High School category, Page 70
Coming off banner year, Quaker Valley tennis has exciting options to fill lineup vacancies
Awards and accolades were dispatched freely throughout the 2024 season for the Quaker Valley girls tennis team. And with good reason. The Quakers finished with a 16-3 overall record and were 6-0 in section play — losing only two individual lines all year. That meant back-to back-section titles for the...
Love of volleyball, focus on academics carries Quaker Valley’s Molly MacDonald to Middlebury College
Quaker Valley grad Molly MacDonald is a tall and talented, highly educated athlete. Yes, she was a top-notch volleyball player for the Quakers for four seasons, but she’s also played a variety of other sports in her accomplished athletic career. “I was happy playing soccer, lacrosse, basketball and tennis and...
Western Pa. volleyball talent on display at 3rd annual Queens of the ‘Burgh event
The Foxes proved to be champions at the third annual Queens of the ‘Burgh girls volleyball tournament. “This was our best year yet,” said Avonworth coach John Skarupa, who founded the event. “We had seven teams, 64 players. There were 37 high schools and 10 clubs represented. It was a...
Mars looking to take next step behind experienced offensive line
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. Due to production schedule conflicts, the McKeesport preview will be published later this month. After back-to-back trips to the semifinals, the Mars Fightin’ Planets are looking...
New West Mifflin coach to focus on physicality, rely on star running back
B.J. Pugh considers being the football coach at West Mifflin his dream job. “I’ve envisioned being a head (football) coach for a long time, particularly at West Mifflin. It’s my alma mater,” said Pugh, who was hired in February to succeed Rod Steele. A 1995 graduate, Pugh quarterbacked West Mifflin...
1st-year coach building depth at Knoch
Knoch limped to the finish line of the 2024 season. Quite literally. Injuries ravaged the team, leaving fewer than 30 healthy players for the stretch run. That contributed to the Knights (3-6, 2-3 Greater Allegheny) losing three of their final four games, each of the losses in blowout fashion. So...
Indiana banking on familiar coach to get program turned around
Hey, Indiana, an old acquaintance is back in town. Four years after setting out for Arizona, where he spent time as an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University, former longtime coach Mark Zilinskas will be back on the Indians’ sideline. He’s hoping to jump-start a program that hasn’t enjoyed a...
Hampton seeking ‘little bit of toughness’ after down season
Hampton coach Steve Sciullo had no problem putting his finger on what went wrong during last year’s 3-7 season. “We didn’t tackle well, and we didn’t block well,” Sciullo said. “Those two things take courage. We’re hoping that we have a little bit more courage this year to go and...
Apollo-Ridge QBs commiserate in return from injuries
Two years ago, Alex Clawson suffered a serious ankle injury during an early-season game for the Apollo-Ridge football team and was lost for the rest of his sophomore campaign. Last year as a sophomore, Chris Dailey suffered the same fate as an ankle injury in the second game of the...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Yough baseball coach Palm steps away
Calling it more of a retirement than a resignation, Dan Palm is leaving the Yough baseball program. He was with the Cougars for 10 years, including the last three as head coach. Palm was Craig Spisak’s assistant for seven seasons and took over when Spisak left to coach at Norwin....
Moore develops into quiet leader for Franklin Regional football team
If you attend a Franklin Regional football practice this fall, you will not see senior Matt Moore running around and getting into his teammates’ faces to encourage or fire them up. You will see a football player being a leader by acting as another coach and demonstrating the proper way...
Shady Side Academy girls basketball star Karis Thomas makes Division I college choice
Karis Thomas wanted to play college basketball somewhere she could be comfortable. When looking at schools, the Shady Side Academy girls basketball senior guard was searching for a place where they took care of each other. Thomas found what she was looking for when she recently committed to Division I...
Norwin coach spends summer racking up air miles, helping wrestlers to new heights
When he finally walked in the door to his house in late July, Kyle Martin realized he’d only been home for 10 days since the end of May. Norwin’s wrestling coach took a rock band-like road trip to coach and train youth wrestlers. It is what he does. What he...
