High School category, Page 339

Two years ago, Aliquippa argued relentlessly that it was too dangerous to force the small-school Quips to play Class 5A football and ultimately the school won its PIAA appeal. The Quips are facing that scenario again under the PIAA competitive-balance rule, and Aliquippa superintendent Phillip Woods says his feelings haven’t...

A Western Pennsylvania legislator and longtime member of the state Athletic Oversight Committee is asking whether the PIAA needs an overhaul. State Rep. Rob Matzie (D-Beaver) announced plans Friday to introduce legislation that would analyze the policy, practices, finances and structure of the PIAA, “with an eye toward overhauling how...

Wild Things Park will remain as host of the WPIAL baseball finals through at least the 2027 season. The WPIAL and the Washington Wild Things on Friday announced an agreement to keep the championship games at the 3,200-seat minor league stadium that has hosted the league finals since 2003. This...

High schools Basketball Boys Thursday’s results Nonsection Propel Montour 54, Redeemer Lutheran 49 Summit Academy 60, Hillel Academy 55 Southwest Christian Athletic Conference Cheswick Christian Academy at First Baptist Academy, ppd. Friday’s schedule Class 6A Section 1 Butler at New Castle, 7:30 p.m. Central Catholic at Seneca Valley, 7:30 p.m....

As Greensburg Central Catholic’s girls team watched its 10-point lead get shaved to five points in the fourth quarter by host Serra Catholic, the Centurions had their stars step up to say, “not so fast.” Mya Morgan scored 15 of her 26 points in the final quarter and joined with...

One of the great WPIAL boys basketball rivalries highlights the first Fray-day of 2024 as New Castle hosts Butler. In their first Section 1-6A meeting a year ago, Ne Ca High was ranked No. 1 and Butler was No. 2. The Red Hurricane beat the Golden Tornado on Jan. 6,...

Emma Paul scored 45 points, hitting 10 3-pointers and breaking the school single-game scoring record, as Armstrong defeated Mars, 78-70, in Section 2-5A girls basketball Thursday night. Sarai Weaver added 18 for the River Hawks (7-4, 2-2). Grace Zatezalo and Carmella McDole scored 17 points apiece and Alexis Cashdollar had...

“North is North,” Greensburg Salem girls basketball coach Rick Klimchock said in a back hallway at North Catholic after his team fell behind early and dropped a 62-35 decision to the host Trojanettes in a matchup of Class 4A top-five girls basketball teams Thursday night on Barth & Graham Court....

Shady Side Academy girls basketball coach Jonna Burke said her team is at its best when it plays good defense and turns that into offense. With a stout press, that’s exactly what the Bulldogs did Thursday night against a young, up-and-coming Burrell team. The Bulldogs caused nearly a dozen turnovers...

The Highlands girls basketball team carried a lot of momentum from a pair of wins at its holiday tournament into a Section 1-4A matchup with Freeport on Thursday at Highlands High School. The Golden Rams’ senior-laden lineup came out strong on both ends of the court and began to overwhelm...

Burrell senior Cooper Hornack will not get a chance to win a second Westmoreland County Coaches Association wrestling title. That’s because the reigning PIAA Class 2A champion will be sitting out the tournament because of an injury. He was injured during his match Wednesday against Derry freshman Mason Horwat. The...

Ed Dalton is stepping down after 12 seasons as McGuffey’s football coach, but don’t mistake his resignation as an early retirement. Dalton wants to keep adding to his 34-year career, but the 64-year-old coach with more than 240 career wins says his next coaching stop is still undecided. “It’s not...

Burrell and Deer Lakes are separated by 12 miles. They are even closer in the Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings. The Lancers are ranked first in Class 3A, and the Bucs are second, so an already-intense rivalry has an extra ingredient this year. Each team will have a chance to...

Doug Kelly was feeling nostalgic and sentimental as he was time-warped back to his high school days at Elkins (W.Va.) during a recent visit to his old stomping grounds. Kelly, the boys basketball coach at Penn-Trafford, took his team south to play Elkins, a 2A school that plays in the...

Because of some injuries, first-year boys basketball coach Annie Malkowiak said her Mt. Pleasant team had to take a next-man-up approach. That is an advisory from the first woman up. Malkowiak is adjusting to life as the first woman to coach a boys varsity basketball team in Westmoreland County and...

In a move coach Mike Warfield called déjà vu, the PIAA has notified Aliquippa that its football team will be forced up another classification before next season. The Quips won the Class 4A state title this fall and were runners-up in 2022, and the PIAA now plans to move them...

High schools Basketball Boys Wednesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 North Allegheny 57, New Castle 45 Class 5A Section 1 Thomas Jefferson 90, Peters Township 74 Section 2 Shaler 71, Plum 55 Armstrong 58, Woodland Hills 49 Section 4 Moon 55, South Fayette 52 Class 4A Section 1 Indiana 65,...

Mt. Pleasant secured five straight victories, including four via pin, in a 49-22 win over Frazier in Section 2-2A action inside the DiVirgilio Field House on Wednesday night. Rhyley Kimmel (133), Joseph Longhi (139), Greg Shaulis (145) and Jamison Poklembo (152) each earned pins, while Tristan Wtorkiwicz (127) won via...

Keegan Smetanka scored 14 points as undefeated Shaler beat Plum, 71-55, to win its Section 2-5A boys basketball opener Wednesday night. Brandon London and Julian Vizzoca each added 11 for Shaler (11-0, 1-0), which jumped out to a 13-5 lead after one quarter. Will Beckner dropped 23 points for Plum...

A quick start was the perfect recipe for the No. 4 Franklin Regional wrestling team in its Section 3-3A first-place showdown against Ringgold on Wednesday. The unbeaten Panthers (12-0, 2-0) got a pin from senior Ty Kapusta at 127 pounds to start the match, which was followed by a win...

How good has the Burrell wrestling team been so far? Hmm, the second-ranked Buccaneers were pretty good Wednesday night, remaining unbeaten with a 40-18 victory over No. 8 Derry. “I’m satisfied. It was a good team win,” Burrell coach Josh Shields said. Derry, despite an upset victory early in the...

From its worst start of the season to nearly its best finish, Southmoreland had an up and down kind of night. Then again, so did Belle Vernon, which basically experienced the opposite by opening with a flash and then sputtering to the finish line in the Section 3-4A boys basketball...

The Riverview girls basketball team got a later jump into the season than some others as several players who enjoyed a run to the state soccer finals in mid November didn’t get onto the court until two days after official practices began. Playing catch-up in a number of areas, the...

Winning a conference title and reaching the WPIAL semifinals will always be two of the happiest moments of his life, says East Allegheny football coach Dom Pecora, who is stepping down after 11 seasons with the Wildcats. “When we blocked the extra point (to win the conference), there is nothing...

It’s a busy night of WPIAL section girls basketball Thursday. Back in 2003, both the Greensburg Central Catholic and Serra Catholic girls basketball teams were champions. GCC defeated Carlynton, 49-40, to win the WPIAL Class 2A championship while Serra rolled past Monessen, 68-54, to win Class A gold. The Centurions...