High School category, Page 559
2022 WPIAL 2A football championship breakdown: Steel Valley vs. Beaver Falls
WPIAL Class 2A football championship No. 1 Steel Valley vs. No. 2 Beaver Falls 2 p.m. Friday, Acrisure Stadium Video stream: tribhssn.triblive.com Radio: KDKA (1020 AM, 100.1 FM), WBVP (1230 AM, 99.3 FM) Winner plays: City League champion Westinghouse (13-0) or District 10 champion Farrell (10-1) in a PIAA semifinal...
2022 WPIAL A football championship breakdown: Bishop Canevin vs. Union
WPIAL Class A football championship No. 1 Bishop Canevin vs. No. 10 Union 11 a.m. Friday, Acrisure Stadium Video stream: tribhssn.triblive.com Radio: KDKA (1020 AM, 100.1 FM) Winner plays: District 10 champion Reynolds (11-1) or District 9 champion Port Allegany (11-1) in a PIAA semifinal Dec. 2 or 3. WPIAL...
Belle Vernon secondary prepares to deal with tall Avonworth receivers in WPIAL title game
WPIAL Class 3A football championship Avonworth (11-1) vs. Belle Vernon (9-2) 5 p.m. Friday, Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh … Watching film on Avonworth this week, Belle Vernon football players could see the size advantage the Antelopes possess in the slot and on the perimeter. The Antelopes go long: long legs, long...
Mt. Pleasant boys need to overcome big loss of top scorer
If the Mt. Pleasant boys basketball team wants to improve on its dismal 2021-22 season, it must do so without leading scorer Dante Giallonardo. The junior forward who averaged 12 points per game will be sidelined this season with a knee injury sustained during football season. And while the loss...
Small roster doesn’t shrink expectations for Monessen girls
Monessen girls basketball coach Janine Vertacnik has kept a close eye on how hard she is working with everyone. The Greyhounds don’t have a roster with a lot of room for a lot of flexibility. Avoiding injuries and ailments will be important for a team trying to repeat last season’s...
Returning starters, influx of talent make Monessen boys contenders in Class A
Becoming a better basketball player wasn’t going to be accomplished by doing the same old things. Jaisen Blackman, a senior at Monessen, decided he was going to find an outlet to help improve. By playing in a league in the Mon Valley, Blackman gave himself a boost. “It was my...
Through the Years: Riverview celebrates 25th anniversary of WPIAL title
Each week throughout the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch will take a look at the players, coaches and events that shaped our scholastic legacy. After coming up short two of the three previous seasons, Riverview finally got to wear the Class A crown with a 19-14 victory...
Thanks to boost in numbers, enthusiasm high for Leechburg girls
There’s a pleasant surprise involving Leechburg girls basketball this season. More players. After several seasons with a barely enough players to take the court, Leechburg has its roster in double digits. The Blue Devils went 0-17 last season, 0-8 in section play, but that hasn’t hindered more girls coming out...
With uncommon chemistry, veteran Leechburg boys lineup ready to tackle Class 2A
The names are familiar, and so are the goals. The Leechburg boys basketball team returns five of its top seven players from last season, and the Blue Devils are poised to try for an eighth consecutive WPIAL playoff berth. Coach Damian Davies brings back an experienced lineup, led by forward...
After regrouping, Mt. Pleasant girls ready to make inroads in Class 3A
Scott Giacobbi is beginning his 18th season as girls basketball coach at Mt. Pleasant. He called last season a regrouping year. The Vikings were sometimes overmatched in Section 4-4A, but with a drop in classification, Giacobbi is looking forward to the new challenges his squad will face. Instead of playing...
New coach aims to make game fun again for Plum boys basketball
Justin Walther, a familiar face around WPIAL circles, is the new coach of the Plum boys basketball team. Walther was hired at the end of June and replaces Mark Marino, who went 23-25 in three seasons as the Mustangs coach. Walther graduated from Central Catholic in 1995 as the second-leading...
Expectations rising for Plum girls basketball
Expectations have been raised for the second year of the Rich Mull coaching tenure at Plum. “I was hired at the end of last summer, so we really didn’t have an offseason to put things in place,” Mull said. “We should be more prepared with everyone knowing their roles. “We...
