High School category, Page 454
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...
Burrell’s Katie Armstrong repeats as Valley News Dispatch Softball Player of Year
2023 Valley News Dispatch Softball All-Stars Player of the Year Katie Armstrong Burrell, Sr., P Katie Armstrong capped her high school career June 5 in the rolling hills of Central Pennsylvania. She and her Burrell softball teammates battled District 6 champion Juniata in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs....
Hempfield ace Riley Miller named Tribune-Review Westmoreland Softball Player of the Year
When she took the softball, popped it in her glove and stepped into the chalk-lined circle for the first time, Riley Miller knew she was also entering an elite sisterhood. When she stepped on the rubber, she was ready to be the next one. Hempfield is known for producing high-end...
Penn-Trafford’s Dylan Grabowski tabbed Tribune-Review Westmoreland Baseball Player of the Year
When Penn-Trafford baseball coach Lou Cortazzo was asked to nominate players for the Tribune-Review Westmoreland all-star team, his answer was “all of my players.” “It’s hard to pick a few. They all played a key role in winning the section, reaching the WPIAL 5A semifinals and winning their first PIAA...
Belle Vernon’s Braden Laux commits to Eastern Michigan
As he gets prepared to catch passes next year instead of throwing them, championship quarterback and defensive end Braden Laux is warming up to the idea of playing a new position in college. Laux, a rising senior quarterback and defensive end at reigning WPIAL and PIAA 3A champion Belle Vernon,...
Trib HSSN’s 2023 Softball Player and Coach of the Year for each classification
This spring, those sitting at head of the softball class had a clear view of so many individual and team standout performances. The season included a WPIAL-record winning streak, repeat district championships in Class 3A, 2A and A while the three highest classifications saw the No. 2, No. 3 and...
New Plum athletic director Drew Karpen aims to bring stability to position
Drew Karpen is in the final days of transition from his time as athletic director at Highlands to his new appointment as the athletic director and coordinator of student activities at Plum. He said it’s been a whirlwind of thoughts, planning and action since he was hired by the Plum...
Hurdler, distance runner form dynamic duo for North Hills track team
Their backgrounds are far different, but one common bond has brought two of North Hills’ top track athletes together since middle school. They both love to run, and they both want to win. Rising juniors Gamaliel Mogire and Kayden Lightner are coming off impressive sophomore seasons on the track in...
Playoff berth, emergence of top scorer highlight North Hills girls lacrosse season
North Hills’ girls lacrosse team’s 2023 season was a strong step forward for the program. And it was one highlighted by noteworthy obstacles overcome, the emergence of an offensive star and solid team play on a nightly basis. The Indians finished the year 11-8, qualifying for the WPIAL postseason for...
North Allegheny added more plaques, medals to trophy case during 2022-23 school year
This was another banner year for North Allegheny athletics with teams winning WPIAL titles, PIAA championships, and even a Gatorade Player of the Year award for the school’s top girls volleyball player. Here’s a look back at the top North Allegheny sports stories from the 2022-23 school year: Volleyball dynasty...
Hampton building foundation for 2023 football season
The spring sports schedule has just wrapped up, but that doesn’t mean teams aren’t already preparing for the fall season. After a heartbreaking WPIAL first-round playoff loss, the Hampton Talbots football team got together the week after Memorial Day to turn the page to the 2023 season. The Talbots are...
Bethel Park baseball faces adversity, comes through with solid season
It didn’t end with a state championship celebration like the previous two seasons did, but Bethel Park’s baseball team was able to boast of a strong 2023. The Black Hawks soared to first place in Section 2-5A with a 9-1 record, won 13 of 14 games prior to the WPIAL...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: WCCA adds baseball showcase
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association added a new event to its calendar. The WCCA’s first baseball showcase will take place at 8:30 a.m. July 17 at Westmoreland County Community College. College coaches will be present to evaluate players graduating in 2023, ’24, ’25 and ’26. Cost for each player is...
Springdale’s 1973 football, soccer championship teams hosting reunion
Springdale High School’s dual football-soccer WPIAL champions from 1973 will gather for a reunion Friday at the Krivan Club in Springdale. Team members, spouses and fans are all welcome to attend the 50th anniversary event that gets underway at 6 p.m. In a rarity for such a small school, the...
Central Catholic wide receiver Peter Gonzalez commits to Penn State
Central Catholic wide receiver Peter Gonzalez, one of the state’s top college recruits, committed Friday to Penn State. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound rising senior had narrowed his college options to Penn State, Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech. Recruiting website Rivals.com rated Gonzalez as a three-star prospect and ranked him 29th overall...
Shilling captures Westmoreland County Junior tournament
Nolan Shilling just got done competing in the West Penn Open on Wednesday, facing fast, slick greens for three days at Edgewood Country Club. So the greens at Latrobe Country Club on Thursday for the Westmoreland County Golf Association Junior Championship weren’t as difficult, and the recent Franklin Regional graduate...
Schedule set for 3rd annual Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball Tournament
The third annual Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball Tournament will be held Thursday through Saturday at Jeannette. There will be games at the high school and the elementary school by McKee Stadium. There are 10 teams competing — Jeannette, Steel Valley, Belle Vernon, Monessen, Greensburg Salem, Greensburg Central Catholic, Yough, Westmont...
Trib HSSN Softball State Rankings for June 21, 2023
The 2023 high school softball season is history with six new PIAA champions mining diamond gold. All six were double golden winners, taking home a district championship before claiming victory in their last four games to win a state title. Two of the new champions capped off perfect seasons with...
Trib HSSN Softball State Championship Team of the Week for June 21, 2023
At some point in the near future, members of the Montour softball team will look back at the spring of 2023 with great memories of an 18-win season and reaching both the district and state championship games. However, the pain of coming up just short in one-run losses to Belle...
