High School category, Page 55

Girls volleyball season is fast approaching and Erin Salas is preparing to lead a different team this fall. Salas coached Greensburg Central Catholic for three seasons and had a successful run with a WPIAL and PIAA championship in 2024. But she left the program and is now the head coach...

Harran Zureikat didn’t have to wait for a list to come out to see if he would be part of the Under Armour Next Football All-America game. Zureikat, a Fox Chapel senior, earned his spot during a Kohl’s Scholarship Camp in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Competing with several other top prospects, Zureikat...

Apollo-Ridge right tackle Connor Bogdanski was tired, but earned the feeling he was looking for July 23 at James M. Burke Athletic Facility. The Vikings had the smallest school enrollment at the Big Man Challenge, but they were able to earn a team victory over host Fox Chapel and Knoch....

Luke Lewis has relinquished his duties as the Bethel Park boys lacrosse coach. “Yes, this season’s my last as head coach,” he said. “I’ve decided to step away to focus on my growing family and prepare for the arrival of our first child. “I told the team about my decision...

Jack Bruckner left a lasting legacy at Bethel Park. A three-sport standout, Bruckner composed a best-seller success story as a student-athlete and nine-time varsity letter winner for the Black Hawks. The 6-foot, 185-pound recent high school graduate competed in football in the fall, turned to basketball during the winter and...

Colsen Gatten’s highlight video starts with a pick-six followed by a nifty one-handed interception a couple of clips later. Yet neither was his favorite play. “It’s definitely my big hit against Canon-Mac,” said the Central Catholic linebacker, who punished a receiver on a crossing route in that one. “That was...

Elite cornerbacks do not back down from any challenge. Snap after snap, players such as Imani Christian’s Gabe Jenkins love playing against tough competition and relish the opportunity to make game-changing plays. Specializing in man coverage, Jenkins uses his 6-foot-1 frame to be a physical presence at the line of...

In 11 days, Katie Miller Gee will welcome her girl golfers for Hempfield tryouts. The new WPIAL season arrives Aug. 7. The Spartans coach and former state champion will bring a competitive edge to practice. She is still winning as a player. Miller Gee won her second straight and fifth...

Carter Bonner doesn’t think going on the recruiting trail for football is an easy process. One thing that eases the Penn Hills junior’s mind when it comes to the decision-making process is the impact it has on his dad during the road trips to visit schools. The two made a...

Bushy Run American Legion coach Scott Peyman planned for a bullpen game if his team reached the Region 7 championship game Wednesday at Forest Hills High School in Sidman. But pitcher Jayden Kennedy let the bullpen rest. The Jeannette rising senior allowed one run on six hits, and Bushy Run...

Things started well for Lower Burrell Post 868 at the Region 7 American Legion playoffs. The Bulldogs got a strong pitching performance from Colton Whitlock in a 4-1 win over the Bedford Hurricanes on Saturday. But Lower Burrell wasn’t able to continue their winning ways, and losses to Latrobe and...

Warren Agostoni was a foundational part of the Latrobe boys soccer team’s history-making run the past couple of seasons. The Wildcats posted their first section title and first playoff win with him netting and building goals. The talented All-WPIAL midfielder, though, won’t carry the momentum into his junior season. At...

After a slow start and a strong finish to the 2024 football season, a lot was left on the table for the McKeesport football team. Thomas Jefferson beat the Tigers in the WPIAL 4A championship game, and that feeling hasn’t left Kemon Spell’s mind. “Last year we lost our first...

Latrobe had beaten many opponents this season with late-inning rallies. But Bushy Run turned the tables on the Jethawks on Tuesday in the Region 7 tournament at Forest Hills High School in Sidman. Caleb Kerstetter laid down a perfect safety squeeze bunt with the with the bases loaded to score...

Josh Pratt, one of the top WPIAL basketball players, can join Lincoln Park on the court for his senior season, but he’s not eligible for the playoffs. The WPIAL on Monday granted eligibility to both Josh and Jeremiah Pratt, brothers who transferred from Aliquippa to Lincoln Park. The two were...

Lawrence “Jay” Timmons is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports, and Rivals has the Pine-Richland senior wide receiver/defensive back rated the 39th best in the nation and the second best in Pennsylvania. The son of former Steelers Super Bowl champion linebacker Lawrence Timmons said he is...

Latrobe’s American Legion baseball team got another strong pitching performance, this time by Joe Razza, and defeated rival Hempfield East, 2-1, in a Region 7 winners’ bracket game Monday at Forest Hills High School in Sidman. Razza allowed one run and on seven hits. East’s run was scored in the...

The WPIAL ruled Seton LaSalle transfer Anthony Smith ineligible, sidelining the up-and-coming quarterback for his sophomore season. Following an eligibility hearing Monday, a WPIAL panel found Smith’s transfer from Southmoreland was motivated at least partially by athletics, WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said. As a result, Smith is ineligible to...

Kiski Area wrestler Mario Hutcherson entered the 16U Freestyle U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals last week in Fargo, N.D., wanting to add more hardware to an already impressive collection. Hutcherson won gold last summer in the Pan-Am championships, and he also is a four-time youth state champion, a two-time U.S....

Though he is young for his grade, Brock Heisler has an old-school side to him. The Hempfield senior lineman, who just turned 17, wears vintage T-shirts to practice with pro athletes of the past on them, like Ken Griffey Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Sr. He listens to classic bands like...

Latrobe and Hempfield East finished 1-2 during the District 31 American regular season. Now they will square off in the winners’ bracket of the Region 7 tournament Monday at Forest Hills High School in Sidman. Game time is set for 5 p.m. Mason Hrubes had three hits (single, double and...

It takes a special player to be a four-year starter on a Class 5A football team, especially for a program like Peters Township. Senior defensive end Reston Lehman is that special player. Lehman has started at defensive end/outside linebacker for the Indians on defense and at tight end on offense...

Adam Hoffman was floating in the pool in South Carolina when he found out that his efforts with the Shaler boys volleyball team had earned him all-state honors. Hoffman was one of many Titan athletes across all spring sports who drew recognition in the postseason. Hoffman was named an honorable...

Quaker Valley’s track and field program announced to WPIAL opponents that it would be a powerful postseason force in mid-April at the 60th annual Butler Invitational. The Quakers turned in an unforgettable performance at Butler to cap off an incredible regular season. It proved to be a historic performance by...

Make no mistake, LJ Westwood can run. Then, and now. With aplomb. As stated in his Hall of Fame bio, the 2012 Quaker Valley graduate left a legacy as one of the most accomplished runners in the history of the school’s track and field and cross country programs. Westwood, who...