High School category, Page 686
Franklin Regional softball anticipates making run at section title with talented lineup
His softball team actually outdoors for a practice on the fourth day of preseason workouts, a day before a winter storm watch in the region, Jim Armstrong did a panorama of the mud-caked field at Franklin Regional. He squinted into the bright afternoon sunshine and smiled. “This is a sweet...
12 from WPIAL to wrestle for state titles in Class 3A finals
HERSHEY – The WPIAL is guaranteed at least two PIAA champions, but they’re hoping for more. The WPIAL advanced 12 wrestlers to the PIAA 3A championship finals Saturday night at the Giant Center after impressive wins in the semifinals. Finals begin at 7 p.m. The two weight classes with all-WPIAL...
PIAA announces sites, times for Tuesday’s basketball quarterfinals
The WPIAL is guaranteed to have a boys team in the Class 5A state championship with Laurel Highlands, New Castle, Gateway and Penn Hills all reaching the quarterfinals. They’ll pair off Tuesday in two matchups in a doubleheader at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center. New Castle plays Penn Hills at...
Norwin notebook: Wrestler brings home junior high state title
The Norwin wrestling program showcased some potential future standouts at the Pennsylvania Junior High Wrestling State Championships earlier this month at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown. Landon Sidun brought home gold with his victory in the 107-pound weight class. He defeated Melvin Miller in the finals, 10-4, to...
WPIAL roller-coaster ride sends 4 Franklin Regional wrestlers to states
Franklin Regional wrestling coach Matt Lebe said the WPIAL Class 3A championships were like a roller-coaster ride of a two-day tournament. “We were good on Friday,” Lebe said. “Had a little letdown early Saturday, and then we finished strong.” As a result, the Panthers had four wrestlers qualify for the...
1st-year coaches take lessons from Franklin Regional basketball season
While their teams fell short of the WPIAL postseason, first-year basketball coaches Jesse Reed and Bernie Pucka saw new systems begin to take root and programs take on new personalities this winter. The boys finished 7-14 overall and 5-7 in section and lost out on a tiebreaker to make the...
Win total shows growth of Hampton hockey
The PIHL season can be a long five-month grind. Hampton’s schedule started Oct. 4 and ended Feb. 28. The Talbots switched from Class 2A to A during the PIHL offseason performance-based realignment as members of Varsity Northeast Division. Fox Chapel sailed through the division with a 19-0-1 record. Freeport, Plum...
Hampton maintains level of success during strong girls basketball season
The Hampton girls basketball team rang up one of the best regular seasons in school history. The Talbots did not lose a game in December, won 11 of their first 12 contests and captured seven of eight down the season’s home stretch. Balanced scoring and full-court defensive pressure sparked the...
After year away, Fox Chapel fencing team happy to be back on the strip
While the coronavirus pandemic knocked out a number of businesses and events, one sports program that survived is the Fox Chapel High School fencing team. After missing the 2021 season because of pandemic concerns, the boys and girls fencing teams returned to action in 2022. The boys team won the...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 12, 2022: WPIAL, City League champs to clash
The second round of the PIAA boys basketball playoffs Saturday is highlighted by a clash of champions in Class 6A. WPIAL champion Fox Chapel is set to battle City League champion Allderdice at 2 p.m. at Peters Township. Allderdice comes into the game on a six-game winning streak while Fox...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 11, 2022
High schools Basketball Boys PIAA playoffs Class 6A Second round Saturday’s schedule Lower Merion (25-3) vs. Abington (17-11) at Bensalem, 5:30 p.m.; Scranton (22-2) vs. Garnet Valley (18-10) at Bethlehem Freedom, 3:30 p.m.; Roman Catholic (20-4) vs. Central Dauphin (18-5) at Coatesville, 3 p.m; Penn Wood (16-8) vs. Cheltenham (29-1)...
Miles Higgins of Ligonier Valley commits to UNC-Wilmington
Ligonier Valley senior Miles Higgins will aim for a WPIAL repeat this spring, but he’ll do so with his college plans firmly in place. Higgins committed to continue his track and field career at North Carolina Wilmington, a Division I program. The 6-foot-3 Higgins won the WPIAL Class 2A javelin...
