High School category, Page 451
No rest for Pitt-bound Lola Abraham as she preps for senior year at Riverview
When Riverview’s Lola Abraham committed to play soccer at Pitt last November, she said the decision was only the beginning and she couldn’t rest on past accomplishments. This summer has been crucial, Abraham said, as she not only works to stay sharp for her future with the Panthers but also...
Transition to Plum volleyball head coach going smoothly for Rachel Satira
The day before Rachel Satira graduated from Seton Hill in May 2019, she got a call from then-Plum girls volleyball coach Kelsey Bonk about coming on board as an assistant and also working with the middle school team. “I was more than happy to join,” said Satira, a standout four-year...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Bishop Canevin’s Jason Cross
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of 25 profiles of the members of the Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team. Jason Cross arrived at Bishop Canevin as an undersized freshman and then missed much of his ninth-grade football season with a broken collarbone from a trampoline mishap....
Oakland A’s select Brownsville outfielder Derrick Tarpley in MLB Draft
Brownsville maybe isn’t a familiar stop for some MLB scouts, but the Oakland A’s visited multiple times this spring to see senior outfielder Derrick Tarpley. Other clubs checked on him too, but the A’s sent multiple layers of scouts his way. “They would call me and tell me they were...
Cuthbert, who guided P-T girls to WPIAL title, named girls soccer coach at Greensburg C.C.
Championship-winning coach Derek Cuthbert has returned to lead another Westmoreland County school’s soccer team. Cuthbert, who guided the Penn-Trafford girls to a WPIAL Class 3A title in 2003 when he was the district coach of the year, was named the girls coach at Greensburg Central Catholic. Cuthbert, who hails from...
Neshannock repeats as Trib Cup champion in Class 2A
Back-to-back WPIAL championships and a district-record winning streak in softball led Neshannock to a second consecutive Trib Cup Class 2A championship. There was a lot to cheer about in Lancers Land — including a PIAA championship in competitive spirit and a runner-up finish in the WPIAL finals. The HSSN Trib...
USA Today names 3 WPIAL greats among best high school quarterbacks in history
Who was the best high school quarterback in history? It’s a debate that’ll never be resolved, but three all-time great WPIAL passers made the list when USA Today tried recently to answer that question. In fact, one of them, Beaver Falls legend Joe Namath, was named the all-time best high...
Harrigan, trio of Norwin soccer teams head for hall of fame
The 2023 Norwin Athletic Hall of Fame class reached into the recent past to reconnect with some girls soccer greatness. The 2015, ’16, and ’17 girls soccer teams, and 2018 alum Emily Harrigan, a goal-scoring standout during that time, headline the list of inductees. Norwin won WPIAL titles in 2015...
New Penn-Trafford soccer coach Suchko wants to restore tradition
Ben Suchko played soccer at Hempfield, and he remembers another local program having a reputation at that time. “Penn-Trafford was a juggernaut,” he said. “They were bruisers.” Now the first-year coach at Penn-Trafford, Suchko thinks that luster has worn off, and something needs to change to restore it. “P-T has...
Union makes history by capturing Trib Cup in Class A
History was made in the chase for the Trib Cup in Class A in 2022-23. In the first 19 years of the sports cup competition, Class A has been won by either Sewickley Academy (13 times), Greensburg Central Catholic (five times) or Serra Catholic (once). Union became the first public...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Dozen softball standouts earn all-state honors
Belle Vernon won a WPIAL Class 4A softball championship, and the Leopards did so with a potent lineup that produced extra-base hits by the boatloads. Three of the team’s top hitters were recognized with all-state recognition. Maren Metikosh (first team, outfield), Alexa Daniels (second team, outfield) and Lauren VanDivner (second...
Penn Hills flag football teams learn lessons on road to nationals
The Penn Hills Youth Football and Cheer Association football program is happy to have several flag football teams headed to nationals. What Larry Fielder, who coaches the 10U team that recently won the NFL Flag Pittsburgh Steelers Regional Tournament regional competition and will represent the Steelers at the Pro Bowl...
Hall of Fame induction ‘means a lot’ to Pine-Richland swimming standout
Kristen Murslack kept a busy schedule in her high school years at Pine-Richland. Her day typically started with swim practice in the morning prior to going to school. After school, there was a soccer practice or game or another swim practice before carving out time to do some homework. It...
