High School category, Page 487

The Thomas Jefferson cheerleaders took it up a notch this season. After finishing as the runner-up in the small squad division a year ago, the TJ varsity competitive spirit cheerleaders capped their regular season by taking first place in their division at the WPIAL championships Jan. 7, at Hempfield. The...

His career coaching stats are indeed impressive. Michael “Doc” Kulish has been a soccer phenomenon as head coach of the Thomas Jefferson boys program. He has coached in 636 games and compiled a 417-183-36 record. That’s a lot of soccer and a lot of wins. The Jaguars finished 17-3 in...

The 2022-23 season has been a learning experience for many of the girls on the Baldwin competitive spirit cheerleading squad. And they’ve been taught well. The Highlanders placed third in the large squad division at the WPIAL championships Jan. 7, at Hempfield. “We have 21 total cheerleaders this season and...

Two up and two down. Both the Quaker Valley boys and girls swim teams opened the season at 2-0, defeating Beaver Falls and Central Valley. “We’ve had a great start,” QV’s third-year coach John Nemeth said. “The kids are training hard and are in a better place compared to last...

Five members of the Quaker Valley hockey team have been chosen to participate in the PIHL all-star showcase this year. Only two are seniors. It’s a testimonial to the youth of the QV team and the success the Quakers have experienced so far this season. Two forwards, seniors Ben Carlson...

Penn-Trafford senior heavyweight Joe Enick said he was just looking to have fun and do his best at the Mid-Winter Mayhem on Jan. 13-14. But Enick (23-4) ended up winning the title against some of the top heavyweights in the state. Enick defeated Brockway’s Gavin Thompson, 1-0, in the finals....

It’s been a tough couple weeks for the Penn-Trafford hockey team. The Warriors (8-5) have dropped three of their last four games, falling Jan. 17 to rival Franklin Regional, 6-1. The Warriors won the previous meeting 5-3, on Dec. 12. Matt Knizner scored four goals for the Panthers (7-7). Sean...

High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Saturday’s results PBC Legends Classic At Moon Hampton 84, Bethel Park 71 Moon 62, Montour 39 Quaker Valley 65, Canon-McMillan 36 Northgate 65, Riverview 30 The Challenge At Allderdice Imani Christian 71, Central Catholic 66 Highlands 69, North Hills 52 Plum 78, Sto-Rox 69 Allderdice...

Cal (Pa.) had a big Saturday night on the recruiting trail, picking up commitments from a handful of the top high school football players in Western Pennsylvania. McKeesport’s Bobbie Boyd, the Westinghouse duo of Keyshawn Morsillo and Sincere Smith and Bethel Park’s Aidan Currie all committed to the Vulcans in...

Bradyn Foster recorded a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead Highlands to a 69-52 boys basketball victory over North Hills at The Challenge at Allderdice on Saturday. Jimmy Kunst added 18 points and Cam Reigard scored 17 for the Golden Rams (13-2), who have won six in...

Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. New Castle, 13-2, 3 2. Central Catholic, 8-7, 1 3. Mt. Lebanon, 10-5, 2 4. Butler, 12-3, 4 5. Upper St. Clair, 9-7, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Penn Hills, 10-2, 1 2. North Hills, 12-3, 2 3....

It’s been quite a season for the Plum wrestling program. Earlier this week, the Mustangs captured their first section title in more than 30 years. On Saturday, Plum captured its first Allegheny County wrestling championship team title. Its highest finish in the 21 years of the tournament was second in...

Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 14-1, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 11-2, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 12-4, 3 4. North Allegheny, 10-4, 4 5. Chartiers Valley, 7-6, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. South Fayette, 14-2, 2 2. Oakland Catholic, 11-2, 3 3....

Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association held its second bowling championship at Hillview Lanes in Greensburg on Saturday. Franklin Regional’s captain, Brandon Smith, took home the boys individual title, and Penn-Trafford’s Alyssa Balest took home her second straight girls title. Both individuals’ high scores contributed to their teams’ overall scoring. Balest scored...

Hattie McGraw Class: Senior School: Knoch Sport: Basketball Report card: McGraw hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 points as Knoch earned a nonsection victory over Deer Lakes on Thursday. A second-team Valley News Dispatch all-star last year, she also had a team-high 12 points in a 56-39 loss to North...

Fox Chapel’s Anna Troutman didn’t get the opportunity to compete in the WPIAL outdoor track championships last season due to an injury. But after her debut with the Foxes’ indoor track team last season, she left a lasting impression. During the indoor season, she set school records in the 60-meter...

Fox Chapel has ruled the PIHL’s Class A Blue Division this season. Following a 9-2 road win over Norwin on Jan. 17, the Foxes pushed their record to 14-1 on the season with an 11th consecutive victory. That means Fox Chapel will be well represented at the PIHL All-Star game,...

Bethel Park’s Brian DeLallo was named coach of the year in the Class 5A Allegheny Six football conference. Call it a going-away present for DeLallo. After coaching the Black Hawks for four seasons, DeLallo stepped down following the team’s final game in 2022. “I retired, or maybe more accurately stated,...

It was a month to remember for Bethel Park hockey player Christian Strang. Strang was named Class 3A Player of the Month in November by the PIHL as the senior left winger scored twice for the Black Hawks. “I am honored to have been named 3A player of the month,”...

Joe Enick School: Penn-Trafford Class: Senior Sport: Wrestling Claim to fame: Enick won the heavyweight title at the Mid-Winter Mayhem at IUP. He defeated some of the top wrestlers in the state, including No. 1 seed Gunner Treibley of Danville in the semifinals by fall and Brockway’s Gavin Thompson, 1-0,...

As Erica Gribble was making inroads to high school basketball, she was always a step ahead and a level above her opponents. Now that she’s playing in the WPIAL, she still is. “She always played up one or two grade levels,” said her father, Dan Gribble. “She goes against the...

Vaughn Spencer soaked in the moment after recording a pin in his first varsity match last week. It’ll likely be the first of many pins in his Pine-Richland career, but it will always have a special place for the sophomore after what he’s gone through to get back on the...

Plum swim coach Shawn Haupt chuckled when he talked recently about the vibe among the boys and girls team members as some “moaning and groaning” with a lot of tiredness from some heavy-duty practice sessions. “But that happens every year around this time,” he said. “And every year, when I...

Sarah Kvortek smiles when she thinks back to last year’s PA Classic state title in the all-around at Moon High School. “It was just a really great moment, almost surreal for me because I never thought I would be a state all-around champion,” said Kvortek, a Plum senior whose 2021-22...

North Hills swimming coach Nicole Loutsenhizer leads student-athletes in the pool. But she also feels as if she could take charge of a Model UN class nowadays. Her team is nothing if not diverse. “We have six swimmers who were born in or are from a different country,” said Loutsenhizer,...