High School category, Page 749
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 10, 2022: Head-to-head battle for section crown
For most of the district girls basketball teams, Thursday marks the end of the fight — the end of battling for section crowns, playoff positioning and postseason berths. However, of the 19 sections in WPIAL girls basketball, only one title is coming down to a head-to-head matchup on the final...
Trib 10: Top teams in power rankings tuning up for playoffs
Like sands in the hourglass, so go the dwindling days of the regular season. With only a couple of days left in section play, the elite teams around the WPIAL are honing their games and flexing their power as the postseason nears. Once again, there was not a lot of...
Deer Lakes girls basketball gets in playoff mode early
Nikki Fleming said she and her Deer Lakes girls basketball teammates didn’t know what to expect at the start of the season with a new coach and a new system in place. But the Lancers senior guard pointed to strong team chemistry as a catalyst to improve as the season...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Playoff participants set
Westmoreland County’s contributions to the WPIAL girls basketball playoff field are set. In Class 6A, local rivals Norwin (15-4, 12-1) and Penn-Trafford (11-8, 8-5), who will meet Thursday night at Penn-Trafford in the Section 1 finale, have qualified. In 5A, Latrobe (14-3, 10-1) is back in the postseason after reaching...
Westmoreland basketball teams welcome chance to start playoffs at home
A number of basketball coaches expressed their admiration for the WPIAL’s decision to allow higher-seeded teams to host first-round and quarterfinal playoff games last season because of the pandemic. The WPIAL was listening. Home sweet home will be the theme again as the league uses the same format for this...
North Allegheny wrestling coach Sunny Abe resigns prior to postseason tournaments
North Allegheny wrestling coach Sanshiro “Sunny” Abe, a former NCAA champion and Olympic wrestler, resigned with one meet left in the regular season and the individual tournaments still ahead. Athletic director Bob Bozzuto said Abe resigned Wednesday for “personal reasons,” but Bozzuto didn’t elaborate. Abe was in his seventh season...
Southmoreland plans symbolic hiring of late football coach Ron Frederick
Ron Frederick couldn’t wait to begin his dream job as the head football coach at Southmoreland. The school district will make sure the late coach’s job becomes official. Southmoreland will follow through with Frederick’s posthumous hiring at Thursday’s meeting, which comes one week after the 40-year-old died unexpectedly. Frederick was...
New Castle’s Joe Cowart resigns after 10 seasons, sent 2 former players to NFL
Not many WPIAL football coaches have had two former players active in the NFL at the same time, but New Castle’s Joe Cowart did during his coaching tenure, which came to a close this winter. Cowart resigned in late January after 10 seasons as New Castle’s football coach, but will...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 8, 2022
High schools Basketball Boys Tuesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Butler 69, North Allegheny 59 North Hills 70, Pine-Richland 57 Section 2 Baldwin 71, Peters Township 59 Upper St. Clair 70, Canon-McMillan 58 Mt. Lebanon 47, Bethel Park 28 Section 3 Central Catholic 86, Greensburg Salem 43 Hempfield 50, Penn-Trafford...
WPIAL boys basketball playoff clinching scenarios as of Feb. 8, 2022
Less than a week remains in section play in the WPIAL boys basketball regular season. This winter, the district returns to earning a ticket to ride on the Path to the Pete with no open tournament and the championships returning to the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center, March 3-5....
Aliquippa ‘hitting stride,’ defeats Seton LaSalle for 1st-place tie in Section 2
A young basketball team can age considerably in the short span of 25 days. Aliquippa had a noticeable growth spurt between its two games against Seton LaSalle, said Quips coach Nick Lackovich, who starts three sophomores and two juniors. About a month after a heart-breaking loss in overtime, Aliquippa played...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 9, 2022: Shady Side Academy on verge on playoffs
During the offseason, Jonna Burke surprised many in the WPIAL basketball bubble by leaving as head coach at her alma mater Bethel Park to take over the girls basketball program at Shady Side Academy. She left a perennial power in 6A to take over a team that finished last and...
Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings for Feb. 8, 2022
Postseason basketball is in the air as the regular season concludes. A sure sign is the elite teams across the state are cranking it up ahead of the upcoming district playoffs. For the first time all year, there were no teams falling out, thus no new teams cracking the Trib...
Trib HSSN boys basketball state rankings for Feb. 8, 2022
As we get closer to the end of the regular season and the start of the district playoffs, the weekly Trib HSSN boys basketball state rankings have become a battle of the super powers between two districts in the east and west. District 12 leads all districts with 10 teams...