Hampton wrestler Isabella McNutt takes another shot at nationals
Making the 1,100-mile trek from Pittsburgh to Fargo, N.D., is becoming an annual summer trip for Hampton’s Isabella McNutt. McNutt placed fourth at the USA Wrestling Northeast Regional Championships in mid-May in Atlantic City, N.J., to punch a return ticket to the Junior Nationals on July 15-23, in Fargo, ND....
Fox Chapel softball standout meets new challenges in 2nd season with Israeli national team
Izzy Zober will be playing in several international softball tournaments this summer. The 12-year-old Fox Chapel resident’s newest challenge will be trying to hang with the older age group. Zober will be a part of Israel’s 18U national team for the women’s softball European championship in Prague, Czech Republic. The...
Norwin playmaker Jackson Pons prepares for future with new focus on defense
If there is a web video on how to be a better defensive back, Jackson Pons has probably watched it, rewound it and watched it again. He has seen them all. The Norwin senior’s attention has shifted strongly to the defensive side of the football as he gets set for...
Franklin Regional soccer standouts honored with scholarships
A pair of recent graduates who will have the same major in college left a lasting mark on the Franklin Regional soccer programs. They were recognized with a note of thanks. Jake Kimmich and Mauriana Dorsch were the recipients of this year’s $500 scholarships given annually to graduating senior soccer...
Sewickley Academy rising seniors Libby Eannarino, Ashley Close look forward to promising ’24 lacrosse season
They are key midfielders on the Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse team. Both are 17; both stand 5-foot-8. In 2024, Libby Eannarino and Ashley Close will share another role as senior co-captains. “First and foremost,” Eannarino said, “I want to build upon the tradition of female success in athletics that’s such...
Senior all-section honorees helped lead Quaker Valley to boys lacrosse playoffs
A trio of seniors wrapped up their Quaker Valley boys lacrosse careers by being named all-section in Class 2A. The Section 2 all-stars for QV in 2023 were attacker Ben Thomas, midfielder Christian Brown and defender Ben Carlson. Thomas and Carlson served as co-captains this season. “They had an intense...
Big summer for Monroeville Marlins youth swimming program
The Monroeville Marlins summer swim program’s opportunity to utilize Gateway’s facilities has paid off as the organization will be well represented at a local long course championship meet later this month. The Marlins, who used to be based at the Haymaker Swim Club, have utilized the Gateway natatorium for the...
North Allegheny’s Kellie McConnell follows familiar path, commits to Duquesne basketball
Kellie McConnell’s family is already linked with Duquesne basketball’s past and present, so she decided to help shape the program’s future as well. The rising senior point guard at North Allegheny has committed to the Dukes, which is somewhat of a family tradition. Her mother Sherri (Hannan) McConnell played basketball...
Trib Cup celebrates 20 years of honoring all-around high school sports excellence
Happy Anniversary, Sports Cup! Over the next few weeks, we will be unveiling the winners and final standings of the annual Trib Cup competition. This marks the 20th year that The Network has been recognizing the best sports programs in each WPIAL class over the entire school year. Points are...
2023 Pennsylvania All-State Softball Team
Avonworth’s Alivia Lantzy, Seneca Valley’s Lexie Hames and Serra Catholic’s Caroline Malandra earned individual honors Thursday when the all-state softball team was announced. Lantzy was named Pitcher of the Year in PIAA Class 3A, and Hames earned top pitcher honors in 6A. Malandra, a third baseman, was named Player of...
Former pro player in Florida takes over Leechburg boys soccer program
Justin Grubb recently moved back to Western Pennsylvania after wrapping up a five-year career playing professional soccer in Florida. He wants to give his kids the chance to grow up in the same environment he did and at the same time stay involved in the game. So he searched for...
9 athletes to join Kiski Area Sports Hall of Fame in Class of 2023
Sean Arnold graduated from Kiski Area in 1998 after a decorated varsity career with the Cavaliers that included nine varsity letters in soccer, football, basketball and track and field. The All-WPIAL performer continued to play in college, enjoying a four-year soccer career at Robert Morris. Arnold gave back to his...
