High School category, Page 575
Westmoreland High School Athletes of the Week: Week ending Jan. 7, 2023
Lauren Palangio School: Norwin Sport: Basketball Class: Junior Claim to fame: A 6-foot-1 center, Palangio has helped Norwin to a 10-1 record, the No. 1 ranking in WPIAL Class 6A, and the No. 4 ranking in the state. She had 16 points and seven rebounds in a 56-32 win over...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 7, 2023
High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Saturday’s results Class 4A Section 2 North Catholic 96, Hopewell 41 Chuckie Mahoney Classic At Burgettstown Fort Cherry 66, Avella 31 West Allegheny 62, Chartiers-Houston 50 Washington 49, Quaker Valley 46 Weir (WV) 70 Burgettstown 54 Erie Burger King Classic Championship Lincoln Park 61, De...
High school roundup for Jan. 7, 2023: Brandin Cummings lifts Lincoln Park to tourney title
Brandin Cummings scored 29 points to lead Lincoln Park to a 61-48 victory over De La Salle (IL) in the championship game of the Burger King Classic in Erie. Meleek Thomas added 22 for the Leopards (10-0). Days after committing to Pitt, Cummings totaled 62 points in the two-game tournament....
Penn Township’s Brian Sakowski ready to officiate national championship game
Sixteen years ago, as Brian Sakowski remembers, he worked his first varsity football game, a WPIAL rivalry between Trinity and Canon-McMillan. That game almost was his last, he says now, with a laugh. “There was a blocked punt, and I called this absolutely horrible holding call when the ball was...
Central Valley wins 1st WPIAL spirit title; Hempfield 3-peats
With 17 seniors on the Hempfield competitive spirit squad, expectations were high for the Spartans to secure another district championship on their home court. Mission accomplished. Hempfield secured its third consecutive Class 3A competitive spirit championship Saturday afternoon, edging out Thomas Jefferson for the gold medal. In the Class 2A...
Trib HSSN girls basketball rankings for week of Jan. 8, 2023
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 10-1, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 8-2, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 7-4, 5 4. North Allegheny, 5-3, 3 5. Peters Township, 8-4, 4 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. McKeesport, 10-1, 1 2. South Fayette, 10-2, 2 3. Penn-Trafford,...
Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings for week of Jan. 8, 2023
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. New Castle, 10-0, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 7-4, 4 3. Butler, 9-2, 2 4. Upper St. Clair, 7-5, NR 5. Norwin, 7-3, 5 Out: Central Catholic (4-5, 3) Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 12-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 6-2,...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Highlands’ Shelby Wojcik, Kiski Area’s Isaiah Gonzalez
Shelby Wojcik Class: Junior School: Highlands Sport: Basketball Report card: Highlands junior forward Shelby Wojcik had a team-high 20 points in helping the Golden Rams defeat rival Freeport, 55-44, in a Section 1-4A contest Thursday night. It was the third win in a row for Highlands (6-4, 2-1). Wojcik, who...
Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary claims 3rd WCCA title; Wildcats win team crown
Mission accomplished by Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary. The future Ohio State wrestler became the 58th competitor in the 70-year history of the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association tournament to win three titles Saturday when he pinned Penn-Trafford junior Hayden Coy. It was Kilkeary’s fifth pin of the tournament and ninth of...
George Guido: After 50 years, wishing a fond farewell
Well, my dear readers, it’s time to say goodbye. After 34 years with the Valley News Dispatch/Tribune-Review, tack on 16 more with the former Westmoreland Cable 3 and WKPA Radio, I’ve done what I love to do for a half-century. I could go on for another 50 thanking all the...
Plum’s girls wrestling team shows improvement in early-season matches
The Plum School District sanctioned girls wrestling in June — the 47th district to do so in Pennsylvania — and since then, the program has made significant strides. Its wrestlers, coach Dave Miller said, are making progress both in the practice room and on the competition mat. “I first saw...
Plum basketball finding its way
Rich Mull saw ups and downs from a youthful Plum girls basketball team in his first season as head coach last year. The Mustangs finished outside of the playoff mix for the first time in six seasons. The still young team, with just forward Dannika Susko and guard Cam Rogers...
