High School category, Page 353
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Class 5A section loaded with contenders
Section 3 could be the most competitive lineup of teams in WPIAL Class 5A. That much is clear at the halfway point of the schedule. Latrobe gave the standings a rip-roaring jolt Tuesday night with a 63-60 win at No. 1-ranked Gateway. “You see how hard they play,” Gateway coach...
Sharpened by early-season gauntlet, Latrobe boys find their stride
When it came time to piece together the boys basketball schedule for this season at Latrobe, veteran coach Brad Wetzel stretched boundaries. The Wildcats traveled south, then north, looking to sharpen their skills against teams from beyond the depths of WPIAL territory. Seven of their first nine games were against...
Thought to be moving up to 3A for next 2 years, Westinghouse will instead play Class A football
City League champion Westinghouse is dropping to Class A football next season after successfully avoiding a promotion under the PIAA competitive-balance rule. Bulldogs coach Donta Green said the PIAA initially identified 21 Westinghouse players as possible transfers, a total that would’ve put the team in jeopardy of moving from Class...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 17, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys Wednesday’s results Class 5A Section 1 Trinity 70, Ringgold 49 Section 3 Franklin Regional 77, McKeesport 53 Kiski Area 39, Penn-Trafford 36 Class 4A Section 3 Uniontown 66, Laurel Highlands 52 Class 3A Section 2 Seton LaSalle 57, Sto-Rox 55 South Park at Steel Valley, ppd....
High school roundup for Jan. 17, 2024: No. 1 Trinity tops West Allegheny in clash of top 10 wrestling teams
Led by pins from Bodie Morgan (172), Dominick Canali (121) and Blake Reihner (139), No. 1 Trinity took care of No. 7 West Allegheny, 45-20, in a matchup of top teams in Section 5-3A wrestling Wednesday night. Jackson Bruckner (152) also won a decision for Trinity (7-0, 4-0). Logan Slovick...
Aliquippa football still ticketed for 5A after unsuccessful initial appeal to PIAA
Aliquippa’s initial appeal to the PIAA was unsuccessful, so the football team remains headed to a higher classification under the competitive-balance rule. However, the PIAA appeal process isn’t over. The school’s administration will take the next step and request a hearing with the PIAA board, Aliquippa superintendent Phillip Woods said...
Kiski Area grinds out section win over Penn-Trafford
Nail files and sandpaper serve a similar purpose to what Kiski Area’s 3-2 zone can do to teams. And, how the Cavaliers win sometimes. But their latest game took it to another level. Or, maybe down one. “Grind it out,” Cavaliers’ coach Corey Smith said. “That’s what you have to...
Franklin Regional wrestling rallies to defeat Norwin, clinch section title
The Franklin Regional wrestling team used a late surge to stay unbeaten and win the Section 3-3A title Wednesday by defeating Norwin in a first-place showdown. The Panthers (4-0, 15-0) got a pin from senior heavyweight Juliano Marion and three decision wins by their lightweights to rally for a 29-19...
Plum wrestlers come roaring back from early deficit to defeat Kiski Area
After five weights of Wednesday’s Section 1-3A match between Kiski Area and Plum at Plum High School, the visiting Cavaliers owned a sizeable lead thanks to a technical fall, two decisions and two forfeits. But Plum, starting at 121, mounted a rally. And when senior Charlie Campbell earned a 9-4...
Short-handed Deer Lakes boys down Shady Side, stay perfect in section
Nathaniel Moore found out Tuesday night he’d be in the starting lineup for the first time this season. He responded by scoring 16 points and, along with Wayne Love, dominated the glass to help Deer Lakes end the first half of Section 3-3A play undefeated with a 62-47 win Wednesday...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 18, 2024: Section top spot up for grabs when North Catholic, Highlands meet
The second half of section play begins for some WPIAL girls basketball teams Thursday. One game features the top two teams in their section as North Catholic hosts Highlands for at least a share of first place in Section 1-4A. The defending champion Trojans are on top with a perfect...
