High School category, Page 717
Pine-Richland notebook: Fourth grade girls basketball team wins state title
The fourth-grade Pine-Richland girls basketball team is a state champion. The Rams topped Whitpain Recreational Association, 16-12, in the state final March 20 in State College. Pine-Richland went 4-0 at the tournament. They defeated Whitpain in the first round, Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals and Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals...
Norwin notebook: Girls bowling team reaches playoff round at states
The Norwin girls bowling team reached the playoff round of the state championships March 19 in Lancaster. The Knights were tripped up by Neshaminy in the quarterfinals, 2-0. Neshaminy went on to defeat Shikellamy in the finals. Norwin was third after the qualifying round. Kali Siegel (533), Kari Siegel (487),...
North Hills basketball pleased with breakout season
Buzz Gabos is happy with the year his North Hills boys basketball team had in 2021-22. But the finish stings. The Indians went 26-2, winning the Section 1-6A title and going unbeaten in the regular season. North Hills secured the top seed in the Class 6A postseason but lost to...
North Allegheny notebook: Ayden Owens claims national indoor title
North Allegheny graduate Ayden Owens won the NCAA Division I indoor heptathlon title on March 12. The Arkansas track and field athlete produced 6,211 points, the third-best winning score in NCAA history. He won the final event, the 1,000 meters, with a time of 2:31.55, vaulting himself from fourth place...
With PIAA title, Thomas Jefferson’s Finnerty finishes 44-1
Thomas Jefferson’s wrestling team didn’t have a great season, but it was a good year for the Jaguars. TJ’s Brian Finnerty didn’t have a good senior season; it was great. In fact, Finnerty ended his brilliant career as the best of the best in the TJ wrestling program. A Kent...
Thomas Jefferson’s Lekse looks to past for inspiration
Joe Lekse, this year’s Breisinger Award winner, had his eye on the prize throughout his entire varsity career. He explained. “In my four years playing football at Thomas Jefferson, I aspired to be like each winner of the Breisinger Award,” said Leske, a senior quarterback/defensive back. “My freshman year, Gabe...
High school scores, summaries, schedules for March 26, 2022
High schools Baseball Saturday’s results Ripken Experience, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Chagrin Falls (OH) 14, Waynesburg Central 4 Highlands 9, Chagrin Falls (OH) 5 Highlands 11, West Greene 0 Chardon (OH) 15, Deer Lakes 1 Pickerington North (OH) 7, Baldwin 5 Upper Arlington (OH) 10, Latrobe 9 Penn Hills 10, Deer...
High school roundup for March 26, 2022: Peters Township claims state hockey championship
William Tomko scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with 3 minutes, 11 seconds remaining in the second period and Peters Township knocked off defending Class 3A state champ Malvern Prep, 5-4, in the state final Saturday at Ice Line Arena in West Chester. It is the Indians’ sixth...
Plymouth-Whitemarsh derails Mt. Lebanon in Class 6A state title game
HERSHEY – Mt. Lebanon fell in the PIAA Class 6A girls basketball championship game 60-40 to Plymouth-Whitemarsh at the Giant Center on Saturday evening. “Obviously, (Plymouth-Whitemarsh) is undefeated for a reason,” Mt. Lebanon coach Dori Oldtaker said. “They played very well tonight and they shot well.” The Blue Devils (27-2)...
2022 Valley News Dispatch Wrestling All-Stars
Calio Zanella Burrell, fr., 113 pounds 2021-22 record: 29-15 Overall record: 29-15 Helped the Bucs reach the WPIAL Class 2A team finals. He placed fifth in the WPIAL tournament and qualified for the PIAA Southwest Regional, where he went 1-2. He was one of the better freshmen in the A-K...
Burrell’s Cooper Hornack named 2022 Valley News Dispatch Wrestler of the Year
There is room for one wrestler to stand atop the podium in Hershey’s Giant Center. Hundreds of wrestlers in each weight class start the season with hopes of being that person, having their name called on the PA system as their coach drapes a gold medal around their neck at...
2022 Tribune-Review Westmoreland County Wrestling All-Stars
Ty Kapusta Franklin Regional, so., 106 pounds 2021-22 record: 32-9 Career record: 43-15 The Panthers sophomore finished third in the WPIAL and fourth in the PIAA in Class 3A. He reached the state semifinals before falling to Bethlehem Catholic’s Nathan Desmond. His biggest win in the state tournament was a...
