High School category, Page 744
Penn-Trafford hunting elusive WPIAL football title
Penn-Trafford has a storied football program, but its resume is missing a couple of key items: WPIAL and PIAA titles. The Warriors can add those to the trophy case over the next few weeks starting Saturday at Heinz Field when they face Moon in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game....
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Big-school soccer standouts honored
A number of area soccer players were recognized by the Big 5/6 Conference, which follows the top classifications in WPIAL sports. The website’s all-section teams were announced for boys and girls soccer. Girls’ first-team selections for Section 3-4A include senior Paloma Swankler, junior Reagan Casper and freshman Julia Bursick of...
After top scorer, lack of depth presents challenge for Derry girls basketball
When Gene Brisbane took over the girls basketball program three years ago, he inherited a struggling program. Derry qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in 2020, but the team took a step back in 2021. Like every team, covid-19, injuries and other circumstances slowed the progress. As Brisbane begins his third...
Mt. Lebanon’s latest title gives youngest Harvey brother equal bragging rights at Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving means family, food and football in the Harvey household, and as the youngest of eight kids, William Harvey grew up hearing stories from the time his oldest brother won a WPIAL title. This year, when the siblings gather in Mt. Lebanon for dinner and their annual turkey bowl, he...
Derry boys basketball looking to build on strong offseason
High school basketball practice officially began for the 2021-22 season Nov. 19, but the Derry boys basketball team, like all teams across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, have been holding offseason workouts since the end of the previous season. Derry’s Tom Esposito, who is beginning his 18th season as a head...
High school roundup for Nov. 22, 2021: Knizner’s hat trick fuels Franklin Regional
Matty Knizner scored two of his three goals in the first period to lead Franklin Regional to a 6-2 victory over Shaler in PIHL Class 2A hockey Monday night. Ben Yurko scored the other goal in the first, Chase Williams netted a goal in the second, and RJ Kelly added...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 22, 2021
High schools Football WPIAL playoffs Championship Class 5A Saturday’s schedule Moon (12-0) vs. Penn-Trafford (10-2) at Heinz Field, 6 p.m. Class 4A Saturday’s schedule Aliquippa (10-1) vs. Belle Vernon (10-0) at Heinz Field, 3 p.m. Class 3A Saturday’s schedule Central Valley (12-0) vs. North Catholic (12-0) at Heinz Field, noon...
Trib HSSN Football Team of the Week for Nov. 22, 2021
Bob Palko knows a thing to two about winning championships. Coming into Saturday’s WPIAL Class 6A football title game against Central Catholic, Palko had led teams to eight district crowns, one shy of the leader, Bill Cherpak of Thomas Jefferson. So when he didn’t like what he saw from his...
After football season, Belle Vernon boys basketball team has title aspirations too
There is not much Belle Vernon boys basketball coach Joe Salvino has not dealt with on the hardwood in his 38 seasons in coaching. Case in point: starting basketball practice while the Leopard football team is still playing and may be playing for some time. There are a couple of...
Lots of opportunities await for Apollo-Ridge boys basketball team
The Apollo-Ridge boys basketball team was hit hard by graduation, as much of its starting lineup, including four players who played all 16 games and accounted for 819 of the 915 points the team scored last season, moved on. But coach Greg Fox said new opportunities have created competitive early-season...
Belle Vernon girls basketball looks to build on playoff season
The first year of the Kaitlyn Slagus era at Belle Vernon has to be viewed as a success. She inherited a young team, got the Leopards into the WPIAL playoffs and nearly advanced to the second round. The second season could bring even more successes as Slagus implements more of...
Inexperienced Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team eager to ‘prove themselves’
Veteran Apollo-Ridge girls basketball coach Ray Bartha said he is cautiously optimistic about what direction his Vikings team can take this winter. “We’ve been working and practicing pretty hard,” said Bartha, who enters the second year of his second stint as coach. “Some things look pretty good some days, and...
PIAA releases sites, times for state football quarterfinal round
PIAA football playoffs Quarterfinals Class 6A District 1 final: Coatesville at Garnett Valley, 7 p.m. Friday 12-1 St. Joseph’s Prep vs. 11-1 Freedom at Bishop O’Hara, 6 p.m. Friday 6-1 State College at 3-1 Harrisburg, 1 p.m. Saturday 10-1 McDowell at 7-1 Mt. Lebanon, 7 p.m. Friday Class 5A 10-1...
