High School category, Page 20
Shaler inducts latest class into Athletic Hall of Fame
Shaler Area School District welcomed the 2025 class into its Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony Oct. 4. Julia Bernesser (volleyball, track and field), Bri Dobson (softball), former superintendent Don Lee, and Tim Giel (wrestling) and the 2005 softball team were honored with a reception and induction ceremony. The...
Excitement for WPIAL title defense builds for section champ Quaker Valley
They almost make it look too easy at times. Oh yes, they work as tediously on the practice pitch, if not moreso, as any WPIAL team. And as the defending WPIAL Class 2A champions, they are talent-driven with three seniors, seven juniors, 12 sophomores plus a small but strong freshman...
‘Never satisfied’ Quaker Valley boys build late-season momentum
Sensational, simply sensational. The answer to the question, “Who has strung together a 15-game unbeaten streak prior to the postseason?” is Quaker Valley’s boys soccer team. After two early season blips on their radar, the Quakers did not lose a game in September (9-0-1) and October (5-0) in ringing up...
Penn-Trafford profile: Senior hockey player Ben Zierski
Q: Do you play another sport? A: Yes, I play golf but not on a team. Q: What is your best round and where? A: I shot a 39 at Manor Valley. Q: How old were you when you started playing hockey? A: I was 4. I did not like...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Ben Grabowski keys win over rival Franklin Regional
Junior Ben Grabowski rushed for 172 yards on just four carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the Warriors to a 48-14 victory against Franklin Regional in a WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference battle on Oct. 10. Quarterbacks Nate Desmond and Cody Yacamelli each tossed touchdown passes. Landyn Stikkel...
Shaler moves in right direction with win over nemesis North Hills
The North Hills game has never been an easy night for the Shaler football team. The Indians inflicted plenty of pain on the Titans over the past 13 seasons. Shaler senior wide receiver Jonathan Saban insisted that meant they had a different approach at practice leading up to their Northeast...
Shaler barges back into boys soccer playoffs with breakthrough season
The Shaler boys soccer program just didn’t sneak back into the WPIAL playoffs after an extended absence. The Titans were in a tight race for the Section 1-3A crown going into their final two section matches of the season. While Shaler wasn’t able to secure a late-season win over Hampton...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Stingy goalkeeper leads Sewickley Academy girls
One of the highlights of the Sewickley Academy girl soccer team’s regular season was the effort displayed by sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Edmunds. The 16-year-old Edmunds and the Panthers were 11-0 in Section 3-A and 14-1 overall with nine shutouts with one game remaining in the regular season. “A big thank...
Sewickley Academy plays ‘tougher brand of soccer’ en route to playoffs
Sewickley Academy’s boys soccer team didn’t let a few bumps in the road derail it in its quest to advance to the WPIAL playoffs. For instance, Neshannock edged Sewickley, 3-2, on Oct. 13 to bump the Panthers out of a potential tie for first with Beaver County Christian in Section...
Girls soccer team restores the roar at Sewickley Academy
A tradition continues. With one game remaining, the Sewickley Academy girls soccer team was 14-1 overall, 11-0 in Section 3-A and ranked No. 1 in Class A. The Panthers were hoping to take a 13-game winning streak into the WPIAL playoffs. “The players are focused on what they want to...
Strong WPIAL showing sends Sewickley Academy freshman golfer to states
Sewickley Academy’s Trey Susa has enjoyed an outstanding freshman season on the links. Susa tied for third place at the WPIAL Class 2A boys golf tournament Sept. 30 at Valley Brook Country Club. After carding a first-round 76 score Sept. 22 at Hill Crest Country Club, Susa finished with a...
‘Incredible’ race from Jonah Montagnese leads Quaker Valley runners to MAC title
Jonah Montagnese shifted into cruise control toward the end of the Midwestern Athletic Conference cross country championships to lead Quaker Valley to the 2025 boys team title. The fleet-footed QV junior crossed the finish line in 15:26.9 at Brush Creek Park to defeat runner-up Lucas Bleakney of Ellwood City with...
