High School category, Page 506
Victory over Derry helps bolster Gateway boys volleyball team’s resume
The Gateway boys volleyball team toppled Armstrong and Deer Lakes to open Section 2-2A play, but consecutive section setbacks to Latrobe and Mars left the Gators at .500 in section and seeking a return to the win column. The Gators got that in the form of a 3-1 win over...
WPIAL scholar-athlete award shines spotlight on Nora Johns’ remarkable Quarter Valley career
Nora Johns’ high school resume is exemplary. Many have acknowledged that fact, and the WPIAL agrees. A senior three-sport star at Quaker Valley, Johns recently was named as a recipient of the WPIAL’s James Collins Scholar-Athlete Award and the $1,000 scholarship that goes with it. The selection committee chose 10...
Title contenders face off as PIHL girls division’s 2nd season begins
Opening-week action in the PIHL’s second season sponsoring a girls division took place April 18-20. The defending champion East team split decisions, starting off with a 4-1 loss to Northeast and rebounding with a 3-2 win against West two days later. Moon’s Lillian Relyea, a sophomore forward, peppered in the...
Penn-Trafford boys track team earns trip to WPIAL semifinals
The Penn-Trafford track and field program is trending up under fifth-year coach Eric Reger, who has been with the program for 12 seasons. The boys’ team defeated Hempfield for the first time in 50 seasons and qualified for the WPIAL team semifinals for the first time since 2015 and third...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors get needed sweep in baseball
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Penn-Trafford baseball team couldn’t afford a split in the two-game series against last-place Penn Hills if the Warriors hoped to qualify for the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. The Warriors had split three previous two-game series in Section 1 and with series...
Penn Hills grad heads south to continue college baseball career
Josh Zambito ventured up to the University of Maine for a semester, but didn’t find the right fit, so the 2021 Penn Hills graduate decided to hit the transfer portal. Zambito’s journey took him to Motlow State Junior College in Tennessee. After a strong fall, Zambito committed to Mississippi Valley...
Pine Creek Journal notebook: Doubles teams make run to WPIAL tournament
Both of Pine-Richland’s boys tennis doubles teams qualified for the WPIAL tournament April 25-26, and they even crossed paths along the way. Ryan Moore and Udi Alkokar and Nathan Bang and Ian Hurt met in the Section 2-6A consolation match with Bang and Hurt coming away with a three-set win,...
Pine-Richland baseball embraces the grind, thrives in tight games
The Pine-Richland baseball team doesn’t mind playing in tight games. In fact, the Rams thrive on grinding out wins. They proved that in taking two out of three games against previously unbeaten Seneca Valley during a series April 17-20. A formula of good pitching, defense and solid fundamental offense secured...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 29, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball Saturday’s results Nonsection Homer-Center 11, Apollo-Ridge 1 Morgantown (WV) 11, North Hills 1 New Castle at Ellwood City, ppd. Brentwood at Carrick, (n) Shenango at Johnsonburg, (n) Lacrosse Saturday’s results Girls Nonsection Moon 9, Peters Township 5 Softball Saturday’s results Class 6A Section 2 Seneca Valley...
High school roundup for April 29, 2023: North Allegheny volleyball wins Little Lion Invitational
North Allegheny won the Little Lion Invitational in State College, defeating Landisville Hempfield in the finals, 2-1. The Tigers defeated Central York and Cumberland Valley in the one-game quarterfinals and semifinals. Shaler was knocked off by the host Little Lions in the quarterfinals. When North Allegheny and Shaler met in...
WPIAL softball rankings: Week ending April 30, 2023
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Seneca Valley, 11-1, 1 2. Norwin, 13-3, 2 3. Hempfield, 12-2, 3 4. North Allegheny, 12-4, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 5-8, NR Out: Canon-McMillan (5-9, 5) Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Shaler, 14-0, 1 2. Armstrong, 13-1, 2 3. Trinity, 12-1,...
Westmoreland athletes of the week: Jeannette’s Grace Stein, Greensburg Salem’s Aaron Tressler
Grace Stein School: Jeannette Class: Freshman Sport: Softball Claim to fame: Stein has burst onto the scene in her first year of varsity softball, leading upstart Jeannette back to playoff contention. She was dominant in three recent run-ruled outings, in the pitching circle and at the plate. She tossed a...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Burrell’s Katie Armstrong, Leechburg’s Owen McDermott
Katie Armstrong Class: Senior School: Burrell Sport: Softball Report card: Burrell senior pitcher Katie Armstrong struck out 30 batters in two victories this week to help the Bucs improve to 8-4 overall and 4-2 in Section 1-3A. The 2022 Valley News Dispatch Softball Player of the Year who had 257...
