High School category, Page 467
Penn-Trafford’s Matt Sarnowski qualifies for PIAA championships
Penn-Trafford junior Matt Sarnowski picked a great time to soar up the state track and field rankings. Sarnowski, who was part of the Warriors’ 2021 WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A championship football team, is headed back to a PIAA championship event — in track and field. Sarnowski finished second in...
Penn Hills youth team wins street hockey national championship
Bradley Mazza’s trip to New Jersey provided some extra nerves. The Penn Hills Arsenal Penguins A team found itself in an unfamiliar position during the National Street Hockey Association tournament hosted by the Gloucester Township Hockey Alliance. Penn Hills was in overtime, fighting for a championship against the Marlton Chiefs....
Penn Hills notebook: Drew Schifino plans basketball camp
Drew Schifino enjoys that his family’s name has deep ties within the Penn Hills community. Schifino, who is the Indians’ all-time leading scorer with 2,320 points, went on to play at West Virginia collegiately and overseas professionally. Now, Schifino is prepping to watch his nephew, Indiana product Jalen Hood-Schifino, prep...
Pine-Richland notebook: Spring sports teams win playoff openers
It was a successful first week of the postseason for the Pine-Richland spring sports teams. The Rams softball and boys and girls lacrosse teams all scored victories in their first playoff games. Boys lacrosse A year after suffering a first-round exit on their home field, the fifth-seeded Rams made amends...
Plum senior trio caps career in WPIAL softball playoffs
As the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds for the WPIAL Class 5A softball playoffs, Thomas Jefferson and Plum, many expected, would play a close and competitive first-round game. That is what played out May 15 at Gateway High School. The Jaguars grabbed a two-run lead before Plum rallied to...
Gateway 1st-year hurdler Derrick Jones earns trip to PIAA championship meet
A couple of months ago, a hurdle was a foreign object to Gateway senior Derrick Jones. The first-year member of the Gators boys track and field team gave the event a try, and he quickly made strides, both figuratively and literally as he got more and more comfortable sailing over...
Key injury, close losses stop Gateway baseball short of playoff goal
Heading into the season, the Gateway baseball team hoped to build off its first-round loss to Bethel Park, the eventual PIAA champions, last year. However, the Gators had to try to find a way back to the playoffs without one of their top seniors. Gateway played the majority of the...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 20, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Monday’s schedule Pine-Richland (14-6) vs. Hempfield (11-9) at Plum, 6:30 p.m.; Seneca Valley (16-4) vs. Mt. Lebanon (10-10) at North Allegheny, 4 p.m.; North Allegheny (14-6) vs. Norwin (8-11) at Boyce Mayview Park, 7 p.m.; Canon-McMillan (15-5) vs. Butler (12-8) at...
A-K Valley greats relive memories at annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Kerry McKinney Mills is in quite the celebratory mood. In addition to Saturday’s induction into the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame, the 2001 Deer Lakes graduate who earned 11 letters in soccer, basketball and track and field, turns 40 on Sunday and will mark the milestone occasion with many...
Longtime Hampton softball coach Ron Fedell steps away
Hampton softball coach Ron Fedell, who celebrated his 200th career victory earlier this month, is stepping down after 23 seasons. Fedell, 68, said he and his wife Kathy have custody of their 4-year-old granddaughter, who is autistic. Fedell said his time and focus need to be on her. “It’s just...
WPIAL girls wrestlers excited about PIAA stamp of approval
When Connellsville’s Jayanah Nobles qualified for the My House Pennsylvania Girls Wrestling Championship in March, she was disappointed it wasn’t held at Giant Center in Hershey. If she qualifies for the PIAA championships in 2024, there is a good chance it will be at the same time and venue as...
Both WPIAL team tennis champs knocked out in PIAA semifinals
Both WPIAL team tennis champions bowed out in the state semifinals Saturday. Gateway (14-4) lost 3-0 to Conestoga (17-2), the second seed out of District 1, in Class 3A. Conestoga won both doubles matches without dropping a game and took No. 2 singles in straight sets to secure three victories...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Kiski Area’s Eliza Miller, Freeport’s Isaac Wetzel
Eliza Miller Class: Junior School: Kiski Area Sport: Track and field Report card: Miller added to her medal collection Wednesday when she claimed the 800-meter title in 2 minutes, 14.71 seconds at the WPIAL championships at Slippery Rock. The junior also placed sixth in the 1,600 (5:00.76) and will compete...
