High School category, Page 2

Player of the week Antonio Perkins Burrell, So., QB/DB It was a school-record night for Perkins in last Friday’s 48-41 victory over Deer Lakes. He set team marks for rushing yards (360) and touchdowns (seven) in a game. Of the 360 rushing yards, 303 came in the second half. Perkins...

The Kiski Area football team is hoping to break a long playoff-win drought when it travels to Shaler on Friday for a WPIAL Class 5A first-round game. The Cavaliers have dropped 12 postseason games in a row since defeating Armstrong Central, 29-13, in 1990. First-year Kiski coach Colyn Haugh said...

Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week 10 in the A-K Valley: Class 5A First round 11-Plum (5-5) at 6-Upper St. Clair (8-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Panther Stadium, Upper St. Clair Last week: Plum 20, Penn Hills 14; Upper St. Clair 56, Baldwin 8 Playoff record: Plum 9-18;...

Last week: 9-2 Season: 89-20 (81.7%) When the regular season ends and playoffs begin, The Birdie tends to get a little melancholy. “At this point, the season can be over in the blink of an eye,” the football fowl philosophized. So before he makes his picks for the first week...

Football WPIAL playoffs All games 7 p.m. Class 6A Semifinals Nov. 7 Canon-McMillan (4-6) vs Central Catholic (9-1), site TBD; Norwin (7-3) at North Allegheny (7-3) Class 5A First round Friday’s schedule Kiski Area (4-6) at Shaler (3-7); Armstrong (4-6) at Moon (7-3); North Hills (3-7) at Bethel Park (6-4);...

Player of the week Giovanni Rothrauff Norwin, Jr., RB/OLB The junior ran for a career-high 260 yards in helping the Knights to a 14-7 victory over Mt. Lebanon. He is approaching a Norwin record for yards in a season. He has rushed 1,433 yards and nine touchdowns. Players to watch...

When it comes to playoff history, there is no comparison between Jeannette and Bentworth. The Jayhawks are 59-36-1 in the playoffs and have won two PIAA and 10 WPIAL titles. The Bearcats are 1-8 in the playoffs, and that win came in 2005: a 35-24 overtime victory over Mapletown. The...

Class 3A First round 11-Derry (6-4) at 6-Highlands (7-4) 7 p.m. Friday, Golden Rams Stadium, Natrona Heights Last week: Derry 47, Yough 20; Highlands 45, Valley 0 Playoff record: Derry 5-14; Highlands 11-25 WPIAL titles: Derry 0; Highlands 0 Last playoff appearance: Derry 2023; Highlands 2024 Winner plays: 3-Central Valley...

Last week: 10-2 Season: 99-27 (79%) It is playoff time, and to celebrate the “real ones,” as he says, the Birdie is speaking the truth. Make that, truths. Westmoreland County’s prep football oracle said this is the time of year that separates the contenders from the pretenders. He finishes his...

WPIAL Class A girls soccer championship 1-Sewickley Academy (18-1) vs. 2-Bentworth (18-1-1) 6 p.m. Thursday, Highmark Stadium Coaches: Gary Weber, Sewickley Academy; Tyler Hamstra, Bentworth Players to watch: Emma Eannarino, Sewickley Academy; Megan Keturakis, Bentworth WPIAL titles: Sewickley Academy 4 (2004, 2003, 2002, 1999); Bentworth 0 Playoff path: Sewickley Academy...

WPIAL Class A boys soccer championship 1-Bentworth (20-0) vs. 2-OLSH (17-0) 8 p.m. Thursday, Highmark Stadium Coaches: Nick Malarbi, Bentworth; Brandon Scott, OLSH Players to watch: Ryan Moessner, Bentworth; Owen Minzer, OLSH WPIAL titles: Bentworth 2 (2024, 2023); OLSH 0 Playoff path: Bentworth defeated No. 16 Brentwood, 7-0, in the...

Floyd Snyder is a humble coach who often deflects attention to his assistants and players. But Snyder couldn’t hide from an unexpected and distinguished honor. The 18th-year Mt. Pleasant boys soccer coach was named WPIAL Class 2A co-Coach of the Year by the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association. He was...

