High School category, Page 359
Kiski Area’s Roscosky, Burrell’s Baker claim WCCA titles
When Kiski Area sophomore Cooper Roscosky was in eighth grade, he mentioned his goal was to be a four-time Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association champion. Unfortunately, Franklin Regional’s Juliano Marion spoiled those plans last year. But Roscosky used that disappointing moment during his freshman season as motivation. He won his first...
Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings for Jan. 6, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Mt. Lebanon, 10-1, 1 2. Butler, 9-1, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 8-3, 4 4. Central Catholic, 6-3, NR 5. Baldwin, 8-3, 5 Out: New Castle (9-3, 3) Class 5A 1. Gateway, 9-1, 1 2. Moon, 9-2, 4 3. Shaler, 11-1, 2 4....
WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending January 7, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Peters Township, 12-0, 3 2. Norwin, 9-3, 2 3. North Allegheny, 7-1, 1 4. Chartiers Valley, 9-1, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 9-2, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Oakland Catholic, 11-0, 1 2. McKeesport, 9-1, 2 3. Lincoln Park, 11-0, 3 4. Trinity,...
Trio of wrestlers become 3-time WCCA champions
There were no surprises in the finals of the 71st Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association wrestling tournament Saturday at Greensburg Salem. The trio of wrestlers looking to become three-time champions — Latrobe junior Luke Willochell, Hempfield senior Eli Carr and Franklin Regional senior Juliano Marion — did so. The list of...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Valley’s Keyziyah Clay, Knoch’s Adah Fuller
Adah Fuller Class: Senior School: Knoch Sport: Basketball Report card: Knoch sharpshooter Adah Fuller hit five 3-pointers and had a career-high 25 points Tuesday in a 46-30 win over Freeport. Then, on Thursday, she knocked down four 3-pointers and had 19 points as Knoch picked up a 51-16 win over...
Hempfield, Neshannock claim their 4th WPIAL competitive spirit championships
Neshannock’s competitive spirit cheer squad has won the past two state championships. However, it did not have a WPIAL title in that time. That changed Saturday. Neshannock claimed its fourth WPIAL title by winning the Class 2A championship at Chartiers Valley on Saturday morning and also was crowned the 2A...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Jan. 6, 2024: WPIAL to crown spirit champions
The first championships of the new year will be determined Saturday with the 2024 WPIAL competitive spirit championships at Chartiers Valley. A total of 27 district schools will battle for championships in five categories — 3A large and small varsity, 2A large and small varsity and co-ed. This is the...
Norwin notebook: Freshman Landon Sidun bursts onto wrestling scene
The Landon Sidun era is underway at Norwin. The highly touted freshman wrestler had his “hello, world” moment at one of the toughest tournaments in the country. Sidun won a championship at 114 pounds at the Powerade Tournament. He was named the event’s outstanding wrestler. Sidun (25-1) was carrying the...
North Allegheny notebook: Joe Dopirak leads Tigers past No. 3 New Castle
North Allegheny’s boys basketball team scored a signature victory in its section opener Jan. 3. The Tigers took down No. 3 seed New Castle, 57-45, behind 32 points from senior forward Joe Dopirak. Ty Iwanonkiw added 13 points for the Tigers (4-7, 1-0) in the Section 1-6A win. Ralphie Blundo...
Franklin Regional notebook: Hockey team builds momentum
Franklin Regional hockey took momentum in the form of a two-game winning streak into the holiday break. The Panthers followed a 5-3 victory over Bishop McCort with a 6-3 win against Armstrong to move to 6-3-0-1 on the season. Matt Rutkowski had a hat trick and an assist against Armstrong,...
New Hampton softball coach Kate Hedderman ready to get started
Hampton didn’t have to look too far to find its new softball coach. There was someone in the Talbots’ own backyard. Kate Hedderman, a private softball instructor who runs a training facility in Hampton, was hired in late November to replace longtime coach Ron Fedell. “I know a lot of...
Fox Chapel notebook: Former Foxes soccer star makes all-decade team
Fox Chapel graduate Jessie Thiessen was picked for the North Coast Athletic Conference women’s soccer 40th anniversary all-decade team. Players had to compete in the NCAC between 2013-23 to be eligible. Thiessen, a 2017 Allegheny college graduate, helped the Gators reach the NCAA Division III tournament in 2013 and 14....
