High School category, Page 683
WPIAL swimmers advance to PIAA championship finals on Day 2
LEWISBURG — The WPIAL will have several swimmers and relays battling for state medals and championship gold Thursday evening on Day 2 of the PIAA Class 3A championships at Bucknell. The boys consolation (ninth through 16th) and championship finals will begin at 6:05 p.m., with the girls consey and championship...
PIAA reveals sites, times for state basketball semifinals
Peters Township will host a PIAA semifinal Saturday between the Chartiers Valley and McKeesport girls, one of four all-WPIAL pairings in the final four of the state basketball tournament. The Class 5A teams play at noon at the school’s AHN Arena. Also at noon Saturday, the Aliquippa and South Allegheny...
Gambino takes over Charleroi football program
The Charleroi Area School Board found their man to take over the Cougars football program. Mark Gambino, most recently an assistant coach on Mike Collodi’s staff at Elizabeth Forward, was hired Tuesday with a unanimous vote by the board. “It all happened really fast,” Gambino said Wednesday. “I was contacted...
Aliquippa finds ‘happy balance,’ tops Avonworth for 3rd time in PIAA quarterfinals
After missing a few long jumpers in the first quarter, Aliquippa’s D.J. Walker understood why he was being called to the bench and the junior didn’t argue. “He knows,” said Quips coach Nick Lackovich, who wanted his players to work for better shots. “I said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to ….’...
Seneca Valley’s Daniel Simoes captures PIAA gold in 200 IM
Daniel Simoes placed second in the 200-yard individual medley at last year’s PIAA Class 3A championships at Cumberland Valley High School. He was runner-up to Upper St. Clair standout and current Indiana University freshman Josh Matheny. A move back to Bucknell for this year’s state meet also brought gold to...
What to watch for in high school sports for March 17, 2022: Division II semifinals on tap
PIHL semifinals week concludes Thursday with a pair of Division II games at RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island. Division II programs in the PIHL are made up of players from different schools that don’t have hockey teams playing on one team, like a co-op in the WPIAL. The...
Trib HSSN boys basketball state rankings for March 16, 2022
We have seen in the past, complete turmoil takes over this time of year when it comes to the state rankings with so many head-to-head clashes. For the most part, the latest Trib HSSN rankings held up. Nine teams dropped out after losses in the PIAA second round and quarterfinals,...
Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings for March 16, 2022
Eleven girls basketball teams saw two dreams come to an end this past week. First, their goal of winning a PIAA basketball championship, and second, finishing the season in the coveted Top 5 of the Trib HSSN state rankings. While every class saw at least two teams ousted with the...
Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao takes silver in butterfly at PIAA meet
Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao stood on the bulkhead next to the starting block for nearly 10 minutes as PIAA officials worked out a problem with the timing system. “I wasn’t thinking about too much,” Shao said as she waited to swim the girls Class 3A 100-yard butterfly Wednesday evening at...
High school sports scores, schedules for March 16, 2022
High schools Basketball Boys PIAA playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Wednesday’s results Lower Merion 72, Scranton 44 Roman Catholic 75, Cheltenham 62 Archbishop Wood 74, North Hills 47 Fox Chapel 39, Northampton 37 Semifinals Saturday’s schedule Lower Merion (27-3) vs. Roman Catholic (22-4) Archbishop Wood (20-7) vs. Fox Chapel (27-1) Class...
McKeesport in PIAA semifinals for 1st time since ’98 after defeating Moon
The McKeesport and Moon girls basketball teams had a lot of similarities ahead of their PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal matchup Wednesday night. The schools shared the same nickname, Tigers. They also had strong regular seasons and after both lost in the WPIAL semifinals they rebounded with solid runs in the...
Franklin Regional boys swim relay takes 5th at states
The Franklin Regional boys 200 medley relay fashioned the best swim in program history at the WPIAL Class 3A championships March 3 at Pitt’s Trees Pool. They clocked a time of 1 minute, 33.50 seconds that day, and it was the standard the quartet of sophomore Holden Thomas, senior Owen...
Jeannette softball team works through grief, tries to change fortunes after 1-win season
Sydney Matijevic’s smile hid the pain in her heart. But while the Jeannette senior was smarting, she wasn’t quitting. “I love to be here,” Matijevic said Wednesday after the Jayhawks’ softball practice at the high school. “I totally love it. I’ve always loved the sport. It cheers me up and...
