High School category, Page 63

As Yough football’s defensive coordinator, Devin Owens knows his way around Cougar Mountain. And while he graduated from Carrick and lives in Donora, he considers himself a “Yough guy.” “There are great kids and really good people here,” Owens said. “(Football) coach Benny (Hoffer) welcomed me with open arms. They...

Her first shot at the recruiting game hit the post. The second one, however, she slotted home. Mt. Pleasant rising senior soccer standout Morgan Gesinski announced a verbal commitment to Robert Morris on Thursday, about six months after she decommitted from Mercyhurst because of a coaching change. Gesinski, an all-state...

When the Belle Vernon football team did its offseason conditioning work, leading the way in most sprints was senior quarterback Curtis Wade. But that is the job for the 6-foot-1, 160-pound senior: being the leader. During his first year as starting quarterback, Wade completed 63 of 108 passes for 1,039...

Norwin punter Evan Pfeifer has his first NCAA Division I football opportunity. And he didn’t exactly see it coming. Air Force, an FBS program, extended an offer to the strong-legged senior, who is primed to pin opponents deep this season. Air Force does not offer athletic scholarships, so Pfeifer would...

During his 15 seasons as Penn-Trafford’s football coach, John Ruane has been known to run plays to make his opponents prepare for anything, whether it be trick plays, fake punts or onside kicks. This year is no different. Ruane has numerous tricks up his sleeves. Penn-Trafford is coming off a...

When new Kiski Area coach Colyn Haugh sat down and looked at the team’s film from last year, he saw a team with lot of talent but lacking on details. To correct this, Haugh had his players start very simply on something as innocuous as putting the weights back correctly...

The Armstrong football team has put its focus on turning around a disappointing season behind a more experienced roster. It something different than what coach Frank Fabian has become accustomed to with his program. Last season’s 2-8 record was the first losing season for Armstrong since 2019. It was also...

Latrobe football fans know the narrative by now. Three consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances have turned around a once downtrodden program and created a fresh wave of interest. The Wildcats are no longer at the back of the line. Now new coach Tom McIntyre wants to make it four in a...

Gateway coach Don Holl doesn’t like his players to dwell on the past, telling them there’s a reason why the windshield is big and the review mirror is small. But the Gators hit a few bumps in the road last season that flattened their tires, potholes they’d still like to...

As Lance Getsy begins his fifth season at Franklin Regional, he is faced with a retooling job. The Panthers graduated 16 seniors from last year’s team that finished 8-4 overall and 4-2 in Class 5A Big East Conference. There are a lot of starting positions available on the Franklin Regional...

The number 18 — and the man who wore it — will hold significant meaning for three local football programs who are carrying on the memory of T.J. Detruf and providing support for his family. Hempfield senior quarterback Dom Detruf will switch to jersey No. 18 to honor his late...

The WPIAL golf season begins Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and individuals to watch this fall. Class 3A Team 2024 WPIAL champion: Peters Township (317) 2024 PIAA champion: Peters Township (227) Favorite: North Allegheny will chase its 11th WPIAL title, first since 2018, with its full...

Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Pine-Richland will embrace the old football adage that the best defense is a good offense as an early season strategy. Especially since the Rams have a...

Tristan Davis took in plenty of information about how to lead and pass information to the next generation of the Penn Hills football program. The Indians’ 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior center has eagerly taken on the challenge to pass the baton. Davis learned from former Indians standout linemen Carter Lance and...

North Hills’ promising 2024 football season came to a screeching and tumultuous finish last fall. Following an 8-2 record in the regular season, the Indians secured a home playoff game at Martorelli Stadium. But, on Tuesday of that playoff game week, North Hills head coach Pat Carey was rushed to...

Dave Leasure knows starting sophomores typically means grim things for a football program. But the Fox Chapel coach didn’t have many options when it came to playing young players last season. The Foxes had 15 players go out in three weeks with injuries. Fox Chapel had to improvise, which meant...

The Shaler football program desires a steadier level of production from its offense. The Titans scored 10 or fewer points in all seven of their losses last season. Shaler coach Jim Ryan believes the work put in over the past few seasons should benefit the program. “With the consistency of...

For Plum coach Matt Morgan, the 2024 season didn’t end the way he or the team wanted. The Mustangs finished with a 2-8 record and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. “All the juniors that are now going to be seniors this year were upset with how last...

Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Woodland Hills football coach Brian Tarrant would have been happy to hear how senior wide receiver Scoop Smith answered the question about the Wolverines’ expectations for...

WPIAL boys golf season begins Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and individuals to watch this fall. Class 3A Team 2024 WPIAL champion: North Allegheny (386) 2024 PIAA champion: North Allegheny (286) Favorite: North Allegheny, which won its first WPIAL title since 1971 and doubled down with...

There is a mix of old and new at Seneca Valley, where the hope is that experienced players and a new coaching staff will put the Raiders in perfect harmony for a return to the WPIAL 6A football playoffs. Ron Butschle stepped down as coach after last season, ending his...

To appreciate the level of excitement at Norwin heading into a new season, one must first understand what the team endured last year. Injuries gnawed the Knights to the bone. It was painful and grueling. “We only had one game where everybody was healthy,” third-year coach Mike Brown said. “And...

The first year for Greg Perry as head coach at Mt. Lebanon turned into a tale of two seasons. Through the first five weeks, the Blue Devils lost their first five games, including their first two games of Class 6A conference play. They were shutout once and averaged only 10...

Hempfield is doing all the right things off the field in the hopes to capture more wins on it. The Spartans have been conditioning since the winter. So has every other team, yes. But Hempfield makes the offseason an event. They have a weight room goal-board with increasingly larger goal...

In only his second season as head coach at Central Catholic, Ryan Lehmeier etched his name in the record books next to John Fischetti, Art Walker and Terry Totten — Vikings football coaches who have won WPIAL or PIAA championships. Central Catholic ended a three-year golden drought by knocking off...