High school roundup for Feb. 8, 2022: Carney leads Butler into playoffs
Devin Carney scored 37 points as Butler defeated North Allegheny, 69-59, in Section 1-6A boys basketball Tuesday, clinching a playoff berth and beating the Tigers for the third time this season. Braylon Littlejohn added 10 for the Golden Tornado (11-8, 5-7). Ty Iwanonkiw scored 14, Matt McDonough had 13, and...
Hempfield closes in on WPIAL playoff spot after win at Penn-Trafford
Playing with a sense of playoff urgency, Hempfield pieced together a Section 3-6A win and moved a step closer to securing a postseason berth. Then came the waterworks. “I could cry right now,” coach Bill Swan said, soaked in a white T-shirt, dress pants and damp dress shoes. “These guys...
Record 7 WPIAL teams heading to PIAA wrestling tournament
For the first time in PIAA team championship history, seven teams from the WPIAL will be at Hershey for the tournament, which begins Thursday at Giant Center. Class 2A Burgettstown and Latrobe and Canon-McMillan in Class 3A earned trips to the state tournament with victories Monday in the preliminary round....
Hempfield wins 6th WPIAL rifle championship
Hempfield’s rifle team was right on target Tuesday … in the absolute middle of the target. Boasting 100s across the board, the Spartans celebrated a sixth WPIAL title. Senior Amanda Hardman had a perfect score of 100 with 10 center shots to help Hempfield win the team championship at Dormont-Mt....
Westmoreland notebook: Work to upgrade Derry’s Trojan Stadium begins this summer
The entrance to Derry’s Trojan Stadium is going to look quite different in the near future. Through charitable donations the Derry Area School District Foundation described as “major,” the stadium gateway will undergo renovations this summer. The entry way will include a larger ticket booth, updated restrooms, a new concession...
Trib HSSN WPIAL Individual Wrestling Rankings as of Feb. 8, 2022
Trib HSSN’s WPIAL individual wrestling rankings as of Feb. 8, 2022: Class 3A 106: 1. Luke Willochell (Latrobe) 32-3; 2. Nico Fanella (Indiana) 23-0; 3. Ty Kapusta (Franklin Regional) 18-5; 4. Tanner Mizenko (Canon-McMillan), 21-7; 5. Casey Walker (North Allegheny) 23-9. 113: 1. Ty Chappell (Seneca Valley) 27-4; 2. Brandon...
Allegheny commit Ryan Lang having strong year for Knoch
Ryan Lang worked hard to transform his game, and now it has paid off. Lang, a 6-1 senior guard at Knoch, committed to Allegheny on Sunday. “I love the coaches there. I love the campus and the team,” he said. “I think it’s the best place for me.” Allegheny coach...
Young, small Freeport hockey team enjoying winning streak
This season seems to be more about the journey than the destination for the Freeport hockey team. Featuring a roster loaded with underclassmen, the Yellowjackets seem to peaking at just the right moment heading into the final month of the regular season. “It’s been a transition this year,” said coach...
As Tyler Boyd’s position coach at Pitt, Bobby Engram shared stories of the Super Bowl stage
Amid the chaos of a week where he was named offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, Bobby Engram managed to find time to talk about one of his proteges making it to the Super Bowl stage. As Pitt’s wide receivers coach, Engram recruited Tyler Boyd out of Clairton High School and was...
Trib HSSN WPIAL Team Wrestling Rankings for Feb. 8, 2022
Class 3A Team (record), last week’s ranking 1.Waynesburg (16-0) 1 3. Connellsville (18-2) 3 2. Latrobe (12-1) 2 4. Canon-McMillan (11-5) 5 5. North Allegheny (7-1) 4 6. Kiski Area (14-4) 6 7. Butler (16-4) 7 8. Norwin (10-4) 9 9. Bethel Park (10-5) NR 10. Franklin Regional (6-2) 7...
WPIAL wrestling notebook: Greensburg Salem celebrating 800th win
Greensburg Salem’s athletic department has quite a celebration planned for Wednesday’s match against Ringgold. First, the district will celebrate the team’s 800th victory, which occurred Dec. 18 when the Golden Lions defeated Gateway, 54-18. More than 100 alumni and three previous coaches (Rob Waller, Daryl Kelvington and Bill Alexander) along...
