High School category, Page 17
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 7, 2026: Allderdice-Central Catholic matchup highlights Day 2 of PIAA 1st-round action
The PIAA basketball first round concludes Saturday in boys Class 6A, 3A and 2A along with girls Class 5A, 4A and Class A. Allderdice has played in 45 PIAA boys basketball postseason games and have nearly split with 23 wins and 22 losses all-time. The Dragons’ last 10 games in...
High school roundup for March 6, 2026: WPIAL champ Shady Side Academy girls pull out 1st-round win in OT
Karis Thomas scored 22 points, including seven in overtime, to lead WPIAL champion Shady Side Academy to a 63-54 win over Marion Center (23-5) in the PIAA Class 3A girls basketball first round Friday night. Kate Benec had 11 points and Leah Buford added 10 for the Bulldogs, who will...
Thomas Jefferson’s Justin Fry cooks New Oxford in PIAA Class 5A 1st round
On Fridays during Lent, it is a tradition for folks to somehow, someway get themselves to a local fish fry. Well on the first Friday in March, the most popular Fry in Jefferson Borough was 6-foot-4 junior Justin Fry. With his teammates struggling, all Fry did was play tough defense...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls take out frustrations from WPIAL loss, roll in PIAA opener
And Greensburg Central Catholic thought section play was over. In 14 WPIAL section games this season, GCC had a winning margin of 44 points. Running clocks were a regular occurrence. The Centurions’ PIAA opener had the feel of one of those games as they coasted into the second round with...
Despite Ava Christopher’s heroics, Norwin falls to Altoona in OT in PIAA 6A 1st round
ALTOONA — With four seconds left in regulation and her team down three, Norwin’s Ava Christopher banked in a 3-pointer to take the game to overtime against Altoona in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A tournament Friday night. It gave the Knights new hope, and another four minutes...
Derry’s Mason Horwat reaches PIAA 2A finals thanks to upset of returning state champ
HERSHEY — Derry wrestling coach Troy Dolan Jr. insists that junior Mason Horwat thrives in big matches. Horwat had two Friday at the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships at Giant Center, and he now finds himself in the 172-pound final. He was the only WPIAL wrestler to reach the Class...
6 WPIAL wrestlers to go for gold at PIAA girls championships
HERSHEY — Six WPIAL wrestlers will be in the championship round of the PIAA girls wrestling tournament Saturday afternoon after recording victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals Friday at Giant Center. Of the semifinal wins, Ava Golding’s 18-0 tech fall victory over Laila Colon of Manheim Township in the 142-pound...
Deer Lakes boys cruise through PIAA 1st round
The Deer Lakes boys basketball team is moving on. The Lancers, in the PIAA playoffs for the third time in four seasons, shook off some early offensive issues and opened a sizeable lead in their Class 4A opening-round game Friday at District 6 champion Huntingdon. Three Deer Lakes players scored...
Connellsville’s Tommy Gretz spoils potential marquee rematch with upset win in PIAA Class 3A wrestling
HERSHEY — For those who were hoping for a Landon Sidun-Mateo Gallegos rematch in the 121-pound PIAA Class 3A wrestling championship finals, Connellsville junior Tommy Gretz ruined it. Gretz used a takedown in the first period and added another in the second period in an 8-6 shocker against Gallegos in...
Knoch sends large crowd home happy with victory in 1st round of PIAA boys basketball playoffs
Teegan Finucan and his teammates were eager to soak in the adulation Friday night. Beating Girard, 46-30, to open the PIAA Class 4A playoffs at home provided a crowded stage on which the Knoch boys basketball team seldom had an opportunity to perform. Thanks to the quirks of high school...
Chartiers Valley rains 3-pointers on Exeter Township in PIAA Class 5A 1st round
A steady rain of 15 Chartiers Valley 3-pointers carried the Colts past Exeter Township, 68-44, in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs Friday night. Julius Best spearheaded the Colts, coming in hot off the bench with 18 points and four 3s. “I’m not going to lie. I...
Elijah Brown breaks Belle Vernon record; 10 from WPIAL reach PIAA Class 3A semifinals
HERSHEY – Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown has hardly broken a sweat in his two matches at the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships. He had a pin in 34 seconds Thursday and a 44-second technical fall Friday in the quarterfinals at a chilly Giant Center. Those two victories gave him the...
