High School category, Page 37
Moon gets past Montour in OT in hard-fought regular-season finale
AJ Buford’s layup with seconds remaining in overtime lifted Moon to a dramatic 48-45 win over Montour on the Spartans’ senior night Friday. Jackson Bauman found Buford cutting to the hole to seal the game. “It was a tough look,” Buford said. “Loic (Kalau) came up, so I had to...
WPIAL clinched: Girls basketball playoff qualifiers through Feb. 6, 2026
The WPIAL girls basketball regular season is down to a few games as the district playoff field is nearly finalized with 80 teams ready to participate in the February Frenzy. An 81st team could join them Saturday. A reminder of the playoff format this season as sections with eight or...
WPIAL clinched: Boys basketball playoff qualifiers through Feb. 6, 2026
One day remains in the stretch run as the WPIAL boys basketball playoff field is up to 86 teams that have clinched district postseason berths. Three more teams could join them Saturday. A reminder of the playoff format this season as sections with eight or more teams send the top...
Derry gets past Elizabeth Forward in tense finale to win 1st section title in 69 years
Entering Friday night’s contest between Elizabeth Forward and Derry, both squads knew the stakes of their matchup. In a de facto Section 3-4A championship game, the winner would snap a conference title drought and put themselves in position for a first-round bye in the playoffs. After trailing for the majority...
Hempfield boys squeeze past Norwin in OT thriller to close section play
Hempfield gave out free white T-shirts with “Spartan Empire” emblazoned on the front Friday night. But a white-out turned into a red-out. Hempfield and Norwin had their share of blood timeouts — from cuts on knees, bloody noses and a nasty cut above the left eye of Norwin’s Alex Graney...
Norwin, Franklin Regional wrestling teams advance to PIAA semis
JOHNSTOWN — Winning toss-up matches is key to deciding tight wrestling matches this time of the season. That is why Norwin and Franklin Regional wrestling teams are headed to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals. Both teams got clutch wins Friday in the quarterfinals at 1st Summit Arena. Norwin got wins...
Highlands boys escape against Valley, get needed help to earn playoff berth
The Highlands boys basketball team did its part against Valley on Friday in hopes of securing a WPIAL playoff spot from Section 1-4A. The Golden Rams found themselves in a dogfight against the Vikings but were able to make the plays down the stretch and pull away for a 62-44...
Fox Chapel boys clinch spot in basketball playoffs with win over Butler
With a clear lane on the path to Petersen Events Center, Fox Chapel boys basketball players knew their assignment: win Friday night at home and qualify. After a quick start and an answer from Butler, the Foxes used an 11-0 run to break a tie on the way 75-51 victory...
WPIAL investigating brawl between Penn Hills, Gateway girls basketball teams
The WPIAL spent part of Friday reviewing information and video of an on-court fight during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Section 2-5A girls basketball game between rivals Gateway and Penn Hills at Gateway’s Furrie Sports Complex. WPIAL executive director Vince Sortino said he had no direct comment on the fight...
Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown commits to Robert Morris
Jeannette big-play senior Kymon’e Brown will go from throwing touchdown passes to catching them at the college level. The dual-threat quarterback committed to play wide receiver at Robert Morris, achieving his long-time goal of reaching the Division I level. He signed with the Colonials on Friday. Brown (6-foot, 162 pounds)...
Central Valley’s Brendan Alexander commits to Northern Illinois
Central Valley senior lineman Brendan Alexander continued to add college scholarship offers all the way through national signing day Wednesday. After mulling over his options, he decided to sign with Northern Illinois on Thursday. NEW HUSKIE added to our PACK‼️???? Nothing like adding some more GRIT to an already NASTY...
WPIAL alums Lincoln Hoke, Reston Lehman begin work on Pitt’s defensive line
Pitt bringing in WPIAL talent is nothing new. Last December, football coach Pat Narduzzi didn’t hesitate to advertise Pitt’s bona fides when it comes to recruiting and developing homegrown talent. “I don’t think anybody takes more players and develops more players from the WPIAL than the University of Pittsburgh,” Narduzzi...
