High School category, Page 736
Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball preseason breakdown
Class 4A is where the stars play in WPIAL boys basketball. Starting with defending champion Lincoln Park, most of the top teams in the class have at least one Division I prospect on the roster. By March, it might come down to which collection of talent comes together best as...
Century: 9 Washington players named all-conference, Davoun Fuse voted MVP
Washington’s Davoun Fuse proved himself to be a dual-threat quarterback by passing for 11 touchdowns and running for 14 more, results that earned the junior MVP honors in the Class 2A Century Conference. In all, Washington garnered nine first-team spots on the all-conference team and earned three individual honors after...
Three Rivers: Sto-Rox leads conference honors with 9 players on 1st team
Sto-Rox outscored Three Rivers opponents 201-12 this season, a dominance that saw quarterback Josh Jenkins and running back Jaymar Pearson named Offensive co-MVPs in the Class 2A conference. In all, the Vikings had nine players earn first-team all-conference honors, and LaRoi Johnson was named as the conference’s top coach after...
Hempfield spirit team starts strong with 4 1st-place finishes
Hempfield’s competitive cheerleading team appears to be a heavy favorite to repeat as WPIAL Class 3A Large Division champion in 2021-22. The Spartans have participated in four events this season with spectacular results — four first-place finishes — and are looking forward to the WPIAL championships set for Jan. 8...
A-K Valley represented at WPIAL championships at Heinz Field
Though no Alle-Kiski Valley teams made it to Heinz Field for this year’s finals, there was still representation related to the Class 5A game. Bruce Crivaro of Lower Burrell, a Valley High School graduate, was on the officiating crew for the game between Penn-Trafford and Moon. He was joined on...
Ligonier Valley coach reflects on up-and-down football season
Two years of football are in the books in Ligonier Valley’s return to the WPIAL after a 50-year run as a member of District 6, where the Rams had established themselves as a consistent contender for the PIAA playoffs. Ligonier Valley reached the District 6 Class 2A championship game each...
Brad Bestic ready to guide St. Joseph athletics in new role
St. Joseph has found its man to guide the athletic department. On Nov. 1, Brad Bestic was hired as the new St. Joseph athletic director and comes to the position ready to lead the school’s teams to the next level. “I’m just really excited, to be honest,” said Bestic, 32....
Westmoreland Senior Spotlight: Norwin’s Riley Zimmerman
The Norwin boys soccer team’s regular season ended with 14 straight wins, propelling the Knights into the playoffs hungry to make a run. Their season ended in a 1-0 loss to North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals, but the season-ending news wasn’t all bad as two Norwin players...
A-K Valley senior spotlight: Freeport’s Lexi Schrecongost
Lexi Schrecongost Freeport swimming The reigning WPIAL Class 2A champion in the 100-yard breaststroke is well aware of the challenges of defending her crown. Freeport senior Lexi Schrecongost rose to the top of the District 7 field last winter, claiming a gold medal in 1 minute, 6.03 seconds. Now, she...
High school sports 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,...
Mt. Lebanon coach Bob Palko returns to PIAA football finals with heavy heart
The mood at Mansion Park Stadium was jubilant as Mt. Lebanon’s football team won a state semifinal for the first time in school history, yet amid the celebration coach Bob Palko held back tears. “It’s humbling. Very humbling,” he said. “I’d rather be there (in Hershey) with my buddy, but...
Trib HSSN football team of the week: Dec. 6, 2021
The story is well-known now. Aliquippa, a Class A school in enrollment that has always faced the challenge and played up in class in AA and then 3A upon expansion to six classifications in 2016, has spent the last two years forced to play up in Class 4A by the...
This week on Trib HSSN: Week of Dec. 6, 2021
The short ride on the Road to Hershey concludes at the same time the winter sports schedule tips off this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. The PIAA football championships take place over three days in Hershey, and HSSN has audio coverage of four of the state title...
PIHL standings: Week of Dec. 6, 2021
Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings through Sunday, Dec. 5. *- indicates clinched a playoff spot x- indicates eliminated from playoff chase Team, Wins-Losses-Overtime/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class AAA North Allegheny, 8-1-0 = 16 Peters Township, 7-3-1 = 15 Baldwin, 5-1-2 = 12 Mt. Lebanon, 5-4-1...
St. Joseph girls basketball team on the upswing
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...
St. Joseph boys target return to playoffs despite loss of top scorer
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 boys basketball team shows signs of growth
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...
Southmoreland girls basketball team has plenty of experience, talent to continue recent run of success
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...
Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball preseason breakdown
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...
Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball preseason breakdown
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...
Plenty of ‘heroes’ stepped up for Penn-Trafford football in PIAA semifinal victory
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...
Armed with valuable experience, Shaler girls basketball ready to take on season
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,...
Competition for starting jobs energizes Shaler boys basketball
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...
After graduation losses, Penn Hills girls basketball out to prove doubters wrong
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...
Penn Hills boys basketball ready to attack opponents with sharpened shooting skills
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...