A-K Valley PIAA basketball playoff preview capsules for March 7, 2026
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class A First round 7-6 St. Joseph (14-11) at 9-1 Clarion Limestone (19-7) 1 p.m. Saturday Winner plays: Winner of 7-2 Geibel Catholic (23-3)/6-3 St. Joseph Catholic Academy (24-3) Wednesday in second round (site/time TBD) Players to watch: Bella Barolovic, St. Joseph; Hannah Beggs, Clarion Limestone...
Derry sends 3 wrestlers to PIAA Class 2A semifinals
HERSHEY — It has been quite a season for the Derry wrestling program. And that trend continued Friday morning in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 2A wrestling tournament at the Giant Center. Freshman Patrick Bulger (114 pounds) and juniors Mason Horwat (172) and Brady Brown (189) advanced to Friday...
St. Joseph girls set high standard, make return to state playoffs
The St. Joseph girls basketball team again is experiencing the PIAA’s version of March Madness. The Spartans played their way to a fifth straight berth in the Class A state tournament. Hoping to get there now has turned into an expectation, and coach Geoff Dutelle is happy to help fuel...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff preview capsules for March 7, 2026
Girls Class 5A First round West York (16-10) at Penn-Trafford (20-6) 1 p.m. Saturday District/place: West York 3-6; Penn-Trafford 7-3 Winner plays: Winner of 3-8 Milton Hershey (17-9)/7-1 South Fayette (25-1) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Cam Forsythe, West York; Hanna Weishaar, Penn-Trafford Layup lines:...
Fox Chapel girls excited to return to state playoffs after 6-year absence
Marty Matvey came to the Fox Chapel girls basketball team in 2019, just a few months after the Foxes’ last trip to the PIAA playoffs. He had just helped guide South Park to a WPIAL Class 4A semifinal appearance and a trip to the state tournament. Though the Foxes have...
Belle Vernon girls hit the road with confidence for PIAA opener
The Belle Vernon girls basketball team begins the PIAA playoffs Saturday, traveling over two hours northeast to Clearfield. The Leopards (22-4) are the fifth-place team out of the WPIAL and will face the District 9 champion Bison at 1 p.m. on their home floor at Clearfield High School. “We’re excited...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 5, 2026
High schools Basketball Boys First round Class 6A Saturday’s schedule Cedar Cliff (18-8) at Plymouth-Whitemarsh (22-4), 1 p.m.; Wilkes-Barre (13-10) at Bethlehem Liberty (17-10), 2:30 p.m.; Cheltenham (19-8) at Central York (22-3), 1 p.m.; Spring-Ford (18-8) at Father Judge (15-11), 2 p.m.; Garnet Valley (17-8) vs. Imhotep Charter (21-6) at...
High school roundup for March 5, 2026: Quaker Valley nets OT winner vs. Chartiers Valley
Matthias Lezama scored the winning goal 9:53 into overtime to give Quaker Valley a 3-2 victory over Chartiers Valley in the PIHL Class A Penguins Cup hockey quarterfinals Thursday night. Max Modrovich scored twice and Ian Lorang made 27 saves for Blue division second seed Quaker Valley (20-1-1), which will...
Ringgold holds off upstart Knoch in PIHL Division 2 quarterfinals
In a back-and-forth playoff battle Thursday night, the difference between the Ringgold and Knoch hockey teams was the second period. While No. 6 Knoch, enjoying one of the best seasons in program history, outscored Ringgold by two goals in the first and the third combined, the No. 3 Rams stormed...
Hempfield’s Nico Kapusta has eventful Day 1 at PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships
HERSHEY — Hempfield senior Nico Kapusta left the Giant Center on a stretcher Thursday during the opening day of the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships. He also got his first ambulance ride after being slammed in his first-round match. Kapusta was taken to Hershey Medical Center, where he was checked...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 6, 2026: State basketball playoffs to tip off
The PIAA basketball playoffs tip off Friday with first-round action in boys Class 5A, 4A and Class A, along with girls Class 6A, 3A and 2A. The state playoffs are a five-round grind leading to the championship games at the Giant Center. However, for two WPIAL boys Class 5A teams,...
Two tabbed PIHL players of the month for February
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League announced its players of the month for February. Hempfield junior forward Colby Herron was the recipient in Class 2A. Herron, who has helped the Spartans reach the Penguins Cup semifinals, had four goals and four assists in three games last month. He plays a key...
Mt. Pleasant hires Katarski as athletic director; will remain as boys basketball coach
Mark Katarski already reunited with his high school alma mater when he became the boys basketball at Mt. Pleasant. Now, he will oversee all of the sports there. Katarski was hired Wednesday night by a 9-0 vote to be the Vikings’ athletic director. He replaces JJ Eckels, who left to...
