High School category, Page 739
New-look Plum boys basketball team taking shape
When the final buzzer sounded to conclude Plum’s WPIAL Class 5A first-round loss to New Castle last March, Plum coach Mark Marino was able to take stock of what his veteran team was able to accomplish during a season filled with so many covid-related uncertainties In the days following, he...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: P-T hoops standout tears ACL
Basketball season tips off a week from Friday, and Penn-Trafford already has been dealt a devastating blow to the lineup. Big Ben is done for the season. Senior 6-foot-6 forward Ben Myers tore his ACL and will need six to nine months to recover. The injury occurred during an open...
Green energy powers Penn-Trafford on both sides of the ball
When Penn-Trafford is on offense, opponents just can’t key on senior running back Cade Yacamelli. That’s because senior quarterback Carter Green can’t be ignored. He and Yacamelli give Penn-Trafford a rock-solid 1-2 running punch. “I can’t say enough about this kid,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “You look at him,...
Defense, size could help Mt. Pleasant boys basketball overcome lack of experience
Mt. Pleasant led WPIAL Class 4A in scoring defense last season. The Vikings allowed a paltry 47.6 points per game. Among the district’s three largest classifications, only two teams posted a better defensive scoring average. Now, imagine how low the total might have been if Mt. Pleasant avoided a 2-6...
Behind Zelmore, Mt. Pleasant sets sights on WPIAL playoff run
The Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team won seven of its final nine games last season. Among the victories was a first-round defeat of Freeport in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. The win catapulted the Vikings into the quarterfinals for the first time in seven years, but the postseason stay was...
Plum girls look to build off historic trip to postseason
When Rich Mull took over the reigns of the Plum girls basketball program in August, he was anxious to get going full speed ahead with a youthful group of players he knew had the potential to do great things. From workouts and games in the fall to now being fully...
Northwestern Six: Central Valley tops all-conference picks with 13 spots on 1st team
Central Valley earned 13 first-team spots on the Northwestern Six all-conference team with Sean FitzSimmons, Jack Bible and Jayvin Thompson honored on both sides of the football. The Warriors, who won the WPIAL Class 3A title with an undefeated record, also swept the conference’s individual player awards. Running back Landon...
Allegheny Seven: North Catholic wins 4 individual awards in all-conference voting
North Catholic’s Kyle Tipinski, Tyler Primrose and Andrew Stephens, who led the Trojans to the WPIAL finals, all earned individual player awards in all-conference voting for the Allegheny Seven. North Catholic’s Pat O’Shea was voted the conference’s top coach. The Trojans (12-1) went undefeated in the regular season with six...
Interstate: Elizabeth Forward’s Brownfield, Southmoreland’s Govern top all-conference team
Elizabeth Forward’s defense allowed only 28 points combined in six conference games, a dominance that led Interstate coaches to name senior DaVontay Brownfield as the conference’s top defensive player. In all, 10 Elizabeth Forward players earned first-team all-conference honors. The Warriors finished 6-0 in the WPIAL Class 3A conference. Southmoreland...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 1, 2021
High schools Football PIAA playoffs Semifinals Class 6A Saturday’s schedule Garnet Valley (14-0) vs. St. Joseph’s Prep (10-2) at Ridley, 7 p.m.; State College (8-5) vs. Mt. Lebanon (13-0) at Altoona’s Mansion Park, 1 p.m. Class 5A Friday’s schedule Imhotep Charter (10-1) vs. Strath Haven (13-1) at Ridley, 7 p.m.;...
Penn-Trafford, Exeter Township enter uncharted waters in PIAA semifinals
Penn-Trafford football historian Rush Pedder wrote a book about the past 50 years of the program. Now, he has some interesting new chapters to start another. After winning the school’s first WPIAL football title in the 50th year of the school, the Warriors enter uncharted waters when they face Exeter...
Trib 10: WPIAL champs take their rightful place in top 6 in power rankings
The WPIAL playoffs are in the books with five new champions crowned. The results ended several lengthy title droughts among the 2021 champions. Mt. Lebanon in Class 6A ended a 21-year drought, Serra Catholic in 2A went 14 years between crowns, and Bishop Canevin won gold for the first time...
