High School category, Page 511
North Allegheny girls rally past Norwin to return to WPIAL Class 6A title game
Before Jasmine Timmerson left Fox Chapel and headed for the team bus, she had one last thing to do. She had to pick up the team’s basketball bag. It’s a heavy, fully loaded basketball bag, which Timmerson could hide inside if she wanted to. A lot of teams have freshmen...
Union girls take care of St. Joseph to earn 1st trip to WPIAL championship game
The St. Joseph girls basketball team took down the top seed in last year’s WPIAL Class A quarterfinals. The Spartans attempted to do it again Monday, this time in a semifinal matchup against Union at North Allegheny. But the Scotties, who used a big first quarter to open a 19-point...
Longtime Beaver football coach, WPIAL Hall of Famer Pat Tarquinio dies
Longtime Beaver football coach Pat Tarquinio, who was one of the winningest coaches in WPIAL history, has died. Beaver athletic director Alan Alcalde announced his death Monday. Tarquinio won 241 games and three WPIAL titles at Beaver, where he coached from 1966-99. The Bobcats won WPIAL titles in 1972, ’81...
Big man Alvarez starting to play big for Greensburg Central Catholic boys
Always the tallest kid on his basketball teams growing up, 6-foot-5 Franco Alvarez has enjoyed the view from above. “I’ve been tall forever,” the junior forward from Greensburg Central Catholic said. “It wasn’t like I had this big growth spurt. I’ve just grown a little bit every year. I don’t...
Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 28, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class A Semifinals 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (17-5) vs. 1-Aliquippa (17-6) 6 p.m. Tuesday, West Allegheny High School, Imperial Winner plays: Winner of 6-Northgate (18-6)/2-Bishop Canevin (20-4) in championship 1 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center, University of Pittsburgh Coaches: Christian Hyland, Greensburg Central Catholic; Nick Lackovich,...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 28, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A Semifinals 2-North Catholic (20-3) vs. 6-Highlands (16-7) 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway High School, Monroeville Winner plays: Winner of 1-Blackhawk (20-3) vs. 4-Quaker Valley (16-7) in championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Kate Myers, Highlands; Dacia Lewandowski,...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Norwin’s Anna Little
Excelling at one stroke is hard enough, but how about four? That’s what swimmers who compete in the individual medley have to do, racing in the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. One of those swimmers is Norwin’s Anna Little, who won the event at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association meet...
Hempfield spirit squad ‘performed better than ever’ in winning national title
Diligence and dedication help define the Hempfield competitive spirit cheer program. Hard work, determination and desire also prove valuable. The WPIAL and PIAA champion Hempfield cheerleaders won a game day varsity national title for the first time in school history, taking first place in the Super Varsity Division I game...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Apollo-Ridge’s Jake Mull
Many athletes participate in different activities within their school and sometimes go straight from one sports season to another. Apollo-Ridge’s Jake Mull takes that to another level. Mull is a five-sport athlete — basketball, baseball, football, soccer and track — and has broken multiple school records along the way. “My...
Large support group helping form Kiski Area’s fledgling unified track and field team
Kiski Area’s Sammy Plazio qualified for the PIAA cross country championships last fall as a freshman, an experience he described as “really awesome.” Now, he’s helping to pave the way for other Kiski athletes to pursue their dreams of competing for a state title. Plazio is among those supporting the...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Feb. 27, 2023: Section rematches on tap in semifinals
The two WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball Final Four games are between rivals who earlier battled for section supremacy. Now, they meet for a spot in the district championship game. Top-seeded Upper St. Clair shoots for a third victory over defending champion Mt. Lebanon, while it will be the rubber...
Trib HSSN boys basketball team of the week for Feb. 26, 2023
The numbers are impressive. The Penn Hills boys basketball team has allowed a Class 5A-best 44.2 points per game this season. That number puts the Indians at fifth overall in the WPIAL in team defense. But if you need more proof, just go to a Penn Hills game. The Indians...
Trib HSSN boys basketball player of the week for Feb. 26, 2023
For four years, he has been the leader of the golden corral. Now Rodney Gallagher has Laurel Highlands two wins away from a triple crown. Gallagher enjoyed a strong start to his final WPIAL basketball postseason in leading the Mustangs into Monday’s Class 4A semifinals. The 6-foot senior guard could...