Girls Class 2A Third-place game Mt. Pleasant (14-5-1) vs. Quaker Valley (14-3-1) 6 p.m. Thursday, Chuck Knox Stadium, Leetsdale Players to watch: Cam Kapr, Mt. Pleasant; Ari Bosh, Quaker Valley What’s at stake: The winner gets third in the WPIAL and advances to the PIAA playoffs, and the loser’s season...

WPIAL soccer playoffs Girls Class A Third-place consolation 11-Waynesburg (11-4-2) at 4-Springdale (12-2-1) 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Springdale Winner plays: District 5 champion Tuesday in PIAA first round (site/time TBD) Players to watch: Lacey Shondeck, Springdale; Kolbi Rastoka, Waynesburg Throw-ins: Springdale hopes to qualify for the PIAA playoffs for the...

The North Allegheny boys soccer team ended this season with 10 wins, six losses, three ties and zero regrets. In the wake of a 1-0 loss at top-seeded Peters Township in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals on Oct. 25, the No. 8 Tigers recalled a “tricky season” with many more...

Three finalists were announced Wednesday for the sixth Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player award, which highlights the WPIAL’s top girls soccer player. A 31-player watch list released in August was narrowed to three: • Natalia DiSora of Upper St. Clair • Morgan Gesinski of Mt. Pleasant • Emily McKee of...

High schools Field hockey WPIAL playoffs Championship At North Allegheny Class 3A Tuesday’s results Pine-Richland 2, North Allegheny 0 Class 2A Wednesday’s schedule Peters Township (13-2-2) vs. Fox Chapel (12-3-3), 6 p.m. Class A Wednesday’s schedule Shady Side Academy (16-2-1) vs. Aquinas Academy (9-5), 7:30 p.m. Football WPIAL playoffs All...

Harrison Murray scored the winning goal in the 60th minute, assisted by Anthony Mimna, as No. 8 West Allegheny continued its WPIAL boys soccer playoff run with a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Thomas Jefferson (17-3-1) in the Class 3A semifinals. Zach Wallace earned the shutout in goal for West...

Confetti rained down from the Pine-Richland stands with a period to go in the WPIAL Class 3A field hockey championship game Tuesday. The odd thing? Neither the Rams nor their Class 3A rival, North Allegheny, had scored. After a shot from outside the circle whizzed past North Allegheny netminder Alaina...

The Fox Chapel boys soccer team prides itself on having variety in its attack. The Foxes leaned on that versatility to put themselves in position to win a seventh WPIAL title. The Foxes produced goals two minutes apart in the first half during a 2-0 win over Plum in a...

The Sewickley Academy girls soccer team felt the sting of a WPIAL playoff loss to Springdale each of the past three years. The setbacks in 2022 and 2023 came in the first round. Last year, the Panthers’ WPIAL run was ended by the Dynamos in the semifinals, just one win...

When the Freeport and Quaker Valley girls soccer teams found out that No. 8 Burrell had shut out No. 4 Mt. Pleasant in the first of two Class 2A semifinals Tuesday evening, they knew there was going to be a rematch. It was going to be either the Quakers and...

Fabrizzio Costa’s late-game goal set up by Michael Hillenbrand sent No. 3 Franklin Regional back to Highmark Stadium, defeating No. 2 Bethel Park, 1-0, in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals Tuesday night. “If you give yourself enough opportunities, something good can happen,” Franklin Regional coach Nick White said. “On that...

A blinding sun greeted teams and spectators before kickoff Tuesday night at Gateway. It was tough to see the left side of the field until sunset. Mt. Pleasant didn’t see the first goal coming, either. Burrell’s Allie McMahon scored on a cross from Makiah Buchak just 43 seconds into a...

This is the 12th time in 13 years that Highmark Stadium in Station Square has hosted the WPIAL soccer championships. The lone year it didn’t since 2013 was in the covid-affected year of 2020. Before expansion to four classifications, the soccer finals were played over two days. Since then, the...