High School category, Page 641
Mental performance coach helps Sewickley Academy athletes train their brains
Donato Fanelle’s goal as mental performance coach at Sewickley Academy essentially is to work himself out of a job. “I want you to hone your mental skills to the point to where you no longer need the help,” Fanelle said. “The good thing about working at a high school is...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for June 4, 2022
High schools Baseball PIAA playoffs First round Monday’s schedule Class 6A Owen J. Roberts vs. Emmaus at Boyertown, 4 p.m.; Hazleton vs. Coatesville at Mountain Top, 4:30 p.m.; Liberty vs. Manheim Township at DeSales, 7 p.m.; LaSalle College vs. Pennsbury at Lincoln, 4 p.m.; Hatboro Horsham at Warwick, 1 p.m.;...
High school roundup for June 4, 2022: Mars boys lacrosse, NA boys volleyball reach state semis
The Mars boys lacrosse team’s quest to become the first from the WPIAL to win a state championship is two wins away from becoming reality. Enzo Grieco scored five goals and Austin Cote and Wes Scurci added three apiece as the Fightin’ Planets defeated District 3 champion Susquehannock, 16-5, in...
Penn-Trafford not shaken after WPIAL title-game loss, refocuses on PIAA playoffs
A mixture of stunned numbness and grace-in-defeat omitting from their faces, Penn-Trafford players and coaches posed for their runner-up photo but didn’t have to force smiles. There weren’t many tears shed. And there was even some giggling as people bunched up in rows and glared at cellphone cameras. “We’re not...
George Guido: Burrell, Deer Lakes make PIAA softball playoff returns
Burrell and Deer Lakes will be heading north Monday to open the PIAA softball playoffs. Burrell will play Villa Maria in the Class 4A opener at 3 p.m. at Penn State-Behrend, and Deer Lakes will play at Corry High School in Class 3A against the Beavers at 4. Should Burrell...
Burrell softball team eyes 1st PIAA win in decade
With its season on the line and a trip to the PIAA playoffs at stake, the Burrell softball team came up big Tuesday against Montour at Mars. The Bucs scored early, and their defense, coupled with the pitching of junior ace Katie Armstrong, made it hold up in a 3-1...
Westmoreland notebook: GCC, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland in PIAA softball playoffs
The PIAA softball playoff field is set and three local teams will begin play Monday. All three will have lengthy road trips. WPIAL Class 5A runner-up Penn-Trafford (18-3) will play at Twin Valley (17-8), the District 3 runner-up, at 4 p.m. In Class 3A, Southmoreland (14-4) visits Bald Eagle (10-5),...
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Marquez plays for late father
A silver, heart-shaped locket dangles from a necklace Isabela Marquez is wearing. Every so often, it catches a shaft of sunlight coming through the window in a lonely Greensburg Central Catholic gymnasium as she talks about her late father. Her voice echoes. Sniffles and sighs are interrupted by little chuckles...
North Allegheny notebook: Shannon takes 3rd in PIAA hurdles
North Allegheny senior Kena Shannon capped her high school career last week by earning a bronze medal in the 300-meter hurdles at the PIAA Class 3A track and field championships in Shippensburg. Shannon ran a time of 44.38 seconds in the finals, setting a school record. Neshaminy’s Sanaa Hebron won...
Hampton quartet fares well at PIAA track
Hampton brought back one state medal, one personal-best time and a vanload of memories from the PIAA Class 3A track and field championships May 27-28 at Shippensburg. Senior Matt DeMatteo placed eighth in the 300-meter hurdles to win his first PIAA track medal, and junior Ava Vitiello ran the fastest...
Hampton girls lacrosse team delights in exceeding expectations
The Hampton girls lacrosse team entered the 2022 season with tepid expectations after graduation losses decimated last year’s WPIAL Class 2A semifinalist. “Honestly,” senior captain Hannah Acquafondata said, “I kind of came into this season with my head down.” The Talbots ended the spring with their heads held high. Hampton...
Norwin notebook: Baseball, softball standouts earn all-section honors
Norwin athletes once again made their mark in the WPIAL’s two largest classifications this spring. The Big 5/6 Conference, which covers Class 6A and 5A athletics, had its all-section banquet May 25 and announced its top players in baseball and softball. Section 2-6A baseball’s first team included seniors Jack Whalen...
