High School category, Page 377
Starting 5: A primer for 2023-24 girls basketball season in Westmoreland County
The WPIAL girls basketball season opens Friday. Here are some of the top storylines, teams and players to watch this season in Westmoreland County: 5 storylines • It could be a long and interesting postseason for at least two area teams. The question is, which one will go farther, Norwin...
Starting 5: A primer for 2023-24 boys basketball season in Westmoreland County
The WPIAL boys basketball season opens Friday. Here are some of the top storylines, teams and players to watch this season in Westmoreland County: 5 storylines • Several bruisers on the low block appear to be opting out this season. Some local football players decided to throw their basketball shoes...
Checking in on past winners of the Bill Fralic Memorial Award
The Bill Fralic Memorial Award for the top interior lineman in the WPIAL will be presented to this year’s recipient during a pancake breakfast Saturday morning at Longue Vue Club in Verona. The award, named after the legendary Penn Hills alum who invented the pancake block and starred at Pitt...
Through the years: Aspinwall claimed 1943 Class B championship
Each week during the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch took a look back at the players, teams and events that are part of local scholastic history. We hope our readers have enjoyed this feature. With the high school football season coming to an end, it’s time to...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 29, 2023
High schools Bowling WPIBL Wednesday’s results Boys Armstrong 5, Burrell 2 Blackhawk 7, Beaver Falls 0 High series: MJ Popovich 670 Carlynton 7, Neighborhood Academy 0 Hempfield 7, Greensburg Central Catholic 0 St. Joseph 7, Apollo-Ridge 0 High series: Daniel Staniszewski (SJ) 459, Brendan Wolfgang (AR) 363 Girls Apollo-Ridge 7,...
Unheralded QB runs his family’s business — Aliquippa’s offense — with championship efficiency
In a jubilant locker room where the players were even louder than the cranked-up music, Aliquippa quarterback Quentin Goode paused to think about the WPIAL football title he’d just won and why it felt different than his first two. There were countless answers he could’ve given Friday at Acrisure Stadium....
Trib 10: WPIAL champs chasing state gold occupy top 6 spots in power rankings
The WPIAL championships are all over and six teams have hoisted District 7 gold, quickly celebrated and now have their attention on the PIAA postseason and the golden broom as they attempt to sweep district and state crowns. A year ago, Pine-Richland in 5A and Belle Vernon in 3A were...
Trib HSSN 2023-24 WPIAL Class 2A girls basketball preseason breakdown
They were celebrating in Shenango when the Wildcats won the school’s first WPIAL girls basketball championship last March. Could another first-time champ be crowned in Class 2A at the Petersen Events Center this spring? There’s certainly a good chance of that. Four-sport Freedom star Shaye Bailey was sidelined for the...
Trib HSSN 2023-24 WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball preseason breakdown
Aliquippa winning a WPIAL championship is not breaking news anymore, although the Quips’ golden run in Class 2A last season was the school’s first district title in seven years. What raised some eyebrows was the team that finished with silver, as Northgate enjoyed a breakout season and reached the WPIAL...
Belle Vernon faces Hickory with a trip to the PIAA Class 3A championship game on the line
PIAA Class 3A WEST REGIONAL (10-1) HICKORY Hornets (11-2) v. (7-1) BELLE VERNON AREA Leopards (10-1) 7 P.M. FRIDAY North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium, Wexford The Boy Scouts of America’s motto is “Be prepared.” That’s the concept Belle Vernon football coach Matt Humbert is following in advance of the PIAA Western...
Mt. Pleasant wrestler Jamison Poklembo has a full trophy case, but something’s missing
Mt. Pleasant senior Jamison Poklembo has succeeded at almost every level of wrestling. He was a WPIAL champion at 132 pounds as a freshman, finished second at 133 as a junior and third at 138 as a sophomore. He’s qualified for the PIAA individual championships three consecutive years, but he’s...
WPIAL Class 2A section breakdowns for 2023-24 season
Section 1 Reigning WPIAL champion Burgettstown (17-2) looks for back-to-back titles by returning nine starters. Heading the list of returnees are three PIAA qualifiers: senior Parker Sentipal (47-7), senior Gaven Suica (43-13) and senior heavyweight Joe Baronick (41-15). … McGuffey (11-3) looks to challenge for the section title. The Highlanders...
Burrell’s Cooper Hornack sets championship goals for senior season
There’s a fresh, new banner in the Burrell gymnasium for Cooper Hornack’s state championship last year. Hornack would love to put another one right beside it. If he can win a second consecutive state title, he’d be only the second Bucs wrestler to do so, joining Joe Makara, who did...
