High School category, Page 740
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...
Knoch boys basketball excited about improved depth alongside top scorer Ryan Lang
When asked what the biggest takeaway was from his team’s offseason of work, second-year Knoch boys basketball coach Alan Bauman pointed to the development of strong depth in the varsity rotation. “Last year, we didn’t have that (depth) as much,” he said. “We just had seven in the rotation. We...
Mt. Pleasant looking to take next step after playoff win
Mt. Pleasant achieved a lot of its goals in the 2021 football season. Make the playoffs. Check. Host a playoff game. Check. Win that home playoff game. Check. But that success leads coach Jason Fazekas to believe a new to-do list could be in order. “We always talk about trying...
Deer Lakes football team begins drastic turnaround by nearly reaching playoffs
It’s quite a contrast to go from 0-7 to waiting around minutes after your final game to see if you made the playoffs. That best describes the Deer Lakes football situation after the Lancers went winless in 2020 and were in the 2021 playoff running until other Allegheny 7 Conference...
After tough year, Apollo-Ridge focused on leadership, brotherhood
The deck was stacked against Apollo-Ridge quite a bit in 2021. A young team to start, the Vikings battled through a gauntlet of a conference schedule while injuries and illnesses took players off of the field. “We dealt with a lot of covid issues that made us even younger,” coach...
Yough girls soccer coach steps down after outstanding 10-year run
Dann Appolonia has four daughters. “But it feels like I have 100,” he said. “What a blessing it has been.” Reflecting back on a decade of memories and the dozens of players he has coached, Appolonia closed the book on a career atop Cougar Mountain. He is stepping down as...
Big East: Penn-Trafford lands 12 players, coach on all-conference football team
A dozen Penn-Trafford football players earned first-team all-conference honors from a Warriors team that went unbeaten in the Big East and won a WPIAL title Saturday. Their coach, John Ruane, was name the conference’s top coach. The first-team all-conference list included Penn-Trafford running back Cade Yacamelli, who starred in the...
Northeast: Dugger brothers among 7 Penn Hills players named all-conference
Penn Hills brothers Julian and Jaden Dugger, a dynamic quarterback-receiver combination for the Indians, each earned first-team all-conference honors in the Class 5A Northeast. They were among seven Penn Hills players who earned first-team honors in a vote of conference coaches. Kiski Area also had seven first-team selections, Pine-Richland had...
Allegheny Six: Moon’s senior class well represented on all-conference team
Moon’s deep and talented senior class, which led the Tigers to the WPIAL finals for the first time since 1998, was well represented on the Allegheny 6 all-conference team. Eight Moon players — all seniors — earned first-team honors, and Ryan Linn was named the conference’s top coach after the...
Class 6A: Mt. Lebanon leads WPIAL all-conference honors with 9 players, coach
Mt. Lebanon won its first WPIAL title in 21 years, and the undefeated Blue Devils were recognized for their season-long success with nine first-team spots on the all-conference team for Class 6A. Their coach, Bob Palko, also was honored. The all-conference list included Mt. Lebanon quarterback Joey Daniels, running back...
High school roundup for Nov. 29, 2021: Baldwin blanks Central Catholic
Trevor Belak and Dom Trimbur had a goal and two assists apiece to lead Baldwin to a 5-0 victory over Central Catholic (5-5) in PIHL Class 3A hockey Monday night. Eddie Nowicki had a 21-save shutout and Carson Kress added a goal and an assist for Baldwin. Tanner Plinta and...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 29, 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.;...
Trib HSSN broadcast schedule: Week of Nov. 29, 2021
The cruise down the Highway to Heinz is over for 2021. Now the drive on the Road to Hershey kicks into full gear this week here on the TribLive High School Sports Network. The PIAA football playoffs hit the state semifinals and HSSN has audio coverage of the 5A and...
Trib HSSN Football Team of the Week for Nov. 29, 2021
From 2012-2016, the Serra Catholic football team was a combined 10-38 in five seasons with one playoff appearance. After Jose Regus was hired before the 2017 campaign, the Eagles have gone 38-17, have reached the district playoffs all five years with a postseason record of 6-4 and are now WPIAL...
Trib HSSN Football Team of the Week for Nov. 29, 2021
From 2012-2016, the Serra Catholic football team was a combined 10-38 in five seasons with one playoff appearance. After Jose Regus was hired before the 2017 campaign, the Eagles have gone 38-17, have reached the district playoffs all five years with a postseason record of 6-4 and are now WPIAL...
Promising Kiski Area girls team coming together
Kiski Area girls basketball coach Nick Dizon likened his team learning and growing to building a puzzle. Once one piece is in place, it’s time to work on fitting in the next one. It’s the theme for the season for a young Cavaliers team rife with freshmen and sophomores that...
With 4 starters returning, Latrobe girls basketball planning winning encore
Four starters return this season to the Latrobe girls basketball team, which looks to defend its section title after a mad scramble for first place saw the Class 5A Wildcats come out on top last year by the thinnest of margins in the WPIAL Section 4 standings. Latrobe, whose 9-1...
New Kiski Area boys coach has visions of turnaround
The excitement of his first season as the Kiski Area boys basketball coach hasn’t waned an ounce for Corey Smith since the day he was hired back in April. He’s accepted the task of restoring his Alma Mater’s hoops program into a formidable one after some lean years. The Cavaliers...
Young Latrobe boys basketball roster looks to overachieve again
Ask Latrobe boys basketball coach Brad Wetzel to name something his teams do well from year to year. The answer might surprise you. They “overachieve.” Take last year’s squad. That group quite possibly outdid them all, according to Wetzel, who enters his 19th season as coach of the Wildcats. “Those...
Franklin Regional’s Anthony DiFalco earns 3rd All-America honor; 10 from WPIAL make all-region
Franklin Regional senior Anthony DiFalco was hoping to cap his brilliant high school soccer career with another WPIAL championship and a PIAA title. While he fell short of his expectations, he was lauded just the same with his third All-American nod. DiFalco was named a United States Soccer Coaches Region...
Plenty of highlights for Kiski Area football despite challenging 2nd half
The going got tougher as the season rolled on for the Kiski Area football team this year. The Cavaliers started out 5-0 for the first time since 2002. But the second half was a challenge for Kiski Area as a couple of narrow conference losses and some injuries took their...
Westmoreland Senior Spotlight: Hempfield’s Brandon Coughlin
Last season, Hempfield’s baseball team had an historic year, reaching the WPIAL Class 6A finals for the first time. With several seniors graduating, Hempfield will look much different this year. But that doesn’t worry senior Brandon Coughlin. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that are pretty talented,” Coughlin said....
After heartbreaking finish, Thomas, GCC reflect on football season
A couple of weeks removed from an unthinkable, devastating end to the 2021 football season, Greensburg Central Catholic coach Marko Thomas has had some time to reflect on the heartbreak he and his team went through. Within a four-day span, the Centurions had to deal with the deaths of two...
Strong finish provides optimism for future of Burrell football
The Burrell football season changed in a flash — literally. In the middle of a gusty downpour, Burrell scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2 minutes remaining against rival Deer Lakes. The moment senior kicker Ethan Croushore’s extra point sailed through the uprights, lightning struck and the game went into a...
A-K Valley senior spotlight: Kiski Area’s Emerson Johngarlo
Emerson Johngarlo Kiski Area soccer A year after having soccer taken away from her, Emerson Johngarlo made it official that the sport she loves will be a major part of her future. The Kiski Area senior signed a national letter of intent earlier this month to continue her soccer career...
