High School category, Page 712

A good word to describe the St. Joseph girls basketball team is potential. The Spartans are a youthful group with only one senior, a bevy of sophomores and a freshman, but coach Dennis Jones feels they have the skill and size to be an intriguing team this winter. “We’re extremely...

Those who followed St. Joseph boys basketball the past four years were treated by Andrew Sullivan to some high-scoring performances, but his 1,000-plus point career ended last season. The challenge for the Spartans this winter is filling the vacuum of scoring Sullivan leaves behind. St. Joseph coach Hart Coleman feels...

Southmoreland mixed and matched its starting five last season as coach Frank Muccino and his staff sought to develop a baby-faced group. Starting wasn’t about prestige, it was about reps. “Plug and play,” said Muccino, who begins his 13th season with the Scotties. “We had a lot of guys playing...

With 59 wins, a WPIAL runner-up, two WPIAL semifinal trips and a run to the PIAA second round highlighting a three-year run, the Southmoreland girls basketball team has big plans this winter for Year 4. And a big rotation to match. Five starters return from a 16-5 team that reached...

Chartiers Valley has won three straight WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball championships, and it looks like contenders will have to again deal with the Colts being favored this season. Five starters return for the Colts, including reigning Pennsylvania’s Class 5A Player of the Year, Aislin Malcolm, a Pitt recruit who...

New Castle’s boys basketball team moved up to Class 5A from 4A last season but continued its dominance over WPIAL opponents, claiming a record 14th district championship. The Red Hurricanes have won titles in seven of the past 10 seasons, including Class 4A titles in 2013, ’14, ’17, ’18 and...

Exeter Township found out Friday there is more to the Penn-Trafford football team than the Cade and Carter Show. Sure, running back Cade Yacamelli and quarterback Carter Green usually steal the headlines, but the dynamic duo had a lot of help in the Warriors’ impressive 49-14 victory in the PIAA...

The Shaler girls basketball team became a good example of how the WPIAL holding an open basketball tournament last season could benefit younger programs. The Titans, who finished 4-12 overall and in sixth place in Section 1-6A, wouldn’t have made the playoffs in a typical year. But since Shaler entered,...

Having a season limited to 13 games by the covid pandemic certainly wasn’t what Shaler boys basketball coach Rob Niederberger hoped for last year. But the Titans won’t have too many players who feel cheated by missed time. Shaler’s entire roster returned, creating one of the more competitive preseasons in...

Penn Hills senior guard Eryn Roberson doesn’t like the preseason perception of the program. In a year where the Indians only return four players, Roberson hasn’t felt a lot of positivity surrounding Penn Hills. The disrespect is what has Roberson motivated to propel the Indians as far as they can...

Daemar Kelly doesn’t want to see the Penn Hills boys basketball team bring the ball across half-court, see a zone defense and be timid. The Indians’ 6-foot-5 junior guard plans to be a part of an offense that attacks on instinct. Penn Hills learned its lesson when it was slowed...

Jim Dudas knows that building a winner is tough. Trying to do so while playing in an ultra-competitive section and, particularly, navigating covid-19, has made the journey more complex than he likely ever envisioned. But, the third-year North Hills girls basketball coach is optimistic about his young team, and knows...

Atop Buzz Gabos’ wish list for the 2021-22 season is consistency. A year ago, with covid-19 issues taking a grip on the North Hills boys basketball program, Gabos had to constantly adapt on the fly. Delays, cancellations and concerns, along with a developing group, led the Indians to a 4-10...

North Allegheny’s football team was rewarded its 7-5 season that ended in the WPIAL semifinals, when seven players were recognized last week with selection to the Big 5/6 all-conference team for Class 6A. First-team honorees included senior guard Nick Frisco, senior wide receiver Dwayne Taylor, sophomore athlete Khiryn Boyd, senior...

Blue tape forms Xs, boxes and lines on North Allegheny’s basketball court, visual guides put down by boys coach Dave DeGregorio to teach a new offense. The dribble-drive isn’t new to DeGregorio, who has used it for years and won a WPIAL title with the offense at North Catholic. But...

Hampton girls basketball coach Tony Howard has a good feeling entering the 2021-22 season. The seventh-year coach returns four starters, including his entire backcourt, from a 15-win Section 2-5A champion. Senior first-team all-section guard Sophia Kelly along with a pair of second-team all-section picks, senior Kayla Hoehler and sophomore Meghan...

The Hampton boys basketball team will try to bounce back from one of the worst seasons in program history with a bunch of players who have won a lot lately. The Talbots, coming off a 4-16 season, have a roster dotted with versatile athletes who enjoyed success in other sports...

Since moving over from the boys to the girls coaching job at Chartiers Valley, Tim McConnell’s basketball teams have had a direct bull’s-eye on their backs. Winning WPIAL championships and putting together a district- and state-best winning streak will do that for a program. However, when the 2021 WPIAL girls...

The Chartiers Valley boys basketball program was already established as a force in the district when Brandon Sensor took over as head coach three years ago. He has done nothing to change that. In his first year, the Colts won 18 games, finished second in their section and lost in...

High schools Basketball Boys Southwest Christian Athletic Conference Plants and Pillars 58, Cheswick Christian Academy 50 Plants and Pillars 6 19 15 18 — 58 Cheswick Christian Academy 17 13 2 18 — 50 PP: Aiden Rorick 27, Trenton DeRoza 11. CCA: Grant Rochkind 18, Jude Vargo 15, Zephaniah Malloy...

Thirty years ago, Penn Hills was winding down one of the most dominant stretches in district girls basketball history, winning a seventh straight WPIAL Class AAAA title. This year, North Allegheny is trying to three-peat and capture a fifth WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship in the last six years....

When it comes to 6A boys basketball this season, bigger might be better. A year after Upper St. Clair won the WPIAL 6A boys basketball championship with one starter over 6-0, most of the top players in the classification check in at 6-1 and taller. Here is a rundown of...

The Plum girls soccer team surrendered two goals in a game just three times in the 2021 season. One was in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game against Mars, and the other two came against Section 3 rival Oakland Catholic. The second matchup between the Mustangs and Eagles, the section...

Luke Kolankowski has always seen himself as a facilitator in the offense for the Plum boys soccer team. “I feel that a nice assist and getting a teammate a goal is better than getting a goal yourself,” Kolankowski said. “No matter who scores, the win is the most important thing.”...

Soccer players can get pigeon-holed into a position and the duties that come with it. Franklin Regional senior Sydney Lindeman took the midfielder tag and stretched it three ways. Sure, she lived up to the job description, working the ball between defenders and forwards to create the best scoring opportunities....