High School category, Page 45

Hard times can shape a team, and the Burgettstown Blue Devils hope last season’s struggles will make them better. They are coming back bigger, faster and stronger. Coach Mark Druga went 43-26 with with six playoff berths in seven seasons at the helm of the Blue Devils before going 1-8...

Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Friday. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Serra Catholic preview will be published later this week. Rod Steele gave up coaching last winter, but a job opening at...

High schools Golf Tuesday’s results Boys Class 3A Section 1 Kiski Area 210, Penn-Trafford 212 Latrobe 183, Hempfield 210 Medalists: Jack Sacriponte (L) 32; Dean Connell (H) 39 Section 2 Belle Vernon 198, Connellsville 234 Medalists: Jordan Mocello (BV) 37; Hunter Konieczny (C) 44 McKeesport 211, Uniontown 230 Medalists: Brock...

When Jamison Yurt was in eighth grade, he watched from the stands at Hersheypark Stadium as the Penn-Trafford football team pulled off an unexpected victory in the PIAA Class 5A championship game. Now a senior, Yurt wants to lead the Warriors to their second title. Yurt, a four-year starter at...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top safeties for the 2025 season. 1. Jay Timmons Pine-Richland Senior, 5-11, 185 Timmons is a big play source for the WPIAL Class 5A champions on both sides...

Connor Kmetz was perfect. In the first half of last year’s victory over Valley, the Riverview quarterback completed all nine of his pass attempts for 125 yards and three touchdowns as the Raiders led 21-12 at the break of what turned out to be a 37-35 victory. However, Kmetz was...

Welcome to the 2025 high school football season, which kicks off for most schools across the state with Week Zero games this weekend. Before this season kicks off, here is a quick refresher course on the six 2024 PIAA champions. District 12 powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep captured its third straight...

Pine-Richland will host the WPIAL Class 4A and 6A football championship games this fall, with the four other finals played at Acrisure Stadium, the league announced Tuesday. The WPIAL in recent years had used Norwin as its alternate site for football championships, but that stadium is under renovation and unavailable....

WPIAL boys soccer preview Class 4A Defending champion: Fox Chapel Runner-up: Plum PIAA qualifiers: Fox Chapel, Plum Defending PIAA champion: Cumberland Valley Team to beat: Canon-McMillan looks primed for a big year led by all-WPIAL players Adam Kuchera (25 goals), Gabe Fegely and Gavin Patterson. Kuchera also made all-state. The...

Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Bentworth and California previews will be published later this week. With 73 boys in grades 10-12 per the latest PIAA...

From Ben Jackson to Colin Brady, West Greene has relied on a workhorse runner to power its offense in recent seasons. But the emphasis on a featured back is set to change in 2025, according to third-year coach Beau Jackson. “We’ve been based out of a pro-style offense, but we’re...

Mapletown coach George Messich has a straightforward solution for bouncing back from last season’s 1-9 record. “The big thing for us will be eliminating the mistakes,” said Messich, who’s been leading the Mapletown program for more than four decades. “We can’t give up a long TD pass because we missed...

Jefferson-Morgan skyrocketed into the playoffs in 2023, ending an 11-year playoff drought. The Rockets built on that in 2024, completing a 10-0 season and the Tri-County South Conference before a first-round loss to South Side. The Rockets faithful lined the streets for the last regular season game and sent them...

Carmichaels coach Ryan Krull has long since thrown his crystal ball to the ground, shattering it into pieces. “I thought I had a good feel for our team a couple years ago and where we would be once the season started and I couldn’t be more wrong,” Krull said. Krull...

Beth-Center reached the playoffs 16 consecutive years from 2003-2018. With an all-time winning percentage of .580 in 657 games and a WPIAL title in 1975, winning has been a standard for the Bulldogs since 1958. Nevertheless, 2018 was their most recent playoff appearance. Having lost only three seniors to graduation,...

High schools Golf Monday’s results Boys Class 3A Section 2 Ringgold 237, Uniontown 240 Medalists: Evan Anderson (R) 41; Chandler Myers (U) 43 Section 3 Pine-Richland 194, Seneca Valley 197 Medalists: Cooper Hockenberry, Mike Pifer (PR) 36; Marcos Lopez, Josh Marquardt, Vinci Villella (SV) 38 Class 2A Section 1 Freeport...

Let the games begin! We kick off a new scholastic sports season with the start of high school football 2025 this week here on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN has video and audio coverage of Week Zero, with more than 25 WPIAL, District 6 and District 9...

Nationally ranked wide receiver Khalil Taylor will be catching passes for Pine-Richland this fall, but the recent transfer can’t help the Rams win a WPIAL or PIAA football title. The WPIAL board on Monday granted Taylor eligibility for the upcoming regular season based on a review of his transfer paperwork,...

Over the last several years, Plum has had the running back position locked down. Whether it was Eryck Moore’s record-breaking 2022 season or Nick Odom bursting onto the scene and leading the way the last two seasons, a good running back has been a staple at Plum. This season, a...

Penn State already had a commitment from one talented Imani Christian defensive back, and now the Nittany Lions have another. Junior cornerback Gabriel Jenkins announced his commitment to Penn State on Monday, joining teammate David Davis, a senior who committed there in March. Another former Imani Christian standout, linebacker Dayshaun...

Lucas Altier’s goals for his senior season are larger than he is. Unproven and hefty, the Norwin football player stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 315 pounds. He naturally stands out. “He’s the biggest kid I have coached,” Knights coach Mike Brown said of the right tackle. “This is the...

Ineligible sophomore quarterback Anthony Smith, whose transfer to Seton LaSalle led to a lawsuit against the PIAA, won’t play football for the Rebels this season and may enroll elsewhere, said an attorney representing Smith and his family. Attorney Steve Toprani said the family is no longer seeking a preliminary injunction...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top cornerbacks for the 2025 season. 1. Gabriel Jenkins Imani Christian Junior, 6-2, 182 Jenkins, who committed to Penn State on Monday, is regarded as one of the...

Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Frazier preview will be published later this week. Players in this year’s senior class have been with Tommy Paulone from...

With Samir Crosby eyeing a possible move to receiver and Jerry Davis lined up wide opposite him, Greensburg Central Catholic could have big-play ability downfield. The senior pass-catching duo brings a blend of hands and speed few teams will have this football season. Both can go deep or create in...