High School category, Page 164

Class 6A Favorite: Central Catholic has finished as the WPIAL runner-up two years in a row, but the Vikings enter this year again as title favorites. They have reached the final 10 of the past 11 years. First-year starting quarterback Jy’Aire Walls has passed for 1,729 yards and 19 touchdowns....

It happened again. And this playoff bracket-buster was even more impressive than the first one. Determined, fearless and firm in its game plan, Burrell knocked the No. 1 out of Mt. Pleasant, upsetting the top-seeded Lady Vikings on their home turf for the second straight season in the WPIAL Class...

Jeannette quarterback Kymon’e Brown couldn’t say he was happy with how things were in early October. The Jayhawks had just suffered their third straight loss and made a habit of fading after halftime. But the way Brown looked at it, Jeannette had an opportunity to turn around its season and...

Southmoreland football coach Tim Bukowski was glad to hear his team had clinched a WPIAL playoff spot, but discouragement already had set in. His sigh said it all. “We’re in trouble,” Bukowski said Friday night after his team lost at Greensburg Salem, 28-21. “I don’t know what we’re going to...

“Shocked and surprised.” That’s how the coach of three-time defending champion Aliquippa felt when the WPIAL revealed football playoff brackets Saturday. The Quips received a No. 4 seed in a Class 4A bracket that looked a lot different than what coach Vashawn Patrick and some others around the WPIAL had...

The seven-time PIAA Class 4A champion North Allegheny girls volleyball team actually had to break a sweat this regular season. The Tigers may be less powerful than usual or, if history is an indication, more prepared for adversity than ever. “We haven’t been a dominant team in every match,” coach...

Dorseyville Middle School cross country coach Sean Mawhinney insists every member of the program run a mile at the school at the start and end of every season. There are few better ways to show progress than for athletes to see it in action. For the girls program this season,...

The North Allegheny girls tennis team entered this season with little experience, a lot of questions marks and no place to call home. “Going into camp in August,” coach Michelle Weniger said, “we were very aware that we were going to be a young, inexperienced team.” The Tigers overcame their...

Franklin Regional football suffered another close loss Oct. 18 when it dropped a 27-17 decision to first-place Woodland Hills. Kyle Dupill rushed for 208 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers. Dupill’s 12-yard touchdown run gave the Panthers a 10-7 lead in the third quarter. Joey Bayne booted a 29-yard...

The Hampton hockey team wasted no time showing how a little belief can go a long way. Hampton, coming off a 5-15 season that included a 0-5 start and a midseason coaching change, opened its 2024-25 campaign with a 5-4 overtime victory against Butler and a 12-0 rout over Richland....

When Hampton’s WPIAL Class 3A first-round playoff game at West Allegheny went into overtime on Oct. 19, it felt almost regular for the Talbots. It was the fifth OT game of the season for No. 9-seeded Hampton, which escaped No. 8 West Allegheny, 2-1, on senior midfielder Caden Muchenski’s penalty-kick...

Bethel Park sophomore Cami Fisher took an impressive 24-1 overall record into the PIAA Class 3A girls tennis team championships. Bethel Park qualified for the state playoffs off its runner-up finish at this year’s WPIAL team tournament. No. 1 seed Mt. Lebanon edged the defending champion Black Hawks, 3-2, in...

The end of Bethel Park’s regular- season football schedule was taxing, to say the least. With three games to go, the Black Hawks were undefeated at 7-0 and 2-0 in the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference. And not only were the Bethel Park gridders unbeaten, they also outscored their first seven...

Brooke Henderson and Alex Merkel met for the first time in the summer when they both joined the Shady Side Academy girls tennis team. Judging by their results, one would assume they’ve been playing together for a long time. Henderson and Merkel, who are both freshmen, were the runners up...

Something was missing from Carson Kittsley’s wish list in 2024. The Fox Chapel sophomore had yet to pick up a victory in a major golf tournament. Kittsley emphatically crossed the goal off his list Oct. 22 at the Penn State White Course. Kittsley, who was playing in the PIAA Class...

Atheena Burnett had a busy job for the Penn Hills girls soccer team this season. When things broke down for the Indians, she was tasked with keeping the ball out of the net. There were many matches where Burnett was asked to do a lot of work. Burnett saved 40...

Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris is excited about his team’s progress in the classroom this season. The Indians, who have qualified to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs for the second straight season, have made major strides in the classroom. Ninety-five percent of the team has a GPA above 2.5,...

The road to a third consecutive appearance in the WPIAL Class 5A championship started with another conference title for the Pine-Richland football team. A 31-21 win over Penn Hills on Oct. 4 clinched the Northeast Conference crown, and the Rams aimed to complete a perfect 5-0 record in conference play...

The Plum High School Sports Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2024 on Nov. 14, at Edgewood Country Club. This year’s inductees are Scott Benzel (Class of 1993), Nolan Cressler (2012), Andrew DeFazio (1995), Richard Foutz (1970), Scott McGough (2008), William Rometo (1970), William Wilmore (1990), Ronit Yurovsky...

Norwin senior basketball player Bella Furno announced a commitment to Division II West Virginia Wesleyan. Furno, a 5-foot-8 swing guard, was a key contributor to last year’s WPIAL Class 6A championship chase. She often came off the bench to give the team a spark. Furno also had a Division II...

Like most kids his age, Joey Lutz enjoys playing video games in his free time. But one game has captured his attention the most of late. Lutz, a junior linebacker at North Hills, frequently plays the new EA Sports NCAA Football video game. Thanks to some creativity and a downloadable...

After years of quiet, beaten down bus rides home following matches, the North Hills boys soccer team let loose as it made its way from North Huntington to Ross Township on Oct. 22. For the first time in a quarter-century, the Indians were able to celebrate a playoff win. North...

Trib HSSN writers and broadcasters will analyze the WPIAL football playoff pairings at 3 p.m. Saturday with a live broadcast on the network. Don Rebel will be joined by Chris Harlan and Jerin Steele to break down the pairings and preview the first-round matchups. Watch the broadcast here. Also be...

Outside of wild cards, the 2024 WPIAL playoff field is set. In the new playoff format, wild card teams are no longer determined by Gardner Points or WPIAL tiebreaker points. So now, 16 additional teams will have to wait until Selection Saturday before the district football committee makes its decisions...

High school Football Friday’s results WPIAL Class 6A Central Catholic 38, Canon-McMillan 13 Mt. Lebanon 42, Norwin 20 North Allegheny 38, Seneca Valley 0 Class 5A Allegheny Six Moon 28, South Fayette 7 Peters Township 31, Bethel Park 28 Upper St. Clair 59, Baldwin 14 Big East Franklin Regional 29,...