Hampton grad Matt DeMatteo thrives after narrowing focus to track at Duquesne
Former Hampton three-sport standout Matt DeMatteo already owns the third-fastest 400-meter hurdle time in Duquesne track and field history. Imagine what will happen when he figures out what he’s doing. “I’ve always been a three-sport athlete and never really focused all of my time on track,” DeMatteo said. “So I’m...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Southmoreland’s Makayla Etling, Yough’s Gavin Roebuck
Makayla Etling School: Southmoreland Sport: Softball Class: Sophomore Claim to fame: Etling helped lead the Scotties to an amazing comeback in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals. She went 4 for 5 with two triples and a two-run homer that came in the team’s seven-run seventh inning of a 15-14 win...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Memorial basketball tournament returns to Jeannette
The third annual Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball Tournament will return to Jeannette on June 22-24. But this year’s event, presented by the Jeannette Educational Foundation, will feature much more than the usual boys high school varsity games. Organizers plan to add 3-point and slam dunk contests. The slam dunk contest...
Aquinas girls lacrosse makes best of ‘rough season’
There were many reasons why the Aquinas Academy girls lacrosse team missed the WPIAL playoffs this season for the first time since 2016. An inexperienced starting lineup, a season-costing ACL injury to one of its top players and an offseason realignment into a rugged section were the main culprits. But...
Fox Chapel notebook: Girls lacrosse, baseball teams open playoffs with win
The eighth-seeded Fox Chapel baseball team opened the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs on a winning note. The Foxes were able to take down Mars, 6-4, in a first-round game May 17. Fox Chapel pitcher Jeremy Haigh threw a complete game, striking out four batters to grab the win. Dom Cassol...
Fox Chapel girls soccer star learned life lessons during Hall of Fame career
Lily Feldman was eager to plot her own course after graduating from Fox Chapel High School in 2009. Instead of sticking with a program closer to home, Feldman ventured to Vermont to try her hand at living on her own and playing for the Catamounts’ women’s soccer program. “I think...
Jenna Lang ‘a great motivator’ for Bethel Park track and field team
Bethel Park junior Jenna Lang has had her thought process firmly entrenched on her running abilities. Lang is a three-year letter winner in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, and was named a captain on the girls outdoor track team in 2022 and ‘23. “For her career, Jenna is...
Franklin Regional’s Abigail Paterline, Monroe Law continue banner track seasons
The future is certainly bright for sophomore Abigail Paterline and freshman Monroe Law. The present is pretty special too, as the pair proved May 17 at the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships at Slippery Rock University. The Franklin Regional underclassmen have shined on the track this spring and...
Playoff berth shows Norwin girls lacrosse trending in right direction
The positive comments from opposing coaches lets Norwin girls lacrosse coach Courtney Kloos know she and her team are doing something right. That and the fact the Lady Knights (4-11) returned to the WPIAL postseason. “Despite some heavy competition in the section, our team refuses to give up,” Kloos said....
Norwin girls track carries on proud tradition with strong season
Track and field teams like the Norwin girls do not compete for championships by simply showing up and stretching. No, it is a year-round commitment to training and a special discipline that helps the Lady Knights improve their times and distances and keep the program among the WPIAL’s elite. “The...
Good things come to an end for North Hills softball team
While the ending may have been bitter, North Hills softball coach Libby Gasior sees the sweetness in the 2023 season. The Indians ran through the regular season with powerful bats in a high-scoring offense and showed flashes of remarkable resilience before their first-round loss to South Fayette May 15. As...
Senior Dylan Barnes, North Hills baseball team enjoy breakout season
The night before their playoff debut, North Hills’ baseball players decided to let loose a bit. Members of the team, which is spearheaded by 11 seniors, decided to enjoy an evening of miniature golf May 16, around 24 hours in advance of their first-round WPIAL playoff game against Upper St....