WPIAL Class 2A wrestlers to watch for 2023-24 season
Class 2A Wrestlers to Watch Rune Lawrence Frazier, Sr., (112-7 career, 45-3 2022-23) • 2023 WPIAL 189 champion, 2022 WPIAL 172 champion, 2021 WPIAL 172 champion; 2023 PIAA 189 champion, 2022 PIAA 172 champion, PIAA 2021 172 champion. Committed to West Virginia. Cooper Hornack Burrell, Sr., (116-19 career, 43-6 2022-23)...
WPIAL Class 2A preseason Top 10 for 2023-24 wrestling season
Preseason Top 10 Class 2A Team (Last year’s record), Last year’s ranking 1. Burgettstown (17-2), 1 2. Burrell (12-6), 2 3. Quaker Valley (15-6), 3 4. Frazier (12-9), 4 5. McGuffey (11-3), 8 6. Highlands (9-2), 6 7. Mt. Pleasant (11-6), 5 8. Freedom (10-11), NR 9. Jefferson-Morgan (8-3), NR...
Unlike The Birdie, Belle Vernon football keeps going up
The Birdie Last week: 1-0 (100%) Season: 108-28 (79.4%) The Birdie saw the elevator door begin to close as he sprinted — that’s a strong word — down a hallway on the fourth floor of Acrisure Stadium. His stomach full of chips, pretzels and cold black coffee, he was leaving...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 28, 2023
High schools Football PIAA playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Saturday’s schedule Central Bucks South (13-1) vs. St. Joseph Prep (11-1) at North Penn, 1 p.m.; Harrisburg (12-1) vs. North Allegheny (12-1) at Mansion Park, Altoona, 1 p.m. Class 5A Semifinals Friday’s schedule Imhotep Charter (13-0) vs. Strath Haven (13-1) at Coatesville,...
High school roundup for Nov. 28, 2023: Upper St. Clair hockey blanks Canon-McMillan
Owen Laurent made 20 saves to lead Upper St. Clair to a 3-0 victory over Canon-McMillan in PIHL Class 3A hockey Tuesday night. Grahm Tauch, Ryan Buonomo and Nico Galardini scored for Upper St. Clair (6-2). Aiden Bobbs made 47 saves for Canon-McMillan (0-8). Franklin Regional 6, North Hills 2...
Plum wrestling team trying to build off breakthrough season
It was a banner year for Plum wrestling, literally. For the first time in three decades, the Mustangs won a section title, ending Kiski Area’s six-year run as section champ in the process, and won their first ever Allegheny County championship. Almost all the wrestlers who played a part in...
Trib HSSN Pennsylvania high school football rankings for Nov. 28, 2023
There are 24 high school football teams still alive, heading into this weekend needing two more victories to win one of six PIAA championships. Considering there were a lot of head-to-head matchups in the quarterfinals last week, there was not a ton of movement in the latest Trib HSSN PIAA...
Trib HSSN 2023-24 WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball preseason breakdown
The four-year reign of district and state dominance ended last season for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart as the 2022-2023 season became the Year of the Deer in Class 3A. OLSH moved up to 3A last season after winning four straight WPIAL Class 2A championships. However, the Chargers’ run...
Hempfield wrestler Eli Carr looking for more during senior season
Hempfield wrestler Eli Carr had quite a junior season. He wouldn’t mind a repeat and an even better performance as a senior. Not only did Carr play a key role in helping the Spartans finish third in the WPIAL team tournament and qualify for the PIAA tournament with stunning wins...
Trib HSSN 2023-24 WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball preseason breakdown
Avonworth won its seventh WPIAL girls basketball championship last winter and first since 2005. Coach Nick Dizon and the Lopes return three starters in their quest for a repeat, but will face plenty of competition. Neshannock has won three WPIAL titles across two classifications in the past five years, and...
WPIAL Class 3A section breakdowns for 2023-24 season
Section 1 Last year’s section champion, Plum (15-3), returns 10 starters who won 21 or more matches during the season. Heading the list was the 172-pound section champion senior Antonio Walker (22-3). … It was a rare season that Kiski Area (8-9) didn’t win the section crown. The Cavaliers will...
Riverview’s Lola Abraham leads 2023 Trib HSSN girls soccer all-stars
Trib HSSN Girls Soccer All-Stars Fab 15 Player of the year Lola Abraham Sr., F, Riverview Known for scoring goals in bunches, Lola Abraham was an offensive stalwart with the disruptive tendencies of a defender. Slow her down early, she’ll probably burn you late. Braces and hat tricks were only...