PIAA appeals board upholds stern punishment for Bishop McCort wrestling program
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Board of Appeals listened Wednesday to the case of Bishop McCort on penalties levied by District 6 on its athletic programs. The group decided after about a half-hour of deliberation to sustain those penalties with amendments. The PIAA announced a postseason ban for Bishop McCort wrestlers for...
Birdie predicts state playoff ‘exet’ for last Westmoreland County team standing
Last week: 1-1 (50%) Season: 98-38 (72.1%) After a wild weekend at Heinz Field that saw the Birdie get splashed with Gatorade, get buried under a Penn-Trafford dog pile and get escorted out by security for trying to make a snow angel on the lightly coated sod, the Westmoreland pigskin...
Leechburg girls working toward improvement this season
The West Leechburg steel mill is long gone, but fourth-year girls basketball coach Andre Carter has his team clocking in and clocking out. Carter has each girl sign in when she arrives at practice and sign out when she leaves. “When you talk about doing things outside of basketball, we...
After nearly reaching WPIAL finals, Leechburg boys again have high expectations
Just 31 seconds. That’s all that stood between the Leechburg boys basketball team and a trip to the WPIAL finals last season. The Blue Devils were down by one to Rochester and inbounded beneath their hoop. Ultimately, the Rams stole a loose ball and held on for a 58-55 victory....
Big Eight: Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock, McKeesport’s Bobbie Boyd lead all-conference team
Thomas Jefferson was dethroned from its familiar spot atop the Big Eight this season, and two of the players most responsible received individual honors in all-conference voting. Belle Vernon senior Devin Whitlock was named offensive player of the year, and McKeesport junior Bobbie Boyd was named as the conference’s top...
Greater Allegheny: Hampton rewarded for conference title with 9 spots on 1st team
Hampton celebrated its first conference title since 2014, an achievement recognized in all-conference voting. The Talbots had nine players earn first-team honors, including leading rusher Christian Liberto, a senior who scored 17 times and topped 1,100 rushing yards. Liberto was joined by teammates Benny Haselrig, Mike Witherup, Logan Rutledge, John...
Parkway: Aliquippa leads all-conference voting with 14 players on 1st team
Aliquippa outscored Parkway opponents 237-40 this fall, a regular-season dominance that was reflected in voting for the all-conference team. Fourteen Aliquippa players earned first-team honors in the Class 4A conference, including lineman Jason McBride, who was recognized on both sides of the ball. McBride was joined by teammates Jon Tracy,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 30, 2021
High schools Football PIAA playoffs Semifinals Class 6A Saturday’s schedule Garnet Valley (14-0) vs. St. Joseph’s Prep (10-2) at Ridley, 7 p.m.; State College (8-5) vs. Mt. Lebanon (13-0) at Altoona’s Mansion Park, 1 p.m. Class 5A Friday’s schedule Imhotep Charter (10-1) vs. Strath Haven (13-1) at Ridley, 7 p.m.;...
After going winless, Ligonier Valley girls basketball showing improvement as season approaches
After a winless 2020-21 season, the only direction the Ligonier Valley girls basketball team can go is up. Second-year coach Emily Daugherty and her team were hindered by covid-19 and the decision to play up in class. Daugherty was hired late after Tim Gustin was named the boys coach in...
Ligonier Valley boys basketball hopes for smoother sailing in 2nd season back in WPIAL
Ligonier Valley’s return to the WPIAL saw a lot of ups and downs during the boys basketball season. Because coronavirus shut down the school until mid-January, the athletic teams had little time to prepare for the season. “We had 20 practices all season last year,” Ligonier Valley coach Tim Gustin...
Trib HSSN state football rankings for Nov. 30, 2021
The 2021 football season has reached the final four in the PIAA. Now, only the remaining teams plus one “honorable mention” get to sit on the throne that is the Trib HSSN weekly state rankings. In all but Class 5A, there were few surprise results as the elite across the...
PIAA is subject to state open records laws, court rules
The Commonwealth Court on Tuesday said that Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is subject to the state’s Right to Know Law. In a 28-page opinion, the appellate court said it is “undisputed” that the PIAA, which governs high school athletics, is a state-affiliated entity and therefore subject to providing information pursuant...
Knoch girls basketball team motivated by unfinished business
Madilyn Boyer wants to help put a “2022” on a girls basketball section-championship banner in the gym at Knoch High School. The senior guard was part of a frustrating conclusion to an undefeated section slate. The team went 7-0 in section play, but because the section standings reached an uneven...