Shady Side Academy captains reflect on another WPIAL girls lacrosse championship
The WPIAL Class 3A title game victory for the Shady Side Academy girls lacrosse team was significant for the seniors who have known nothing but championships. But it was also significant for their coach. Coach Katy Phillips, also assistant athletic director for the school, will be leaving for another position...
Shady Side Academy boys lacrosse savors win in ‘electric’ WPIAL title game
Shady Side Academy players and coaches knew the WPIAL Class 3A boys lacrosse championship game would be a close battle. It lived up to those expectations and then some. The Bulldogs (17-5) defeated Mt. Lebanon in overtime, 12-11, at Robert Morris’ Joe Walton Stadium. A goal by J.P. Henry on...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on June 4, 2022: Mars boys lacrosse looks to keep rolling
Up until last spring, the PIAA lacrosse playoffs were a dry wasteland for WPIAL programs. Very few boys or girls lacrosse teams from District 7 survived the first round, let alone were considered a serious contender for a run at the state title. The sport, still growing on this side...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for June 4, 2022
High schools Baseball PIAA playoffs First round Monday’s schedule Class 6A Owen J. Roberts vs. Emmaus at Boyertown, 4 p.m.; Hazleton vs. Coatesville at Mountain Top, 4:30 p.m.; Liberty vs. Manheim Township at DeSales, 7 p.m.; LaSalle College vs. Pennsbury at Lincoln, 4 p.m.; Hatboro Horsham at Warwick, 1 p.m.;...
Patience at plate pays off for Armstrong softball in WPIAL championship win
After earning a reputation as an aggressive batting aggregation, patience turned out to be a virtue for the Armstrong softball team Friday. The River Hawks — averaging 11 runs per game — used patience at the plate, and it paid off. Leading off the bottom of the seventh in a...
Jenna Clontz belts WPIAL-winning walk-off homer as Armstrong tops Penn-Trafford
Moments after the game ended, Armstrong fans lugged a giant boom-box radio onto Lilley Field and turned up the music, bobbing their heads to the thumping beat. Junior left fielder Jenna Clontz had just performed one of the program’s greatest hits. This was the “hoopla” Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little warned...
Trib 10: New team in the top spot after WPIAL baseball finals
The gold has been earned this week by the 2022 WPIAL diamond champions as the district baseball and softball postseason comes to an end. Some quick championship factoids: • Union baseball and Beaver softball are the only two repeat champions. • Union becomes the first school to sweep baseball and...
Payton List fans 15, Beaver blanks Elizabeth Forward to repeat as WPIAL 4A champs
The beat goes on for the Beaver girls’ softball team. The Bobcats won their 40th consecutive game by pounding out 11 hits and getting a 15-strikeout performance from Payton List in a 6-0 victory against Elizabeth Forward on Friday in the WPIAL Class 4A Championship game at Lilley Field at...
Neshannock tops Frazier in WPIAL championship clash of undefeated 2A teams
Whenever a Neshannock batter stepped into the Lilley Field batter’s box Friday, a peculiar shout sometimes came from the dugout: Smile. And, no, it wasn’t picture day. “On the bus today, we were saying, if one of us ever gets down in the dumps, it could take the whole team...
Burrell coach Shawn Liotta, brother Jeremy key cogs of innovative Fan Controlled Football League
Shawn Liotta’s passion for coaching football and striving for success has no downtime. It’s a year-round venture. It’s his job. And he wouldn’t want it any other way. A veteran mentor in the sport for more than two decades at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, including work in...
Trib HSSN Softball State Rankings for June 2, 2022
With a handful of district playoff games remaining throughout the state, attention turns to the pursuit of one of the last championships in the 2021-2022 school year, the PIAA softball crown. The first round is set to begin Monday with many of the Trib HSSN state softball ranked teams below...
Trib HSSN Baseball State Rankings for June 2, 2022
The regular season is over and the district playoffs are complete across the state. Now the fun begins Monday with the start of the 2022 PIAA baseball playoffs. Some classifications were hit hard by the end of the district playoffs, with three teams vacating their precarious position in the Trib...
Deer Lakes softball players turn attention to states after WPIAL title game loss
Jenna Bisegna was at the meeting point between disappointment over Deer Lakes’ 8-1 loss to Avonworth on Wednesday in the WPIAL Class 3A softball title game and getting energized for Monday’s PIAA first-round game as the Lancers met for practice Thursday afternoon. “We were feeling rather defeated yesterday, and the...
