High School category, Page 397

Kiski Area’s girls soccer team came into this season knowing it would go through some growing pains. Any outfit that graduates 10 seniors and watches all that experience leave is going to have a tough following year. Coach Dave Anderson and his staff came into the year with a young...

Player of the week Cooper Hornack Burrell, Sr., RB/DB Hornack, the reigning two-time Valley News Dispatch wrestler of the year and the 2023 PIAA Class 2A champion at 127 pounds, was a difference-maker last Friday as Burrell won its third straight game after an 0-2 start. Burrell ran the ball...

Class 5A Big East Conference Franklin Regional (3-2, 0-1) at Plum (2-3, 0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Mustang Stadium, Plum Last week: Franklin Regional 55, Shaler 7; Gateway 49, Plum 14 Last year’s result: Franklin Regional 31, Plum 28 Neighboring teams usually fight for the last word when they meet on...

As 7 p.m. approached last Friday night, The Birdie was tapping away feverishly at his laptop like a hungry chicken pecking at some feed. He decided not to attend a game in person this week like he normally does, instead declaring he was working on a project that would be...

Thursday City League Brashear at Allderdice, 7 p.m. Friday WPIAL Class 6A Canon-McMillan at Central Catholic, 7 p.m. Class 5A Allegheny Six Peters Township at Baldwin, 7 p.m. South Fayette at Moon, 7 p.m. Big East Franklin Regional at Plum, 7 p.m. Hempfield at Gateway, 7 p.m. Penn-Trafford at Norwin,...

Last week: 11-3 (78.6%) Season: 43-18 (70.5%) Covering games for so many years has given the Birdie an appreciation for football stadiums. He could practically offer professional reviews on Yelp. “More like, Help,” a scoretaker yells as he hangs up the phone. “Your picks could use a life raft.” Back...

Class 5A Big East Conference Franklin Regional (3-2, 0-1) at Plum (2-3, 0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Mustang Stadium, Plum Last week: Franklin Regional 55, Shaler 7; Gateway 49, Plum 14 Last year’s result: Franklin Regional 31, Plum 28 Neighboring teams usually fight for the last word when they meet on...

Player of the Week Jackson Hutter Mt. Pleasant, Sr., RB/MLB The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior had quite a game on both sides of the ball in helping the Vikings rally to defeat Freeport, 45-23. He scored two touchdowns, rushed for 100 yards, caught two passes and made eight tackles, including three...

Mike Brown is very familiar with the rivalry between Penn-Trafford and Norwin. The Knights’ first-year coach is a Penn-Trafford graduate and played in the game three times. Penn-Trafford won two of the three games, losing in 2007. “When I played, it was a game we always got up for,” Brown...

Deer Lakes and Knoch waged a frantic, down-to-the wire battle last season at Lancers Stadium to open Allegheny 6 Conference play. The teams combined for 38 points in the fourth quarter — 22 from Knoch and 16 from Deer Lakes — as the Lancers pulled out a 37-36 victory. “Looking...

Riverview boys soccer coach Mickey Namey earned the 100th victory of his career Tuesday when the Raiders beat St. Joseph, 2-1, at Riverside Park. Freshmen Carson Bodnar and Kyle Schuetz scored for the Raiders. The win helped Riverview stay in contention in Section 3-A. The Raiders (3-7, 2-6) are tied...

With only eight or nine girls available to play because of illness and injuries, Greensburg Central Catholic had to postpone its third straight girls soccer game. The Centurions, ranked No. 3 in WPIAL Class A, were scheduled to host No. 2 Springdale on Wednesday night, but the game has been...

Shady Side Academy girls basketball coach Jonna Burke, who’s facing a one-year suspension for an alleged recruiting violation, has sued the PIAA seeking an injunction that would let her coach. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court, Burke’s attorney, Kendra Smith, said the WPIAL violated due process rights during...

It’s going on 10 p.m., and the lights are still on at Rossi Field. There is a chill in the air, and the players can see their breath. But nobody is complaining. The boys soccer team at Latrobe likes its night practices as much as it does a signature win....

Joey Bayne has tried just about every sport. Each one has brought about some measure of success. “Soccer was the first sport I played when I was like 4,” the junior from Franklin Regional said. “I played baseball until I was 10. I also did wrestling, swimming, basketball and golf....

High schools Cross country Tuesday’s results Boys Division I Section 5 Blackhawk 24, New Castle 35 Blackhawk 20, Hopewell 39 Division II Section 1 Ellwood City 15, Beaver Falls 50 Ellwood City 16, Shenango 49 Section 4 Shady Side Academy 27, Freeport 32 Shady Side Academy 20, Deer Lakes 41...

Alexandra Delaney, Abbey Spalla and Emily Sinton scored to lead South Fayette to a 3-0 victory over previously unbeaten Montour in a battle of Section 4-3A contenders Wednesday night. The win continued a successful run for the Lions (7-5-1, 6-2), who in the last two weeks have earned a win...

The logjam atop WPIAL Section 1-A girls soccer might be clearer after Wednesday’s action on the pitch … or not. Riverview, Springdale and Greensburg Central Catholic are all tied for the top spot with 5-1 section records. The three are two games in front of both Serra Catholic and Seton...

Following so many big showdowns across the state last weekend, things are set to settle down a bit as we hit the midway point of the regular season. In all, the 30 teams ranked in last week’s Trib HSSN state football rankings were a combined 24-5 with one team not...

James Quinn and Nathan Kline scored to lead Avonworth to a 2-1 victory over Quaker Valley in Section 4-2A boys soccer Tuesday night. Rowan Carmichaels had an assist for the Antelopes (8-2-1, 7-1), who handed the Quakers (8-3, 7-1) their first section loss of the year. Nick Allan scored for...

Belle Vernon must have noticed when this week’s boys soccer rankings came out — WPIAL and state — and it did not make the cut. No top five, no top 10 … no love? “It’s not really something we talk about,” coach Al Yeschenko said. “Maybe the kids know, I’m...

North Catholic junior Brady O’Hara has visited Penn State’s campus enough times that he’s almost lost count. Maybe seven? Maybe eight? His latest visit came this past weekend to see a stadium “White Out” when Penn State hosted Iowa, and soon afterward he was ready to commit. O’Hara, a 6-foot-6,...

In order to play soccer the way the Mt. Pleasant girls play, you have to be ready to run. There aren’t many teams with the wall-to-wall speed the Vikings possess. Not many teams can turn an ordinary pitch into a five-lane highway in hyperdrive. “To play that way, you have...

The Jeannette girls soccer team was missing a coach and on the verge of circling the drain when the district turned to its former leader to get things back on track. Billy Bryant, who resigned last year after two seasons leading the Jayhawks, was asked to return to the bench...

High schools Field hockey Monday’s results Section 3A Pine-Richland 4, North Allegheny 1 Section 2A Penn-Trafford 5, Oakland Catholic 0 Tuesday’s schedule Section 3A Hempfield at Norwin, 7 p.m. Peters Township at Mt. Lebanon, 7:30 p.m. Nonsection Fox Chapel at Shady Side Academy, 7:30 p.m. Golf WPIAL Championship First round...