High School category, Page 570

Confidence isn’t lacking inside the football locker room at Serra Catholic. A year after winning WPIAL gold and playing in a state championship game in Hershey, the Eagles are faced with the tall task of trying to replicate last season’s success. Can they do it? They surely believe so. “We...

Soon after he was hired as head coach at Charleroi, Mark Gambino reached out to a former coach to get a little inside information on the team he was taking over. “He told me, ‘They will work hard for you,’” Gambino said. “He said, ‘Set the tone and they’ll work.’”...

Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side. After going a combined 0-20 in 2018 and 2019, the Butler football program decided to leave the WPIAL to play an independent schedule. After finishing 2-4 in 2020, the Golden Tornado enjoyed a winning season last fall for the first time...

After years of despair in the WPIAL, Brownsville’s football program is on the move. The Falcons, who’ve won just 26 games in 21 seasons since their last non-losing record (5-5) in 2000, are set to begin play this year as a PIAA Class 3A independent program after a long affiliation...

These are the glory days of high school football at Albert Gallatin. The story is familiar by now. In 2018, the Colonials finished 0-10 and were outscored 479-46, an average score of 48-4 with most of the games ending with a running clock. The program hadn’t had a winning season...

Times have been tough for the Connellsville football team for a number of years. The Falcons have endured back-to-back losing seasons and haven’t tasted victory since defeating Albert Gallatin to close out the 2019 season. Connellsville, which enters the season riding a 17-game losing streak, hasn’t qualified for the WPIAL...

Welcome to the 2022 WPIAL football season. Zero usually means nothing, but in this case, Week Zero equates into a lot of excitement and optimism as a new campaign kicks off. All but nine of the 117 WPIAL football teams will be in game action this weekend while eight others...

Here are four WPIAL high school football players to watch in Week Zero: Bobbie Boyd Jr. McKeesport, sr., RB/S Boyd will be a focal point of McKeesport’s vaunted rushing attack again this season after rushing for 1,545 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago. The Trib HSSN preseason all-star has...

When he found out he was moving from quarterback to receiver late last season, Yough’s Gavin Roebuck had mixed emotions. OK, he was pretty bummed out. Distraught and disconnected, he was a wayward soul who lost his footing and suddenly was sliding down the side of Cougar Mountain. But then...

The press box at Offutt Field was one of his favorite spots to watch a football game. It was part office, part sanctuary. Whether he was covering games during his near-40-year career at the Tribune-Review or working the game clock later in life, Howard “Huddie” Kaufman felt connected to Greensburg...

Greensburg Salem junior wide receiver Cody Rubrecht was having the game of his life to open the 2021 football season against Hempfield. He caught nine passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns and helped the Golden Lions to a touchdown lead. But late in the third quarter after catching a...

Six for six. The PIAA six years ago divided high school football into six classifications, up from four, a hotly debated decision that changed the Friday night landscape across the state. In Western Pennsylvania, where teams kick off their seasons tonight, the question remains: Is this six-class format good for...

WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer just got a lot stronger. As if three-time defending champion Mars — with its 63-game winning streak — wasn’t already a problem for opponents, the addition of former 4A teams Moon, Latrobe and Penn-Trafford only stands to thicken the title chase. Moon won WPIAL and...

Jeannette is not necessarily running from anyone by playing up in classification in boys soccer. The way the Jayhawks see it, the move is about perspective and proper placement. Jeannette is a Class A school according to enrollment numbers, but it chose to play in Class 2A to be with...

New coaching staff, new schemes, new defense and new uniforms. The Valley Vikings hope they’ve found a new way to move up in the Allegheny 6 Conference standings. After a 1-5 record in 2021 conference play, 2-8 overall, Valley is seeking a new winning formula. “We’re working hard, and we’ll...

Each Friday 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. Joe Signorella passed for a touchdown and scored another as Highlands came from behind to defeat Freeport, 14-10, on Aug. 29, 1997, at...

The WPIAL girls soccer championship games will be back at Highmark Stadium for the second year in a row, and Plum hopes to again reserve a spot in the Class 3A game in early November. Runners-up to Mars the past two seasons — 2020 at North Allegheny and last year...

The Plum boys soccer team has been agonizingly close to breaking through the last few seasons. Last year, a pair of 2-1 losses — to West Allegheny in the semifinals and Franklin Regional, on penalty kicks, in the consolation game — denied the Mustangs a shot at WPIAL gold and...

Competition will again be stiff among City League football teams this fall. Allderdice capped off a thrilling 2021 league season by upsetting two-time reigning champion Westinghouse to win the City title for the third time in the past five seasons. The Dragons have played for the title in four of...

High schools WPIAL Golf Wednesday’s results Boys Class 3A Section 1 Latrobe 202, Indiana 205 Medalists: PJ Germano, Jack Sacriponte (L) 38, Trevor Todd, Harrison Martineau (I) 39 Penn-Trafford 192, Norwin 202 Medalist: Nick Turowski (PT) 34 Hempfield 201, Armstrong 232 Medalists: Nick Eberhardt, Caleb Prola (H) 39 Section 2...

Dom Dininno Kiski Area, sr., WR/DB The Cavaliers senior has emerged as a main target in the passing game and hopes to make his mark in Friday’s opener against Plum. Dininno also is one to watch on the defensive side of the ball. He earned Class 5A Northeast Conference second-team...

Two schools that are in contrast to each other will open the season Friday. Plum will return an experienced team, while Kiski Area has plenty of key players to replace due to graduation. “They had a pretty good senior-led team last year; I know they’re replacing a lot,” Plum coach...

Nonconference Armstrong at Valley 7 p.m. Friday, at Valley High Memorial Stadium, New Kensington Armstrong is led by the arm and legs of senior Cadin Olsen, a Penn commit. Olsen threw for 28 touchdowns and added 16 rushing scores in 2021. The River Hawks hope to qualify for the WPIAL...

In these volatile times, the Birdie spent the offseason becoming radicalized. No longer will he stand by on the sidelines and watch the very fabric of our American way of life be threatened. “Don’t tell me to stick to sports,” our favorite fierce, feathered political activist sneered. “These are life-or-death...

Friday Chambersburg Peach Bowl Showcase Bishop Canevin vs. Steelton-Highspire at Chambersburg, 5:30 p.m. Freedom Bowl at Hall of Fame Stadium, Ohio Central Catholic vs. St. Edward, Ohio, 8:30 p.m. Nonconference Allderdice at North Allegheny, 7:30 p.m. (HSSN) Armstrong at Valley, 7 p.m. Beaver Falls at Blackhawk, 7 p.m. (HSSN*, 1230...