High School category, Page 574

Perennial power Franklin Regional has a new boys soccer coach on the eve of a new season. Lukas Petersen was hired Aug. 1 to replace Thomas Louisy, who led the Panthers for one season. Petersen was set to be a second-year assistant with the Pitt men’s soccer team. He played...

Ligonier Valley will soon join a short but growing list of local high schools with an athletic hall of fame. The district’s athletic hall of fame selection committee announced plans to form the inaugural class, with the nominee process now open. Nomination forms can be found on the high school’s...

No one needs to tell Hampton first-year coach Steve Sciullo about the importance of an offensive line. The former NFL lineman knows the front five is the anchor of any offense. “It’s super important,” Sciullo said, “for those guys to jell.” Hampton enters the 2022 season with the challenge of...

The Armstrong River Hawks are ready for one last ride with their standout quarterback Cadin Olsen at the helm. Olsen eclipsed 2,500 yards passing and threw 28 touchdowns last fall coming off a year in which he led the WPIAL in passing yards. He’s committed to Penn, but first he...

When Kiski Area moved down from Class 5A to Class 4A and into the Greater Allegheny Conference, coach Sam Albert knew one of the league matchups would carry extra meaning. The Cavaliers will host Albert’s former team, Highlands, on Oct. 14. “I’m sure that probably is one that Highlands circles...

Make no bones about it, Highlands is going to have a different look, feel and attitude under first-year head coach Matt Bonislawski. The players are already in place, with a healthy balance between upperclassmen and underclassmen that could pave the way to success for the Rams this season. “I tell...

North Catholic enters the 2022 season in a new classification with a different home field, a new offensive coordinator, a new quarterback and many new starters. But the Trojans bring back one familiar, time-tested objective — winning football. “I think ultimately (rebuilding) is a realistic word,” coach Patrick O’Shea said....

A new coach, a new quarterback and a new playbook. This is a summer of transition for the Mars football program under new coach Eric Kasperowicz, but learning a new offense and defense doesn’t happen overnight. Kasperowicz was hired in April, but it was sometime in early July that he...

The road to a WPIAL football championship is a long and winding one for Indiana. As the lone member school currently situated outside the WPIAL’s designed boundaries, the program finds itself in a world of its own. Road trips can be long, and visitors have had to do some homework...

There is a reunion of sorts taking place within the Gateway varsity girls volleyball program. New head coach Nicole Riley is familiar with many of the team members having coached them and built a rapport with them at the middle school level. Now, the task at hand as preseason practices...

Maggie Behun and Rachel Loudermilk are soccer aficionados. Both are back again as co-head coaches of the Quaker Valley girls soccer program this season. Behun is in her ninth year as field boss; Loudermilk joined her on the sideline five years ago. The QV coaches are excited for their team’s...

Penn-Trafford boys golf coach Andy Rizzardi said he’s set some lofty goals for his team. Not only does he want his Warriors to defend their Section 1-3A title and qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, he wants them to reach the WPIAL team finals. It would be a first in school...

Fox Chapel senior Ben Evashavik is hoping more schoolmates join in on an “ultimately” fun time. Evashavik is a senior captain for Fox Chapel’s Ultimate Frisbee team, a quasi-club sport operated mostly by students from various schools. Several seniors that were members of the team have graduated, and current Fox...

Franklin Regional football coach Lance Getsy can’t wait to unveil junior Ayden Hudock on opposing defenses this season. The coach did so when the multipurpose threat was healthy during his sophomore season. “People got a small glimpse of Ayden last year,” Getsy said. “Some nagging injuries slowed him down, but...

With American Legion baseball all but dead in the Alle-Kiski Valley, Friday was a good time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Springdale’s rise to the state championship. On Aug. 19, 1972, Springdale, managed by the late Jack Heimbuecher, defeated Chambersburg, 3-1, at Freeport Borough Field. It was the seventh...

While she had other interest from NCAA Division I soccer programs, Norwin’s Reagan Casper went with the school that felt right. The incoming senior defender made a verbal pledge to play at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in Baltimore. The Retrievers play in the America East Conference. “I love the...

Lucy Brayton spent all summer getting ready for another shot at the PIAA Class 3A golf tournament. The Penn Hills senior was fuming after a slow start on the back nine doomed her performance at the WPIAL Class 3A championship at Hannastown Golf Club. Brayton shot a 8-over par 80...

Finishing last season on a strong note has had a lasting impact on the Penn Hills boys soccer team. Energized by their first WPIAL playoff appearance in 17 years, the Indians’ players spent the offseason participating in several tournaments to build up more experience. About a month ago, Penn Hills...

During his first two seasons as Hampton’s starting second baseman, Anthony Bucci was known as a flashy fielder without much pop in his bat. He has gone hardcore to change that. Bucci, who is entering his senior year, turned himself into a more formidable presence at the plate this summer...

With a renovated field and new coach, New Castle wants to cash in and make the playoffs for a second straight season. The Red Hurricanes made their way back to the playoffs and won their first postseason game since 2016 when they defeated Highlands, 31-19, last season. This season, New...

The Heinz Field clock was ticking down last fall on Central Valley’s third consecutive WPIAL title when coach Mark Lyons was approached by longtime assistant Shawn McCreary. Lyons says he prefers to live in the moment, but his friend urged him to reflect on the past. “He said, ‘Listen, you...

Blackhawk football is a storied program that has won four WPIAL championships. Although the Cougars had recent success making the playoffs in 2018 and 2019, they fell short of that goal the past two seasons. Coach Zack Hayward, who played quarterback on the 2006 and 2008 Blackhawk teams that made...

After winning WPIAL and state championships, expectations couldn’t be any higher for an Aliquippa football team that brings almost everyone back. Yet, in Mike Warfield’s first four seasons as the Quips’ coach, he says he found that practice is far more important than predictions. “My first year, there was great...

Ambridge ended a 28-game losing streak by defeating Hopewell, 35-9, on Oct. 1 last season. The victory was a big step in the right direction for the Bridgers. Former Aliquippa coach and Ohio University wide receiver Sherm McBride took over the coaching duties last season. The Bridgers finished 2-9, along...

For the last 17 years under Lou Cerro, the Montour football program has always competed. Even in years the Spartans finished under .500 or didn’t make the playoffs, they had a competitive team that usually is alive for the playoffs until the final week of the regular season. Staring at...