High School category, Page 588

When it comes to bright lights on the big stage, Bethel Park junior Evan Holewinski doesn’t crave the spotlight, he just wants his toe on the rubber in the big game. While the right-handed pitcher has been strong when he heads to the mound, he was especially sharp the past...

Perhaps the Montour baseball team should celebrate the programs first PIAA championship at Kennywood Park, because it was an emotional roller coaster of a season for the Spartans. The team won 15 straight after an opening loss, then dropped four straight at the end of the regular season. In the...

Randy Walters saw the flash plays on defense, the long runs on offense. And that athleticism — it was a sight to behold. But a little more than two years ago, Leechburg’s football coach noticed something else about Braylan Lovelace, who made a verbal commitment Saturday to enroll at Pitt...

Editor’s note: The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 15 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. Bobbie Boyd Jr. entered the 2021 football season with seven varsity carries....

After the inaugural PIHL girls hockey championship concluded, a young girl with a homemade sign and a pen waited patiently just down the hall from the locker rooms. As the players started to file out, she asked for their autographs. One by one, each player, whether they won or lost,...

Dietrich Zeisloft was a leader on the field for several seasons for the Gateway boys soccer team with his ability to put the ball in the back of the net, help control possession and facilitate his teammates on the attack from his midfield position. But the Gators senior also was...

Quaker Valley’s boys tennis team ended its banner 2022 season on a high note coated with a bit of disappointment. QV finished 16-1 overall, winning section and WPIAL Class 2A titles and advancing to the PIAA semifinal round. The Quakers were the only WPIAL team in either Class 2A or...

There wasn’t a single “unsung hero” on the 2022 Quaker Valley boys championship tennis team. Instead, it was a group of players that carried the Quakers to their second consecutive WPIAL Class 2A title and an appearance in the PIAA semifinal round. “In my mind, this year’s whole senior varsity...

During his freshman and sophomore years at Penn Hills, Jordan Sullivan wasn’t dedicated to academics and his grades suffered. He spent most of his junior and senior years digging out of the hole. “I obviously wasn’t putting the effort in,” said Sullivan, who graduated from Penn Hills this spring. “I...

A new opponent with a rich history will be joining Pine-Richland boys basketball for the next two seasons. New Castle, a 13-time WPIAL champion and last year’s Class 5A state runner-up, is moving up to Class 6A and will be in Section 1 with the Rams. The Red Hurricane were...

Mark Marino is no stranger to coaching basketball teams from the United States in overseas competition. Marino, who coached the Plum varsity boys basketball team the past three seasons, will make his fourth trip to Europe this week as he helps coach a team of Division I, II and III...

It takes courage to do what Sydney Willig does every day. To wear a vibrating vest each morning. To use multiple nebulizers before classes. To constantly ingest medication. When you have cystic fibrosis, it takes courage to do what is necessary to stay alive. Willig wears the illness’ symbolic purple...

Norwin senior Nickolas Harris was one of 32 winners at this year’s Western Pennsylvania Positive Athlete Awards presentation, done virtually via social media. Harris won the award in boys lacrosse. Athletes are honored for overcoming obstacles, giving back to their schools and communities or having positive attitudes that better those...

Hampton didn’t have to look far to find its new girls volleyball coach. And they don’t have to look far to see where their old coach ended up. Dainen Holler, the district’s middle school coach, was promoted to the Talbots’ top spot after Annie Bozzo departed following two seasons at...

The biennial WPIAL basketball realignment can bring about odd situations. Take the one issued by the WPIAL Board of Directors to cover the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Both finalists for the 2021 Class 6A boys title — Fox Chapel and North Hills — are now part of Class 5A. Fox...

On March 26, 1985, the Deer Lakes girls basketball team played Bishop Guilfoyle in the PIAA Class 3A semifinal at IUP’s Memorial Fieldhouse. Deer Lakes prevailed 55-50 in triple overtime in one of the best games of the decade. But the significance of that contest was not only the excitement...

Three young girls clutched a sign: “I Play Hockey Thank You For Paving A Path For My Future.” Those girls — Emma Abramowicz, Hannah Spradley and Angela Marshall — entered the locker room before a playoff game June 5 at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. They play youth hockey...

Editor’s note: The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 15 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. Aidan Besselman will have a hard time topping the 2021 football season....

UNIVERSITY PARK — Rarely does a WPIAL baseball team have a chance to win consecutive state titles, so Bethel Park tried to remember and repeat everything that worked a year ago. “We tried to do everything the same,” coach Pat Zehdner said. “We left at the same time. We stopped...

UNIVERSITY PARK — Jules Scogna said she was having some back issues coming into Friday’s Class 6A state softball final at Penn State. The Spring-Ford senior pitcher showed no ill effects in the circle, and she seemed just fine lifting the trophy. Scogna, a Boston University commit, tossed a two-hit...

Hempfield’s Liz Tapper added a national championship to her state gold in the discus on Friday. Tapper, a rising senior, took the discus title at the New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia with a throw of 163 feet, 2 inches. Tapper led throughout the competition, throwing 159-8 on...

High schools Baseball PIAA playoffs Championships At Medlar Field, Penn State Friday’s results Class 5A Bethel Park 5, Selinsgrove 0 Class 3A Central (Martinsburg) 13, Lancaster Catholic 2 Class A DuBois Central Catholic 12, Halifax 2 Softball PIAA playoffs Championships At Beard Field, Penn State Friday’s results Class 6A Spring-Ford...

UNIVERSITY PARK — At the beginning of the spring season, Neshannock softball was barely on anybody’s radar in the state. The Lancers were not in any state or district rankings and had not even made the state tournament in eight years. Three months later, they’re undefeated state champions. Neshannock defeated...

High schools Baseball PIAA playoffs Championships At Medlar Field, Penn State Class 6A Thursday’s result Warwick 6, Liberty 4 Class 5A Friday’s schedule Selinsgrove (23-2) vs. Bethel Park (20-3), 4:30 p.m. Class 4A Thursday’s result Montour 10, Holy Ghost Prep 9 Class 3A Friday’s schedule Lancaster Catholic (23-2) vs. Central...

UNIVERSITY PARK – Armstrong’s potent offense met its match Thursday in the PIAA Class 5A softball championship game at Penn State’s Beard Field. Sophomore Gianna Adams spun a two-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking three in leading Pittston to a 4-0 victory to cap a perfect 25-0 season. It...