High School category, Page 27
Central Catholic starts quickly, pulls away from Norwin in Class 6A matchup
Norwin’s football team needed a fast start to put pressure on Central Catholic on Thursday at Gesling Stadium. The Vikings didn’t allow the Knights any traction. Central Catholic forced a three-and-out to open the game and scored on its second play from scrimmage, a 65-yard touchdown by Jayden Alexander, en...
Plum boys soccer clinches 7th straight section title after scoreless tie against Norwin
A section-championship boys soccer match didn’t get a victor, but it proved to be an ideal tune-up for the upcoming WPIAL playoffs. Norwin and Plum settled on a 0-0 draw on a cold Thursday night at Mustang Stadium in their second Section 1-4A game of the season. Even with the...
Peters Township girls edge Fox Chapel for 4th consecutive WPIAL team golf title
To win any team championship, it takes more than one individual to perform well. It takes everyone. That is what occurred Thursday at the WPIAL team golf championships at Cedarbrook Golf Course. The four champions — South Fayette (3A boys), Shady Side Academy (2A boys), Peters Township (3A girls) and...
Burrell girls soccer team finds consistency, ends section play on high note
Burrell girls soccer coach Frank Nesko guided his team through a film session Thursday afternoon before the players took to the field at Buccaneers Stadium under sunny skies for a quick and efficient hourlong workout. The Bucs had just come off a competitive 2-1 victory over Shady Side Academy on...
Trib HSSN don’t miss high school football matchups for 2025 Week 7
Welcome to Week 7 of the high school football regular season and the start of the stretch run of the 2025 WPIAL campaign. The stretch run is the time of year where conference championships are secured and district postseason berths are earned. A perfect example of that comes this weekend...
Through the Years: In 2000, Valley stayed unbeaten at Highlands’ expense
Each week throughout the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch will take a look at the players, coaches and events that shaped our scholastic legacy. Donny Booker scored on runs of 9 and 4 yards to lift 7-0 Valley to a 21-7 victory over Highlands on Oct. 13,...
Westmoreland County H.S. football notebook: Penn-Trafford shows flair for dramatic
Penn-Trafford is showing a penchant for late-game flair. Just like they did against Moon earlier in the season, the fifth-ranked Warriors rallied in the second half last week to get past rival Gateway, 33-23, in Class 5A Big East play. Gateway took a 23-7 lead into halftime before the Warriors...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Oct. 8, 2025
High schools Cross country Wednesday’s results Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet At Westmoreland County Community College Boys 1. Jonathan Stetchock, Hempfield, 15:54.4; 2. Benjamin McBride, Norwin, 15:57.9; 3. Charlie Heese, Latrobe, 16:03.2; 4. Samuel Plazio, Kiski Area, 16:16.2; 5. Ryan Ewing, Hempfield, 16:21.1; 6. Isaiah Bittner, Hempfield, 16:39.2; 7. Carter...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Oct. 9, 2025: Golfers tee it up with WPIAL team titles on the line
A year ago, North Allegheny won gold in the boys team golf championships in Class 3A, North Catholic claimed its second crown in four years in Class 2A, Peters Township girls captured a third straight Class 3A district title, and Shady Side Academy ended a nine-year Class 2A girls golf...
High school roundup for Oct. 8, 2025: Quaker Valley wraps up section title
Annabel Miko scored a pair of goals to lead Quaker Valley to a 3-1 victory over Central Valley (10-3-1, 7-2-1) in Section 3-2A girls soccer Wednesday night. Rowan Wallace also scored and Hope Waller had a pair of assists for the Quakers, who clinched sole posession of the section title....
Trib 10: Handful of teams tumble from power rankings
While the top teams stayed intact with victories in Week 6, a couple of middle of the pack and lower-end power-ranked teams were knocked off and knocked out of this week’s Trib 10. District heavyweights Thomas Jefferson and South Fayette each lost for the second time this season and slid...
Ayres sets program shutout record as Franklin Regional girls top Elizabeth Forward
Addison Ayres saves most of the shots she faces, but the Franklin Regional senior goalkeeper couldn’t save herself after Wednesday night’s game. As the Panthers gathered in their customary circle after a 5-0 Section 4-3A girls soccer victory over visiting Elizabeth Forward, Ayres didn’t see junior teammates Grace Copeland and...
