High School category, Page 384
Penn-Trafford notebook: 8 Warriors named to all-conference 1st team
The Penn-Trafford football team didn’t win the Big East Conference, but the Warriors did dominate the first team all-conference team with eight players selected by conference coaches. Selected to the first-team offense were junior center Ethan Septak, senior guard Riley McCaw, senior tight end Mark Jollie, junior running back Tasso...
Penn Hills notebook: Senior soccer standout chosen for all-star game
Penn Hills senior Landon Hankey had to tough out playing two sports during his senior season. The Indians boys soccer team’s senior goalkeeper struggled to stay on the field. However, he was able to grind it out and find a way to play as much as possible in both football...
Plum, Riverview athletes ink plans for college careers
For many high school seniors throughout the WPIAL, Nov. 8 was the culmination of years or hard work, dedication and determination. It also was a celebration as those athletes were able to finalize their decisions to continue on in their chosen path to the next level. National letter of intent...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 18, 2023
High schools Football WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Saturday’s result North Allegheny 44, Central Catholic 41 Class 5A Championship Saturday’s result Peters Township 43, Pine-Richland 17 Class 4A Championship Friday’s schedule Aliquippa (11-0) vs. McKeesport (11-1) at Acrisure Stadium, 8 p.m. Class 3A Championship Friday’s schedule Belle Vernon (10-1) vs....
With 6 TDs, North Allegheny QB Logan Kushner shines brightest in WPIAL title win over Central Catholic
“Best player on the field” was how North Allegheny coach Art Walker described his quarterback Logan Kushner. Sure, there were bigger guys out there. He’s not headed to a Big Ten school. Division I colleges aren’t really recruiting him. But on a field dotted with major-college talents, Kushner passed for...
North Allegheny handles pressure, sweeps Unionville for 7th straight PIAA volleyball crown
SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP — North Allegheny and state girls volleyball championships are synonymous with each other. North Allegheny won its seventh straight PIAA Class 4A title Saturday night with a sweep of Unionville at Cumberland Valley. Game scores were 25-18, 25-18, and 26-24. The only loss this season for WPIAL...
Moon passes tough title-game test to complete PIAA 3-peat
MECHANICSBURG — Two Goliaths grappled in the Class 3A girls soccer state championship game. Reigning back-to-back champion Moon defeated undefeated Abington Heights, 3-1, securing a state final three-peat Saturday night. “Three in a row’s nice. I’m happy for the kids,” Moon coach Bill Pfeifer said. “To win one that really...
Hampton falls to Pope John Paul II in state championship battle of volleyball unbeatens
SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP — Hampton took its unbeaten streak on the road to Cumberland Valley High School for the PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball championships against fellow unbeaten and defending state champion Pope John Paul II from District 1 on Saturday. Pope John Paul II repeated as champions, winning 3-1...
Freeport boys establishing culture under new coach after losing 10 seniors
Rich Macura basically has been involved with Freeport basketball his entire life. He started as a player in third grade and was a longtime assistant coach for the Yellowjackets, so getting the opportunity to be the bench boss at his alma mater is a dream come true. “What’s exciting is...
Experienced Freeport girls rally around new coach Mallory Ketterer
It’s been a year of positive transition for Mallory Ketterer. She recently welcomed a new baby into the world and now is gearing up for her first season as the Freeport girls basketball coach. Ketterer spent the last four years as an assistant to former Freeport coach Fred Soilis, who...
Hempfield girls basketball wants to push pace this season
Bob Madison has been coaching girls athletics long enough to have reached a universal truth, at least one that rings true in his mind. “Girls work harder than boys,” the first-year Hempfield girls basketball coach said. “They have this innate nature to want to learn and listen. The boys like...
Hempfield boys ready to reap rewards from growing pains
Last season was a series of gradual improvements interrupted by teaching moments for the Hempfield boys basketball team. The Spartans lost their first two section games by a combined 90 points but won two of their final three to settle at 8-14 overall and 3-7 in Section 2-6A. Section coaches...