Penn State’s Chris Stoll, ex-Steelers QB Josh Dobbs highlight local ties to Super Bowl LX
When Chris Stoll was spending two full seasons not seeing the field as a walk-on for the Penn State football team, who could have imagined he would be the only player from the program who would get onto the field to play in a future Super Bowl? Stoll, the Seattle...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 5, 2026
High schools Basketball Boys Thursday’s results Class 6A Section 1 New Castle 65, North Allegheny 36 North Hills 75, Pine-Richland 54 Class 5A Section 2 Penn Hills 64, Kiski Area 57 Class 4A Section 2 Quaker Valley 59, Avonworth 42 Class 3A Section 3 Apollo-Ridge 68, Steel Valley 49 Nonsection...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 6, 2026: Class 5A playoff logjam to clear up Friday night
A lot of time has been spent this season, and rightly so, updating the wild jumbled-up race for second place in WPIAL boys basketball Section 1-6A. Heading into the final night of the regular season, there is another logjam of a section race coming down to the wire that would...
High school roundup for Feb. 5, 2026: Pine-Richland, Indiana earn share of section titles with clutch wins
Mia LeDonne scored 15 points as Pine-Richland claimed a share of the Section 1-6A girls basketball title with a 52-43 victory over Seneca Valley on Thursday night. Cate Gentile and Addison Buches added 12 points apiece for the Rams (15-7, 9-1). Natalie Hambly scored 17 points and Reece McFadden added...
North Catholic boys score 32 in 4th quarter to rally past Deer Lakes
Jude Rottmann knew the situation was dire. But the North Catholic senior wasn’t worried about the water the Trojans’ boat took on during the first three quarters Friday night. He believed their experience would allow them to overcome the 13-point deficit they faced going into the fourth quarter. North Catholic...
WPIAL clinched: Girls basketball playoff qualifiers through Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026
The WPIAL girls basketball regular season is down to a few games as the district playoff field is nearly finalized with 77 teams ready to participate in the February Frenzy. A reminder of the playoff format this season as sections with eight or more teams send the top five teams...
Freeport defense shuts down Knoch, closes off path to playoffsVideo
The Freeport girls basketball team was well aware of what was at stake for its opposition coming into Thursday night’s game against Knoch. “Yesterday at practice, we prepared very hard,” freshman Sydney Reiser said. “We knew it was going to be a big game, knew Knoch was going to try...
Franklin Regional girls score in closing seconds to grab playoff spot over Shaler
Bernie Pucka said he had a feeling his team was going to win. The vibe, the energy, the lack of nervousness from his girls, it all seemed to put him at ease. But the Franklin Regional girls basketball coach didn’t quite envision a finish like this. Junior guard Chloe Pucka...
Reserves help Norwin girls rally past scrappy Hempfield; both teams playoff-boundVideo
Things did not look good for the Norwin girls basketball team midway through the third quarter of Thursday’s Section 2-6A game at Hempfield. Hempfield had opened up a nine-point lead and had a chance to make it double figures. That is when Norwin coach Brian Brozeski opted to sub out...
WPIAL wrestling powers Norwin, Connellsville set to battle in state quarterfinals
Norwin is making its second appearance in the PIAA Class 3A team wrestling tournament but its first journey into the quarterfinals. There, the Knights will run into a familiar foe, perennial WPIAL power Connellsville at 7 p.m. Friday at Johnstown’s 1st Summit Arena. Norwin (13-3) finished second to Franklin Regional...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Derry chasing 1st section title since 1957
Derry has been a before in a room of afters for too long. The Trojans think they are ready to take the next step as a postseason contender. Wins over Elizabeth Forward and Belle Vernon — games that presented problems for Derry in the past — have them in the...
Western Pa.’s top football prospects for the Class of 2027
Who’s next? Now that signing day has come and gone for high school seniors, focus can turn to the next recruiting cycle. Members of the Class of 2027 are now on the radar of college recruiters around the country. Western Pennsylvania will be a popular place for coaches to visit...
Terry Smith, Tom Loughran to be inducted into state football coaches hall of fameVideo
Two of the most impactful football coaches in the history of the WPIAL, Tom Loughran and Terry Smith, will be celebrated in May as part of the Class of 2026 into the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association Coaches Hall of Fame. They will join five other coaching greats to be...
