High School category, Page 472
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Westinghouse’s Kyshawn Robinson
Westinghouse reached the state finals last fall with a senior-heavy lineup, so the Bulldogs are destined for a down year, right? Not so fast. “That’s what a lot of people think, but we have a lot of underclassmen,” said sophomore Kyshawn Robinson, who started at cornerback as a freshman. “We...
Quaker Valley sophomore softball standout shows skills at All American Games
Gemma Wiegand recently experienced a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity. For the second consecutive year. Wiegand, 15, was scheduled to participate in the USSSA Softball All American Games during the week of July 31 in Viera Beach, Fla. Wiegand also competed in the All American Games following her freshman season at...
Late coach Gene Klein’s long list of accomplishments won’t soon be forgotten at Quaker Valley
It was a no-brainer when former boys soccer coach Gene Klein was inducted into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. Not only did Klein, who died July 24 from brain cancer at age 71, eclipse 500 wins in his remarkable QV coaching career, he was one of...
After productive summer, Franklin Regional itching to put on pads
Third-year Franklin Regional football coach Lance Getsy was in a walking boot at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Larry Sellitto Memorial Passing Tournament at Latrobe. He suffered a fractured left foot while demonstrating a play during a summer workout. “Scout-team quarterback. I rolled left and felt it,” Getsy said, shaking...
Hampton volleyball star Emmy Schrom staying close to home at Duquesne
When Hampton two-time all-state volleyball player Emmy Schrom began looking at colleges, proximity was a priority. “I just didn’t want to go that far away,” she said. “I feel like I owe it to my parents, and everyone else that has helped me, to be able to come and watch...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Football practice about to heat up
Starting Monday, high school football teams will take part in “heat week,” the customary lead-up to training camp. Yes, football is here again. The required five-day period of heat acclimatization was instituted in 2013 by the PIAA. The idea is for players, who are not permitted to have full contact...
Plum grad excited to take over alma mater’s hockey program
Jon Gratton’s first foray into ice hockey coaching came three seasons ago when the 2009 Plum graduate accepted a varsity assistant coaching position on college teammate Cam Raidna’s staff at Fox Chapel. “I can’t say right off the bat that coaching was a goal of mine,” said Gratton, a four-year...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Woodland Hills’ Scoop Smith
Woodland Hills sophomore phenom Scoop Smith has great expectations entering Week Zero. The Wolverines will host Central Catholic on Aug. 25 at the Wolvarena. “The expectation is to win,” Smith said. “We have a new coaching staff, and they have been more disciplined. The team has been focused, and the...
Washington looks to play disciplined football, return to top of WPIAL heap
From the outside, it was hard to explain the ups and downs Washington experienced last season. How did a team that finished the regular season with consecutive losses to Keystone Oaks and rival McGuffey suddenly knock off defending WPIAL champ Serra Catholic in the first round of the playoffs? How...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Central Catholic’s Anthony Speca
The Harry Truman quote is on his cell phone screen for quick reference. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” Anthony Speca of Central Catholic believes those words can be applied to his football team. “From a team standpoint, we have...
Explosive offense has Southmoreland in position for big year
Attend a Southmoreland football game. Stay for the fireworks. Or, is it the other way around? The Scotties have developed into one of the top passing teams in the WPIAL, slinging the ball around the field with purpose and fearlessness. But don’t pigeon-hole them just yet. There is more than...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Central Catholic’s Cole Sullivan
Cole Sullivan received several dozen Division I offers during the college recruiting process. In the end, Michigan won out as he verbally committed to the Wolverines in May. “I am really happy with my decision,” Sullivan said. “I did what’s best for me. Now, it’s great to see a bunch...
Moon girls soccer ranked 2nd in United Soccer Coaches’ preseason poll
Moon dropped to Class 3A last season as part of the latest two-year high school sports enrollment cycle. The Tigers’ girls soccer team, though, just keeps rising. After running the table last season and winning WPIAL and PIAA championships with a perfect 24-0 record, the Tigers will start the 2023...
