High School category, Page 317
Freeport freshman pole vaulter Magness already turning heads with her performance
If opposing teams didn’t already know about Mackenzie Magness through her accomplishments during the indoor track and field season, the Freeport freshman pole vaulter opened more eyes at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association outdoor championships last Saturday at West Mifflin High School. Magness cleared the bar set at 11 feet,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 18, 2024
High schools Baseball Thursday’s schedule Class 6A Section 1 North Allegheny 8, Allderdice 4 Pine-Richland 3, Seneca Valley 2 Section 2 Central Catholic 5, Baldwin 4 Hempfield 3, Canon-McMillan 2 Mt. Lebanon 6, Norwin 0 Class 4A Section 1 Knoch 14, Highlands 4 Section 2 Ringgold 5, Belle Vernon 4...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 19, 2024: WPIAL’s finest clash in boys volleyball
The first of possibly three, maybe even four meetings between two of the top boys volleyball teams in the WPIAL takes place Friday. Defending Class 3A champion Shaler hosts North Allegheny in a battle of unbeaten schools. Both teams are 5-0 and tied for the top spot in Section 2-3A....
High school roundup for April 18, 2024: Central Catholic clears bases for walk-off win over Baldwin
Carson Pettyjohn hit a walk-off bases-clearing double to lead Central Catholic to a 5-4 victory over Baldwin in Section 2-6A baseball Thursday. Yaniel Heredia added a double for the Vikings (7-6, 4-5). Matt Musial singled, tripled and had an RBI for Baldwin (2-9, 1-5). Bentworth 4, Frazier 3 – Lucas...
Westmoreland track and field notebook: Penn-Trafford’s Sarnowski, Hempfield’s Murray jockey for best
When Penn-Trafford senior Matt Sarnowski won the discus Saturday at the Lady Spartan/Wildcat Invitational with a personal record of 179 feet, 3 inches, he defeated Hempfield senior Peyton Murray, the reigning PIAA and WPIAL Class 3A champion. Sarnowski got to hold the best throw in the state for two days...
Draft prospect David Shields shows stuff to MLB scouts in win over Norwin
More than a dozen pro scouts crammed together above the brick backstop at Norwin and raised their radar guns in tandem each time Mt. Lebanon’s David Shields kicked up his leg to throw a pitch. They aimed through the chain-link fence and zapped each glove-popping delivery. A top-50 MLB draft...
Arrow pointing up for Freeport baseball as team pushes toward playoffs
Looking back through the results so far this year, Freeport baseball coach Ed Carr felt his team had a chance to win nearly every game it has played. A mistake or a bounce have led to some getting away, but considering the Yellowjackets haven’t had the services of either of...
Latrobe baseball takes team-first mentality to heart
The team concept in sports is often overstated and cliche, trendy at times and even hyperbolic. But the Latrobe baseball program thrives on it. You might say the Wildcats have cornered the market on taking one for the team. In fact, the word “Team” is stitched into or printed on...
Westmoreland County high school baseball notebook: Seniors power Jeannette surge
Jeannette took its lumps the last three seasons, which meant the Jayhawks were due to dish out some payback. Perhaps patience has played the biggest part in this team’s turnaround. After winning just four games last season (4-13), three the previous year (3-10) and two the year before that (2-13),...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 17, 2024
High schools Baseball Wednesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Pine-Richland 13, Allderdice 2 Class 4A Section 1 Ambridge 5, Blackhawk 0 Section 2 Albert Gallatin 5, Uniontown 3 Latrobe 16, Laurel Highlands 2 Section 3 Thomas Jefferson 12, McKeesport 2 Class 3A Section 1 Riverside 16, Beaver Falls 0 Section...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 18, 2024: Class 6A baseball series wrap up
The big closet located downstairs of the WPIAL Class 6A baseball mansion contains four brooms and one large rubber band. Four 6A teams hit the diamonds Thursday looking to sweep this week’s three-game section series with only one series going to a rubber game. How will Hempfield (7-1, 11-1) respond...
Trib 10: List of undefeated WPIAL baseball, softball teams shrinking
WPIAL baseball lost another undefeated team earlier this week when Hempfield lost to Canon-McMillan, ending its 11-game win streak. That leaves seven district baseball teams that have not lost this spring with North Allegheny, Thomas Jefferson, Riverside, Waynesburg, Serra Catholic, Carmichaels and Union still undefeated. There is also a magnificent...
