High School category, Page 526
Longtime basketball official in A-K Valley Joe Discello remembered for energy, passion for the game
When he stepped onto the hard court, Joe Discello brought an unbridled enthusiasm to officiating basketball. “He was really energetic and enjoyed the game,” veteran official Mike Jarosinski said. “He liked being out there with the players and the coaches.” A familiar face to Alle-Kiski Valley basketball followers, Discello missed...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Latrobe’s Josh Havrilla
Often, when a high school athlete plays two sports, they are in different seasons. For Latrobe’s Josh Havrilla, both of his passions happen to fall at the same time. Havrilla, who’s played tennis and volleyball together the last two springs, is certainly busy, but it’s not a big deal for...
Hempfield boys volleyball finding success early on relying on its ‘2 varsity teams’
Boys volleyball practices at Hempfield this season have been like nothing Owen Kelley has seen in his four-year association with the Spartans program. “We have 13 guys that see varsity time, which is a full second team,” Kelley said. “In the past, the varsity would practice against the (junior varsity)...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Valley’s Nicholas Bussard
While growing up, hockey was the sport of choice for Valley senior Nicholas Bussard. A few years ago, he traded in slap shots for drop shots, and the results have been impressive. One of the top high school tennis players in the A-K Valley, Bussard recently finished second in the...
Senior-heavy Deer Lakes boys volleyball aims to compete in talent-laden section
Even with a senior-laden lineup, Deer Lakes boys volleyball coach Kody Putirka considers his Lancers squad a work in progress. “We have a lot of seniors, and we’re trying to get them on the same page and playing to where I know they can,” Putirka said. “We have a lot...
WPIAL boys volleyball teams settling into playoff positions and spots in coaches rankings
The WPIAL boys volleyball section schedule for Class 3A and Class 2A is at or is nearing its midway point, and teams are settling into or moving into playoff position. Shaler (Class 3A) and Latrobe (Class 2A) continue to rule from the top of their respective top-10 rankings in the...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for April 17, 2023: Top teams in Class 6A baseball in action
For the first time in over a week, weather is a concern for outdoor spring sports Monday. Gone for now are the above average temperatures and sunny skies, replaced at the beginning of the week by much colder temps and a threat of rain. That said, there are plenty of...
Ellis senior Grayson Honig skis her way to victory in PA Governor’s Cup
Grayson Honig, a senior at Ellis School, competed at the PA Governor’s Cup on the steep, sloping sides of Elk Mountain in Union Dale. Skiing is nothing new to her. She has been skiing since she was 4 and grew up in a family where everyone skis, including her grandparents,...
Trib HSSN baseball team of the week for April 16, 2023
Always a bridesmaid, now finally a bride. After years as an assistant baseball, football and wrestling coach at Canon-McMillan, Brendon Steele finally got a chance to be a head coach when he took over for Tim Bruzdewicz this offseason. The Big Macs baseball team has responded, winning 7 of their...
Trib HSSN baseball player of the week for April 16, 2023
While most rivalries are built on geography, some are born from multiple postseason clashes. The latter is true of one budding rivalry in WPIAL Class 3A. Playoff meetings and a slew of coaches changing from Eagles blue to Antelopes red has stoked the fire between Avonworth and South Park. The...
This week on Trib HSSN for week of April 17, 2023
As the calendar heads into the second half of April, WPIAL baseball and softball hit the midway point of section play on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN continues our coverage of WPIAL softball and baseball with a busy week of section action. We also have some WPIAL...
High school sports schedules for April 17, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball Monday’s schedule WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 Allderdice at North Allegheny, 7 p.m. Seneca Valley at Pine-Richland, 4:15 p.m. Section 2 Central Catholic at Baldwin, 4 p.m. Hempfield at Canon-McMillan, 4 p.m. Norwin at Mt. Lebanon, 4 p.m. Class 5A Section 1 Armstrong at Gateway, 7...
A closer look at 2023 Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete honorees
Belle Vernon Evan Pohlot Sports: Basketball and football Parents: Mark and Jeannie Pohlot Class rank: 16 of 153 GPA: 4.325 College: Duquesne Extracurricular activities and honors: He played four years each on the football and basketball teams. He was a team captain on the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championship...
