High School category, Page 504
Lincoln Park takes care of South Allegheny in PIAA 1st-round win
South Allegheny coach Tony DiCenzo had two keys to avoid for his team as it looked to upset WPIAL Class 4A champions Lincoln Park during Friday night’s state playoff opener: allowing second-chance opportunities and live-ball turnovers. In the end, a barrage of second-chance points and forced turnovers allowed Lincoln Park...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls shake off slow start, roll past Windber in PIAA 1st round
WINDBER — Freshman guard Erica Gribble emerged from the locker room with a small bag of ice pressed between her neck and right shoulder. The plastic was tucked under her shirt and peeking out of the top of her jacket. Still, she smiled. “I don’t know what I did, it’s...
Highlands drops Johnstown to cruise into PIAA 2nd round
JOHNSTOWN — With some light snow predicted for the ridges of Cambria County, the Highlands boys basketball team set out on a 65-mile trip to Johnstown for its PIAA Class 4A first-round game hoping to avoid any slick spots. When the Rams hit the floor Friday night at Johnstown High...
Burrell’s Cooper Hornack gets back to PIAA wrestling finals where a fierce rival awaits
HERSHEY —When Cooper Hornack reached the finals at the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships in 2021, he didn’t realize how big of a deal it was. Now he does, and he’s looking forward to a second trip to the finals at Giant Center on Saturday. There the Burrell junior finds...
Hempfield set to promote assistant to head football coach
Hempfield is expected to promote assistant Nick Keefer to head football coach, according to the board agenda for Monday’s meeting. Keefer was a member of the last two coaches’ staffs, led by Mike Brown and Rich Bowen. Brown resigned Jan. 7 after two years with the Spartans to coach at...
Norwin girls shut down Central Dauphin in state tournament
HARRISBURG — Brian Brozeski knew where Norwin would have to succeed to win in the PIAA Class 6A girls basketball playoffs. “When you get to the playoffs, defense is where you can hang your hat,” Brozeski said after his Knights team hung an entire wardrobe on its defense in a...
Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary, Hempfield’s Lucas Kapusta advance to 3A wrestling semifinals
HERSHEY — For Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary and Hempfield senior Lucas Kapusta, Friday’s quarterfinal-round matches at the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships were like a business trip. They handled their business very well at Giant Center. Both advanced to Saturday morning’s semifinals with impressive wins. Kilkeary, looking for his third...
Conneaut bowler goes through WPIBL’s best to win girls regional title
Conneaut Area’s Victoria Medrick claimed a Western Regional girls singles bowling championship Friday at AMF Noble Manor Lanes, and she had to get through the WPIBL’s finest to get there. Medrick, who qualified third, defeated Alyssa Balest of Penn-Trafford in the quarterfinals and Amelia Droste of Hempfield in the semifinals...
Alle-Kiski Valley girls wrestlers ready for state tournament
Plum’s Alaina Claassen hasn’t let an injury prevent her pursuit of a state girls wrestling title. A freshman, Claassen said she dislocated her knee and damaged cartilage early in the season. Though the knee is not at 100 percent, she’s returned to the mat. Claassen placed second at 235 pounds...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 11, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 5A First round Penn-Trafford (17-9) at Greencastle-Antrim (23-2) 4 p.m. Saturday, Greencastle-Antrim HS, Greencastle District finish: Penn-Trafford 7-7; Greencastle-Antrim 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of McKeesport (21-5)/Northern (21-4) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Olivia Pepple, Penn-Trafford; Rylee Henson, Greencastle-Antrim Layup lines:...
Riverview unable to field softball team this spring
Faced with roster numbers that would be far fewer than required, Riverview softball will not field a team at the varsity level this spring. Athletic director Corey Thomas said this week that there was an initial sign-up meeting for the spring season, and only four girls were there. A second...
10 athletes among inductees for Ligonier Valley’s 1st Hall of Fame class
Add Ligonier Valley to the short list of local high schools with an athletic hall of fame. While that list is short, the initial group of inductees is extensive. The Rams announced 10 individuals, two teams and two coaches as part of its first class. The first class is as...
A-K Valley PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 11, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A First round Highlands (16-9) vs. Penn Cambria (12-12) 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mt. Aloysius College, Cresson District finish: Highlands 7-4; Penn Cambria 6-1 Winner plays: Winner of Fairview (19-8)/Beaver (15-10) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Kate Myers, Highlands; Abby...