Fox Chapel starting to see light at end of injury-filled tunnel
Marty Matvey doesn’t need to give pep talks on weathering adversity. The crushing presence of reality has allowed the Fox Chapel girls basketball coach to allow the Foxes to learn that skill on the job. For the past month, Fox Chapel has been without three starters and has been forced...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Jeannette legends up for national football hall of fame honors
Three Jeannette football legends are among 60 nominees for the National High School Football Hall of Class of 2024. Former coach Joe Mucci and star players Dick Hoak and Terrelle Pryor are on the ballot for the second hall class. Mucci also was nominated last year. They are among impressive...
Pine-Richland notebook: Ryan Cory officially joins long list of Rams linemen in D-I football
Ryan Cory officially signed his letter of intent with Wisconsin on Dec. 20, becoming the latest NCAA Division I offensive line prospect to come out of Pine-Richland. Cory joins Jalen Klemm (Kansas State/Washington), Mike Katic (Indiana), Andrew Kristofic (Notre Dame) and Harrison Hayes (Liberty) as former Rams linemen who have...
Former Pine-Richland girls soccer coach breaks new ground with Pa. hall of fame induction
In 1998, Jodi Chmielewski was one of only a few women in Western Pennsylvania coaching high school soccer and over two decades later, she’s still making history. Chmielewski amassed over 300 wins, two WPIAL championships and a state title coaching Pine-Richland girls soccer. Now she’ll be the first female coach...
Recovered from offseason injury, Plum’s Antonino Walker off to strong start to senior season
Antonino Walker’s summer of wrestling competition and also his preparation for the 2023-24 high school season came to a halt when he suffered a broken ankle at a tournament with Young Guns in Nashville, Tenn. The injury required surgery and the standout Plum senior was off the mat for nearly...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 5, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys Friday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Butler 68, New Castle 53 Central Catholic 56, Seneca Valley 37 North Allegheny 50, Pine-Richland 28 Section 2 Baldwin 79, Canon-McMillan 53 Mt. Lebanon 67, Hempfield 50 Upper St. Clair 61, Norwin 45 Class 5A Section 1 Bethel Park 59,...
High school roundup for Jan. 5, 2024: Big night for Neighborhood Academy’s Courtney Wallace; Woodland Hills shocks Shaler
Courtney Wallace had a triple-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, hitting the 1,000-point mark for his career, to lead Neighborhood Academy to a 72-49 victory over Aquinas Academy in Section 3-A boys basketball Friday night. Kedron Gilmore scored 21 points, Shamar Simpson added 14, and Brent Manns...
Barrage of 3-pointers — including 8 by Donovan Carney — leads Butler past New Castle
Butler’s Donovan Carney was making shots from far beyond the arc, teammate Tayt Lucas hit a couple of 3-pointers and Kyle Casteel came off the bench shooting 3s with no hesitation. In coach Matt Clement’s offense, pretty much everybody gets to be a shooter. “I might be the worst coach...
Greensburg Central Catholic dominates Jeannette behind Tyree Turner’s 25 points
Greensburg Central Catholic players and coaches were stranded after the game at Jeannette on Friday night because their bus arrived late. About 30 minutes went by as the team waited in an empty gym. Some players practiced a tip drill, and others played 1-on-1. “Most of them just sat in...
Stunning results highlight 1st day of WCCA wrestling tournament
There were a few stunners during the opening day of the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association wrestling tournament Friday at Greensburg Salem. Derry’s Jeremiah Gess and Franklin Regional’s Nico Sarnic provided the biggest surprises. Gess knocked off No. 1 seed Joe Longhi of Mt. Pleasant, 6-4, in the 133-pound quarterfinals, and...
No. 1 Deer Lakes boys frustrate No. 2 Burrell as all 5 Bucs starters foul out
All week, Deer Lakes boys basketball coach Albie Fletcher used the phrase “up tempo” when preparing his players for their matchup with Burrell. Usually that term is designated for offense, but the Lancers love speed on defense, and they used it to frustrate the Bucs and get them in extreme...
Franklin Regional gives up huge lead before rallying to beat Kiski Area
A boys basketball blowout at Kiski Area turned into a nail-biter before it was over Friday night, but Franklin Regional will take the road victory just the same. Cooper Rankin scored 23 points, and Cam Rowell added 21, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, as the Panthers held...
PIAA policy won’t let Aliquippa argue health and safety in rejecting move to Class 5A
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...
