A much-debated proposal to start using the clocks in the 2028-29 season earned a second vote of approval Wednesday when the PIAA board met in Mechanicsburg. The tentative plan must pass a third...

Section play in the WPIAL girls soccer regular season has reached the final few days and 58 teams have qualified for the upcoming district postseason. The top four teams in each section qualify for the district playoffs. All teams tied for a playoff spot where head-to-head does not break the...

When the WPIAL cross country championships are held in two weeks, the Norwin girls and the Hempfield boys look to be in contention for the Class 3A titles. Both teams showed why they are top contenders Wednesday during the annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association championship at Westmoreland County Community College...

Player of the week Landyn Artman Kiski Area, So., QB/DB Artman delivered for the Cavaliers in their 34-13 victory over Latrobe last Friday that vaulted them back into the playoff hunt in the Big East Conference. He threw a season-best five touchdown passes and finished with 267 yards through the...

Last week: 7-4 Season: 61-15 (80.3%) When The Birdie flew back to the office late Friday night, his weekly tour of football stadiums (and concession stands) complete, he put his feet up on the desk and smiled. “I’m not going to lie,” he began. “There have been times this season...

Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week 7 in Westmoreland County: Class 6A No. 3 Norwin (5-2, 2-1) vs. No. 1 Central Catholic (6-1, 4-0) 8 p.m. Thursday, CMU’s Gesling Stadium, Oakland Last week: Norwin 33, Hempfield 26; Central Catholic 69, Shaler 7 Last year’s meeting: Central Catholic...

Last week: 10-1 Season: 67-22 (75%) Stadium technology has ruffled the Birdie’s feathers. Let him explain. “It used to just be about football,” the legendary high school football expert said. “Now, it’s like going to a concert. I can’t get a good parking spot, I get searched when I go...

Thursday WPIAL Class 6A Norwin at Central Catholic, 8 p.m. City League Nonconference Carrick at Perry Traditional Academy, 7 p.m. Friday WPIAL Class 6A Canon-McMillan at North Allegheny, 7:30 p.m. Seneca Valley at Hempfield, 7 p.m. Class 5A Allegheny Six Baldwin at Moon, 7 p.m. Bethel Park at Upper St....

Player of the week Gregory Sleasman Ligonier Valley, Jr., WR/DB Sleasman became the first Ligonier Valley player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game when he completed the feat last Friday as the Rams defeated Charleroi, 67-13. He returned one 32 yards and the other 72 yards....

During the 50 previous meetings between Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland, a series dominated by the Vikings, the Scotties have never won three consecutive games. Will that change this year? The Scotties have a chance at 7 p.m. Friday when they celebrate homecoming at Russ Grimm Field at Southmoreland Stadium against...

As the boys soccer regular season inches toward the end, teams around the Alle-Kiski Valley are preparing for their postseason run or looking to secure their spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Four teams — Plum, Fox Chapel, Deer Lakes and Springdale — have qualified for the postseason. Plum (14-2-1, 8-0-1)...

Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week 7 in the A-K Valley: Class 5A Big East Armstrong (3-4, 2-1) at Kiski Area (3-4, 2-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Richard Dilts Stadium, Allegheny Township Last week: Woodland Hills 50, Armstrong 14; Kiski Area 34, Latrobe 13 Last year’s meeting: Kiski...

It’s the stretch run to the WPIAL playoffs, and for Burrell and Highlands, an Allegheny 7 Conference clash Friday at Burrell’s Buccaneer Stadium is rife with playoff implications. While both teams’ players and coaches understand how important the game is in the conference standings and for the playoff picture in...

The Springdale girls volleyball team is on the cusp of ending an eight-year WPIAL playoff drought. The Dynamos outlasted Aquinas Academy, 3-2, on Tuesday as they held off a furious rally after grabbing a two-set lead in the match. Led by 14 kills from junior Bella George, 11 kills from...

Franklin Regional is getting healthy. That could be bad news for other boys soccer teams in WPIAL Class 3A. “The more we start to get healthy, the more depth we have,” Panthers coach Nick White said. “When we put guys in, the level doesn’t drop.” Senior Keaton Sheetz and sophomore...

High schools Field hockey Tuesday’s results Class 2A Penn-Trafford 4, Latrobe 3 Nonsection Pin-Richland 2, Fox Chapel 0 Football Thursday’s schedule WPIAL Class 6A Norwin at Central Catholic, 8 p.m. City League Nonconference Carrick at Perry Traditional Academy, 7 p.m. Friday’s schedule WPIAL Class 6A Canon-McMillan at North Allegheny, 7:30...

In the final days of the WPIAL girls soccer regular season, 55 schools have clinched a district postseason berth with five spots still up for grabs. However, depending on how things play out in the next six days, that number could balloon to eight additional playoff berths. Here are the...

Other teams that lost slid down the rankings or completely fell from the Top 5, but when LaSalle College lost to Roman Catholic two weeks ago, it remained No. 1 in Class 6A. Last week, the Explorers showed why as they bounced back and defeated perennial power and defending PIAA...

Tanner Schultz converted a penalty kick and Liam Miller also scored to lead Quaker Valley to a 2-0 victory over Hopewell (6-8, 6-7) in Section 2-2A boys soccer Tuesday. Coupled with Central Valley’s 2-1 overtime win over Avonworth (14-2-1, 12-2-1), the result put the Quakers (13-2-1, 12-1-1) in the driver’s...

Section play in the WPIAL boys soccer regular season is down to the final week with 51 teams having already qualified for the upcoming district postseason. The top four teams in each section qualify for the district playoffs. All teams tied for a playoff spot where head-to-head does not break...

It was a bizarre night of soccer at Yough Stadium as two sets of Cougars in Charleroi and Yough played their scheduled match as well as the remaining 4 minutes, 14 seconds of their previous encounter Sept. 11 that was postponed because of unruly fans. Yough opened up the night...

Aaron Hutter coached various sports — girls tennis, softball and football — at Mt. Pleasant. He knows if you want respect, you must earn it. The fifth-year coach, however, was a little disappointed his girls tennis squad was seeded eighth in the WPIAL Class 2A team tennis playoffs, and it...

Sam Plazio knows very well what it feels like to take home gold from the Westmoreland County Coaches Association cross country championships. The Kiski Area senior claimed the top spot in the boys varsity race as a freshman and repeated as champion as a sophomore. Last year, Plazio was fourth...

Norwin has secured its first outright section championship since 2019, a sure sign the Knights (12-2) are back to being WPIAL title contenders again. “Yes, Norwin is back,” junior Siena Ali said. Senior Nicole Bown and her classmates on the team have seen both ends of the spectrum. When they...