High School category, Page 453
Bishop Canevin safety Jason Cross, whose recruiting stock soared, commits to West Virginia
As one of the WPIAL’s hottest football recruits, Jason Cross spent months touring far-flung college campuses, with visits to Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Kentucky, Syracuse and Cincinnati on his calendar. Yet the rising senior at Bishop Canevin says a trip to Morgantown, W.Va., bested them all. “West Virginia definitely takes...
Leechburg alum Andrew McDermott takes over as boys basketball coach at alma mater
Andrew McDermott has had plenty of coaching influences in his life. His grandfathers, Joe Boario and Bob McDermott, coached together at Leechburg, and Andrew McDermott played basketball for the Blue Devils under Damian Davies before being his assistant for three years. Now it’s his turn to take the reins. McDermott,...
Belle Vernon’s Viva Kreis earns honorable mention for Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award
Belle Vernon’s Viva Kreis already gained national attention when she won the $10,000 Heisman High School Scholarship Award last December. Now the recent graduate is being recognized by ESPN. Kreis is an honorable mention for the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award, which for the second time will be part...
2023 Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Year: Seneca Valley’s Lexie Hames
2023 Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Year Lexie Hames School: Seneca Valley Class: Sophomore Fear is an emotion that can be a great motivator in sports. It can force great success or lead the way to epic failures. When it comes to high school softball, fear can lead to...
New Mt. Pleasant boys coach congratulated by Mike Krzyzewski
Encouragement from family and friends is one thing. But when Mike Krzyzewski gives you his blessing, you go for it. Annie Malkowiak took a leap of faith when she applied to be the next boys basketball coach at Mt. Pleasant. When she accepted the position, her phone “blew up” with...
2023 TribLive HSSN Softball All-Stars
Neshannock’s Addyson Frye and Union’s Mia Preuhs were only sophomores this spring, yet the standout pitchers are already two-time WPIAL champions each. They’re proof that you don’t need to be a senior to make a big impact. In fact, this year’s TribLive HSSN Terrific 10 has more sophomores (four) than...
Mt. Pleasant hoops coach Malkowiak brings passion to new gig
When she started coaching, Annie Malkowiak was young and brash. Admittedly, she shouted and pushed back, thinking the game was more about her than the team. “I was an idiot,” she said. “I was very passionate, but I was an idiot. I was 21. I didn’t use my energy for...
2023 TribLive HSSN Baseball All-Stars
This was a historic spring for WPIAL baseball teams, starting with Riverside’s undefeated run to a state championship, something no other WPIAL team had ever accomplished. But the Panthers weren’t the only ones celebrating a milestone win. Among the others, Mt. Lebanon won consecutive WPIAL titles for the first time...
Kiski Area QB Heinle reaps benefits of Manning Passing Academy
Kiski Area quarterback Carson Heinle has heard “good ball” before when he has thrown a pass. Hearing those words from two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning brought a whole new emotion. “It was insane,” Heinle said. That was one of many highlights during Heinle’s time at the Manning Passing Academy...
Annie Malkowiak to coach Mt. Pleasant boys basketball, a 1st for Westmoreland County
Mt. Pleasant’s boys basketball team will have a female head coach next season. Annie Malkowiak was approved unanimously for the position during Wednesday night’s school board meeting. She becomes the first woman to coach a varsity boys basketball team in Westmoreland County. Malkowiak is the second woman to currently coach...
Ryan Kanner set to lead Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer team
Growing up and attending Aquinas Academy in Greensburg, Ryan Kanner discovered there was a certain aura around Greensburg Central Catholic. Aquinas serves as the elementary school to GCC, so students have a tendency to look up to the high school athletes. “I was around the high school a decent amount...
KDKA announces 10-game high school football schedule for Pittsburgh’s CW
KDKA will televise regular season high school football games this fall on sister station Pittsburgh’s CW starting with an Aug. 25 contest between Blackhawk and Beaver Falls. The station announced a 10-game schedule Monday that also included North Hills at Upper St. Clair on Sept. 1, South Fayette at Montour...