Homer Center fights off Serra Catholic comeback bid in Class 2A 2nd round
After grabbing its largest lead of the night at the end of the third quarter, the Homer Center girls basketball team looked to have things under control in its PIAA Class 2A second-round contest against Serra Catholic. But the Eagles, like they did all night, fought and crawled their way...
High school roundup for March 11, 2022: Penn Hills’ state playoff run continues
Noah Barren scored 12 points, Daemar Kelly put up 11, and Penn Hills, the seventh seed out of the WPIAL, defeated East Stroudsburg South, 55-44, on Friday to reach the PIAA Class 5A boys basketball quarterfinals. Jaden Dugger netted eight points and had 12 rebounds for Penn Hills (20-5), which...
Mt. Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer a win away from 3rd state title
HERSHEY – Mt. Pleasant senior Dayton Pitzer doesn’t have a nickname. If he did, it could be “The Fall Guy.” Pitzer used two pins Friday during Day 2 of the PIAA Class 2A championship at the Giant Center and is one win from becoming the 49th three-time champion in state...
Kiski Area’s Morlacci plays starring role at states, reaching Class 3A semifinals
HERSHEY – Kiski Area senior Enzo Morlacci is a filmmaker. That’s what he plans to pursue after high school instead of going to college and wrestling. So far, Morlacci’s final high school tournament has been a blockbuster. Morlacci won his third match of the PIAA Class 3A championships Friday at...
Unbeaten Laurel Highlands rallies past Highlands in OT, moves into quarterfinals
Laurel Highlands celebrated its 27th consecutive win Friday night, but this victory over Highlands followed a different script than the first 26. This time, the Mustangs were down by double digits early. A hot shooting start let Highlands jump to a 13-point lead, yet Laurel Highlands battled back behind star...
Gardinier’s career game helps Quaker Valley get by Belle Vernon, into PIAA quarterfinals
Belle Vernon didn’t know Jack. “That No. 5, where the (heck) did he come from?” Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino said after the game. The Leopards won’t soon forget No. 5 after what he did to them in the state playoffs. Quaker Valley is going to remember his performance for...
Derry softball team needs influx of talent
At the Derry softball field, the “help wanted” sign is out. “I still have spots open,” coach John DePalma said as the Trojans prepared for a March 25 visit from Apollo-Ridge for their season opener. “I don’t have the luxury of a lot of girls, but for the ones that...
Derry baseball team wants to build on ‘special year’
After a baseball season in which they notched their first WPIAL section title since 1992 and won their first playoff game since 2005, the Derry Trojans are looking for more. They’ll have to do it with a retooled roster. “We had a pretty special year in 2021,” coach John Flickinger...
PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships: How WPIAL wrestlers fared, Day 2
HERSHEY — The PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships continued Friday afternoon at the Giant Center. Here’s a glance at how the WPIAL wrestlers fared on Day 2. The WPIAL advanced 20 wrestlers to the semifinals and 14 others won matches in the blood round to earn medals. 106 pounds Franklin...
Apollo-Ridge baseball wants program’s 1st section title in more than 2 decades
Apollo-Ridge qualified for the WPIAL baseball playoffs last year for the first time since 2014. A-R landed the 14th seed in Class 2A and faced No. 3 Carmichaels, which defeated the Vikings, 12-1. “It is very early, but we have a great turnout so far as 23 players showed up...
Plum’s Pilyih wins regional bowling title
Consistency paid off for Plum sophomore Mareana Pilyih at the Western Pennsylvania Regional girls singles bowling championships Friday at North Versailles Bowling Center. Scoring between 173 and 209 for each of the seven games she bowled, Pilyih defeated Kaylee Lipp of Deer Lakes in the finals to claim the regional...
New coach, same goals for Apollo-Ridge softball
The Apollo-Ridge softball team has a new coach but the same goal. Eric Kowalczyk has taken over for John Kinnamon, who now is coaching at Kiski Area. Kowalczyk previously served as JV coach for two years. “I’m not just teaching the girls softball,” Kowalczyk said. “I always try to teach...
PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships: How WPIAL wrestlers fared, Day 2
HERSHEY — The PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships continued Friday morning at the Giant Center. Here’s a glance at how the WPIAL wrestlers fared on Day 2. Three advanced to the finals and will wrestle for a state title at 2 p.m. Saturday. Semifinals 106 pounds Burgettstown sophomore Parker Sentipal...
