High School category, Page 482

The gaggle of professional baseball scouts is gone, but that doesn’t mean there’s a quiet atmosphere nowadays at North Allegheny practices. “Quieter from the external side of things? Yes,” North Allegheny coach Andrew Heck said. “Quieter from the internal side of things? No. We felt like we need to make...

Franklin Regional swimming coach Vic Santoro went into the PIAA championships at Bucknell University on March 17 and 18 with great expectations that his team would add to its collection of medals. That’s because he was pleased with how they performed in the WPIAL Class 3A championships. The boys and...

The motto for the Hampton boys basketball team this season was “to live in the moment.” The Talbots did just that, and it turned out the moments were many. “It was a great year,” coach Joe Lafko said. “We accomplished a lot. … I’m just so proud of the way...

The Hampton baseball team is hoping one ace and a bunch of wild cards can turn into a winning hand. The Talbots return senior Ryan Apaliski, a James Madison recruit, but are left with question marks on the mound behind their star southpaw. “We don’t have any of the experience...

Fox Chapel’s hockey team knew the setting was the same, but the Foxes found the magic to produce a different result March 15 at RMU Island Sports Complex. Fox Chapel, which lost to Norwin in the PIHL Class A Penguins Cup semifinals last season, avenged that loss and advanced to...

Dom Cassol enjoyed that the Fox Chapel baseball team took a different approach to training for the 2023 season. With an inexperienced group of pitchers returning, the Foxes wanted to make sure that they were able to help everyone grow together. “We switched things up,” said Cassol, who is a...

It’s a realignment year in WPIAL baseball and once again, the higher classifications have taken a hit. While Class 6A is down one team from the last two-year cycle, Class 5A is down one whole section after shrinking from 25 teams to 19 teams for the 2023 and 2024 seasons....

Union edged West Greene, 3-2, to capture its first WPIAL Class A softball title last season. The Scotties ended West Greene’s run of five straight WPIAL championships. Both teams advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals and are again expected to contend for the district title. Here is a rundown of the...

High schools WPIAL Baseball Friday’s results Nonsection Avella 14, Washington 13 Franklin Regional 13, Priory (MO) 0 Franklin Regional 15, Bradford (ON) 0 Montour 8, St. Petersburg (FL) 5 Pine-Richland 10, Hempfield 1 Plum 14, Northside Christian 8 Ringgold 4, California 3 St. Petersburg 6, Plum 3 Upper St. Clair...

Two state boys basketball powers will collide for the first time in the PIAA postseason Saturday afternoon when New Castle takes on District 3 champion Reading. The Red Hurricane are looking for their 50th all-time state playoff victory (49-24) when they meet the Red Knights at Altoona at 2 p.m....

Lincoln Park’s Dontay Green left the locker room without a shoe on his right foot, the troublesome one that needed screws and plates to fix a lisfranc fracture several months ago. What he did wear was a smile. At times since his September surgery, Green wanted to quit the basketball...

Bakari Wallace drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Uniontown to a 55-54 victory over North Catholic in the PIAA Class 4A boys basketball quarterfinals Friday night. Jamire Braxton scored 23 points and Notorious Grooms put up 10 for the Red Raiders (23-5). Max Hurray led all scorers with...

Imani Christian boys basketball coach Omar Foster valued seeing his program take the next step. The Saints fought through early foul trouble and poor shooting Friday night, but they ultimately overwhelmed District 10 champion Farrell, 80-50, in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals. “Last year, we lost in the quarterfinals to...

The Franklin Regional boys 200-yard medley relay team had some unfinished business as it arrived at Bucknell for the first day of the PIAA Class 3A swimming championships. The Panthers quartet of junior Holden Thomas, senior Aiden Bunker, junior Ben Holm and senior Jason Tosh swam a time of 1...

When North Allegheny junior Caroline Henderson banked in a half-court shot to end the third quarter, Norwin coach Brian Brozeski told his team not to worry. That’s because Brozeski’s Knights were not to be deterred on this night. Norwin became more determined and didn’t allow another basket in the final...

The Franklin Regional boys 200-yard medley relay team had some unfinished business as it arrived at Bucknell University for the first day of the PIAA Class 3A swimming championships. The Panthers quartet of junior Holden Thomas, senior Aiden Bunker, junior Ben Holm and senior Jason Tosh swam a time of...

Sophie Shao and the 100-yard butterfly go hand in hand. The Fox Chapel senior closed out her four-year run in the event as a four-time WPIAL champion, the WPIAL Class 3A record holder and a two-time state champion. Shao, an Ivy League commit at Brown University, added her second straight...

The question was raised in pregame warmups: Could Greensburg Central Catholic compete with WPIAL champion Shenango? GCC was, after all, the fifth-place team in the district. The answer presented itself about a minute into the state playoff game, and it was a resounding, glaring, glowing YES. It was more like,...

Colin Kadlick remembers well when his mom babysat Aiden Fletcher — yes, that Aiden Fletcher, the son of the Deer Lakes boys basketball coach, the kid currently playing hoops for his dad, Albie Fletcher. “It seems like yesterday that Aiden was at my house,” said Kadlick, a basketball player at...

LEWISBURG — The WPIAL populated the medals podium Friday afternoon at the PIAA Class 3A girls diving championships as all four entries from the district earned medals. North Allegheny senior Christina Shi led the WPIAL quartet with her third straight state championship. Latrobe senior Hannah Polosky was second, North Allegheny...

PIAA basketball playoffs Boys Class 3A Deer Lakes (19-8) vs. Neshannock (20-7) Noon Saturday, North Allegheny Senior High School, McCandless District-place: Deer Lakes 7-1; Neshannock 7-4 Winner plays: Winner of 6-1 Penn Cambria (23-5)/10-1 Franklin (23-4) Tuesday in PIAA semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Bryce Robson, Deer Lakes;...

LEWISBURG — WPIAL swimmers are positioned for several championship finals swims on Day 1 at the PIAA Class 3A championships at Bucknell. Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Fox Chapel and Upper St. Clair are seeded second through sixth, respectively, in the girls 200-yard medley relay. North Allegheny senior Lexi Sundgren is...

It’s a realignment year in WPIAL baseball and, once again, the higher classifications have taken a hit. While Class 6A is down one team from the last two-year cycle, Class 5A is down one whole section after shrinking from 25 teams to 19 teams for the 2023 and 2024 seasons....

Neshannock’s perfect 2022 season will be tough to match, but the Lancers have their sights set on defending their section, WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A softball titles this season. Coach Jackie Lash likes her lineup’s speed and power as well as the Lancers’ experienced pitching. Several teams hope to challenge,...

WPIAL swimmers didn’t slow down Thursday as the PIAA Class 2A swimming championships continued at Bucknell University. They won seven more state titles, bringing the WPIAL’s total gold-medal haul to 14 for the two days of competition. Indiana sophomore Preston Kessler captured two of the championships as he added the...