High School category, Page 735
Class 2A wrestlers to watch in the WPIAL during the 2021-22 season
Dayton Pitzer, Mt. Pleasant The senior Pitt commit has an 85-3 career record and captured his second WPIAL and PIAA titles by winning the 215-pound weight class. An injury prevented him from wrestling his sophomore season. Rune Lawrence, Frazier The sophomore (30-1) earned his first WPIAL and PIAA titles at...
Challengers line up to try to dethrone Burrell in WPIAL Class 2A wrestling
Burrell has won 15 consecutive WPIAL Class 2A titles, but could this be the year its reign ends? Some coaches have said, “until someone beats them, I won’t believe it.” But the Bucs, who went 14-2 last season, return only five starters from a team that placed third in the...
WPIAL schedules hearing to address racial allegations against South Side football team
The WPIAL has scheduled a hearing Dec. 21 to address racial allegations stemming from a football playoff game last month between South Side and Steel Valley. The WPIAL board voted to bring in school administrators and football coaches along with athletes and other individuals identified in written reports submitted by...
Frazzled Birdie learns to not pick against Penn-Trafford
Last week: 0-1 (0%) Season: 98-39 (71.5%) ^ When he muffs a prediction like he did last week, the Birdie often blames an old football injury. “I stepped on an old football and fell down and hit my head,” he said, rubbing his noggin and wincing. “Still gets me now...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 7, 2021
High schools Football PIAA playoffs Class 6A Championship Saturday’s schedule St. Joseph’s Prep (11-2) vs. Mt. Lebanon (14-0) at Hershey, 6 p.m. Class 5A Championship Friday’s schedule Imhotep Charter (11-1) vs. Penn-Trafford (12-2) at Hershey, 7 p.m. Class 4A Championship Thursday’s schedule Bishop McDevitt (12-1) vs. Aliquippa (12-1) at Hershey,...
High school roundup for Dec. 7, 2021: North Catholic’s Bourque shuts out Moon
Dylan Bourque made 23 saves to earn the shutout and lead North Catholic to a 3-0 victory over Moon in PIHL Class A hockey Tuesday night. Evan Robbins, Tay Melis and Colin Gnarra scored for North Catholic (6-2-1). Tyler Rieke made 34 saves for Moon (5-4). Pine Richland 5, Peters...
Latrobe expecting to challenge Waynesburg for Class 3A wrestling supremacy
When Mark Mears took over the Latrobe wrestling program a year ago, he inherited a program that was on the rise. While his first season didn’t go as planned, the second season might turn out to be something special. The Wildcats are loaded and could challenge Waynesburg for the WPIAL...
Former PIAA football championship coaches offer advice to Penn-Trafford’s Ruane
As John Ruane prepares his football team for Friday’s PIAA Class 5A championship game against Imhotep Charter, the veteran Penn-Trafford coach has many things to worry about. But former Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta and former Jeannette coach Roy Hall offered this suggestion: Make sure you enjoy the atmosphere leading...
Waynesburg wrestling team eyes 3rd consecutive WPIAL Class 3A title
Waynesburg rolled to the PIAA and WPIAL Class 3A titles in the 2020-21 season, and with nine starters returning, there is no reason why it shouldn’t make another run, especially in the WPIAL. The Raiders (16-0) will be attemping to win their third consecutive Class 3A title and eighth in...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Hempfield senior to play ball at Youngstown State
Some people consider Aiden Dunlap a hockey player who also plays baseball — in a Happy Gilmore kind of way. It is quite the contrary, apparently. The Hempfield senior is a baseball player first, hockey player second. At least according to his college decision. Dunlap, a middle infielder with smarts,...
Class 3A wrestlers to watch in the WPIAL during the 2021-22 season
Class 3A wrestlers to watch: Briar Priest, Hempfield The senior is the returning PIAA 132-pound champion. He was 34-5 in 2021 and is 98-20 overall. He signed with Pitt. Mac Stout, Mt. Lebanon The senior was a PIAA runner-up in 2020 after winning his first WPIAL title. He missed the...
Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball preseason breakdown
West Allegheny became the poster boys of “anybody can win it” when it comes to the WPIAL basketball playoffs after taking the 2007 boys Class AAA crown as the No. 16 seed. Well, West A has company on that poster after No. 11 seed Ellwood City went on a shocking...
Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball preseason breakdown
After beating Mohawk twice in the regular season, North Catholic looked ready to be fitted for a WPIAL girls basketball crown for the 21st time. However, in a district title game eyebrow-raiser, the Warriors upset the Trojans, 54-48, to bring the first basketball championship back to Bessemer. Here is a...
Trib HSSN state football rankings for Dec. 7, 2021
The stage is set for the final six high school football games in the state as we conclude the 2021 season this week in Hershey. Six PIAA champions will be crowned Thursday through Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium with at least three new champions and a possible three repeat winners. St....
A-K Valley Class 3A wrestling preview: Led by Lehigh recruit, Kiski Area reloads
The Kiski Area wrestling team had some youth in its lineup last year, but it still was able to win the Section 1-3A title. The Cavaliers did lose a couple of key wrestlers to graduation in state medalists Sammy Starr and Braden Roscosky but have plenty of returners that are...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 6, 2021
High schools Football PIAA playoffs Class 6A Championship Saturday’s schedule St. Joseph’s Prep (11-2) vs. Mt. Lebanon (14-0) at Hershey, 6 p.m. Class 5A Championship Friday’s schedule Imhotep Charter (11-1) vs. Penn-Trafford (12-2) at Hershey, 7 p.m. Class 4A Championship Thursday’s schedule Bishop McDevitt (12-1) vs. Aliquippa (12-1) at Hershey,...
High school roundup for Dec. 6, 2021: Ruffner nets 2 for Upper St. Clair
Colin Ruffner scored two goals in the second period to lead Upper St. Clair to a 4-3 victory over Mt. Lebanon in PIHL Class 3A hockey Monday night. Greyson Bayer and Charlie Sweet also found the back of the net for Upper St. Clair (4-5). Hollis Whalen scored a third-period...
Belle Vernon sophomore Quinton Martin picks up third Big Ten offer
Picture this: Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin and Cade Yacamelli of Penn-Trafford lining up in the same backfield or defensive secondary at Wisconsin a few years down the road. You never know. Now that Martin has a scholarship offer from the Big Ten Badgers — Yacamelli is already committed to play...
Trib HSSN Football Player of the Week for Dec. 6, 2021
Most teams at all levels of football prefer to defer receiving the football until the second half when they win the coin toss. That has been a standard practice for the Mt. Lebanon football season this year — until Saturday. “Normally we defer, but we knew we wanted to get...
Standout sophomores have Yough boys basketball team ready to compete
It’s hard for Yough boys basketball coach Jim Nesser to hold back his excitement for the upcoming season. But the veteran coach, while not predicting a section title, feels his young Cougars are ready to take a giant step forward after struggling in 2020-21 and finishing 3-13 overall and 0-6...
Upsized roster boosts enthusiasm in Valley girls basketball program
There was an unfamiliar sight at a Valley High School girls practice last week — players. After struggling with player turnout so often over the past few years, the Vikings had 14 girls on the floor practicing and 22 listed on the roster under new coach Marta Regus. Regus has...
Yough girls look to build on last year’s success
When Mike Gerdich took over the girls basketball program at Yough in 2017, he inherited a team that won one game and hadn’t won a section game in five seasons. And while the section losing streak extended to 99 consecutive games before it ended with a victory against Ligonier Valley...
Midwestern: Laurel’s Luke McCoy, Beaver Falls’ Mekhi Clark top all-conference team
Laurel running back Luke McCoy, who ranked among the WPIAL rushing leaders this season, was honored three times by Midwestern coaches in all-conference voting. McCoy was named Offensive Player of the Year and earned all-conference honors on both sides of the ball. He rushed for 1,720 yards and 30 touchdowns....
New coach, returning starters look to get Valley boys basketball back on track
The Chuck Crummie coaching tree continues to sprout limbs, this time all the way to New Kensington and Arnold. John Stone, who played and coached under Crummie at Central Catholic, has now taken over the Valley basketball program. Crummie won 653 games in 39 seasons at Central Catholic. “I played...
Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball preseason breakdown
Last March, Beaver used a stingy defensive effort to hold down a talented Quaker Valley team in the Class 4A girls basketball finals, winning the program’s first WPIAL championship. Both the Bobcats and Quakers suffered significant graduation losses after that championship confrontation, though, leaving the field wide open heading into...