PIAA endorses basketball shot clock for 2nd time with final vote ahead
The PIAA is one step away from adding a shot clock to high school basketball games statewide. A much-debated proposal to start using the clocks in the 2028-29 season earned a second vote of approval Wednesday when the PIAA board met in Mechanicsburg. The tentative plan must pass a third...
WPIAL clinched: Girls soccer playoff qualifiers and clinching scenarios through Oct. 8, 2025
Section play in the WPIAL girls soccer regular season has reached the final few days and 58 teams have qualified for the upcoming district postseason. The top four teams in each section qualify for the district playoffs. All teams tied for a playoff spot where head-to-head does not break the...
Hempfield boys, Norwin girls dominate WCCA cross country meet
When the WPIAL cross country championships are held in two weeks, the Norwin girls and the Hempfield boys look to be in contention for the Class 3A titles. Both teams showed why they are top contenders Wednesday during the annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association championship at Westmoreland County Community College...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2025 Week 7
Player of the week Landyn Artman Kiski Area, So., QB/DB Artman delivered for the Cavaliers in their 34-13 victory over Latrobe last Friday that vaulted them back into the playoff hunt in the Big East Conference. He threw a season-best five touchdown passes and finished with 267 yards through the...
The Birdie hands out game balls, makes Week 7 picks in A-K Valley
Last week: 7-4 Season: 61-15 (80.3%) When The Birdie flew back to the office late Friday night, his weekly tour of football stadiums (and concession stands) complete, he put his feet up on the desk and smiled. “I’m not going to lie,” he began. “There have been times this season...
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2025 Week 7
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week 7 in Westmoreland County: Class 6A No. 3 Norwin (5-2, 2-1) vs. No. 1 Central Catholic (6-1, 4-0) 8 p.m. Thursday, CMU’s Gesling Stadium, Oakland Last week: Norwin 33, Hempfield 26; Central Catholic 69, Shaler 7 Last year’s meeting: Central Catholic...
The Birdie bellyaches about bells and whistles as he makes his Week 7 Westmoreland County picks
Last week: 10-1 Season: 67-22 (75%) Stadium technology has ruffled the Birdie’s feathers. Let him explain. “It used to just be about football,” the legendary high school football expert said. “Now, it’s like going to a concert. I can’t get a good parking spot, I get searched when I go...
2025 Western Pa. high school football schedule for Week 7
Thursday WPIAL Class 6A Norwin at Central Catholic, 8 p.m. City League Nonconference Carrick at Perry Traditional Academy, 7 p.m. Friday WPIAL Class 6A Canon-McMillan at North Allegheny, 7:30 p.m. Seneca Valley at Hempfield, 7 p.m. Class 5A Allegheny Six Baldwin at Moon, 7 p.m. Bethel Park at Upper St....
Westmoreland County high school football players to watch for 2025 Week 7
Player of the week Gregory Sleasman Ligonier Valley, Jr., WR/DB Sleasman became the first Ligonier Valley player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game when he completed the feat last Friday as the Rams defeated Charleroi, 67-13. He returned one 32 yards and the other 72 yards....
More than bragging rights on the line when Southmoreland, Mt. Pleasant meet
During the 50 previous meetings between Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland, a series dominated by the Vikings, the Scotties have never won three consecutive games. Will that change this year? The Scotties have a chance at 7 p.m. Friday when they celebrate homecoming at Russ Grimm Field at Southmoreland Stadium against...
With some A-K Valley boys soccer teams already in the playoffs, others still fighting for spots
As the boys soccer regular season inches toward the end, teams around the Alle-Kiski Valley are preparing for their postseason run or looking to secure their spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Four teams — Plum, Fox Chapel, Deer Lakes and Springdale — have qualified for the postseason. Plum (14-2-1, 8-0-1)...
A-K Valley high school football matchups for 2025 Week 7
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week 7 in the A-K Valley: Class 5A Big East Armstrong (3-4, 2-1) at Kiski Area (3-4, 2-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Richard Dilts Stadium, Allegheny Township Last week: Woodland Hills 50, Armstrong 14; Kiski Area 34, Latrobe 13 Last year’s meeting: Kiski...
Highlands, Burrell to square off in high stakes showdown
It’s the stretch run to the WPIAL playoffs, and for Burrell and Highlands, an Allegheny 7 Conference clash Friday at Burrell’s Buccaneer Stadium is rife with playoff implications. While both teams’ players and coaches understand how important the game is in the conference standings and for the playoff picture in...
