High School category, Page 444
With young roster, Ligonier Valley works to come together quickly
Since Roger Beitel became football coach at Ligonier Valley 20 years ago, he has taken his squad to a team camp at Shippensburg University in July. Who can argue with his success? Beitel’s record is 148-63 and the Rams have qualified for the playoffs, either PIAA District 6 or WPIAL,...
Enthusiasm grows at Imani Christian with numbers up, talent abundant
Imani Christian’s practices look different this summer than last, largely because there are twice as many players. The Saints have around 30 on the roster nowadays, which gives coach LaRoi Johnson confidence the program can make a big jump in his second year there. “My guys played well and did...
Burrell ready to run back into WPIAL playoffs
While some WPIAL offensive attacks look to incorporate both ground and air assaults, Burrell often loads up its tanks with the hopes of steamrolling opponents. The Bucs rushed for more than 3,000 total yards last year as they battled through Allegheny Conference play to a berth in the WPIAL Class...
Apollo-Ridge aims to gain experience in a hurry
When asked to appraise his team’s expectations for this season, Apollo-Ridge coach John Skiba didn’t pull any punches. “We will be young and inexperienced,” he said. But he was quick to add that the future is bright as several talented newcomers, he said, will join the few returning starters from...
Highlands’ Aaran Randolph likely to grab more headlines this fall
Aaran Randolph had quite an introduction to A-K Valley football fans. When they opened their newspaper Saturday morning Oct. 1, 2022, the Game of the Week headline read: “RUNNING RAM: Randolph’s 5 scores lead Highlands past Mars.” What the Golden Rams faithful already knew, many across Western Pennsylvania then discovered...
2023 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the running backs
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top running backs for the 2023 season. 1. Quinton Martin Belle Vernon Senior, 6-3, 205 The Penn State recruit scored 31 times last season, including 22 rushing touchdowns, as...
Deep backfield gives Latrobe options in running game
When teams prepared to play Latrobe last season, their focus was on stopping bruising running back Robert Fulton. No. 3 was a big problem. With Fulton gone, though, the Wildcats’ rushing attack will branch out like a spider vein. “That’s the nature of high school sports,” Latrobe coach Ron Prady...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 16, 2023
High schools Golf Wednesday’s results Boys Class 2A Section 1 Burrell 230, Valley 261 Medalists: Chantz Watkins (B) 42, Maddox Dantonio (V) 48 Freeport 205, Leechburg forfeit Medalists: Cam Zigo (F) 37, Tyler Poff (L) 45 Section 2 Greensburg Central Catholic 203, Derry 252 Medalists: Sean Walker (GCC) 36, Hayden...
Optimistic Mt. Pleasant eyes 5th consecutive playoff appearance
A total of 16 returning lettermen, including 13 starters on offense and defense combined, have the Mt. Pleasant community buzzing. With all that experience coming back, there’s hope among the faithful that this could be a special year. Coach Jason Fazekas, entering his seventh season, was his usual subdued self,...
With new coach in charge, top playmaker graduated, change comes to Greensburg Salem
Change is a good thing. So believes Ty George, the rookie head football coach at Greensburg Salem. “It’s good in all forms of life,” he said. George took over for Dave Keefer, who guided the Golden Lions for the last decade. He was a member of Keefer’s staff for the...
New coach Brian Hanson wants a new identity for South Allegheny
Growing up in Lancaster County, Brian Hanson saw Western Pennsylvania high school football from afar. A former walk-on linebacker at Pitt, Hanson finds himself now coaching the sport in the WPIAL. “Good players on both sides of the state,” he said. “I think Western Pennsylvania has a way of making...
Belle Vernon well-stocked to defend WPIAL, PIAA Class 3A titles
After capturing long-awaited WPIAL and PIAA championships last season, Belle Vernon gets to test the old adage that defending a title is more difficult than winning one in the first place. Coach Matt Humbert said he has been trying to push his players a little bit harder in the offseason,...
Freeport linemen hoping to pave the way toward Allegheny 6 title defense
It’s unlikely Isaac “Ickey” Woods will score a touchdown this season. The Freeport lineman doesn’t get carries in the backfield, won’t catch any passes and isn’t going to take snaps at quarterback. He doesn’t return punts or kicks and probably isn’t going to be deep enough in the secondary to...
Senior quarterback takes pride in wearing Jeannette uniform
A family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina included some beach football. Because of course it did. Payton Molter was there. “You know it,” the Jeannette senior quarterback said. “I love spending time with my family. There was like 20 of us in a beach house. It was...
2023 WPIAL high school football preview
Stars are set to shine under the Friday night lights. High school football season is fast approaching in Western Pa., and Tribune-Review writers and photographers are busy previewing the 2023 campaign. Check out the Trib’s preview features for every team in the WPIAL and City League, as well as several...
2023 WPIAL high school football preview
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2023 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the quarterbacks
Starting today, TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top quarterbacks for the 2023 season. 1. Julian Dugger Penn Hills Senior, 6-4, 205 Dugger, a four-year starter, passed for more than 2,600 yards combined over the...
Shady Side Academy hopes to ride attacking defense to quick start
Shady Side Academy senior linebacker Grant Dickey knows what it takes for the Bulldogs to get on track. When the defense attacks opponents, they want a relentless flow to the ball that creates chaos. In the back half of last season and the playoffs, Shady Side Academy was able to...
Valley puts focus on a ‘winning mentality’
At the first meeting new Valley football coach Mark Adams had with his team, the theme of his message was change. That goes beyond changing the win/loss column for the Vikings after a one-win season in 2022. His goal is to get everything in sync from on-field performance, dedication in...
Near-misses have Knoch optimistic for 2nd year in Allegheny 6
Last year, Knoch football had one win, but essentially was one point away from qualifying for the playoffs. A 37-36 loss to Deer Lakes ultimately turned out to be the difference for missing out on a postseason berth, but that just scratches the surface of close calls the Knights had...
Young Freeport looks to outslug opponents in defense of conference title
Freeport doesn’t have the largest linemen in Class 3A. The Yellowjackets don’t have a bevy of skill players committed to Power 5 programs. With 39 players, they also don’t have the biggest roster in the Allegheny 6 Conference. None of that matters to veteran coach John Gaillot as long as...
Playoff mainstay East Allegheny looking to take another step
Excuse Dom Pecora if he tends to fret at this time of year. Ultra competitive in nature, the East Allegheny football coach sizes up the demands of young players, many craving some proper direction. As the Wildcats prepared for another season, their streak of seven WPIAL playoff appearances loomed large,...
Deer Lakes aims to build off playoff berth in Allegheny 6
Deer Lakes finished fourth in the Allegheny 6 Conference last year and earned a berth to the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2015. The Lancers, as the No. 10 seed in the Class 3A bracket, traveled to No. 7 Beaver hoping to pull the first-round upset, but they...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 15, 2023
High schools Golf Tuesday’s results Boys Class 3A Section 4 Franklin Regional 197, Penn Hills 278 Medalists: Jake Anderchak, Dylan Mauser (FR) 37, Gavin Tierney (PH) 49 Section 6 Peters Township 185, Bethel Park 221 Medalists: Ben Miller (PT) 35, Chan Yoon (BP) 41 Class 2A Section 2 Greensburg Salem...
Hempfield senior quarterback takes on leadership role
If there is one player that Hempfield first-year football coach Nick Keefer is relying on this season, it’s senior quarterback/safety Keiran Lippmann. And the 6-foot-2, 180-pound athlete said he’s excited to be the leader as Hempfield tries to build on last year’s 6-4 season. Lippmann started the first five games...
