High School category, Page 416

Last season, Westinghouse had a fairy tale season that ended at the doorstep of a state championship. However, the Bulldogs have turned the page as they head into a new season with a new cast. The Bulldogs (14-1, 4-0) were the first City League school to reach the state finals...

After winning three City League championships in the first 10 years of program history, University Prep has its sights set on taking its first title since 2016. The Panthers (3-6, 2-2) are looking to bounce back from losing to Allderdice, 14-6, in the semifinals of the City League playoffs last...

After consecutive seasons of missing the City League playoffs, the Perry Traditional Academy football team clinched a playoff berth in 2022. This season, the Commodores are looking to take the next step in year two under Stephen Hale. For the Commodores to sustain that success throughout the impending campaign, they...

There’s a theme of change surrounding the Carrick football program. Dennis “Shor D” Wolford, who was the Raiders’ offensive coordinator last season, has moved into the head coach position, replacing Greg Johnston, who was 2-14 in two seasons at the helm. And he is focusing on making changes, starting in...

A winless season was not on the menu last year for the Brashear Bulls, especially with a roster that boasted several key seniors. However, the Bulls came up empty in the victory column for just the second time in program history. Even with a young group this time around, Bulls’...

In the last decade, the Allderdice football program has made eight appearances in the City League championship game. The Dragons hope to return again to avenge their loss to the state runner-up Westinghouse. They have navigated the offseason without coach Jerry Haslett at the helm for all workouts. Haslett suffered...

After enjoying its best football season in 24 years in 2021, Butler was looking to build on that success last fall with several key players returning. After a hot start, the season got away with six consecutive losses, including a 55-point setback against McDowell in the District 10 Class 6A...

Baby steps. For Brownsville, taking a patient approach appears likely to be the best method for attempting to halt a long losing streak and reverse the negative trend plaguing the school’s once-proud football program. So says second-year coach Scott “Skooter” Roebuck, whose first season resulted in an 0-8 record that...

TribLive HSSN broke down the top players at one position per day leading up to Week Zero. Now, here’s a look at the top coaching changes for the 2023 season. 1. Ryan Lehmeier Central Catholic Lehmeier, a former offensive coordinator at Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland, is a first-time head coach....

In 2021, the independent Albert Gallatin football program enjoyed one of its best seasons in decades, finishing 6-2. It was a solid turnaround for a group of seniors who began their scholastic career on a team that went 0-10 and was outscored 479-46. With a lot of new faces in...

The 2022 season brought a lot of change to the Connellsville football team. Instead of going with one coach, Connellsville employed three head coaches to help facilitate the overall improvement of the program. Under the direction of coaches Chad Lembo, Jace McClean and Mick Lilley, the Falcons were able to...

For the Frazier football team, a few years of struggles have certainly taken their toll on a proud program. However, coach Mike Shannon doesn’t believe the Commodores have to stay down for long. After a winless season in 2021, they took a step forward by earning a win in 2022....

In 2019, two eras of Laurel Highlands football began simultaneously. That was the season that Rich Kolesar began his tenure as head coach of the Mustangs, while talented freshman Rodney Gallagher arrived on the scene. A 2006 Laurel Highlands graduate, Kolesar enters his fifth season of leading the Mustangs while...

High schools Football Nonconference Friday’s schedule Albert Gallatin at Connellsville, 7 p.m. Allderdice at North Allegheny, 7:30 p.m. Apollo-Ridge at Leechburg, 7 p.m. Avonworth at Grove City, 7 p.m. Bethel Park at North Hills, 7 p.m. Blackhawk at Beaver Falls, 7 p.m. Brashear at Baldwin, 7 p.m. Brentwood at Ellwood...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top specialists for the 2023 season. 1. Bennett Henderson Upper St. Clair Senior, 5-11, 170 Henderson kicked a WPIAL-best 10 field goals last season, following up a sophomore season...

In 2021, the Uniontown football team swapped WPIAL competition for an independent schedule that school administrators hoped would spark the struggling Red Raiders to success. So far, it seems to be working. “It’s been a good situation for us,” coach Keith Jeffries said. “One, we’re getting the numbers; our numbers...

Springdale coach Marc Bentley can’t help but smile when thinking back to last fall and his team’s run to the WPIAL Class A championship game at Highmark Stadium and its trip to the PIAA quarterfinals. “It was such a great experience for the girls, especially knowing how hard they worked...

Da’sjon Craggette looked comfortable during a few training camp drills, making plays and laughing with his new teammates at Southmoreland. “It’s gone better than I could have imagined,” said Craggette, a senior running back and safety who transferred from Greensburg Central Catholic — by way of Geibel, which does not...

As Billy Preston sang in his 1974 hit song Nothing from Nothing, “Nothin’ from nothin’ leaves nothin’.” That still holds true today, unless we’re talking about zero. In the case of a high school football schedule, zero means a whole lot. This is the eighth season that the PIAA has...

North Allegheny’s Art Walker has coached long enough to remember when filming practice required a bulky camcorder and tapes. “When I started, it was VHS and then the smaller tapes and then DVDs,” said Walker, who is entering his 26th season as a head football coach. “Now the video is...

After a WPIAL runner-up season that included a trip to the PIAA Class 2A girls soccer semifinals, Mt. Pleasant is primed for another postseason push. The Vikings, who went 21-3, could have the best lineup their soccer program has seen, and with it, speed, technique and a sense of belonging...

The most successful boys sports year in Deer Lakes history began with the boys soccer team’s run to its second WPIAL title in three years last fall. A pair of freshmen combined for the winning goal as Peyton Kushon passed to Jacob Orseno, who scored in overtime to lift the...

Fifteen players accounted for points, and 11 scored goals last season for Belle Vernon’s boys soccer team. The balanced production led the Leopards to a section title and a WPIAL Class 3A playoff spot. While they will be young this season, the Leopards still could bounce the ball around and...

Antonio Marra’s high school football career at Yough has not gone as planned. Injuries have sidelined the talented senior wide receiver. He played in only four games during the 2022 season before a broken ankle ended his season. Before the injury, he caught two passes for 113 yards and a...

Darnell Coaston proudly wears blue and white Penn State receiver gloves during Valley football practices. It isn’t a secret that the Nittany Lions are his favorite college football team, and it would be a dream come true to play in Happy Valley. But if another school were to offer him...