Norwin wrestlers help Team PA to strong showing at junior nationals in Fargo
Like most hopefuls who play the Powerball lottery, Landon Sidun has the right attitude when he goes into a wrestling tournament. A confident, clear-headed attitude. “If you don’t think you can win, why go?” the rising freshman at Norwin said after he hit the jackpot. Sidun became a national champion...
Derry out to break streak, reestablish winning identity
Derry has been living in the shadow of a losing streak that dates to the disruptive covid season of 2020. But second-year coach Mike Arone and the Trojans are committed to stopping it. With a new system now a year old, they are ready to do a little pushing back...
Closure of Alderson Broaddus affects a number of athletes with WPIAL ties
Rumors swirled around campus. The whispers were brooding. But was there any validity to it all? On Monday, student-athletes at Alderson Broaddus found out there indeed was. It was all true. Alderson Broaddus, the private Baptist university in Phillippi, W.Va., is preparing to shut down because of financial difficulties. As...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Pine-Richland’s Ryan Cory
Pine-Richland football coach Jon LeDonne describes Ryan Cory as an old-school type of player. “He would have fit in perfectly back in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s,” LeDonne said. “You don’t see that these days from kids. He’s very physical and gets after it. He has great footwork and is...
Pitt lands Penn Hills quarterback Julian Dugger for class of 2024
Pitt found a quarterback for its class of 2024 on Monday when Penn Hills’ Julian Dugger committed. Dugger, who has thrown for more than 2,400 yards the past two seasons, is ranked the No. 40 overall prospect in Pennsylvania, according to Rivals.com. He led Penn Hills to a Northeast Conference...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Central Catholic’s Peter Gonzalez
For some programs, coming close is not good enough. There is no such thing as a silver lining. Central Catholic wide receiver Peter Gonzalez believes the Vikings are one of those programs. Gonzalez and his fellow seniors are champing at the championship bit after losses in the WPIAL Class 6A...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: North Catholic’s Brady O’Hara
Being tall isn’t a new experience for North Catholic’s Brady O’Hara. “In my kindergarten class, I remember there was everyone else and then there was me, two heads taller than everyone,” said O’Hara, now a 6-foot-6 junior who plays tight end and defensive end for the Trojans. His size has...
Luke Ball shows heart during North Catholic boys volleyball team’s championship run
Winning a WPIAL championship in any sport is difficult. Injuries, fatigue, a challenging schedule or other extenuating circumstances can stand in the way of hoisting a trophy at the end of the season. While talent is always needed on a successful team it is nothing without the strength to push...
Westmoreland County softball players offer knowledge, experience to youths during clinics, lessons
As Courtney Poulich leans in to give a wide-eyed softball player some hitting advice, she can’t help but get nostalgic. “Giving lessons teaches us to appreciate the sport even more, and we are constantly mastering our skills by teaching others,” said Poulich, a Mt. Pleasant graduate and a rising junior...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey
Cameron Lindsey is looking to make another championship run in his final season at Aliquippa. “I’m looking at my second state championship and celebrating all-state honors,” Lindsey said. The four-star linebacker prospect is ranked 12th in the state, according to Rivals.com. He gave a verbal commitment to Pitt on June...
High school notebook: Belle Vernon’s Martin among those up for vote as best player in the nation
Quinton Martin is talented, but will he be the best high school football player in the country this season? It’s a matter of opinion, for now. SBLive (Scorebooklive.com) recently asked that question and gave a list of 20 players, including Martin, who will be up for a fan vote that...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Norwin’s Jackson Pons
When his team was flagged for a hold last week during the championship of the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Larry Sellitto Memorial 7-on-7 Passing Tournament at Latrobe, Norwin’s Jackson Pons showed his frustration. He threw up his hands and walked away from the play. First-year coach Mike Brown reeled in...
