High School category, Page 767
Central Valley keeps firm grasp on 1st place in conference, routs Avonworth
The football never saw Central Valley territory in the first quarter. That was a taste of things to come. Central Valley turned in a dominant defensive effort and fended off another challenger to its Class 3A Northwestern Six crown, defeating Avonworth, 43-6, Friday night. Right from the start, Avonworth was...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school football notebook: Leechburg snaps drought
Leechburg traveled Route 66 on Friday to face Imani Christian and wrapped up its first trip to the WPIAL playoffs since 1988. The Blue Devils (7-2, 4-2) snapped the longest playoff drought in the WPIAL with 40 first-quarter points en route to a 66-6 Eastern Conference victory. “This is really...
2021 WPIAL statistical leaders for rushing, passing, receiving in Week 8
Top performers for Week 8 of high school football in Western Pennsylvania. Passing 267 - Hunter Pelehac, Brownsville (14 of 35) 251 - Hayden Teska, Greensburg Salem (20 of 44) 233 - Carter Slowinski, Freedom (14 of 26) 229 - Brad Birch, Gateway (10 of 14) 227 - Zion White,...
Mt. Lebanon football team easily handles Seneca Valley
Mt. Lebanon just keeps on rolling its way through WPIAL Class 6A. The top-ranked Blue Devils (9-0, 6-0) turned a comfortable halftime lead into a total runaway, blasting Seneca Valley, 38-7, on a rainy senior night at Mt. Lebanon Stadium. With the win, Mt. Lebanon secured at least a share...
Field day for California defense in shutout against Monessen
Inclement weather and harsh field conditions played a big role in Friday night’s Tri-County South Conference matchup between California and Monessen. The two Class A foes combined for eight turnovers and slightly more than 150 yards of total offense as the Trojans managed to capture a 23-0 victory over the...
Upper St. Clair rallies for win, honors Jim Render
Upper St. Clair held a ceremony Friday night to honor its legendary former coach Jim Render. With a thrilling comeback win over South Fayette, the Panthers also honored him with a 31-28 overtime victory. The win was set up by a Hail Mary touchdown pass on an untimed down at...
McKeesport knocks off TJ, sets up winner-take-all showdown with Belle Vernon next week
When it comes to the Big 8 Conference, most of the talk usually revolves around Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon. But there’s a new big cat on the block, and the McKeesport Tigers have entered the chat. McKeesport used a plethora of big plays and rode the hot wheels of...
Jeannette transfers lead Greensburg Central Catholic to win over Jayhawks
Talk about a U-turn. Greensburg Central Catholic has four players with Jeannette ties: senior Taishaun Jamison (WR/DB), and juniors Ryan Kimmel (OL/DL), Jaydin Canady (RB/DB) and Amari Mack (WR/DB). So it must have been an interesting 24 hours for the transfers, who left Jeannette on Friday morning to go to...
Ligonier Valley pulls out thrilling win vs. Shady Side Academy
Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel joked he will need to visit his cardiologist after watching the last 24 seconds of Friday’s game against Shady Side Academy. If the emotions of the final sequence were measured, they probably would look like sharp, jagged lines on a heart monitor. The Rams went...
Franklin Regional can’t cool off Penn-Trafford
A cold front blew through Western Pennsylvania on Friday morning, cooling the unusually warm temperatures. What it didn’t do was cool the red-hot Penn-Trafford football team. The No. 2-ranked Warriors (7-2, 4-0) won their fifth consecutive game, scored on their first six possessions and blew out neighboring rival Franklin Regional,...
Highlands pulls away from Greensburg Salem for important Greater Allegheny win
On a rainy senior night at Greensburg Salem, the Golden Lions and Highlands had an important contest when it came to their playoff hopes. After a first quarter in which both teams traded punts, Highlands (6-3, 3-3) capitalized on Greensburg Salem mistakes, which gave the Golden Rams short fields on...
No. 1 Moon shuts out Bethel Park, clinches Allegheny Six title
Moon has a fondness for physical football, clock-consuming drives and 225-pound running backs. It’s a combination that worked again Friday night. But with their usual big-bodied back limited by an injury, tight end/defensive end Ben Bladel became the team’s battering ram and scored the first points in a 30-0 victory...
Pine-Richland comes through for victory over Kiski Area
The Kiski Area football team needed a win Friday at Pine-Richland to keep its WPIAL playoff hopes alive in the Northeast Conference. But for the Cavaliers, it wasn’t to be. Trailing by six in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, a fumbled snap and Pine-Richland recovery by defensive lineman...