Trib 10: Boys basketball power rankings shaken up after 4 of top 10 suffer losses
It was smooth sailing last week for the girls basketball teams ranked in the Trib 10, but there were some choppy waters on the boys side of the latest power rankings. Four boys basketball teams lost this past week, with one staying put, two dropping down the ladder and one...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Highlands, North Catholic set for rematch
The Highlands girls basketball team trailed Section 1-4A leader North Catholic by just two points early in the third quarter of their matchup Dec. 14 at Highlands. But the Trojanettes limited the Golden Rams down the stretch and pulled away for a 44-24 victory. It was Highlands’ lowest point output...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls weather storm without senior leader Morgan
When a player the caliber of Mya Morgan goes out with an injury, some teams might go into a five-alarm panic. The sky is falling. The season is over. We can’t win without her. But Greensburg Central Catholic isn’t some teams. Morgan, the team’s second-leading scorer and a Cal (Pa.)...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Greensburg Salem to honor Rick Klimchock’s milestone
A blend of basketball knowledge and open-mindedness in an always-changing game, along with dependable people around him and sustained longevity, carried Rick Klimchock to a milestone victory. “I’ve been in a constant love affair with hoops,” the Greensburg Salem girls basketball coach said. “It has lasted since 1978. No one...
Former Clairton football star Tyler Boyd headlines 2024 WPIAL Hall of Fame class
Nobody in WPIAL history won more consistently than Clairton’s Tyler Boyd, whose football teams were part of a state-record winning streak that eventually reached 66 games. He went 48-0 in his three years as a starter. Add in his freshman season and the Bears were 63-1 with four WPIAL titles...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 16, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys Tuesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Butler at Pine-Richland, ppd. Seneca Valley 66, New Castle 51 Central Catholic 50, North Allegheny 37 Section 2 Baldwin at Upper St. Clair, ppd. Mt. Lebanon 64, Canon-McMillan 36 Norwin 56, Hempfield 50 Class 5A Section 1 Peters Township 74,...
High school roundup for Jan. 16, 2024: Elijah Guillory launches Moon past Mars
Elijah Guillory scored 33 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead Moon to a 79-58 victory over Mars in a matchup of top teams in Section 4-5A boys basketball Tuesday night. Michael Santicola scored 22 and Aiden Reesman added 15 for the Tigers (12-2, 5-0), who took control with a 28-point...
Norwin outlasts Hempfield to snap losing streak, earn 1st section win
Norwin sophomore Alex Graney had struggled scoring in recent games. But he scored a game-high 14 points Tuesday, including the Knights’ first four of the fourth quarter, and helped Norwin snap a five-game losing streak and earn its first Section 2-6A victory, 56-50, against Hempfield. The loss was the Spartans’...
Latrobe shocks No. 1 Gateway for program’s ‘biggest (win) in years’
Gateway calls its home gymnasium “The Swamp.” Latrobe walked onto the floor Tuesday night and sank the Gators and their No. 1 ranking. The Wildcats used an impressive start and some clutch defense down the stretch to stun the top-rated Gators, 63-60, in the upset of the year in Class...
Finucan brothers lead Knoch to overtime win over Highlands
Zarian Finucan sat on the bench and watched his younger brother, Teegan, hit shot after shot Tuesday night. “I was talking to myself and saying, ‘I used to do this to him in the driveway growing up and beating him,’ ” Zarian said. “He’s great and he’s just going to...
WPIAL places Mohawk football on 2 years of probation for alleged racial slurs toward Burrell players
The WPIAL has placed the Mohawk football team on probation for two years after allegations that racial slurs were used in a playoff game against Burrell in November. The WPIAL Equity Council for Diversity & Inclusion couldn’t independently confirm the allegations, but WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said the council...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 17, 2024: Recent champs collide when Deer Lakes takes on Shady Side Academy
Two boys basketball teams with recent hardwood gold will wait until midweek to hit the midway point of section play. Deer Lakes, the 2023 Class 3A champion, sits in first place in Section 3-3A as it prepares to visit 2022 3A winner Shady Side Academy. The Lancers are alone in...
Trib HSSN Pennsylvania Boys Basketball Rankings for Jan. 16, 2024
A bitter wind blew for two teams that last week had a spot in the Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings but this week are chilled to discover they are out. West Chester Henderson dropped from No. 2 in Class 6A to completely out of the Top 5 following a loss,...
Trib HSSN Pennsylvania Girls Basketball Rankings for Jan. 16, 2024
It was a cold but steady week for the elite girls basketball teams in the PIAA with only one team vacating the rankings and one team falling from the top of the Trib HSSN weekly Top 5. Our Lady of the Lourdes Regional from District 4 lost last week and...