Hempfield assistant coach LaRoyal Wilson selected as Ferrante Memorial Award winner
If you ever attend a Hempfield track and field practice, you would swear the coach conducting calisthenics was a U.S. Marine Corps officer. No, it’s just LaRoyal Wilson, who is the 2023 recipient of the Mike and John Ferrante Memorial Award. It’s an honor that usually goes to head coaches...
Gateway’s Arontay Heningcamp ready to take next step in wrestling career
Shane Valko knows the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling program and its traditions inside and out. A 2010 Division II national champion with the Mountain Cats, Valko, who works with the Young Guns wrestling program, later served as an assistant coach at UPJ under legendary coach Pat Pecora. It was that knowledge and...
Gateway baseball team looks to bounce back in Section 1-5A
The Gateway baseball team got a daily double April 3 with some timely offense and strong pitching and defense in a 3-1 victory over Franklin Regional at the newly refurbished field at the Gateway Sports Complex. Senior Nate Demchak tripled home three runs in the bottom of the fourth, while...
With rebuilt roster, Sewickley Academy softball eyes improvement
Small steps. “The program is building up again as our roster has increased from nine to 13 players this year,” said Win Palmer, who is coaching the Sewickley Academy softball team this season. “Bob Sirko, a familiar name to Beaver County softball and who coached at Carlow College, has joined...
4 Quaker Valley volleyball players headed to national tournaments
Quaker Valley’s girls volleyball program is receiving national attention. Four members of the girls varsity team — Annica Kagle, Molly MacDonald, Vanessa Pickett and Nora Hammond — will be competing in the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships this summer. The tournament will take place June 28 to July 6...
Penn-Trafford boys track team breaks 51-year drought with win over Hempfield
Penn-Trafford defeated Hempfield in a boys track and field dual meet for the first time in 51 years April 12. The meet, which was tied 75-75, was decided on the most second-place finishes. Both teams won nine events so the tiebreaker was most runner-up finishes. Winning for the P-T boys...
Penn-Trafford girls lacrosse having its best season
The Penn-Trafford girls lacrosse team dropped two tough matches April 11-12, but that hasn’t cast a shadow on what has been accomplished. The Warriors are in the midst of their best season since the program began in 2016. They are 6-4 overall and 3-2 in Section 1 and are in...
Penn Hills track plans to use invitationals to prepare for postseason
Lee Zelkowitz is excited to see the Penn Hills track season heat up. Where the Indians will really excel is with their relay teams. Penn Hills competed in a triangular meet with Gateway and Plum in early April and is gearing up for the invitational part of its schedule. The...
Penn Hills softball looking to shuffle lineup into winning hand
Ashley Banner would be the first to say that Penn Hills softball’s result against North Hills wasn’t what the team hoped to get out of the contest. For the second straight game, Penn Hills was on the wrong side of a lopsided loss. What the results have highlighted for Banner...
Bats lead the way in Pine-Richland softball’s playoff quest
As the halfway point of a 16-game Section 1-6A slate neared, the Pine-Richland softball team put itself in the mix for a top-six section finish and a spot in the playoffs. If the Rams find their way in, it’ll likely be with the powerful aluminum sticks they carry to the...
Pine Creek Journal notebook: Pine native Ty Voit lighting it up in Ontario Hockey League
Pine native Ty Voit has gained a reputation as the best passer in the Ontario Hockey League, tallying a league-leading 81 assists in 56 regular season games. He’s continued setting up his teammates at an astounding rate in the postseason. Voit, 19, had six assists to help the Sarnia Sting...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 15, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball Saturday’s results Nonsection Ambridge 12, Ellwood City 8 Avonworth 8, Alliance (OH) 2 Ringgold 5, Morgantown (WV) 1 Seneca Valley 16, Quaker Valley 1 Serra Catholic 9, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 1 South Fayette 10, Chartiers Valley 0 Lacrosse Saturday’s results Boys Nonsection North...