Jeannette baseball team will rely on heart, not numbers
When he was a baseball player at Jeannette — and a fine one at that — Marcus Clarkson drove more than a few pitches into the atmosphere at the city’s Clarkson Field. No, it is not named after Jeannette baseball coach Marcus Clarkson, but rather for his great-uncle, James “Buster”...
Norwin hockey team edges Fox Chapel for PIHL playoff win
Mario Cavallaro skated wide as two defenders closed in on his puck-handling teammate, Alex Thomas. Then, in a flash, the pair of sophomore forwards connected for some playoff magic. Thomas delivered a pass to Cavallaro, who fired his second goal of the game into the back of the net 2...
High school roundup for March 16, 2022: Fox Chapel boys advance to PIAA semifinals
J.P. Dockey blocked an Isaac Harris’ 3-point attempt with a second remaining as Fox Chapel narrowly defeated District 11 champion Northampton, 39-37, in a close quarterfinal game in the PIAA Class 6A playoffs in Chambersburg. Eli Yofan scored 14 and Colin Kwiatkowski added eight points for Fox Chapel (27-1). Yofan’s...
South Allegheny boys basketball team reaches PIAA semifinals
Heading into the program’s first state quarterfinal appearance, South Allegheny boys basketball coach Tony DiCenzo knew his team was in need of a strong offensive performance. “When we are going well, it’s because our offense is clicking in all phases,” DiCenzo said earlier this week. “If we do the things...
Seneca Valley divers compete at PIAA championships
LEWISBURG — Seneca Valley was well represented at the PIAA Class 3A boys diving championships Wednesday at Bucknell. The Raiders earned four of the five qualifying berths from the WPIAL championships Feb. 26 at North Allegheny. WPIAL silver medalist Isaiah Clerkley, a sophomore, led Seneca Valley and the WPIAL contingent...
WPIAL swimmers to race in championship heats on Day 1 of PIAA Class 3A meet
LEWISBURG — The consolation and championship finals for the first day of the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships are set. Preliminary swims Wednesday in the 200-yard medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 free, 100 butterfly and 200 free relay determined the top 16 in each event, and swimmers...
PIAA announces sites, times for Friday’s state basketball semifinals
The PIAA chose Norwin as host site for the rematch of New Castle and Gateway, one of two all-WPIAL pairings in the state basketball semifinals. They’ll meet at 7 p.m. Friday with the winner advancing to Hershey. New Castle defeated Gateway by 10 points when they played Feb. 28 in...
After season to remember, Highlands softball team excited for encore
The Highlands softball team now is the hunted. After Golden Rams fashioned an 18-6-1 record and made a run to the WPIAL Class 4A championship game and PIAA semifinals last season, the returning players and a couple of newcomers to the lineup hope to hold off the challenges from within...
Strong returning core has Highlands baseball team thinking of longer playoff run
Last season, the Highlands baseball team came into the WPIAL quarterfinals on a six-game winning streak but left with a third loss of the season to Blackhawk. Now, as a new season dawns, the Golden Rams, with 10 seniors and a solid nucleus of key starters back, hope to take...
WPIAL Class 3A swimmers, divers hope to make their marks as PIAA championships begin at Bucknell
After a one-year hiatus, the PIAA Class 3A and 2A swimming and diving championships are back at Bucknell University. Covid logistics moved the meets last year to Cumberland Valley High School. The change in venue didn’t hinder the WPIAL’s ability to make its mark with numerous championships and medal-winning performances....
New Castle wins ‘fist fight’ over Penn Hills in low-scoring PIAA quarterfinal
How do you describe a game with more than a dozen blocks, more than two dozen turnovers, and the first team to score 40 points won? “A total fist fight,” New Castle coach Ralph Blundo said, “and we knew that’s what it was going to be.” At the end, his...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 16, 2022: Avonworth, Aliquippa square off
Welcome to Quarterfinals Wednesday in the PIAA basketball playoffs. The Avonworth boys basketball team has accomplished a lot this season. • The Antelopes reached the WPIAL championship game as the No. 8 seed before falling to Shady Side Academy. • They reached the 20-win mark by advancing to the state...