Thanksgiving Day practice now annual tradition for WPIAL 4A finalists Central Valley, Aliquippa
How many folks are coming to Thanksgiving dinner? Central Valley’s Bret FitzSimmons expected to eat turkey with around 70 friends. It’s become an annual after-practice tradition for him and his football teammates, who planned to eat together around noon Thursday for the fourth year in a row. That’s one of...
Beaver Falls, Steel Valley to meet in clash of WPIAL Class 2A powerhouses
Last season, Beaver Falls had a WPIAL championship experience to forget. The Tigers turned the ball over nine times — a WPIAL record for a championship game — in a loss to Serra Catholic on the North Shore. That experience has turned into a rallying cry for Beaver Falls, which...
Union aims to prevent Bishop Canevin from defending WPIAL Class A title
A season ago, the Bishop Canevin Crusaders completed a turnaround from 1-9 in 2019 to WPIAL champions in Class A under then second-year coach Richard Johnson. Not only did the Crusaders win the second football championship in school history in 2021, but they brought most of the roster back for...
North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Westinghouse set for PIAA quarterfinal matchups
North Allegheny and Pine-Richland celebrated WPIAL championships Saturday and will now continue their seasons in the PIAA playoffs. City League champion Westinghouse also remains in contention for a PIAA title and will face its toughest test this Saturday. Here’s a look at the local teams playing in the PIAA quarterfinals...
The Birdie plays up Belle Vernon’s chances in WPIAL championship game
Last week: 1-0 (100%) Season: 105-28 (78.9%) The Birdie wants to set something straight about Belle Vernon on the eve of the WPIAL Class 3A championship. “They’re not playing down,” Westmoreland’s prep football professor said, shaking his head. “You Leopard fans need to realize the opposite is true: The team...
No matter who the Acrisure Pigeons favor, Chick’s Picks has your WPIAL title predictions
By now you have probably become familiar with the new gang in town — the Acrisure Pigeons. The avian group invaded Acrisure Stadium a few weeks ago as the Steelers took on the Saints. When the Steelers pulled off a rare victory that day, the Pigeons were credited with bringing...
High school roundup for Nov. 22, 2022: North Catholic’s Bourque shuts out Avonworth
Dylan Bourque made 28 saves to earn the shutout and lead North Catholic to a 4-0 victory over Avonworth in PIHL Class A hockey Tuesday night. Emilio Laracuente, Carson Paglia, Chaise Caldararo and Sam DiGaetano scored for North Catholic (6-1-1). Ryan Berry had a pair of assists. Danny Mack made...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 22, 2022
High schools Football WPIAL playoffs Class 4A Championship Friday’s schedule Aliquippa (11-0) vs. Central Valley (11-1) at Acrisure Stadium, 8 p.m. Class 3A Championship Friday’s schedule Belle Vernon (9-2) vs. Avonworth (11-1) at Acrisure Stadium, 5 p.m. Class 2A Championship Friday’s schedule Steel Valley (11-0) vs. Beaver Falls (11-1) at...
Inaugural WCCA girls volleyball all-star match earns rave reviews
Brett Marabito gazed into the stands and grinned at the site of the assembled crowd inside the Ligonier Valley High School gymnasium for the first Westmoreland County Coaches Association All-Star Volleyball Match. The event Tuesday night showcased some of Westmoreland County’s top high school girls volleyball players and was the...
Trib HSSN High School Football State Rankings for Nov. 22, 2022
There’s a new No. 1 team in Class 2A. Previously undefeated Lakeland of District 2 saw its state title hopes end Friday with a 42-15 loss to District 11 champion Executive Education in a PIAA first-round game. That loss clears the way for City League champion Westinghouse to climb one...
Knoch boys will rely on biggest strength: Depth
There was no need for Knoch boys basketball coach Alan Bauman to apply any extra pressure. What the Knights needed were honest expectations for the season ahead. Not returning many starters from last season’s team will mean a lot of fresh faces in new roles. “We’ve been talking a lot...
Knoch girls basketball raring to go after WPIAL success
Making a run to the Petersen Events Center didn’t necessarily impact the passion surrounding the Knoch girls basketball program. For the Knights players who made school history by winning 22 games and reaching the WPIAL final and winning a PIAA playoff game for the first time, that passion was always...
Ligonier Valley girls basketball looks to take a step forward
When Emily Daugherty was hired as the Ligonier Valley girls basketball coach, she inherited a program that was a mess. It barely had enough players to field a team, and the district thought it would be good to play in Class 4A instead of Class 2A. The Rams went 0-24...
