High School category, Page 320
Faced with choice between football, lacrosse at Mount Union, Hampton senior picks both
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,...
Fox Chapel notebook: Senior wins section tennis title
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...
Led by senior midfielder, Fox Chapel boys lacrosse counts on explosive offense
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...
Inspired by math teacher, Kiski Area grad runs into A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame
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...
Returning athletes bolster Riverview track and field teams
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...
Plum players learning, improving during inaugural flag football season
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...
Norwin notebook: Former Knights standout picks Pitt wrestling
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...
Versatility, commitment let Izzy Costa shine in multiple events for North Allegheny track
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 notebook: Tigers freshman Advaita Sircar claims WPIAL singles title
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 school scores, summaries and schedules for April 12, 2024
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...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 13, 2024: With rain subsiding, play ball
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...
PIAA taking bids to host basketball championships
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...
Basketball coach Rob Niederberger, who lifted Shaler from last place to WPIAL contender, resigns
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 school scores, summaries and schedules for April 11, 2024
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...
High school roundup for April 11, 2024: Shaler baseball, Latrobe softball earn wet wins
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...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 12, 2024: Softball section showdowns scheduled … if rain stays away
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...
Burrell gets back to fundamental baseball to get back to winning
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...
Stacked lineup has confidence soaring for Greensburg Central Catholic baseball
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...
Westmoreland County high school baseball notebook: Rain sends teams scrambling to find turf fields
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 school scores, summaries and schedules for April 10, 2024
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...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 11, 2024: Class 6A baseball teams look to sweep
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...
Trib 10: Riverside, Seneca Valley top season’s 1st power rankings
The Riverside baseball program hasn’t lost a game since 2022 as the Panthers continue to sit atop the HSSN power rankings in 2024. Riverside is No. 1 in baseball after ending 2023 as the top-ranked team in the weekly power rankings. Hempfield finished on top of the softball power rankings...
High school roundup for April 10, 2024: Pine-Richland, Mt. Lebanon softball combine for 43 runs as Rams win slugfest
Abbey Laurent hit three homers and drove in seven runs to lead Pine-Richland to a 31-12 victory over Mt. Lebanon in a wild, Section 1-6A softball slugfest Wednesday. Calle Henne, Iliana Aggelou, Marissa DeLuca and Mackenzie Gillis homered for the Rams (3-4, 2-2). Aggelou had seven RBIs, while DeLuca and...
Derry track and field teams creating excitement
There is excitement around the Derry Area School District and community about the track and field team. The girls are seeking their third consecutive section title, and the boys are vying for a WPIAL playoff berth after just missing in 2023. The Derry girls also reached the finals for the...
WPIAL track notebook: Butler’s Drew Griffith, Ringgold’s Ryan Pajak break state 3,200 record
It was quite a performance turned in by a trio of WPIAL runners Saturday at the Arcadia Invitational in Arcadia, Calif. Butler senior Drew Griffith finished third with a Pennsylvania-best 8:37.43 and Ringgold senior Ryan Pajak placed fourth with a time of 8:38.02 in the 3,200 race. North Allegheny junior...
