High School category, Page 514

Jenna Dawson was happy to find something that clicked in place. Falling in love with basketball was something the Belle Vernon senior guard picked up from her dad, Eric, who also played for the Leopards. Out of Dawson and her two siblings, she was the only one who stuck with...

Editor’s note: All PIAA soccer and field hockey matches scheduled for Tuesday were postponed to Wednesday due to inclement weather. Two volleyball matches — Freeport vs. Phillipsburg-Osceola in Class 2A and Sacred Heart Academy vs. West Branch in Class A — were also postponed until Wednesday. Ten days after it...

Joe Salvino is fortunate to have a large amount of experience behind him to handle what in other states would be a unique issue. Due to the success of Belle Vernon’s football program, and how the PIAA does the football schedule, getting the boys basketball team on track will take...

Normally, team banquets are designated for the end of a high school season when the program looks back at all its accomplishments. The Freeport volleyball team held its team banquet Sunday. While coach Tom Phillips said the evening was a perfect time for fellowship and reflection on what the Yellowjackets...

Today’s games Girls Class 2A Semifinals Mt. Pleasant (21-2) vs. General McLane (15-5-1) 7 p.m. Wednesday at Slippery Rock High School, Slippery Rock Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Wyomissing (21-1)/4-1 Central Columbia (23-0) in championship, 10 a.m. Saturday at Eagle View Middle School, Mechanicsburg. District finish: Mt. Pleasant 7-2; General...

There is an old saying among football executives and coaches: “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.” Well, the Upper St. Clair football team has spent the season trying to bury that old adage. Not only have the Panthers been using two quarterbacks, but they are young, in...

When the WPIAL Class 2A cross country championships began Oct. 27 at Cal (Pa.), 231 boys from across the district were in the field. Greensburg Salem’s Aaron Tressler finished ahead of all but 14 of them. Tressler, who turned in a time of 17 minutes, 22.80 seconds, mostly was satisfied...

The Plum boys soccer team has had a lot of success this season, winning a section title and punching a ticket to the PIAA tournament for the first time in 17 years. Contributing greatly to the team’s success is senior center midfielder Ben Pittman. “It feels good for sure that...

Melissa Schaeffer had to wait a year to be officially inducted into Carnegie Mellon’s sports Hall of Fame, but it was well worth it. A four-time All-American in track and field at CMU, Schaeffer, a Kiski Area grad and the current cross country coach at Freeport, was part of the...

The WPIAL Field Hockey Coaches Association announced its postseason awards for the 2022 season. Here’s a look at the All-WPIAL honorees: Class 3A Isla Abrams, North Allegheny, jr., forward* Jessica Albertson, Pine-Richland, jr., forward Danielle Deer, Pine-Richland, sr., defender* Autumn Dowiak, Mt. Lebanon, so., midfielder Addison Evan, Mt. Lebanon, so.,...

As expected, six finalists were announced for the fourth Bill Fralic Memorial Award, which honors the top senior football interior lineman in the WPIAL. But more news came out of Monday morning’s press conference at The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at Heinz History Center. Mainly that the museum will now...

High schools Field hockey PIAA playoffs Class 3A Semifinals Tuesday’s schedule Wilson (20-2-1) vs. Emmaus (25-0) at Hamburg, 5 p.m.; Lower Dauphin (20-3-1) vs. Conestoga (21-2) at Exeter Township, 6:30 p.m. Class 2A Semifinals Tuesday’s schedule Villa Maria Academy (18-6) vs. Mechanicsburg (18-4-1) at Governor Mifflin, 7 p.m.; Gwynedd Mercy...

Championship Saturday is set in WPIAL Class 6A and 5A football, but before we crown two new champions, the district will hold Final Four Friday for the other four classifications this week here on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN is the only place to watch the WPIAL...

With steady to heavy rain predicted all day Friday for the second night of WPIAL playoff football, some teams did some unique things in order to prepare for the elements. Local fire companies coming to practice to hose down the players in game situations while others simply soaked footballs in...

Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings through Sunday: Team – Wins – Losses – Overtime/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class 3A Seneca Valley, 5-1-1 = 11 Central Catholic, 5-1-0 = 10 North Allegheny, 5-2-0 = 10 Cathedral Prep, 5-3-0 = 10 Peters Township, 4-1-0 = 8 Baldwin,...

Boys soccer season ended early with no local teams advancing past the WPIAL quarterfinals. But several players were recognized on the All-WPIAL lists that came out last week. Among them was Greensburg Central Catholic senior forward Carlo Denis, who was named the Class A player of the year by the...

Norwin hockey coach Mike Robinson sometimes finds himself watching Alex Thomas instead of coaching him. But, at last, Robinson has a front-row seat along the boards to watch the dynamic forward perform for the defending PIHL Class A champions. “He has this way of making guys look silly,” Robinson said....

Hunter Jurica can hit long drives. He considers Loretto a relatively short drive from Derry. The opportunity to continue his golf career at a college not far from home was too good to pass up, so the senior standout and WPIAL champion made a verbal commitment to Saint Francis (Pa.)...

Another day, another rematch for Greensburg Central Catholic in the state soccer playoffs. After taking down section opponent Springdale, 3-1, in Saturday’s PIAA quarterfinals, GCC (15-5) will get another shot at WPIAL champion Freedom (19-4) in the Class A semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway’s Pete Antimarino Stadium in...

Bill Cherpak could’ve succeeded in whatever career path he pursued, says his former high school football coach, recalling how the Steel Valley graduate already was a bright leader in those days. “He probably could’ve been a nuclear physicist or something, but he likes football,” said George Novak, who can understand...

Seven teams from the WPIAL remain in the hunt for state soccer titles. They will continue postseason runs Tuesday in the PIAA semifinals. The most notable girls matchup for local fans is a WPIAL finals rematch between Moon (22-0) and Mars (19-1). The teams will play at 6:30 p.m. at...

Kefimba Cisse began his cross country season by winning the Gateway Invitational in early September at Boyce Park. The Gateway junior concluded it Nov. 5 in the Class 3A boys race at the PIAA championships in Hershey. It was a season of progress and a breakout effort of sorts for...

Madi Jesih dreamed for many years of an opportunity in soccer beyond high school. The dream was put into action with work on and off the field and play with the Hotspurs club team and with Gateway through her senior season this fall. Now, Jesih said, the work really begins...

To the surprise of virtually no one associated with the program, the Quaker Valley girls volleyball team landed a spot in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs. The Quakers finished in the top four in the WPIAL and took a 17-4 record into the state tournament Freeport, Shenango, Avonworth and QV...

Game-winning goal scoring is becoming part of Nick Allan’s soccer repertoire. A junior midfielder at Quaker Valley, Allan netted the game’s only goal Oct. 27 in a 1-0 playoff win against Avonworth. Allan’s game-winning heroics began in a big way last year in the state finals when he scored the...