Olsen, Armstrong run wild, hold off Plum
Armstrong is in the WPIAL playoffs for the fourth time in the school’s seven-season existence. But holding on for the clincher wasn’t easy. Up by 21 points with 3 minutes left in the third quarter, the River Hawks held off a furious Plum to beat the Mustangs, 35-28, in a...
Long 1st-half drive sparks North Hills to win over Fox Chapel
After neither team could get things going offensively against stout defensive play in the first half, North Hills took over in the middle of the second quarter with the worst field position for either team at its own 10-yard line. The drive that followed sparked the Indians to a 17-10...
Elizabeth Forward clinches conference title with resounding win over Southmoreland
The Southmoreland football team hit visiting Elizabeth Forward with some big body blows in the early part of Friday’s Class 3A Interstate Conference game Friday at Russ Grimm Field in Alverton. However, the Warriors took those body shots, then delivered plenty of their own as Elizabeth Forward recovered from a...
Alle-Kiski Valley WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Games of Oct. 23, 2021
Saturday’s games Boys Class 3A 11-Gateway (10-8) at 6-Kiski Area (14-3) at 6:30 p.m. 3 p.m. at Shawn L. Kuhn Memorial Stadium, Vandergrift Winner plays: Winner of 14-Trinity (10-5-2)/3-Franklin Regional (13-3) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (site TBD) The Gators are in the postseason for a second consecutive season after placing...
Westmoreland WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Games of Oct. 23, 2021
Saturday’s games Boys Class 3A first round 8-Mars (12-4-2) at 9-Belle Vernon (13-4) 2 p.m. at James Weir Stadium, Belle Vernon Winner plays: Winner of 16-Indiana (10-8)/1-West Allegheny (18-0) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (site TBD) Mars is the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion. The Fightin’ Planets have overcome key graduation...
Championship streaks on the line for WPIAL field hockey playoffs
This year’s WPIAL field hockey tournaments have a lot on the line for the favorites in each classification. Pine-Richland is seeking a third straight title in Class 3A. Penn-Trafford is looking for a sixth consecutive crown in Class 2A, and Shady Side Academy is aiming for a four-peat in Class...
3 defending champions awarded top seeds for WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs
A year after capturing WPIAL girls volleyball championships, North Allegheny, North Catholic and Bishop Canevin will try and defend their titles as No. 1 seeds for the 2021 playoffs. The Tigers (Class 4A), Trojanettes (2A) and Crusaders (A) were awarded top seeds Friday by the WPIAL volleyball committee. Freeport earned...
5 things to watch in Week 8: Home field at stake for WPIAL 1st round and quarterfinals
There’s no place like home, especially in the playoffs. This fall that home-field advantage is a bigger factor than usual since the WPIAL decided to extend that perk to higher-seeded teams for both first-round and quarterfinal games. The WPIAL informed schools this week. So, a matchup like Friday’s between Fox...
Winless a year ago, Bethel Park challenges Moon for conference title in Allegheny Six
A year after going winless, the Bethel Park football players have a chance this week to call themselves champions of the Allegheny Six. This, without question, is the team’s biggest game in quite a while when No. 1-ranked Moon (8-0, 3-0) hosts Bethel Park (5-3, 3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday,...
High school scores, summaries and schedule for Oct. 21, 2021
High schools Cross country Thursday’s results Tri-State Track Coaches Association Championship Boys Class 3A Top 20: 1. Drew Griffith, Butler, 16:13.57. 2. CJ Singleton, Butler, 16:22.67. 3. Jack Bertram, North Allegheny, 16:25.31. 4. Noah Petersen, Seneca Valley, 16:39.71. 5. Brett Kroboth, Peters Township, 16:43.87. 6. Jacob Puhalla, Moon, 16:56.50. 7....
Allderdice wins rematch with Brashear, returns to City League championship
Using Jaerone Parker as a wildcat quarterback was a new wrinkle Allderdice added to its game plan this week while preparing to face Brashear for the second time in eight days. Last time, Parker largely played only defense. “They didn’t know what they were going to get this week,” said...
High school roundup for Oct. 21, 2021: Franklin Regional wins finale to grab share of section title
Led by 12 kills from Ella Evans and eight each from Lexa Yankauskas and Lily Alisesky, Franklin Regional defeated Plum, 3-1, in Section 1-3A girls volleyball Thursday night. The win gives the Panthers (12-2) a share of the section title with Plum (12-2) and Indiana (12-2). Postseason brackets will be...