Love of the game helps Franklin Regional volleyball standout make instant impact
He gets asked the same question all the time. “Do you play basketball?” But Jason Buczynski, at a towering 6-foot-7, lets down inquisitors gently. Not anymore. The rising junior at Franklin Regional played from age 6-13 but set aside the sport for another with nets. “I did not have passion...
Armed with lessons learned last season, West Allegheny ready for Parkway Conference grind
The way the 2024 season played out for West Allegheny’s football team was a bit strange, but also a bit encouraging. The Indians had their first two last year games suspended due to dangerous weather conditions that hit while West Allegheny led on the scoreboard. Both games were given no-contest...
New Castle determined to keep resurgence going strong
Last season, coach Fred Mozzocio came into New Castle, where he played in the 1980s, and wanted to deliver awesome football to the community. The Red Hurricanes were 1-9 two seasons ago, but “Coach Mo” got New Castle sailing in the right direction with a 5-4 season last year. The...
Experienced Montour aims to contend for Parkway Conference crown
The 2024 football season at Montour was a tale of two seasons. A thrilling Week 8 victory over Aliquippa put the Spartans alone in first place in the Class 4A Parkway Conference with one week left in the regular season. With a chance to win the conference title outright, Montour...
Blackhawk seeking improvement entering coach’s 2nd season
Jake Wickline is relieved that all of the newness has finally worn off. A year ago, Wickline was tasked with taking over a Blackhawk football program that had gone through some turmoil over the previous season with the sudden departure of the program’s head coach, Zack Hayward, just two weeks...
Ambridge focusing on finishing after more competitive season
Through the first month of the 2024 football season, Ambridge looked like it could be in for a special, breakthrough year. And while the Bridgers constructed a far more competitive season with a 4-5 overall record, coach Sherm McBride is focused on one thing as the team enters 2025. “The...
Aliquippa in unfamiliar position of flying under the radar
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. Aliquippa lost some talented football players to graduation or transfer since last season, so it’s understandable if there were some cracks in the Quips’ confidence. But,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 8, 2025
High schools Golf Friday’s results Boys TRICADA championship Top 10: 1. Brady Newman, South Fayette, 69. 2. Camden Reyes, Peters Township, 71. 3. Sam Bishop, South Fayette, 72. 4. Tyler Ondrejko, Peters Township, 73. 5. Urijah Teasdale, Jefferson-Morgan, 75. 6. Chase Werthman, Canon-McMillan, 76. 7. Ben Taczak, Canon-McMillan, 77. 8....
Derry appreciates importance of offensive line play
Quarterback Anthony Sacco, meet two-way tackle Aiden Piper. “We’ve met,” Sacco said, dryly. The two Derry juniors exchanged glances. Finally, they flashed what appeared as true smiles Friday on the final day of the PIAA’s mandated preseason heat-acclimatization week for high school football teams. Make no mistake, guys like the...
Leechburg girls coach inherits young squad, sees hope
Rich Marshall has experienced opportunities at every level during his basketball coaching career. He was a Division I men’s assistant at Clemson and Arizona State, and he helped Clemson win the only ACC championship in program history in 1989-90 under head coach Cliff Ellis with standouts Dale Davis and Elden...
Seton LaSalle QB Anthony Smith remains ineligible after PIAA upholds WPIAL decision
Seton LaSalle transfer Anthony Smith, an up-and-coming quarterback with multiple college offers, remains ineligible for his sophomore season after the PIAA denied his appeal Friday. However, an attorney representing Smith and his family said they may challenge the decision in court. “Not over yet … ” Smith wrote in a...
Former Steeler Brett Keisel shares wisdom with legendary WPIAL coaches
Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel played 13 years for the black and gold. A 46, he still looks like he could hold down that position. Keisel was the guest speaker recently at Grandview Golf Club in North Braddock for a gathering of former and current WPIAL coaching legends. The...