5 things we learned: Some WPIAL finalists wait decades for championship chance
Welcome to Heinz Field. When Bishop Canevin and Moon last reached the WPIAL finals, Three Rivers Stadium still was standing on the North Short, but those teams’ will end their decades-long waits next weekend. Moon is returning to the WPIAL finals for the first time in 23 years, and Bishop...
High school sports schedules for Nov. 22, 2021
High schools Football WPIAL playoffs Class 5A Finals Saturday’s schedule Moon (12-0) vs. Penn-Trafford (10-2) at Heinz Field, 6 p.m. Class 4A Finals Saturday’s schedule Aliquippa (10-1) vs. Belle Vernon (10-0) at Heinz Field, 3 p.m. Class 3A Finals Saturday’s schedule Central Valley (12-0) vs. North Catholic (12-0) at Heinz...
Trib HSSN football player of the week for 2021 Week 12
Aliquippa continued to build on its astonishing WPIAL football record Friday when it beat McKeesport in double overtime to reach the district championship game for a 14th consecutive year. This time, the Quips were led in part by a fabulous freshman. Tiqwai Hayes carried the ball 44 times and gained...
If forced to Class 5A, Aliquippa might consider leaving WPIAL football for independent schedule
Forcing the Aliquippa football team to play schools two, three or four times its size isn’t safe or fair, regardless of whether the Quips are winning those games, says the school district’s top administrator. Superintendent Phillip Woods wants the PIAA competitive-balance rule to be rewritten. Aliquippa will compete next weekend...
Westmoreland notebook: Greensburg Salem’s McChesney ideal Fralic Award candidate
Greensburg Salem senior Billy McChesney is a standout football player and heavyweight wrestler. So was the great Bill Fralic. Which makes McChesney a perfect fit as a candidate for the 3rd annual Bill Fralic Award, which recognizes the top senior interior lineman in the WPIAL. McChesney is the Class 4A...
Trib HSSN broadcasts for week of Nov. 22-28
The WPIAL football playoffs conclude with a two-day holiday feast at Heinz Field this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN has exclusive video coverage of the Class A and 2A championships Friday, along with audio coverage of the 3A, 4A and 5A finals Saturday. Plus, we...
2021-22 PIHL standings through Nov. 21, 2021
Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings through Sunday: Team, Wins – Losses – Overtime/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class 3A North Allegheny, 8-1-0 = 16 Peters Township, 6-3-0 = 12 Baldwin, 4-1-2 = 10 Mt. Lebanon, 4-4-1 = 9 Pine-Richland, 4-2-0 = 8 Seneca Valley, 4-2-0 =...
Kelsey Salopek of Steel Valley wins Moe Rosensteel Award
Kelsey Salopek led Steel Valley to its first WPIAL girls soccer championship this season. The Ironmen midfielder was one of the league’s top goal scorers. Now, the senior has distinguished herself even more as one of the premier players in District 7 and the PIAA. Salopek on Sunday was named...
After 3rd-place finish at PIAA meet, Riverview bids farewell to decorated senior runners
The Riverview boys cross country team was situated high in the PIAA Class A state rankings through the entirety of the fall season. The Raiders were ready to prove themselves in that capacity at the state championships in Hershey on Nov. 6. Riverview and Winchester Thurston battled again, and they...
Shaler runners build to strong postseason
Tyler Paszkowski and his Shaler cross country teammates started the season slow by design. As the year wore on, the Titans wanted to utilize a strong taper to build toward sending as many athletes to the PIAA Class 3A championships as possible. Shaler’s strategy paid dividends for seniors Samantha Hennen,...
After trip to PIAA semifinals, future looks promising for Plum girls soccer
The Plum girls soccer team accomplished many things in 2021 and finished with 21 victories through the regular season, WPIAL playoffs and PIAA tournament. Coach Jamie Stewart said the girls created an air of excitement among many in the Plum High School community with their play throughout the fall. But...
Baseball, girls soccer players among Norwin standouts making college commitments
Signing day once again was good to Norwin. Or was it the other way around? Prospective student-athletes for all college sports except football could make their commitments official Nov. 10, and Norwin had 19 signees. Baseball had the most with seven, while girls soccer was next with five. The baseball players...