Delco Christian stops Charleroi in Class A state title game
Something had to give when Charleroi and District 1’s Delco Christian met to decide the PIAA Class A boys soccer championship Saturday afternoon at Cumberland Valley’s Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg. Both the Knights and the Cougars came in seeking their first state title. The teams also reached the...
Peters Township routs defending 5A champ Pine-Richland for 1st WPIAL football title
Peters Township would not be denied this time. After falling in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game to Gateway in 2019 and Pine-Richland in 2020, the top-seeded Indians put together a dominating performance Saturday and rolled over Pine-Richland, 43-17, at Norwin Knights Stadium. It was the program’s first WPIAL football...
Riverview settles for silver after falling to Dock Mennonite in PIAA Class A girls soccer final
MECHANICSBURG — The Riverview girls soccer team’s history-making postseason run ended one win short of PIAA gold. District 1 champion Dock Mennonite (21-1-2) scored twice in the in the first half and three more times over the final 40 minutes to finish off a 5-1 victory in the Class A...
With top 8 players back, Shaler boys feeling confident
Shaler boys basketball coach Rob Niedeberger has always prided himself on having depth in his program. This season, the Titans had more than a solid foundation to build on. Shaler will bring back the top eight players from its rotation last season. Six of those players go straight from hanging...
Belle Vernon football turns attention toward WPIAL repeat
Friday was the first official practice date for WPIAL basketball season, but Quinton Martin and some of his teammates are not ready to take the court yet — if at all. Martin, who currently doesn’t plan to play basketball this year, was busy Friday night rushing for 152 yards and...
Experienced, talented Chartiers Valley girls roster looks to put it all together
The first season for the Chartiers Valley girls basketball program under coach Mike Semplice came to an end in heartbreaking fashion after losing to Mt. Lebanon, 47-46, in the WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinals. However, the tough loss provided Semplice and the Colts with valuable lessons that can be applied for...
Led by star guard Jayden Davis, Chartiers Valley boys look to finish stronger
Last season, the Chartiers Valley boys basketball team won its first 12 games and was ranked No. 1 in Class 5A at one point. However, the Colts sputtered once they reached section play and missed out on the playoffs by one game. With eight players returning from last year’s team...
Thomas Jefferson’s Evan Berger, Zoe Krizan, Laekyn Flinn sign with college programs
The NCAA early signing day for high school athletes took place Nov. 8. Three students at Thomas Jefferson — seniors Evan Berger, Zoe Krizan and Laekyn Flinn — took advantage of the opportunity. Berger, a fourth-year starter in basketball for the Jaguars, signed with NCAA Division II Penn West Edinboro...
Despite loss in WPIAL quarterfinals, Thomas Jefferson had another statistically strong season
Thomas Jefferson and Aliquippa have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for 29 consecutive years. And that extraordinary streak remained intact for both teams in 2023. The Jaguars tied for second place with Trinity and Latrobe in the Class 4A Big Seven Conference this year and received a No. 6 seed...
Bethel Park girls tennis makes history during championship season
Expectations were soaring through the roof for the Bethel Park girls tennis team this year. And the Black Hawks jumped aboard the jet stream. Bethel Park won the first WPIAL team championship in school history, and the tandem of freshman Cami Fisher and senior Lily Sierka captured the first WPIAL...
Bethel Park football sets foundation for future, makes playoffs in successful season
The Bethel Park football team advanced to the WPIAL playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Black Hawks tied for second with Moon and Upper St. Clair in the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference with a 3-2 record in league play. The Bethel Park gridders lost to defending WPIAL champion...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Coach returns to Ligonier Valley girls basketball
Ligonier Valley named a new girls basketball coach four days before the official start of practice. The coach not only is an alum but the all-time leading scorer for the program (1,606 points) and a Rams Hall of Famer. Christy (Clark) Hajjar, a 1991 graduate, was hired Monday to replace...
Motivated by 1-point playoff loss, Shaler girls aim higher
Hanna DeJidas still thinks about the Shaler girls basketball team’s loss in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. The Titans became one of the WPIAL’s top defensive teams last season by utilizing bungee cords in practice so the entire team knew how to move and work together....
