High School category, Page 418

The Birdie Last season: 107-29 (78.7%) The highlight of the Birdie’s summer came a couple of weeks ago when he high-fived Kenny Pickett as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback ran onto the practice field at Saint Vincent. (Security pulled Pickett’s mesh jersey out of the Birdie’s claw. It was worth making...

The Birdie Last season: 99-18 (84.6%) The Birdie is used to receiving criticism. Comes with the territory. People don’t like it when he picks against their team. People think his jokes are stupid. People shake their fists when he gives their cars an extra hood ornament, to put it as...

Plum and Kiski Area passed each other last year when the WPIAL realigned its football conferences and classifications. The Mustangs moved up to Class 5A and into the Big East Conference with the likes of Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional and Gateway, while the Cavaliers moved down to the Class 4A Greater...

Derek Burk Deer Lakes, sr., QB/S Burk hopes to start out with a strong game Friday at home against Keystone Oaks as the Lancers begin a journey that could ends with a second straight WPIAL playoff trip. Burk finished last season with 1,426 passing yards and nine touchdowns to go...

Nonconference Apollo-Ridge at Leechburg 7 p.m. Friday, Veterans Stadium, Leechburg Last year’s meeting: Apollo-Ridge 34, Leechburg 28 Apollo-Ridge gained bragging rights last season when the rivalry renewed after a two-year hiatus. Can the Vikings collect 530 yards of offense this time around? … Apollo-Ridge has a young roster, but senior...

When Tim Bukowski joined the staff as the offensive coordinator at Southmoreland in 2018, he didn’t just put in a new offense. He made it a priority to develop quarterbacks who could run it. Now the second-year head coach of the Scotties, Bukowski appreciates what he sees in the development...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top cornerbacks for the 2023 season. 1. Kyshawn Robinson Westinghouse Sophomore, 5-10, 165 As a freshman, Robinson was somewhat overshadowed when Westinghouse reached the state finals with a senior-heavy...

High schools Golf Tuesday’s results Boys Class 3A Section 1 Penn-Trafford 189, Latrobe 195 Medalists: PJ Germano (L) 35, David Newsom, Bryce Williams (PT) 37 Section 3 Butler 179, North Hills 193 Medalists: Hunter Swidzinski (B) 32, Nathan Patsilevas (NH) 36 Mars 191, Seneca Valley 198 Medalists: Colin Stevenson (M)...

Beau Jackson is taking a rather philosophical approach to being the new West Greene football coach at the tender age of 26. “I think I’d be a little nervous, regardless of the age,” said Jackson, with a chuckle. Jackson replaces Brian Hanson, who left to become South Allegheny’s head coach....

Last season, Monessen boasted one of the most prolific offenses in Class A, putting up 37.4 points per game. In their first-round playoff game, the Greyhounds hung 42 on higher-seeded Fort Cherry. Problem was, coach Wade Brown’s team gave up 56 to the Rangers. “And a legitimate 42 points,” Brown...

The Mapletown Maples are looking to feed off the mojo from a memorable 2022 season. And who could blame them? Last year, the Maples posted their first undefeated regular season (10-0) since 1968. They recorded the school’s first football playoff victory, defeating Leechburg, 41-28, in their WPIAL Class A opener....

“Playoff season, baby!” That was the exclamation from the Jefferson-Morgan receiver group on the first day of camp practice. As with the start of any sports year, optimism abounds, and the Rockets could very well make the Class A playoffs if they can fix what cost them a chance to...

In 2019, Ryan Krull was seized with a “gut feeling” to step away from coaching football and left a program that had four winning seasons in seven years while he was there. “Coaching high school football was not something I wanted to do anymore,” he said. “It was time for...

Coach Anthony Ruscitto has been doing this a long time. At 82, he never misses a detail. During drills on Wednesday of the first week of camp, Ruscitto was explaining to his receivers what running with a crouch does to protect them in the open field. “You guys are out...

They are new faces in new places supplying new hopes and golden dreams. Some are rookie head coaches replacing experienced coaches while other veteran coaches are starting over at new venues. Some schools have a new football coach for the first time in decades while others continue to play roulette...

The curtain rises on a new high school football season across Pennsylvania this weekend as Week Zero kicks off another year of Friday and Saturday scholastic gridiron action across the Keystone State. Before 2023 begins, a shout out to the state champions from 2022: St. Joe’s Prep in 6A, Pine-Richland...

Rocco Cecere spent his freshman and sophomore seasons as a backup quarterback in the Riverview offense. He said that focus on his abilities and his improvement provided a lot of the motivation he needed to be ready when it was his turn to run the Raiders’ wing-T offense last year...

It seems like every year Penn-Trafford has a senior football player step up to make a name for himself. This year’s player might be safety/wide receiver Carmen Metcalfe. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior is a three-sport athlete. He also plays basketball and was a center fielder for the baseball team. Metcalfe...

The PIAA sided with the WPIAL on Tuesday and upheld the one-year suspension of Shady Side Academy girls basketball coach Jonna Burke. The decision came after a 90-minute appeal hearing in which Burke’s attorney argued that the longtime coach did not violate PIAA recruiting rules when she sent a direct...

Katie Jo Stobert officially was hired Monday night as Highlands’ next athletic director. The school board vote was unanimous. But she has been busy in the position for the better part of a month getting the Golden Rams’ individual athletes and teams ready for the 2023 fall sports season as...

WPIAL girls soccer preview Class 4A Defending champion: North Allegheny Runner-up: Peters Township Team to beat: North Allegheny brings back eight all-section players and should have some offensive pop as the Tigers chase their fourth title in five years. Others to watch: Look for experienced Peters Township to chase down...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top linebackers for the 2023 season. 1. Cole Sullivan Central Catholic Senior, 6-3, 210 Sullivan had a terrific junior season and emerged as one of the state’s most disruptive...

As with any new high school football season, there are plenty of changes with players, coaches and and even rules. There are five rule changes for the 2023 football season. Some are minor and more aesthetic than anything else. Others are somewhat significant as administrators and officials continue their efforts...

High schools Golf Monday’s results Boys Class 3A Section 5 Ambridge 244, Central Valley 270 Medalists: Liam Baker, Colt Hisaro (A) 48, Nico Dibiaggio (CV), 51 Section 6 Bethel Park 215, Canon-McMillan 219 Class 2A Section 1 Knoch 212, Deer Lakes 217 Section 2 Indiana 197, Ligonier Valley 217 Medalists:...

Union senior quarterback Braylon Thomas doesn’t want to see the party end after the seismic wave of momentum that overtook the football team last season. The Scotties won their first WPIAL title since 1959 and made it to the PIAA Class A title game before bowing to Steelton-Highspire. In a...