High School category, Page 497

There were thrilling wins. There were gut-wrenching losses. Records were set and broken. The 2022 local sports year had breakthrough moments and dominating performances, first-time champions, veteran leaders and next-level talent. Teams and individuals left their mark in a tapestry of memories. Here are the top 10 local sports stories...

The year 2022 will long be remembered for many monumental happenings, from A-K Valley athletes’ accomplishments to championship performances and teams bringing home gold at the district, regional and state levels. Athletes again were able to pay off many hours of dedication and determination to not only reach but to...

High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Friday’s results Avella Tournament Seventh place South Side 41, Propel Montour 17 Fifth place Western Beaver 54, Avella 41 Third place McGuffey 59, Burgettstown 45 Championship Fort Cherry 59, Chartiers-Houston 36 Brooke (WV) Tournament Championship Armstrong 50, Hampshire (WV) 44 Carolina Lowcountry Invitational Allderdice 64,...

Julian Dugger hit 1 of 2 free throws with one second left to lead Penn Hills to a 43-42 victory over Highlands at the Central Valley Roundball Classic on Friday, handing the Golden Rams their first loss of the season. Daemar Kelly led Penn Hills (4-2) with 17 points. Bradyn...

Can the Powerade Wrestling Tournament get any tougher? Tournament director Frank Vulcano Jr. said in the past he would like to have the toughest event in the country. He might have achieved it. If the 56th annual tournament at Canon-McMillan wasn’t the toughest, it sure was close to the perennially...

Three underclassmen who helped their football teams reach the WPIAL Class 6A championship game were recognized for their efforts Friday. Central Catholic juniors Peter Gonzalez and Cole Sullivan and North Allegheny junior Khiryn Boyd were selected to the Pa. Football Writers Class 6A all-state team. North Allegheny defeated Central Catholic,...

Ryan Palmieri was at his best on the state’s biggest stage, and Friday he was recognized for his efforts. The Pine-Richland senior quarterback, who accounted for four touchdowns in leading the Rams to a 28-14 win over Imhotep Charter in the PIAA Class 5A championship game, was named the state’s...

Kevin Kissel is considered a Brentwood institution, particularly in the high school football program. Kissel, 66, has been coaching football for 40 years, or much more than half his life. After working 14 seasons as an assistant (from 1983-96), Kissel has been the Spartans’ head coach for the past 26...

The Aliquippa football team made its annual trip to the WPIAL championship game this fall and proceeded to roll all the way to the PIAA final, again. After finishing 13-1 and adding another WPIAL championship to the school’s trophy case, Aliquippa garnered some individual honors Friday, as five players were...

Down by 12 with 16 seconds left in the first half, the Freeport boys basketball team welcomed the halftime break to change strategy. The adjustments worked, as the Yellowjackets held Obama Academy to 15 points in the second half to register a 50-43 victory Thursday night in the Freeport Holiday...

High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Thursday’s results Apollo-Ridge Tournament Consolation Leechburg 61, Apollo-Ridge 29 Championship Summit Academy 53, River Valley 52 Aquinas Academy Tournament Consolation Nazareth Prep 73, Trinity Christian 49 Championship Aquinas Academy 71, Keystone Oaks 47 Avella Tournament Western Beaver 68, Propel Montour 27 Avella 55, South Side...

Zion Moore scored 31 points to lead Belle Vernon to an 87-68 victory over Southmoreland in a matchup of Section 3-4A rivals in the championship game of the Charleroi holiday tournament Thursday night. Quinton Martin added 23 points, Alonzo Wade had 11 and Trevor Kovatch 10 for Belle Vernon (4-4)....

With a hyped crowd watching inside CCBC’s dome, Lincoln Park’s Meleek Thomas made a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left Thursday, the final points in a 70-66 victory over top-ranked Laurel Highlands. The answer is months away, but was this a WPIAL Class 4A championship preview? “I wouldn’t...

Halftime adjustments do not have to be complicated. They don’t even have to be schematic. In Hempfield’s case Thursday night, they were simple: relax and move to open spots. “We were up eight, but we were missing layups and foul shots and playing rushed,” Lady Spartans coach Tom Brush said....

Winning 100 matches is a goal wrestlers set when they are freshmen. And if they’re good, that goal is reachable. Hempfield senior Lucas Kapusta already reached that goal Dec. 21 at Gateway. Senior Ethan Lebin should reach the 100-win milestone at this week’s Powerade Wrestling Tournament at Canon-McMillan. And while...

Bethel Park came into Latrobe’s two-day holiday girls basketball tournament having won just once in its first seven games. The Black Hawks came away with a pair of victories to stretch their winning streak to three after the latest success Thursday, a 41-36 decision over short-handed Plum. The Mustangs, who...

In a game at Penn-Trafford earlier in the season, Norwin made eight 3-pointers in a quarter. Impressive? Sure. But senior Ryan Edwards nearly outdid that all by himself at Thomas Jefferson last week when he made eight 3s in a 56-41 victory. “It was a lot of fun, especially to...

Still riding high after winning the program’s first PIAA championship earlier this month, members of the Belle Vernon football team again have reason to celebrate. Three Leopards were recognized Thursday with selection to the Pa. Football Writers Class 3A all-state team, and head coach Matt Humbert was named the state’s...

Westinghouse was rewarded Thursday for recording the best season in program history, as four senior players were named to the Pa. Football Writers Class 2A all-state team. The City League champion Bulldogs went 14-1 and reached the PIAA championship game for the first time before falling to Southern Columbia, 37-22....

Wake-up calls don’t always happen early enough in the season for a team to react and recover. But in Greensburg Central Catholic’s case, a 58-54 upset loss to Riverview that gave the Centurions the boot from the TribLive HSSN Class 2A rankings produced a lesson learned. “It’s your first section...

Six WPIAL Class A football players were awarded Pa. Football Writers all-state honors Thursday, including Union quarterback Braylon Thomas, who led the Scotties to their first WPIAL title since 1959 and trip to the PIAA championship game. The junior ran for 1,466 yards and 20 touchdowns and threw for 1,202...

High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Wednesday’s results Apollo-Ridge Tournament Summit Academy 66, Leechburg 63 River Valley 63, Apollo-Ridge 45 Aquinas Academy Tournament Keystone Oaks 51, Nazareth Prep 45 Aquinas Academy 84, Trinity Christian 76 Avella Tournament Fort Cherry 77, Western Beaver 50 McGuffey 59, Propel Montour 15 Chartiers-Houston 65, South...

Elijah Hill hit for 33 points to lead South Fayette to a 66-61 victory over Bethel Park at the Holiday Bash at North Allegheny on Wednesday. Michael Plasko had 15 points and Gavin Orosz added 13 for South Fayette (6-2). Nick Brown scored 22 points and Ben Guffey had 16...

The Steel Valley boys basketball team entered Wednesday’s holiday tournament game at Deer Lakes with an un-Steel Valley-like 1-7 record. That’s because the Ironmen were missing some of the school’s outstanding football players who won the WPIAL title last month. One of those players, 6-foot-5, 315-pound tackle Greg Smith, who...

There’s something about playing Freeport that sparks St. Joseph junior Julie Spinelli. Last year, she scored 33 points to lift the Spartans past the Yellowjackets in a three-point nonsection victory. Spinelli was at it again Wednesday evening in the championship game of the St. Joseph holiday tournament at Walter Dlubak...