High School category, Page 158

Self-inflicted wounds. That’s what Penn-Trafford coach John Raune said has cost his team in its last four meetings against Peters Township. Not beating yourself is one of the things Ruane is preaching to his team as it prepares for a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal-round game Friday at No. 3 Peters...

It was a near split decision for the WPIAL teams in the opening round of the 2024 PIAA girls volleyball playoffs. The 12 District 7 teams were a combined 7-5 in the first round Tuesday, with three of those victories coming from the three qualifiers in Class 3A. One of...

It was a near unanimous decision in the opening round of the 2024 PIAA girls soccer playoffs for teams from the WPIAL. District 7 teams were a combined 8-3 with the only losses suffered by 4A champion Peters Township in penalty kicks, 2A runner-up Burrell and Winchester Thurston in overtime...

The first round of the 2024 PIAA boys soccer playoffs was a landslide victory for area teams. The 11 WPIAL qualifiers along with City League champion Allderdice were a combined 8-4 in the opening round Tuesday. Three District 7 champs won and advanced to the second round, however Class 2A...

Fresh off a head-turning upset of fourth-seeded Neshannock in the first round of the WPIAL football playoffs, Jeannette went back to work this week for its next challenge, and it is a dandy. Of all teams, Greensburg Central Catholic is next up for the Jayhawks, who scored their first postseason...

Given how many times Freeport and Central Valley have made the WPIAL playoffs in the past decade, it’s fairly surprising that the two teams have never met. That will change when the seventh-seeded Yellowjackets travel to play No. 2 Central Valley in the Class 3A quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday....

When asked what his team needs to do to have success against top-seeded Pine-Richland on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, Franklin Regional coach Luke Getsy was clear and direct. “We have to be able to control the ball to keep their offense off the...

All was quiet on the western front … as well as the central and eastern fronts as many of the elite teams across the state enjoyed district playoff byes last weekend. However, that is about to change big time this week with only two ranked teams off, compared to the...

Field hockey PIAA tournament Class 3A First round Tuesday’s results Villa Maria Academy 2, Penn Manor 0 Manheim Township 2, Downingtown West 1 Methacton 5, Wyoming Valley West 1 Emmaus 2, Avon Grove 1 Central Bucks West 2, Lower Dauphin 1 (OT) Easton 3, Boyertown 2 Conestoga 5, West Lawn...

Aedan Costa and Billy Sprott scored to lead WPIAL champion Moon (23-0) to a 2-1 victory over Lampeter-Strasburg (16-3-3) in PIAA Class 3A first-round boys soccer Tuesday. The Tigers will meet Allderdice in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Allderdice 1, General McLane 0 – Ethan Voight-Cherna scored for Allderdice (14-4-1) in a Class...

The Conemaugh Township girls soccer team made a 90-minute trek west to Fox Chapel on Tuesday with the hopes of upending WPIAL champion Springdale. But the Dynamos didn’t allow the District 5 runner-up Indians the opportunity to come away with the PIAA Class A first-round win. In a game that...

You might expect the Greensburg Central Catholic girls volleyball team to have a slight letdown after winning the WPIAL Class A playoffs Saturday. And Centurions coach Erin Salas said the team was nervous ahead of Tuesday’s PIAA first-round match against District 9 runner-up Clarion-Limestone, a team that defeated GCC last...

Coming off a loss in the WPIAL championship game, Franklin Regional was as motivated as ever to perform well in its first state playoff game since 2021 on Tuesday night. On a warm Tuesday night, the WPIAL Class 3A runner-up Panthers (14-4-2) did just that, easing past District 6 champion...

With near record temperatures for early November on Tuesday, the Fox Chapel boys soccer team decided to add its own heat to the equation. The Foxes put Mechanicsburg under pressure from the opening kickoff, forced a bevy of turnovers and feasted off them. Sean Regan and Rocco Poli scored within...

When the WPIAL released its brackets for the boys soccer playoffs, Allderdice wasn’t included. The Dragons had learned weeks earlier that they weren’t eligible, but it still stung. Their motivation was to compete for a WPIAL title, until that was taken away with a few games left in the regular...

Field hockey PIAA tournament First round Tuesday’s schedule Class 3A Mechanicsburg (16-5-1) at Pine-Richland (20-0), 6 p.m.; West Lawn Wilson (15-6-1) at Conestoga (18-3), 4 p.m.; Boyertown (15-5-2) at Easton (18-5-1), 7 p.m.; Central Bucks West (20-4) at Lower Dauphin (19-1), 7 p.m.; Avon Grove (18-4) at Emmaus (23-1), 6...

TJ Ferguson scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period to lead Penn-Trafford to a 4-1 victory over Baldwin (0-3-1) in PIHL Class 2A hockey Monday night. Brock Bienemann and Cam Kiste added goals in the final 2:03 for Penn-Trafford (5-0). Baldwin’s Logan Cramer and Penn-Trafford’s Aiden Drotos traded...

On this busy day, a new President of the United States may or may not be determined by the end of the day and a new football player may or may not be acquired by the Pittsburgh Steelers by the end of the NFL trading deadline, but the PIAA playoffs...

PIAA soccer playoffs Boys Class 4A First round 3-4 Mechanicsburg (10-8-3) at 7-1 Fox Chapel (13-4-2) 5 p.m. Tuesday, Burke Stadium, Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 1-2 Conestoga (18-2)/3-2 Warwick (17-3) Saturday in quarterfinals Coaches: Joseph Panuccio, Mechanicsburg; Erik Ingram, Fox Chapel Players to watch: Juan Valencia, Mechanicsburg; Carson...

PIAA boys soccer playoffs Class 3A First round Franklin Regional (14-4-2) at Bellefonte (15-3-3) 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bellefonte High School, Bellefonte District place: Franklin Regional 7-2; Bellefonte 6-1 Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Conrad Weiser (21-1)/7-3 Mars (16-2-4) Saturday in quarterfinals Corner kicks: Franklin Regional is back in the PIAA...

Last year, Latrobe had a lot of inexperience and modest expectations. That group ended up making it to the Penguins Cup Class 2A playoffs, which instilled a lot of belief going into this season. “It gave us a ton of confidence,” senior forward Dylan Morris said. “Losing so many seniors...

For Plum hockey coach Jon Gratton, it is nice to have a calming influence for a team that has struggled out of the gate the past couple of seasons. Last year, the Mustangs started 2-4 before rallying to make the Penguins Cup playoffs, and this year, they have gotten off...

The Deer Lakes hockey team was one game away from contending for the Penguins Cup, losing last year in the semifinals. This season, the Lancers are determined to make it a step further. Though a large senior class graduated, the returning Lancers (2-2) have high hopes for the 2024-25 season....

High schools Field hockey PIAA tournament First round Tuesday’s schedule Class 3A Mechanicsburg (16-5-1) at Pine-Richland (20-0), 6 p.m. West Lawn Wilson (15-6-1) at Conestoga (18-3), 4 p.m. Boyertown (15-5-2) at Easton (18-5-1), 7 p.m. Central Bucks West (20-4) at Lower Dauphin (19-1), 7 p.m. Avon Grove (18-4) at Emmaus...