Norwin notebook: Ace high jumper makes college choice
Senior Ashley Laukus is one of the top high jumpers at Norwin. She could end up being one of the best in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, too. Laukus announced she will continue her track and field career at Shippensburg University. Hoop it up The Norwin varsity basketball teams were a...
North Allegheny notebook: 6 NA hockey players named PIHL all-stars
The North Allegheny ice hockey team is off to a 9-3 start this season and has generated 20 points in the PIHL Class 3A standings, second only to Seneca Valley (10-2, 21 points). The Tigers were rewarded for their strong performance thus far, as six players were selected to the...
Roster smaller but expectations remain high for Franklin Regional swimmers
Vic Santoro has coached swimming at Franklin Regional for the past 31 years. And while he is excited about the season, he is concerned about smaller rosters than normal. “I’ve talked to other coaches and they are experiencing the same,” Santoro said. “I believe covid has done a number on...
Hampton girls basketball team unwraps memorable holiday trip
The Hampton girls basketball players received a Christmas present they will never forget. The Talbots competed in the Pensacola Beach Christmas Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., the first time the program has traveled to an out-of-state tournament in at least two decades. “It was great,” junior guard Kathleen Milon said. “We...
Red-hot Hampton boys basketball surges out of the gate
The Hampton boys basketball team is hoping a season that began with a memorable win ends with a whole bunch more. The Talbots headed into their Section 1-4A showdown with No. 3 Highlands on Jan. 3 with a 7-2 record, the program’s best start to a season since going 12-0...
Fox Chapel boys look to build consistency in season’s 2nd half
After graduating every starter from a team that won a WPIAL Class 6A title and reached the PIAA semifinals last season, Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar expected to put his roster through a bevy of learning experiences this year. That’s why anyone following the Foxes has seen plenty...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 6, 2023
High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Friday’s schedule Class 6A Section 1 New Castle 71, Butler 60 North Allegheny 57, Pine-Richland 40 Seneca Valley 63, Central Catholic 54 Section 2 Baldwin 62, Canon-McMillan 37 Mt. Lebanon 69, Hempfield 36 Upper St. Clair 61, Norwin 56 Class 5A Section 1 Peters Township...
Jonathan Anderson leads No. 1 New Castle past No. 2 Butler in renewed rivalry
New Castle’s Jonathan Anderson already knew all about his school’s old rivalry with Butler, even though the senior hadn’t faced the Tornado in his playing days. “I’ve been hearing about it all week in school,” he said. “They’ve been saying we haven’t seen Butler and New Castle play in so...
High school roundup for Jan. 6, 2023: Royce Parham scores 1,000th point as North Hills gets past Moon
Royce Parham scored 25 points, hitting the 1,000-point mark for his career with a basket in the second quarter, as North Hills defeated Moon, 66-60, in Section 4-5A boys basketball Friday night. Jake Pollaro scored 15, Zach Pollaro had 12 and Eric James added 10 for North Hills (8-2, 2-0)....
Greensburg Central Catholic boys pull away from Jeannette in chippy game between rivals
Tension built, and tempers flared. Student sections belted out their best chants, and fans bent the referees’ ears. A packed gym was so loud, players could barely hear whistles, and there were plenty of whistles. All told, it was nothing new for a Jeannette-Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball game in...
Penn-Trafford’s Logan Matrisch leads mighty group of freshmen at WCCA tournament
It seems like every year, something unexpected happens during the opening night of the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association wrestling tournament. The 2023 version, the 70th in tournament history, featured some outstanding freshmen looking to make a name for themselves. The group was headlined Friday by Penn-Trafford’s Logan Matrisch. He entered...
Highlands boys find right pace, win 10th straight meeting with Freeport
Fast, moderate or slow makes no difference to Highlands guard Cam Reigard. The Golden Rams will be ready for any potential pratfall that will come their way. Coming off a two-game losing streak and dealing with tragedy in the community this week, Highlands was able to bounce back by beating...
Franklin Regional keeps Kiski Area in check, leans on Rowell in 4th to pull out win
Franklin Regional boys basketball coach Jesse Reed said Friday’s Section 3-5A home contest with Kiski Area wasn’t the prettiest of performances from his team, but he was pleased the Panthers were able to produce a 43-36 victory over the Cavaliers. “You have to win ugly sometimes,” Reed said. “Our guys...
