High School category, Page 424

In high school football, having a three-year starter at quarterback usually gives a team the upper hand. In 2023, it will be advantage Montour. Jake Wolfe returns for his third year as starting QB for the Spartans. “To have a three-year starter at quarterback is great for us and a...

Led by Penn State recruit Lamont Payne Jr. and several other returning seniors, there was hope for Chartiers Valley in the first year of the Aaron Fitzpatrick era. However, 2022 became a painful season for the Colts, as they finished in sixth place in the eight-team Class 4A Parkway Conference...

Pat Feeley was thrown into an uncomfortable position just days before training camps opened throughout the WPIAL. But he’s used something comfortable in order to cope: history. “I’m a history teacher,” said Feeley, who took over as Blackhawk’s football coach when Zack Hayward surprisingly stepped down to take the Chartiers...

Sherm McBride can see signs of progress with the Ambridge football program, but he’s far from content. The Bridgers finished the 2022 season 2-8, winning one game in Class 4A’s uber-competitive Parkway Conference. “We had a few guys coming back, but had a lot of freshman and sophomores,” said Sherman,...

In a tradition-rich football town with 19 WPIAL titles, change doesn’t come easily for everyone. Aliquippa has a beautiful new stadium, modern lights and top-notch artificial turf. But to build it, the school first had to tear down its crumbling stadium that had stood for almost a century. If the...

High schools Golf Friday’s results Boys TRICADA Championship Team scores Class 3A: 1. Peters Township Red 373. T2. Canon-MacMillan 398. T2. South Fayette 398. 4. Trinity 404. 5. Peters Township White 411. 6. Laurel Highlands 428 Class 2A: 1. Carmichaels 397. 2. Uniontown 410. 3. Waynesburg 413. 4. McGuffey 420....

Angela Franke said the past couple of days have been a whirlwind since the Leechburg School Board voted to officially hire her as athletic director Wednesday evening. “I am really excited to have this great opportunity at Leechburg,” said Franke, who served the past two academic years as the athletic...

He comes from a big family — we’re talking jumbo package, here — so Mason Beeman is used to being in close quarters with a lot of people. He also is used to earning his keep in a household where he is one of Michael and Trina Beeman’s 10 children....

By almost all standards, Central Valley had a very successful 2022 season. But the standards in Monaca are a bit different. The Warriors finished 11-2, falling in the Class 4A championship game to rival Aliquippa at Acrisure Stadium. The 34-7 loss — their second to the Quips last fall —...

Coach Ed Dalton was pleased with McGuffey’s 2022 season. His Highlanders went 8-4 and finished third in the Century Conference, but he felt his team could have accomplished more. The Highlanders left two regular season victories on the table: a 6-0 loss to Sto-Rox, where McGuffey fumbled twice, once in...

The 2022 season was one coach Aaron Giorgi would like to put far into the rearview mirror. Waynesburg went into the season with high expectations but came away without a win and finished last in the Century Conference. “Last year was very trying,” Giorgi said. “We suffered numerous injuries early...

Woodland Hills football is well known for the wide receivers, running backs and defense backs who migrated from Friday nights to Saturdays and eventually Sunday afternoons. There’s an occasional tight end, fullback or defensive end too, but when it comes to skill-position talent, the Wolverines are always among the best...

Keegan Smetanka feels comfortable that he can make the right read when he scans defenses. The senior quarterback demonstrated the Shaler offense is capable of producing plenty of big plays last year. Smetanka completed 54.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,151 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. While the...

It was a storybook ending for Pine-Richland football in Jon LeDonne’s first year at the helm. The Rams rebounded from a 1-3 start to rattle off a dozen wins in a row en route to the Class 5A state championship. There will be some key spots to fill this season,...

Penn Hills wide receiver/defensive back Cam Thomas doesn’t want to miss any opportunities. For the Indians’ football program to get back on track — and back in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs — Thomas believes wins will need to come through better execution. In Thomas’ case, he wants to create...

Facing one of the more daunting schedules in the WPIAL, North Hills heads into the 2023 season with some significant changes both on the field and on the sideline. The Indians finished last season 3-8 but went 3-2 in Class 5A’s Northeast Conference. The season was a roller coaster, featuring...

There’s no reason for the Fox Chapel football program to carry forward last season’s frustrations. Following an 0-10 season, there was significant turnover in the program. Longtime coach Tom Loughran stepped down, and Fox Chapel brought in former Springdale coach and Foxes assistant Dave Leasure to lead the program. Leasure,...

High schools Golf Thursday’s results Nonsection Boys Derry 239, Valley 261 Medalists: Hayden Smolleck (D) 40, Maddox DeAntonio (V) 45 Freeport 201, Armstrong 244 Medalists: Aiden Bauman (F) 37, Adam Hooks (A) 44 Keystone Oaks 215, East Allegheny 273 Medalist: Ethan Shartle (KO) Mars 197, Blackhawk 207 Medalist: Matt Mueller...

Belle Vernon football coach Matt Humbert often has one eye on the players coming up through the junior high ranks. After all, they are the future of his hugely successful program. The Class of 2024 was one that stood out, and they haven’t disappointed, capturing the WPIAL Class 3A championship...

Like a pair of new socks, two more honors rolled in for Belle Vernon alum Viva Kreis. And they are a perfect fit. The 2023 graduate, who bagged the $10,000 Heisman High School Scholarship Award last December and was an honorable mention for the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award...

Plum had one of the youngest teams in Class 5A last season with only a handful of seniors, but showed plenty of promise. The Mustangs moved up from Class 4A and challenged Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford and Gateway in the Big East Conference, but ultimately fell short and narrowly missed the...

Things didn’t go as planned for the Penn-Trafford football team in 2022. Expectations were high coming off the school’s first PIAA and WPIAL titles. The Warriors returned numerous key starters from the championship team and were hoping for a repeat. But various injuries and inconsistent play hampered the team all...

If there is a difference between a Norwin kid and a Hempfield kid, Mike Brown is out to find it. After two years at Hempfield, Brown left to become the coach at Norwin. Some saw it as a lateral move — one 5A school to another, one toiling program for...

Most visitors return from Florida with theme park souvenirs, a suntan and maybe some oranges, but Gateway coach Don Holl brought home a new offense. When Holl took a trip to the Sunshine State a couple of months ago, he visited with one of his former players, now a college...

Franklin Regional surprised many by winning the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference title in 2022. The biggest stunner came in the third game when the Panthers upset Gateway, 16-7. But the season didn’t end on a good note. The Panthers lost to Penn-Trafford, 28-21, in the regular-season finale in...