High School category, Page 281

After reaching the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals last spring, the Norwin boys volleyball team has a taste of playoff success. Now, the Knights are looking to push farther right on the bracket. Five starters are back to help make that happen in senior libero Lucas Churchfield, senior outside hitter Jackson...

Anna Stephens Lauer is in her first season as head coach of the Franklin Regional girls lacrosse team. She doesn’t have to look too far for coaching advice. Her brother, Luke Stephens, is the Franklin Regional boys lacrosse coach, while another brother, Ben, is a boys’ assistant and her dad,...

Franklin Regional’s Kegerreis brothers made a lasting impression when they played for the Panthers. When the team needed an extra-base hit, maybe a home run, they often came through. While both went off to play college baseball, they redirected their path at the next level. Freshman Louie Kegerreis, who hit...

Aquinas Academy baseball coach David Phelps knows all about pressure. Phelps pitched in the major leagues for 10 years, striking out sluggers such as Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Andrew McCutchen and Hall of Famer David Ortiz along the way. But this spring has brought a whole new level of tension....

One thing is certain about Hampton two-sport standout Gabe Gannelli and his upcoming college days. He’s not going to have much free time on his hands. Gannelli, a senior, committed to Mount Union to play football and lacrosse, continuing the sports at which he excelled with the Talbots. “For me,...

Will Siegel didn’t have a hard time protecting his seed at the WPIAL Section 3-3A boys tennis singles championship. The top-seeded Fox Chapel senior won the section title by beating Shady Side Academy’s Sai Chaudhry, 6-3, 6-1. On the way to the finals, Siegel beat Shaler’s Liam Creagh and Shady...

Ryan Napolitan doesn’t have a shortage of responsibilities running the Fox Chapel boys lacrosse team’s offense. The senior midfielder isn’t responsible for only knowing where he’s supposed to be. Napolitan also will try to direct traffic for his teammates. What the Foxes, who are off to a 3-2 start to...

Chances are Melissa Baustert Schaeffer wouldn’t be headed to the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame without an early nudge from then-Kiski Area track and field coach Bill Halli. Halli is credited with starting the boys and girls track programs during a long career as a Kiski Area teacher, coach...

The Riverview boys and girls track and field teams are fueled by a nucleus of returning, experienced talent, some of whom powered their way to last year’s WPIAL Class 2A championships at Slippery Rock. Veteran coach Dave Illnicki said a mix of those athletes, along with newcomers who are setting...

Anna Zanchi didn’t know much about American football before coming to Plum as an exchange student from Italy. But she has immersed herself in the game and now is a key member of Plum’s first girls flag football team. “This was all new to me,” said Zanchi, who began her...

Pitt it it for Chase Kranitz. The former Norwin wrestling standout is leaving Buffalo after his redshirt freshman season and will compete for the Panthers. Kranitz, and several of his Bulls teammates, left the program after learning that John Stutzman was not returning as head coach. Kranitz went 19-11 this...

North Allegheny’s Izzy Costa had an upset stomach but was still was warming up for the long jump after running the 100 and 400 meters in a dual meet at Butler. It was just then that the PA announcer called all 200-meter runners to the track. Costa had considered sitting...

North Allegheny freshman Advaita Sircar made the most of his inaugural WPIAL tournament opportunity as he took down No. 1 seed Adam Memije, a junior from Gateway, in three sets to capture a Class 3A boys tennis singles title. He won the first set 6-2 and saw Memije rally for...

High schools Baseball Friday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Allderdice at Pine-Richland, ppd. North Allegheny at Butler, ppd. Section 2 Central Catholic at Mt. Lebanon, ppd. Norwin at Canon-McMillan, ppd. Class 4A Section 2 Albert Gallatin at Uniontown, ppd. Section 4 Kiski Area at Indiana, ppd. Class 3A Section 1...

As the young kids used to sing, “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day” … or month. The good news for district baseball and softball teams is the rain has stopped and some sunshine is expected Saturday. Now the million dollar question is, can teams take advantage of the...

Giant Center in Hershey has hosted the state high school basketball finals for more than a decade, but could or should the PIAA championships go elsewhere? As it does every four years, the PIAA is accepting bids from basketball arenas around the state interested in hosting the championship games in...

When Shaler hired Rob Niederberger as boys basketball coach nine years ago, he took over a team mired in last place. He resigned Thursday knowing the next coach will inherit a program that’s in a much better position. The Titans are coming off a 25-win season and a sixth straight...

High schools Baseball Thursday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Allderdice at Pine-Richland, ppd. Butler at North Allegheny, ppd. Section 2 Mt. Lebanon at Central Catholic, ppd. Norwin at Canon-McMillan, ppd. Class 5A Section 1 Shaler 12, New Castle 2 Class 4A Section 3 McKeesport at Thomas Jefferson, ppd. Class 3A...

Brady Alexander tripled, homered and drove in four runs and Dominic Twigg and Maddox Orga combined on a five-inning no-hitter to lead Shaler to a 12-2 win over New Castle (0-9, 0-5) in Section 1-5A baseball Thursday. Twigg struck out seven in four innings and Orga worked the fifth. They...

The real winner on Friday might be Mother Nature. The forecast calls for more rain that could wreak havoc with the WPIAL baseball and softball schedule. However, if the forecast is off and games can be played, there are three matchups in Section 4-5A softball that will help determine the...

On the heels of his team being swept by Shady Side Academy last week, first-year Burrell coach Jay Miller focused on executing fundamentals in situational baseball with his team. Extra-base hits are exciting, but moving runners over with a sacrifice bunt, hitting the ball to the right side of the...

Practice ends on a pleasant afternoon, and Greensburg Central Catholic sophomores Ian Shipley, Anthony Grippo and Tyler Samide begin to play with an unwound baseball, its spider web-like strings flowing in the breeze while seeming to stretch from home plate to the fence. GCC sure does know how to knock...

Last week’s bout of rainy weather shined a spotlight on fields that are fully covered with artificial turf. Some area schools have fields that are carpeted only on the infield, leaving outfields open to the elements, even with proper drainage. All-turf fields are the envy of the WPIAL neighborhood when...

High schools Baseball Wednesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Pine-Richland 3, Butler 2 Section 2 Hempfield 9, Baldwin 2 Canon-McMillan 15, Norwin 0 Class 5A Section 1 Armstrong 11, Penn Hills 1 Section 2 South Fayette 4, Bethel Park 1 Connellsville 4, Trinity 0 Section 3 Mars 9, North Hills...

There will be several brooms out in Class 6A baseball Thursday as four teams go for the sweep of their three-game weekly section series. In Section 1-6A, both North Allegheny (2-0, 5-0) and Pine-Richland (3-1, 7-2) look to remain perfect this week. The Tigers host Butler (1-4, 3-5) in the...