Mt. Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer named Tribune-Review Westmoreland County Wrestler of Year for 3rd time
Mt. Pleasant senior Dayton Pitzer finished off quite a wrestling career by becoming a three-time WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A champion. The Pitt commit did it in impressive fashion, pinning his way to the title with 12 consecutive falls. He made into the second period during the run just once...
George Guido: Fox Chapel boys team big part of memorable basketball season
It’s time to say goodbye to the local high school basketball season. And what a season it was. Two high schools located about a mile from each other — Fox Chapel and Shady Side Academy — won WPIAL titles. That’s the first time two schools that close to each other...
Long scoreless stretch dashes Aliquippa’s hopes for state basketball title
HERSHEY — Aliquippa reached the state finals with four sophomores in the starting lineup, and that youth maybe showed itself at the worst time. The Quips went scoreless for more than six minutes, and their opponent scored 25 consecutive points, a frustrating run Aliquippa couldn’t overcome in Saturday’s 76-58 loss...
West Chester East power play too much for Norwin in Class A Pennsylvania Cup title game
WEST CHESTER — Norwin’s inspired playoff run came to an end Saturday with a 10-0 loss to West Chester East in the Class A Pennsylvania Cup title game at Ice Line Quad Rinks in West Chester. It’s the second straight Class A title for WC East, whose depth and experience...
Freedom falls to Neumann-Goretti in 1st state championship appearance
HERSHEY – Freedom wanted to win a state title in its first trip to Hershey, but the championship trophy went home with a team that already owned four. Still, the Bulldogs were confident they took home something else: some statewide respect. “Nobody thought we’d be here,” sophomore Shaye Bailey said....
Franklin Regional hockey suffers heartbreaking loss in Penguins Cup final
“Heartbreaking” is the best word to describe the feelings of the Franklin Regional hockey team. The Panthers were 17 minutes away from their third Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Class 2A Penguins Cup title. They were leading No. 1 seed Thomas Jefferson by four goals after playing two dominating periods. But...
Battery powers Hampton softball team
The Hampton softball team this season will use its battery to make up for some lost power. Senior Division I-bound catcher Bella Henzler and improved sophomore pitcher Charlotte Lomb are expected to form a potent combo for the Talbots, who graduated the program’s most prolific single-season home run hitter. Henzler,...
High hopes for Hampton baseball after up-and-down playoff season
The Hampton baseball team was taking indoor batting practice earlier this month when players were asked to close the gymnasium doors to accommodate a meeting in the adjacent cafeteria. The Talbots are looking to make more noise this spring. Hampton return seven starters from an up-and-down WPIAL Class 5A playoff...
Neighboring Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy celebrate basketball titles
Fox Chapel and Shady Side Academy, schools located just about a mile apart, are celebrating WPIAL boys basketball championships from earlier this month. Fox Chapel defeated North Hills, 43-36, for Class 6A honors, and Shady Side defeated Avonworth, 66-54, to win the Class 3A title. Both games were held at...
Senior class celebrates special career with Chartiers Valley girls basketball
Their roles may have changed over the four years they have been at Chartiers Valley, but their goals for gold and their success rate in victories will make them one of the most successful groups in WPIAL basketball history. This group of six senior Colts has won four straight section...
Chartiers Valley boys basketball looks forward to promising future
In the first three years as head coach of the Chartiers Valley boys basketball program, Brandon Sensor started with a bang with 18 wins and a semifinals berth. The Colts improved in the next two years, winning 19 games and reaching the semifinals again in 2020 and collecting 22 wins...
Bethel Park softball has reason for celebration, confidence
Bethel Park’s softball team reveled in a banner 2021 campaign, winning a WPIAL title and outright section crown for the first time in school history. Ohio State recruit Reagan Milliken led a talented eight-player senior class last spring. Milliken was named Class 6A Player of the Year by Trib HSSN...
Defending baseball champ Bethel Park looks formidable
Bethel Park won the big prize in Class 5A last season, defeating Red Land, 4-2, in the PIAA baseball championship game at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. “Words still cannot express the pride I feel for this special group of young men,” coach Pat Zehnder said afterward. “They...