WPIAL baseball rankings: Week ending April 30, 2023
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 11-3, 1 2. Pine-Richland, 12-5, 2 3. Butler, 9-5, 5 4. Seneca Valley, 12-4, 3 5. Canon-McMillan, 11-4, NR Out: Hempfield (9-7, 4) Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Shaler, 12-4, 1 2. Bethel Park, 10-4, 2 3. South Fayette,...
Hall of Fame induction a happy homecoming for Valley, North Carolina wrestling standout
Joe Galli didn’t lose many matches while wrestling at Valley High School in the mid-1970s. But, when he did, the people around New Kensington took notice. Regardless of the time of day or weather, Galli responded to a setback on the mat by embarking on a 7-mile run up and...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Softball field to be named for beloved Jeannette employee
Jeannette athletic director Adrian Batts thought the softball field behind the high school needed more than bleachers and well-manicured grass for an up-and-coming program. It needed a name, too. Jeannette this week will name the field after a longtime and well-regarded district employee, Dana Hall, who died in 2020 from...
After strong freshman season, Plum’s Gabrielle Layne ready to take next step
Gabrielle Layne came within an eyelash of making the finals of the Class 3A girls 100-meter dash at last year’s WPIAL championships at Slippery Rock. The top eight from the preliminaries made the finals heat, and Layne placed ninth with a time of 12.97, just three one-hundredths of a second...
Norwin notebook: Northeastern commit Shaw shines at Butler Invitational
Hannah Shaw collected the only victory for Norwin at the 58th Butler Invitational April 21 at Bernardi Stadium in Butler. Shaw, a Northeastern commit, soared 11 feet, 7 inches to win the pole vault title, one of many top-10 finishes for the Knights. Trey Huha finished third in the 200-meter...
North Allegheny hosting Western Pa. Football Recruiting Day to connect with college coaches
There are dozens of small-college football coaches who recruit Western Pennsylvania, but sometimes a talented WPIAL player can go overlooked in the process. That’s why North Allegheny football coach Art Walker hosts a couple of Western Pa. Football Recruiting Days each year. The event lets high school coaches meet and...
North Allegheny notebook: Logan’s 5 RBIs lift Tigers past Baldwin
Caitlin Logan went 3 for 3 with a double, a home run and five RBIs as the North Allegheny softball team defeated Baldwin, 8-1, on April 26. McKenna Rowlands hit an RBI triple, and Anne Melle struck out 11 for the Tigers (12-4, 9-3) in a Section 1-6A win. Avery...
Top of the lineup boosting Hampton softball toward playoff berth
The top of Hampton’s softball lineup is at the top of its game this season. The Talbots’ 1-2-3 hitters in the batting order — Charlotte Lomb, Mackenzie Reese and Addy Maguire — are powering the team’s march to the WPIAL playoffs for a fifth consecutive season. • Lomb, a junior...
Strong start has Hampton boys lacrosse primed for playoff run
Hampton has proven to be one of the elite boys lacrosse teams in Section 2-2A of the WPIAL. The Talbots opened the week of April 24 riding a six-game winning streak and with 6-1 section record, and were looking to establish a high seed for the upcoming playoffs. “We’re just...
Fox Chapel senior able to ‘relearn how to pitch,’ get team into playoff contention
Leading up to the Fox Chapel softball team’s season, Hunter Taylor knew the Foxes had a young roster and would need someone to step into the circle and do a lot of pitching. Despite primarily playing her first three seasons at shortstop, Taylor was asked to step back into the...
Fox Chapel senior reaches milestone, helps girls lacrosse team come together
Standing behind the goal provides Lindsay Scheffler with the right look at the field. The Fox Chapel senior girls lacrosse player is always looking for the best route to getting a shot on goal. Having developed the right vision has helped Scheffler knock down milestones. Scheffler recently topped the 100-goal...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 28, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball Friday’s schedule Nonsection Gateway 15, Woodland Hills 0 Redbank Valley 10, Apollo-Ridge 4 University (WV) 9, Shaler 0 Aliquippa at Brashear, ppd. Apollo-Ridge at Homer-Center, ppd. Avella at Monessen, ppd. Beaver Falls at Burgettstown, ppd. Charleroi at Brownsville, ppd. Freeport at Knoch, ppd. New Castle at...
