High School category, Page 157

Imani Christian is moving on. And it took a big rally for the No. 1 Saints to do it. Down 14 at halftime to No. 9 Highlands and shut out on the scoreboard, Imani came all the way back to score a 31-17 victory in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal...

Battles are won and lost in the trenches. On Friday night, Freeport lost those battles. The offensive and defensive lines for the No. 7-seeded Yellowjackets (8-4) got zero push against No. 2-seed Central Valley (6-5) in a 35-7 defeat in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals. “They were just bigger and...

Pine-Richland running back Mac Miller’s focus didn’t wane during the bye week. The top-seeded Rams were solely focused on self-improvement. When Pine-Richland returned to action during a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal playoff Friday night at home, the Rams were ready to conduct business quickly and efficiently. The top-seeded Rams took...

Greensburg Central Catholic and the Southmoreland girls’ volleyball teams look to continue their seasons Saturday in the PIAA Volleyball tournament. The WPIAL Class A champions, Greensburg Central Catholic, will face District 6 champion West Branch at Johnstown High School at noon. The Centurions are coming off a 3-1 victory against...

PIAA soccer playoffs Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals Warwick (18-3) vs. Fox Chapel (13-4-2) 1 p.m. Saturday, Trojan Stadium, Chambersburg District seeds: Warwick 3-2; Fox Chapel 7-1 Winner plays: Winner of 7-2 Plum (17-1-3)/3-1 Cumberland Valley (19-1-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) First round: Warwick 3, Conestoga 2; Fox...

Avonworth soccer standout Fiona Mahan missed most of her senior season with a torn ACL, but that didn’t stop her from making an elite roster. Mahan, an Alabama commit, was selected to the 12th annual High School All-American Game set for Dec. 14 at Wando High School in Charleston, S.C....

PIAA boys soccer playoffs Class 3A Quarterfinals Franklin Regional (15-4-2) vs. Conrad Weiser (23-1-1) 5 p.m. Saturday, Trojan Stadium, Chambersburg District seeds: Franklin Regional 7-2; Conrad Weiser 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of 8-1 Allderdice (13-4-1)/7-1 Moon (23-0) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) First round: Franklin Regional 6, Bellefonte...

Rarely does a WPIAL football team play the same opponent in back-to-back games, but that’s the situation facing Beaver. Two weeks after beating Avonworth in the regular-season finale, Beaver opens the WPIAL playoffs Friday night with another matchup against the Antelopes. The fourth-seeded Bobcats (8-2) earned a first-round bye, so...

If Peters Township coach T.J. Plack had any worries his team would come out flat in its WPIAL playoff debut after a week off, the Indians quickly took away those doubts. The returning Class 5A champions scored on their first two drives, did a good job stuffing Penn-Trafford’s running game...

Field hockey PIAA tournament Class 3A Quarterfinals Saturday’s schedule Villa Maria Academy vs. Manheim Township (17-3) at Exeter Township, 11 a.m.; Methacton (17-4-2) vs. Emmaus (24-1) at Quakertown, 1 p.m.; Central Bucks West (21-4) vs. Easton (19-5-1) at Quakertown, 11 a.m.; Conestoga (19-3) vs. Mechanicsburg (17-5-1) at Exeter Township, 5...

Go back in time four years to when Thomas Jefferson and Aliquippa met in the 2020 WPIAL finals. It seemed then that a new rivalry was blossoming with the Quips’ arrival in Class 4A. Yet, they haven’t met since. “It’s been kind of surprising that we haven’t,” TJ coach Bill...

As always in November football, there is great anticipation for all the contests slated for the second week of WPIAL playoff action. Whether they are rematches from games earlier this season or first-time matchups, there is a special story to tell in all 24 postseason contests Friday. Four games —...

From three wins, to seven, to eight, Jeannette football has climbed back to respectability in three short seasons under Tommy Paulone’s leadership. The gaping wound left by the departure of nearly a dozen transfers in 2021 has all but healed. The rough patch in a proud program’s history is fading...

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 history. Tarentum ended its season on a winning note as the Redcats downed Fox Chapel, 33-21, in nonconference play on Nov. 7, 1964. Ron...

When Nick White was an assistant boys soccer coach at Fox Chapel, the Foxes made the PIAA playoffs once in his 10 years there. Now the boys coach at Franklin Regional, White does not undervalue the privilege to play in the state tournament. Franklin Regional (15-4-2), the WPIAL 3A runner-up,...

Jeannette’s Tommy Paulone was selected as the Steelers High School Coach of the Week after his team’s 23-7 upset of Neshannock in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The 13th-seeded Jayhawks scored 23 unanswered points to soundly dispatch the No. 4 Lancers. Paulone will receive $1,000 for...

Joey Crimboli had a five-point night with two goals and three assists to lead Latrobe to a 7-2 victory over Hempfield in PIHL Class 2A hockey Thursday night. Dylan Morris also scored twice and Jaxson Kettering had a goal and an assist for Latrobe (3-2). Guerin Gardner had a goal...

Player of the week Tasso Whipple Penn-Trafford, sr., RB/LB The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown to help the Warriors to a 49-28 WPIAL Class 5A first-round win over South Fayette. Whipple also returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown. Players to watch Landon Honick...

Field hockey PIAA tournament Class 3A Quarterfinals Saturday’s schedule Villa Maria Academy vs. Manheim Township (17-3) at Exeter Township, 11 a.m.; Methacton (17-4-2) vs. Emmaus (24-1) at Quakertown, 1 p.m.; Central Bucks West (21-4) vs. Easton (19-5-1) at Quakertown, 11 a.m.; Conestoga (19-3) vs. Mechanicsburg (17-5-1) at Exeter Township, 5...

While six of the 10 power-ranked teams were on a bye last week, one of the four schools in action went bye-bye. Montour lost for a second straight week and dropped out of the Trib 10, replaced by undefeated Imani Christian. The rest of the rankings remain intact for now,...

Player of the week Jahmar Wright Highlands, jr., WR/DB Wright was right on both sides of the ball for the Golden Rams in last Friday’s WPIAL Class 3A first-round win at Southmoreland. He caught two passes from Menage Lucas for 55 yards. One of the catches was for 33 yards...

Points were at an unexpected premium when Imani Christian and Highlands met at Wilkinsburg’s Graham Field on Sept. 20. Heading into the game, the Golden Rams were averaging 51.3 points, and the Saints were putting up 41.7 a contest. But it ended up being a defensive battle the whole way....

Last week: 2-2 Season: 83-24 (77.6%) Back when The Birdie took the SATs, his score resembled his area code. And that was before they introduced 724. In other words, learning isn’t exactly his strong suit. Still, as the high school football season winds down, he thinks it’s important to take...

Football WPIAL playoffs Friday’s schedule Class 6A Semifinals Seneca Valley (3-6) vs. Central Catholic (8-2) at West Mifflin, 7 p.m.; Mt. Lebanon (3-7) at North Allegheny (9-1), 7 p.m. Class 5A Quarterfinals Franklin Regional (8-3) at Pine-Richland (8-1), 7 p.m.; Bethel Park (9-2) at Woodland Hills (8-2), 7 p.m.; Penn...

Last week: 7-2 (77.8%) Season: 98-34 (74.2%) The Birdie didn’t predict a Jeannette-Greensburg Central Catholic rematch, but he’s beaming with excitement and anticipation that it is happening. He wishes, however, the teams could get in a time machine and play the game a couple of decades ago. The Westmoreland County...