High School category, Page 561
Penn-Trafford seniors sign on with college programs
Three baseball players and a bowler from Penn-Trafford took advantage of the NCAA early signing period to ink their letters of intent Nov. 9. Senior bowler Alyssa Balest, who took home the girls individual honor at last year’s Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association competition, signed with Mount St. Mary’s from the...
Norwin notebook: Group of standout seniors make college commitments
Norwin athletes put pen to paper on college signing day Nov. 9. Eight Knights signed letters of intent to play at the next level, in four sports. Signees were: Madie Kessler (softball, St. Francis, Pa.); Emma Novotnak (softball, Gannon); Alyssa Aquilio (soccer, Clarion); Faith Steen (soccer, Saint Vincent); Grace Ketter...
Penn Hills athletes participate in WPIAL Sportsmanship Summit
Getting a chance to look at the past while keeping an eye on the near future provided Penn Hills junior Hannah Pugliese with an opportunity for reflection. Pugliese was one of six Penn Hills athletes who represented the school at the WPIAL’s 13th annual Summit on Sportsmanship on Nov. 16...
New coach knows progress Penn Hills swim team could make
Taking over as the Penn Hills varsity swimming coach is a fun challenge for Morgan Bush. Bush, a 30-year-old Oakland Catholic graduate, has spent much of her post-college life coaching swimming for clubs and in the summer. One challenge she hasn’t tackled is leading a high school program. After serving...
Pine-Richland’s Natalie McLean follows PIAA title with Georgetown commitment
A few weeks ago Natalie McLean realized a dream that was four years in the making and made Pine-Richland history. McLean became the first Rams runner to win a PIAA cross country championship Nov. 5 in Hershey. “Ever since I went to states my freshman year, I told myself that...
After 4 years of success, Plum senior soccer players cap careers in PIAA playoffs
Only one team had scored a goal against the Moon girls soccer team before the Tigers faced Plum in a PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal Nov. 12 at Peters Township’s Confluence Financial Partners Stadium. The Mustangs were up for the challenge and put the first goal on the board within the...
Gateway hockey selects trio for 2022 Honor Roll
The 50th anniversary year of the inaugural season of Gateway hockey will culminate Dec. 26 with the program’s annual alumni event at Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont. Alumni president Stefan Biancaniello said the organization is proud to welcome three former Gators players to the Gateway Honor Roll in 2022. The...
Gateway football players earn postseason honors
The Upper St. Clair football team was to take on Pine-Richland at Norwin on Saturday for the WPIAL Class 5A title. In its journey to the championship game, the No. 5 Panthers survived a razor-thin quarterfinal game against No. 4 Gateway on Nov. 4 at Gateway’s Antimarino Stadium. The Gators...
Shaler boys basketball intent on breaking through playoff barrier
Brandon London was forced to sit out last basketball season when a football injury relegated him to the sidelines. As London’s shoulder healed, he and his Shaler boys basketball teammates were all focused on a common goal: getting past the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals. Last season, the Titans didn’t meet...
Oakland Catholic senior commits to college volleyball, signs with Stony Brook
Maddy Cigna didn’t have a clear-cut path laid out in front of her when it came to planning for college. The Oakland Catholic senior and Shaler Township resident knew she liked volleyball, but did she love it? “When I was in eighth grade, I wasn’t sure I wanted to play...
Young doubles duo makes impact for Chartiers Valley tennis
The sky’s the limit for the dynamic duo of the Chartiers Valley girls tennis team after a breakout 2022 season. Sophomore Kaitlyn Kuczinski and freshman Delaney Fox helped the Colts team reach the WPIAL team playoffs and advance to the quarterfinals with a first-round win over North Catholic. It was...
Season of change brings challenges to Chartiers Valley football team
This was a season of change for the Chartiers Valley football program. Following district realignment, an already tough Class 4A Parkway Conference became incredibly deep with the additions of defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Central Valley moving up and traditional 5A power West Allegheny moving down. This added to a...
Thomas Jefferson girls volleyball caps season in PIAA semifinals
Thomas Jefferson’s girls volleyball team placed third in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs, earning a berth in the PIAA tournament. The TJ netters, seeded No. 4 in the WPIAL, defeated No. 13 Indiana and No. 5 Montour by 3-1 scores before losing to top-seeded North Catholic, 3-0, in the semifinal...