WPIAL runners claim 3 titles at PTFCA indoor track and field championships
Butler’s Drew Griffith, Mt. Lebanon’s Logan St. John Kletter and Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo won titles at the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association indoor state championships Sunday at Penn State. Griffith, a junior, won the boys one mile run in 4 minutes, 7.24 seconds. St. John Kletter, a junior, took...
High school sports schedules for Feb. 27, 2023
High schools WPIAL playoffs Boys Class 6A Semifinals Tuesday’s schedule New Castle (21-2) vs. Mt. Lebanon (16-7) at North Allegheny, 8 p.m.; Upper St. Clair (15-8) vs. Central Catholic (14-9) at Peters Township, 8 p.m. Class 5A Finals Thursday’s schedule Peters Township (22-3) vs. Penn Hills (20-3) at Petersen Events...
Trib HSSN broadcasts for week of Feb. 27-March 4
We have reached the golden week in the WPIAL winter sports season with the District 7 championships in boys and girls basketball, boys and girls swimming and Class 3A individual wrestling this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN continues our exclusive coverage of the WPIAL basketball...
PIHL standings, playoff clinchings through Feb. 26, 2023
Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings and postseason clinchings through Feb. 26. The Class A playoffs are set to begin with two first-round games Monday and two more Tuesday. Monday Indiana Little Indians vs. Quaker Valley Quakers at Baierl Ice Complex in Warrendale at 9 p.m. West...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Hempfield’s Maggie Howard commits to Georgetown for softball
Like a hitter looking at the count and situation, Maggie Howard looked at colleges with a similar approach. The Hempfield junior softball player wanted to match up as well academically as she did athletically. That made Georgetown an easy choice. Howard, an outfielder, announced her commitment to play for the...
Norwin do-it-all basketball standout Kendall Berger ‘never satisfied’
Kendall Berger saw minimal varsity time last season for Norwin. She was just another role player in a long line of them, which was fine with her because she was only a freshman and welcomed playing time however it came. Norwin likes to substitute readily, sometimes swapping five for five,...
Early-season opponents Highlands, Deer Lakes boys now face same task of toppling No. 1s
Highlands and Deer Lakes met the first weekend of the 2022-23 season, and though the Golden Rams ended up pulling away for an 88-74 victory, the final score wasn’t indicative of how tight the game was. Both coaches, Highlands’ Corey Dotchin and Deer Lakes’ Albie Fletcher, came away with confidence...
Ray Bartha retires after 579 wins as Apollo-Ridge girls basketball coach
Ray Bartha said he knew it was time. “Pretty much at the beginning of the season, I made up my mind that this would be it,” said Bartha, the longtime Apollo-Ridge girls basketball coach who officially retired last week after his second stint leading the Vikings. “At the end of...
Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 27, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Semifinals 3-Norwin (20-3) vs. 2-North Allegheny (18-5) 6 p.m. Monday, Fox Chapel High School, O’Hara Township Winner plays: Winner of 4-Mt. Lebanon (17-6)/1-Upper St. Clair (20-2) at 7 p.m. March 3 in championship at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Lauren Palangio, Norwin; Jasmine...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 27, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 4A Semifinals 1-Lincoln Park (23-1) vs. 5-Highlands (21-3) 8 p.m. Monday at Fox Chapel High School, Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 2-Laurel Highlands (21-2)/6-North Catholic (18-6) in championship game at 9 p.m. Friday at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Meleek Thomas, Lincoln Park;...
Tickets available for Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet
Tickets are now available for the 52nd Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet, set for May 20 at the Pittsburgh Shriners Center in Harmar, near the Route 28 expressway. Tickets are $40 each, and a patron can sit either with an honorees’ following or at a non-affiliated table....
WPIAL releases times, sites for Tuesday’s basketball semifinals
The district basketball playoffs Final Four conclude Tuesday. The final night of WPIAL boys and girls basketball semifinals will help finalize the district basketball championship game puzzle. The WPIAL has released the sites and times for the semifinals in boys 6A and 2A, along with girls 5A and 4A. The...