High school roundup for April 17, 2024: Hempfield’s Riley Miller no-hits North Allegheny
Riley Miller threw a five-inning no-hitter, striking out four and walking one, to lead Hempfield to a 13-0 victory over North Allegheny (3-2, 3-2) in Section 1-6A softball Wednesday. Emily Griffith went 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs while Audrey Semow and Lauren Howard each doubled...
Peters Township linebacker Mickey Vaccarello commits to Stanford
Just days after taking a recruiting trip to the West Coast, Peters Township’s Mickey Vaccarello decided to spend his college years in California. The junior linebacker committed to Stanford on Wednesday, choosing the Cardinal over a list of college offers heavy in high-academic schools. Vaccarello had nearly 20 offers in...
Serra Catholic overpowers Greensburg Central Catholic in Section 2-2A softball
Kelly Morrisey has been looking to contribute more to the Serra Catholic softball batting order, but the sophomore said she fell into a lull of late. A bump-up from the No. 6 spot to No. 3 in the lineup has done wonders for her confidence and has her barreling the...
Hall of fame basketball coach Joe Lafko steps down at Hampton
Saying it’s time to “figure out the next chapter,” WPIAL Hall of Famer Joe Lafko has stepped down as Hampton boys basketball coach. Lafko, who led Hampton for the past 28 seasons, told his players and first-year athletic director Mike Gavlik on Wednesday afternoon that he wouldn’t be returning. “I’m...
Dave Pucka, one of Plum’s own, hired to coach boys basketball team
Dave Pucka put his stamp on Plum athletics more than 25 years ago as a standout running back for the Mustangs, and he also was a member of the boys basketball team. He was Plum’s all-time rushing yards and touchdowns leader from his senior year in 1997 to 2022, when...
WPIAL notebook: Girls flag football tops 100-team threshold, on road to being PIAA sport
Girls flag football is on track to become the next sanctioned high school sport in Pennsylvania. A month after the PIAA crowned its first girls wrestling champions, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said girls flag football has reached the 100-team threshold needed to move forward as an emerging sport. Lombardi...
Apollo-Ridge softball team, with small roster and new coach, starts to find its footing
The Apollo-Ridge softball team began the season with 11 players. There was one recent addition to the group, but it has been all hands on deck for a team with aspirations to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs for the seventh season in a row. It also has been a get-to-know-you...
Freshman, sophomore pitchers make early impact for Westmoreland County teams
Grace Stein acknowledges she had a freshman season to remember for Jeannette softball. She wears a badge of pride. But it’s the encore the super sophomore wants to focus on now. If there is a rising star in the WPIAL who is resting on her laurels, it is not Stein....
Westmoreland County softball notebook: Sister act aids area teams
It’s been a sister act this season for several county softball teams. Take Franklin Regional where junior Ciara Camacho is helping her freshman sister, Celina Camacho, make inroads to the varsity game. While there are numerous siblings playing together in the area, some of the notable ones include senior Maggie...
WPIAL to hold hearings for 2 Aliquippa football transfers, approves 3 others
A WPIAL hearing will decide the eligibility of two Aliquippa football players who transferred from rival Central Valley. The WPIAL board granted eligibility to three players who transferred to Aliquippa from others schools, but voted Wednesday to hold hearings for sophomore Joseph Work and freshman Khalil Ellerbee, said WPIAL executive...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 16, 2024
High schools Baseball Monday’s results Tuesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 North Allegheny 13, Allderdice 1 Pine-Richland 5, Seneca Valley 4 Section 2 Central Catholic 13, Baldwin 9 Canon-McMillan 12, Hempfield 2 Mt. Lebanon 3, Norwin 2 Class 5A Section 1 Gateway 11, Armstrong 1 Fox Chapel 4, Franklin Regional...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 17, 2024: Softball powers wage battle for 2nd place
In WPIAL Class 6A softball, everybody is looking up at Seneca Valley, which sits in first place in the nine-team classification with a section record of 6-0. The two teams with the best chance to catch the Raiders meet Wednesday when North Allegheny (3-1) hosts defending champion Hempfield (5-1) in...
Pine-Richland senior delivers walk-off hit in 1st at-bat of season in win over Seneca Valley
A shoulder injury kept Tommy Zimmerman in the dugout for his team’s first 10 games, but the Pine-Richland senior finally got to bat Tuesday. With two on and two out, Zimmerman pinch hit and delivered a walk-off single in the eighth inning that lifted the Rams to a dramatic 5-4...