After another run to PIAA tournament, Southmoreland softball looks ahead to promising future
Among Todd Bunner’s nuances is a habit of hand-writing his team’s season statistics on a homemade chart, a practice that defies logic in an era of electronic saturation. You could say Southmoreland’s old-school softball coach is set in his ways … And it’s not such a bad thing? After all,...
Penn-Trafford’s Tomosovich chooses Army for football future
It wasn’t until the scholarship offers started rolling in hot and heavy that Penn-Trafford’s Zach Tomosovich fully realized he was Division I football material. Sure, the size was there. That gargantuan size for a high school tackle: 6-foot-5, 320 pounds. But the offers validated it all for the hefty rising...
Jeannette coach pleased with performance at Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball Tournament
There was no one better than Jeannette senior Tre Cunningham in 2018 when he was named the Tribune-Review’s Boys Athlete of the Year. He helped the Jayhawks win the WPIAL and PIAA Class A football title, and he was named the Tribune-Review’s baseball and boys basketball player of the year....
Gateway football players put focus on individual improvement during offseason workouts
Eight months removed from a close loss to Upper St. Clair in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs and with just six weeks remaining until the start of heat acclimation workouts that usher in the start of the 2023 season, Gateway football team members are leaving no...
Strong season solidifies Chartiers Valley’s place as one of WPIAL softball’s top teams
The 2023 campaign began for the Chartiers Valley softball team by scoring 14 runs in a win over Class 6A semifinalist Pine-Richland in March. The season ended in late May with back-to-back playoff shutout losses. In between, there was a lot of success for the Colts. “Overall, I think we...
Strong senior class left mark on Chartiers Valley baseball program with section title
Success is measured in various ways. All WPIAL baseball programs would love to do what Riverside did and win every game played, but various victories and achievements are what determine the success of a season when all is said and done. The Chartiers Valley baseball team finished 14-7 this spring...
Stock rising for Thomas Jefferson softball after playoff season
Thomas Jefferson’s softball team won five of its final six regular season games to clinch a WPIAL Class 5A playoff berth this spring. The TJ girls opened the season by winning eight of their first nine games, including their first four section contests. “We performed very well this year,” coach...
Quaker Valley athletes make headlines during successful 2022-23 school year
Quaker Valley has established a staunch winning tradition over the years. Propelled by another talented group of senior athletes, the Quakers stayed in the WPIAL limelight throughout the 2022-23 school year. “Our student-athletes’ dedication and work ethic both in and out of season allows us to maximize our potential in...
Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse players pick up postseason awards
Several area girls lacrosse athletes have been honored with postseason plaudits. Quaker Valley’s Shannon Von Kaenel, a senior midfielder, and Lucy Roig, a freshman midfielder, were recognized as All-WPIAL players in Class 2A. “I am very honored. It is nice to be recognized for all of the hard work I...
Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball in good position after strong season with young team
Will Stewart stands out in a crowd. Stewart is a 6-foot-7 junior outside hitter and a team leader for the Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball team. He was one of five TJ players named all-section in 2023 along with Riley Burdett, a 5-11 junior outside hitter, sophomores Jaiden Wadlow, a 5-5...
Pine-Richland notebook: Former Rams golfer contends at West Penn Open
Mike Van Sickle was in contention for the win at the 120th WPGA Open Championship but settled for a third-place finish. Van Sickle, a 2005 Pine-Richland grad, was in the final pairing Wednesday of the three-round event at Edgewood Country Club in Pittsburgh and ended up shooting two-under par for...
Trib HSSN’s 2023 Baseball Player and Coach of the Year for each classification
This spring, those sitting at head of the baseball class had a chance to see a lot of unexpected title runs and in one case, perfection. Two teams showed April baseball means nothing as both Mt. Lebanon and Hopewell rose from the ashes of bad starts to win district titles...
Springdale’s John Hughes earns Valley News Dispatch Baseball Player of Year award
John Hughes produced some eye-popping statistics this spring. He had a .649 batting average and pitched to a 2.08 ERA, but maybe the most incredible stat of all was that he didn’t strike out once in 53 plate appearances. Hughes won the WPIAL regular season batting title and finished second...
