High School category, Page 400

A week after shutting out Highlands in their conference opener, North Catholic came on the road and authored another strong defensive performance in a 28-7 win over Kiski Area. “They are a focused and locked in group,” coach Chris Rizzo said of his defensive unit. “We tackle the ball pretty...

Things didn’t look good for the Mt. Pleasant football team late in the third quarter of their nonconference game against Freeport. The Vikings were down two touchdowns and needed a spark. Senior Jackson Hutter provided it. Mt. Pleasant (4-1) scored on five consecutive possessions in the final 16 minutes, 33...

On paper, the nonconference game between Norwin and Woodland Hills seemed like an even matchup. Both teams came into Friday’s game with the same records (2-2, 1-0) and nearly identical points for and points against numbers. The numbers were a harbinger as the Wolverines (3-2, 1-0) held on for a...

Jeannette’s steady climb back to respectability took another step forward Friday night. Is the WPIAL’s winningest football team all the way back? “I’m not ready to say it yet,” Jayhawks coach Tommy Paulone said. “The progress is pleasing, but we know there’s still work to do.” Payton Molter threw three...

When Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson renew their rivalry, there’s usually one play or a series of plays that decide the game. On Friday night, it was the Jaguars who got those plays. A fumbled snap on a Leopards punt led to Luke Kosko finding Jason Salman for a 49-yard...

Junior tailback Tasso Whipple averaged more than 13 yards per carry on the way to a single-game school rushing record of 300 yards and scored four touchdowns as he and Penn-Trafford remembered what it felt like to win at home. Shut out in back-to-back home games, the Warriors followed Whipple...

It was a play that came from utter desperation and ended in jubilation. Golden Rams quarterback Menage Lucas was hemmed up well behind the line of scrimmage on a third-and-long in the fourth quarter when he decided to pitch the ball back to Darius Cherry. Cherry then navigated his way...

The Gateway football team is hitting its stride at the right time. The Gators improved to 2-0 in the Big East Conference on Friday at Plum after their three nonconference setbacks to start the season. Brad Birch threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns, Jaquon Reynolds added three short TD...

Clairton is showing near the midway point of the football season it can overcome many things. In fact, a young Bears team is showing some of the grit its championship-winning predecessors showed for years. The Bears’ big-play offense was on display again Friday night as they rolled to a 42-14...

Southmoreland needed a bounceback performance against Deer Lakes on Friday night after being shut down last week by Knoch. But after an even first half, the Lancers scored 17 second half points to cruise to s 24-7 victory. After both teams scored on their initial possessions, it looked like a...

In a nonconference battle between a pair of unbeaten Class 3A squads, Elizabeth Forward left with its perfect record intact. Ryan Messina threw for a pair of first-half touchdowns to Isaiah Turner, and the Warriors’ defense was dominant in posting its second shutout of the season with a 22-0 win...

North Allegheny’s practices were noticeably faster this week, said coach Art Walker, but the Tigers weren’t getting off the field any earlier. It’s just that the defense was working at a quicker pace. “We practice for the team that we’re playing,” Walker said. “I’ve been here 19 years now, and...

If a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup wasn’t enough excitement for a Friday night, this week also is homecoming at Peters Township, so football coach T.J. Plack had a message for his players. “I don’t care if you’re dancing at the pep rally or who your date is or...

High schools Field hockey Thursday’s results Section 3A North Allegheny 6, Norwin 0 Pine-Richland 11, Allderdice 0 Section 2A Fox Chapel 3, Latrobe 0 Penn-Trafford 5, Upper St. Clair 0 Section 1A Ellis School at Aquinas Academy, (n) Friday’s schedule Section 1A Winchester Thurston at Shady Side Academy, 5 p.m....

The highest-scoring team in WPIAL boys soccer isn’t going to slow down until the throttle burns out. Or until it leaves a lasting impression. Scoring a ton of goals is Jeannette’s forte so far this season. The surging Jayhawks are up to 81 goals after a 5-1 victory over Greensburg...

Senior Billy Lawrence and junior John Duku scored first-half goals for Springdale, and the Dynamos added three more in the second half to defeat rival Riverview, 5-0, in Section 3-A boys soccer Thursday under the lights at Riverside Park in Oakmont. Springdale (7-1, 6-1) won its third straight and completed...

The Riverview girls soccer team rode a wave of momentum into its Section 1-A clash with unbeaten rival Springdale on Thursday. The Dynamos came in 6-0 overall and ranked No. 1 by TribLive HSSN, but the homestanding Raiders had won seven in a row. In front of a large homecoming...

Belle Vernon doesn’t have a girls tennis team, but it does have a WPIAL champion. Sophomore Gabriella Dusi, a fifth seed, took the WPIAL Class 2A girls tennis championship by storm by crushing the field the past two days. She capped her dominance by defeating the second seed, Beaver senior...

Andrew Kariotis has the smallest roster in his time coaching Burrell boys soccer, but his group is proving they have quality over quantity. The Bucs have established themselves as contenders for the WPIAL Class A championship and are tied atop the Section 3-A standings with Springdale with a big first-place...

Hempfield is making some position changes work because of injuries. Rising talent Brock Heisler, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound sophomore tight end and long snapper, has been a part of the on-the-fly adjustments. The Spartans (1-3), who play at Penn-Trafford (1-3) on Friday night in the Class 5A Big East opener, have...

It may say September on the calendar, but Week 4 of the WPIAL football season has more of a November feel to it with big games here, there and everywhere. Friday features not one, not two, but three games pitting top-ranked teams against teams rated No. 2 in the latest...

Each week throughout the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch will take a look back at the games, players and events that have shaped local scholastic history. Before the largest home crowd in 27 years, Valley ended Kiski Area’s 45-game Foothills Conference winning streak with a 14-8 upset....

Hampton senior Meghan Murray, one of the WPIAL’s top point guards, makes fast decisions on the basketball court. She also wasted no time during an official visit to Kent State last weekend. The 5-foot-5 Murray, on her first trip to the school, committed to the Division I Mid-American Conference program...

High schools Field hockey Wednesday’s results Section 3A Pine-Richland 3, Peters Township 0 Allderdice at Hempfield, (n) Thursday’s schedule Section 3A Norwin at North Allegheny, 5 p.m. Section 2A Latrobe at Fox Chapel, 7 p.m. Penn-Trafford at Upper St. Clair, 7 p.m. Section 1A Ellis School at Aquinas Academy, 3:45...

They are the two most dominant football programs in recent City League history and on Thursday, they meet to open up Week 4 of the high school football season. It’s the ‘Dice battling the ‘House. Since 2017, Allderdice and Westinghouse have combined to win all six City League football championships....