Traditionally tough WPIAL rivalry produces stunning final score — 5 things we learned in Week 8
There were close to a dozen lopsided shutouts this week, but one final score stood out from the rest. Pine-Richland 67, North Allegheny 0. Traditionally a tough WPIAL rivalry game between neighbors in the north, this one wasn’t close. Bolstered by the return of two injured seniors, the Rams scored...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Olivia Bigger, Riverview’s Greg Morse
Olivia Bigger School: Plum Class: Senior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: In the final two games of the regular season, Bigger tallied three goals and two assists, helping Plum (15-1, 12-0) end on a six-game winning streak. Two of those goals came against section rival Greensburg Salem. As a result,...
A-K Valley high school football notebook: Apollo-Ridge completes turnaround with playoff berth
Apollo-Ridge has gone from a one-win season in 2024 to qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs. The Vikings’ turnaround continued Friday when they clinched the postseason berth with a 45-34 Allegheny Conference victory over South Park, last year’s WPIAL Class 2A champion. Apollo-Ridge (6-3, 4-1) and Steel Valley (6-3, 4-1) are...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Oct. 18, 2025
High schools Football Saturday’s results WPIAL Class A Big 7 Neshannock 49, Summit Academy 6 Eastern Clairton 66, Riverview 0 Saturday’s summaries Neshannock 49, Summit Academy 6 Neshannock 22 13 7 7 —49 Summit Academy 0 0 0 6 —6 N: Anthony Eakin 4 run (Jino Mozzocio run) N: Mozzocio...
High school roundup for Oct. 18, 2025: Thomas Jefferson squeezes past Shaler in 1st round of WPIAL playoffs
Owen Householder scored on a first-half penalty kick and goaltender Sam Wessel recorded his 12th shutout of the season to lead No. 5 Thomas Jefferson to a 1-0 victory over No. 12 Shaler (12-6) in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A boys soccer playoffs Saturday. The Jaguars (16-2-1)...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Greensburg Salem’s Bella Dinkel and Hempfield’s Guerin Gardner
Bella Dinkel School: Greensburg Salem Class: Sophomore Sport: Volleyball Claim to fame: Dinkel, a 5-foot-4 setter, has been a key facilitator for the Golden Lions (15-1), who could make some noise in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. She had 64 assists in her last three games. “She can put the...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Derry’s Pitzer unleashes inner child after win over Mt. Pleasant
It was youth night at Derry on Friday. After a dominating 33-13 victory by the Trojans against Mt. Pleasant, pint-sized football players and cheerleaders huddled on the tamped-down grass to celebrate at Trojan Stadium. Suddenly, someone cut in to join the fun. A large figure cast a shadow as he...
Michael Hillebrand continues scoring streak for Franklin Regional in playoff win over Montour
Michael Hillebrand has been on an offensive tear since he returned from an ankle injury that cost him four games around midseason. He hadn’t scored before he was sidelined Sept. 11 against Allderdice and sat for two weeks but returned to net a pair of goals Sept. 25 at Latrobe....
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 19, 2025
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 8-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 7-2, 2 3. Norwin, 6-3, 3 4. Canon-McMillan, 4-5, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 2-7, NR Out: Seneca Valley (3-6, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 8-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 9-0, 2 3. Woodland Hills, 7-2, 3...
Aquinas Academy boys blank Riverview, reach WPIAL 2nd round for 1st time since 2016
The last time Aquinas Academy made it to the second round of the WPIAL boys soccer tournament was in 2016. That all changed Saturday afternoon. The sixth-seeded Crusaders scored three second-half goals to knock off 11th-seeded Riverview, 3-0, in the opening round of the Class A playoffs at Peters Township....
Highlight-reel goal helps Mars boys soccer advance past Penn-Trafford in WPIAL 1st round
Mars senior Max Davis has attempted several bicycle kicks during his high school career. He’s come close a few times but never put the ball in the back of the net. Until Saturday. With his team trailing by a goal in its WPIAL Class 3A first-round matchup against No. 10...
Clairton football team continues its impressive march by shutting out Riverview
The WPIAL’s Class A Eastern Conference is as competitive from top to bottom as any in the district. But at the top of the mountain, there is no debate. There is the Clairton football team, and there is everyone else. The Bears continued to flex their muscles by recording their...
Fox Chapel hockey adjusting on the fly after jump up in competition
Ryan Loebig knows the Fox Chapel hockey program will have a learning curve when it comes to playing in Class 3A in the PIHL. The Foxes will have to do everything a step faster than they did last season if they want to return to the Penguins Cup playoffs. “I...