Latrobe headed to PIHL semifinals after Bishop McCort is forced to forfeit quarterfinal win
Ousted in the quarterfinals, Latrobe is suddenly back in the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs. The Wildcats’ season took a surprising turn when they were informed Thursday night they are Class 2A semifinalists. The reason is because No. 3 seed Bishop McCort used an ineligible player in a 2-1 overtime victory...
Burrell’s Cam Baker, Cooper Hornack reach PIAA Class 2A wrestling semifinals
HERSHEY — Muncy freshman Gage Swank learned a valuable lesson Friday during the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships — don’t make Burrell freshman Cam Baker mad. Swank got Baker upset with a series swats to the face during their match at the Giant Center. After a...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 9, 2023
High schools Basketball Boys PIAA playoffs Class 6A Saturday’s schedule Chambersburg (15-11) at Plymouth-Whitemarch (24-4), 4 p.m.; CB East (22-4) vs. Archbishop Wood (16-8) at Archbishop Ryan, 4:30 p.m.; Central (16-11) vs. North Penn (18-8) at West Philadelphia, 3 p.m.; Coatesville (18-9) at Scranton (14-11), 5 p.m.; WC Henderson (16-11)...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 10, 2023: Lincoln Park, other WPIAL champs set for PIAA openers
Welcome to the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the Road to Hershey. The 2023 PIAA boys and girls basketball playoffs tip off Friday with first-round games for 5A boys, 4A boys, A boys, 6A girls, 3A girls and 2A girls. One big change in the PIAA brackets these next two years is...
High school roundup for March 9, 2023: Fox Chapel rallies for comeback win in Penguins Cup playoffs
Grady Cullen scored the tying goal about five minutes into the third period and Isaac Jacobs netted the game-winner about six minutes later as Fox Chapel came back to defeat Quaker Valley, 5-3, in the PIHL Class A quarterfinals Thursday night. Quaker Valley took a 2-0 lead on goals by...
Hempfield’s Lucas Kapusta, Penn-Trafford’s Joe Enick rally for 1st-round PIAA wrestling wins
HERSHEY — Hempfield senior Lucas Kapusta has been in a few tight overtime battles this season. So when he trailed Abington Heights sophomore Brian Heard in the third period Thursday, he knew what he had to do and didn’t panic. Kapusta got a takedown with 20 seconds remaining to tie...
Burrell’s Cam Baker, Cooper Hornack advance to quarterfinals in PIAA Class 2A wrestling
HERSHEY — You can never tell how a wrestler will perform the first time he competes during the PIAA individual championships at Giant Center. The venue can be intimidating even for the seasoned wrestlers. It didn’t hurt that Burrell freshman Cam Baker got to compete here a month ago at...
Short-handed Monessen girls keep grinding toward PIAA opponent
It’s been an exhausting week for Monessen’s girls basketball team, and it still has a game to play. Let’s set the scene heading into the PIAA girls basketball playoffs. It’s another long trip north — three-plus hours, in fact, almost to the New York state line — for the Greyhounds,...
PIAA playoff factoids: WPIAL basketball teams embark on Road to Hershey
The 2023 PIAA boys and girls basketball playoffs tip off with first-round games Friday and Saturday. Since the PIAA expanded to six classifications for the 2017 season, there have been five completed postseasons in the books. The 2020 state playoffs were stopped in the quarterfinals and never finished due to...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 10, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A First round Norwin (21-4) at Central Dauphin (20-5) 6 p.m. Friday, Central Dauphin High School, Harrisburg District finish: Norwin 7-3; Central Dauphin 3-3 Winner plays: Winner of Haverford (27-1)/Lebanon (26-2) Tuesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Kendall Berger, Norwin; Lauren...
A-K Valley PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 10, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Boys Class 5A First round Fox Chapel (15-11) at Exeter (23-6) 6 p.m. Friday, Exeter Township Senior High School, Reading District finish: Fox Chapel 7-7; Exeter 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of North Hills (20-6)/Mechanicsburg (18-8) Tuesday in PIAA second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Jefferson...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 8, 2023
High schools Basketball Boys PIAA playoffs Class 6A Saturday’s schedule Chambersburg (15-11) at Plymouth-Whitemarch (24-4), 4 p.m.; CB East (22-4) vs. Archbishop Wood (16-8) at Archbishop Ryan, 4:30 p.m.; Central (16-11) vs. North Penn (18-8) at West Philadelphia, 3 p.m.; Coatesville (18-9) at Scranton (14-11), 5 p.m.; WC Henderson (16-11)...
