High School category, Page 331

Fox Chapel wrestling coach Michael Frank wasn’t even born the last time the Foxes won a section title. But that changed this year as the Foxes have clinched at least a share of the Section 1-3A title. A win Wednesday against Central Catholic will give them the outright title, something...

All Saturday afternoon the intensity was palpable between the Shady Side Academy and Burrell boys basketball teams, and it nearly boiled over after the buzzer. With both teams seemingly playing out the final seconds uncontested, Shady Side senior Eli Teslovich dribbled in and dunked the ball as time expired in...

WPIAL girls basketball rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Peters Township, 16-0, 1 2. Norwin, 13-3, 2 3. North Allegheny, 13-1, 3 4. Chartiers Valley, 12-2, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 11-5, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Oakland Catholic, 16-0, 1 2. Lincoln Park, 14-0, 3 3. McKeesport,...

WPIAL boys basketball rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 10-4, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 12-3, 2 3. Central Catholic, 8-5, 3 4. Butler, 11-2, 4 5. Baldwin, 11-3, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Moon, 12-2, 2 2. Gateway, 11-2, 1 3. Thomas Jefferson, 10-2,...

After a few wrong turns, top-ranked Deer Lakes managed to make it up the mountain in time to face Ligonier Valley on Saturday afternoon in a rescheduled boys basketball game that had been postponed a day earlier by the elements. Turns out the extra time off benefited the hobbled Lancers,...

The third Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association bowling championship was held Saturday at Hillview Lanes in Greensburg. Hempfield sophomore Amelia Droste took home the girls individual title after finishing second in last year’s competition. Senior Mike Mullaney of Greensburg Central Catholic earned the top spot on the boys side. Droste started...

Julie Spinelli Class: Senior School: St. Joseph Sport: Basketball Report card: Reigning Valley News Dispatch girls basketball player of the year Julie Spinelli had 22 points Monday in a 70-40 win over Riverview in Section 3-A and then tallied 19 points in Thursday’s 56-39 victory over Eden Christian. The 5-foot-11...

Grady Cullen wants to keep an eye out for wherever Killian Kissane is on the ice. While the Fox Chapel senior enjoys setting up all of his teammates to score goals, Cullen has developed a strong chemistry with his linemate, Kissane. Kissane has scored eight goals in 12 games this...

Erica Gribble School: Greensburg Central Catholic Class: Sophomore Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: A Division I college prospect who continues to impress, Gribble had another big week for GCC, which is ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 2A. She pumped in 23 points in a 62-53 win over Winchester Thurston,...

Getting a 10-day break from Section 2-5A play is something that Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar values. While he is still worried about the Foxes’ two nonsection opponents, Skrinjar enjoys having an opportunity to look at the tape and see where Fox Chapel stands. “It’s a nice mental break not...

Mason Kernan, a senior at Bethel Park, came away from the star-studded Powerade holiday wrestling tournament with a seventh-place finish at 139 pounds. Kernan defeated Carter Nogle of Mount St. Joseph (Md.) by a 7-5 score, giving him a 2-2 record in the prestigious national event. It also landed the...

Three Bethel Park hockey players — forwards Ethan Cooley and Anthony Karner and defenseman Zach Mazzacone — earned all-star status this season. Cooley, Karner and Mazzacone, all seniors, were selected to play for the PIHL Class 3A all-star team. All three were proud of their selections. “It’s a great accomplishment...

The Westmoreland County Coaches Association will host its final event of the winter with the swimming and diving championships Friday and Saturday at Derry. Last year, several meet records fell. Returning standout Lily King of Mt. Pleasant, a North Carolina State commit, is worth the price of a ticket. King,...

There are five siblings in the Rupert family, and each one shares a connection that goes beyond growing up in the same household. All five are swimmers, which has helped develop their bond as brothers and sisters. Three Rupert siblings — Reece, Gavin and Brooke — currently swim together for...

Madison Zavasky joined elite company Jan. 8, becoming just the fourth player in Pine-Richland girls basketball history to reach 1,000 points. She joined Rams all-time leading scorer Amanda Kalin, Carrie Walker Kelly and Kristen Wisse. Zavasky is the first girls basketball player to hit the 1,000-point plateau since 2017 when...

The Plum boys basketball team entered the new year with the momentum of a three-game winning streak. The team averaged nearly 70 points in victories over Freeport, Brentwood and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. That momentum took somewhat of a hit in subsequent Section 2-5A losses to Shaler, Fox...

Norwin’s swimming teams are hoping to take the momentum of a pre-holiday run into the thick of the season schedule. The boys team had a 5-1 record and the girls were 3-3 as WPIAL section play was ramping up. “We (were) heading into the hardest part of the year over...

On the surface, two of North Hills’ top wrestlers don’t appear very similar. But their stories on the mat, and their stories in life, have the pair undeniably tied together. Sophomore Burkhon Sobirjonov and senior Anna Tikhomirova are Eastern European-born, multi-sport student-athletes at North Hills. And while both perhaps didn’t...

As with any young team, North Hills has dealt with growing pains through the first half of the WPIAL boys basketball season. But there have also been flashes of potential greatness that have the Indians in the hunt in mid-January. Through Jan. 16, North Hills sat at 6-7 and 2-3...

North Allegheny’s boys wrestling team locked up at least a share of the Section 2-3A title on Jan. 17 with a 40-12 win at Seneca Valley. Evan Schomburg (107 pounds) and Kellen Buggey (172) earned pins for the Tigers, who improved to 15-3 overall and 4-0 in section matches. Travis...

Franklin Regional senior Juliano Marion didn’t let a loss to Ringgold senior Jake Conroy get him down earlier this month. Instead, it inspired him to work harder and get better. Marion spent the past two weekends winning tournaments — Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association and Mid-Winter Mayhem. “It’s pretty impressive to...

On its way to a fifth consecutive losing season, the Hampton hockey team has made a midseason coaching shift. Assistant Ian Cummings was promoted to replace Buck McKee, whose teams went 6-25 in his one-and-a-half seasons. Cummings, 39, of Hampton was approved by the Hampton hockey club board Jan. 11,...

Three days after Christmas, the Hampton boys basketball team wasn’t feeling very joyful. The Talbots were tied with upset-minded Grove City, 28-28, midway through the third quarter of the Hampton Holiday Tournament championship game. Star senior guard Peter Kramer was in foul trouble and still hadn’t scored a point. So...

Uncle Kevin would have been proud. Of a thrilling Franklin Regional win. Of a runaway second overtime by the Panthers in a playoff-like atmosphere. And most of all, of his nephew’s big shot. Franklin Regional guard Fin Hutchison lost his uncle, Kevin Sebunia, who lived three houses down from the...

High schools Basketball Boys Friday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Seneca Valley at North Allegheny, ppd. Class 4A Section 2 Lincoln Park 88, Beaver 38 Blackhawk at Hopewell, ppd. Class 3A Section 1 Beaver Falls 57, Riverside 47 Neshannock 84, Freedom 26 Ellwood City at New Brighton, ppd. Section 2...