Thomas Jefferson peaks in time for playoffs, gives coach Bill Cherpak his 300th win
The list of awards and honors bestowed upon Thomas Jefferson football coach Bill Cherpak over the years is a long one. Cherpak has won five state championships, nine WPIAL titles and 22 conference crowns. He has been named conference coach of the year eight times, AP Pennsylvania Class AAA Coach...
Sewickley Academy tennis players wrap up strong season by placing at states
Sewickley Academy tennis standout Ashley Close closed out her junior season Nov. 5 in Hershey as the PIAA Class 2A runner-up. Wyoming Seminary’s Ilana Rosenthal won the Class 2A state championship, with South Park senior Nicole Kempton placing third and Knoch junior Emily Greb taking fourth. Kempton captured the WPIAL...
Quaker Valley football out to raise program’s expectations after trying season
The exit interviews have been taking place within the Quaker Valley football program. Recordwise, it proved to be a disappointing 2022 season for the Quakers. After starting out 2-1 under first-year coach Jason Cappa, QV lost its last six games all by wide margins. “The team’s first order of business...
HIgh school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 19, 2022
High schools Field hockey PIAA playoffs Championships Saturday’s results At Cumberland Valley Class 3A Lower Dauphin 3, Wilson 2 (OT) Class 2A Mechanicsburg 1, Palmyra 0 (OT) Class A Boiling Springs 1, Wyoming Area 0 Football WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Saturday’s result North Allegheny 35, Central Catholic 21 Class...
Balanced attack leads Seneca Valley to blowout win over Lower Merion in PIAA boys soccer final
MECHANICSBURG — If there were any memories of last year’s 1-0 loss to Conestoga in the state finals, Seneca Valley’s boys soccer team used them for motivational purposes only. The Raiders were never in danger of being shut out again Saturday, and quickly made it clear their team would be...
North Allegheny captures 6th straight PIAA girls volleyball championship
MECHANICSBURG — North Allegheny girls volleyball has won a lot of matches over the past six years, especially on the biggest stage. On Saturday night, the Tigers maintained their position atop Pennsylvania’s highest classification by claiming their sixth straight PIAA Class 4A title with a 3-0 win over District 1...
North Allegheny shuts out rival Central Catholic in 2nd half to claim 5th WPIAL football title
These teams combined for one touchdown when they met eight weeks ago in a low-scoring, field-position battle between WPIAL rivals who leaned mostly on their defenses. This wasn’t that kind of game. Instead, North Allegheny quarterback Logan Kushner threw touchdown passes of 51 and 68 yards, rushed for 184 yards...
North Catholic falls to Pope John Paul II in PIAA Class 3A finals
MECHANICSBURG — The last two times North Catholic played volleyball at Cumberland Valley, the Trojans won a state championship. Pope John Paul II ruined their hopes for a third state title with a five-set victory by scores of 15-25, 25-12, 18-25, 25-18, and 19-17 in the PIAA Class 3A final...
Freeport sweeps York Catholic to claim PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball crown
MECHANICSBURG — Josie Russo celebrated her 17th birthday Saturday, and she couldn’t have asked for a better gift. The Freeport junior middle hitter’s block at match point against District 3 champion York Catholic closed out a 3-0 sweep of the Fighting Irish at Cumberland Valley High School and gave the...
George Guido: Aliquippa continues historic run of WPIAL championship appearances
While two WPIAL football finals were played Saturday, four more are slated for Acrisure Stadium on Friday. In the Class 4A game, Aliquippa is in the finals for the 15th consecutive season and will face neighboring Central Valley. The last time Aliquippa didn’t make the finals was in 2007, when...
Pine-Richland rolls past Upper St. Clair to win 8th WPIAL football championship
Pine-Richland was sitting at 1-3 at mid-season, and the thought of a postseason berth seemed distant. But the Rams have reeled off nine straight victories, including a convincing, 34-3 win over Upper St. Clair on Saturday afternoon to capture the school’s eighth WPIAL football title at Norwin Stadium. Part of...
Chelsea Hartman sets pace for Shady Side Academy cross country team’s special season
If you’re a cross country athlete, the last thing you need are stress fractures in your feet and shin splints. But Shady Side Academy’s Chelsea Hartman has overcome those injuries and finished second among Class A female runners at the PIAA meet recently in Hershey. Hartman came in with a...
