High School category, Page 795
Franklin Regional girls volleyball embraces changes
It’s not exactly a hot take by Rachel Frye, the new Franklin Regional girls volleyball coach, when she says her team will be watched by many this season. Champions often get the proverbial target on their backs the following year. “After our successful season last year we will have a...
Franklin Regional boys hope to defend golf title
When Franklin Regional won the 2020 WPIAL Class 3A golf title, it might have surprised some, but it didn’t shock coach Jeff Traphagen. He felt it was something his program was building towards since the Palmer Jackson days. Jackson, a sophomore at Notre Dame, played for the Panthers from 2015-18....
Senior’s return helps spark Hampton girls tennis team to early-season wins
On the first day of Hampton girls tennis practice last month, coach Grant McKinney could hardly believe his eyes. Senior Megan Kang, one of the school’s top singles players who sat out last season because of covid concerns, was walking onto the court at Hampton Community Park, racquet in hand....
Hampton football making noise with super start
On the bus ride home from their 51-13 victory at Fox Chapel on Sept. 3, the Hampton football players couldn’t play any music during their joyful postgame celebration. “I think the speaker we brought died,” senior tackle John Morris said. But the Talbots are still making plenty of noise. Hampton...
Patience required as Fox Chapel volleyball program rebuilds
The key word for the Fox Chapel girls volleyball program this year — and maybe even next year — is patience. Second-year coach Diana Andreyko hopes to get the program back to where it was in 2012 when the Foxes were the WPIAL runner-up to Mt. Lebanon. But it will...
Fox Chapel boys soccer ready to add to championship history
Fox Chapel is loaded up and set to make another boys soccer run toward the WPIAL playoffs. That’s not surprising, considering that the Foxes have made the playoffs each of the past 21 seasons. By making a run to the Class 4A semifinals last year, Fox Chapel is experiencing its...
2021 WPIAL statistical leaders for rushing, passing, receiving in Week 2
Top performers for Week 2 of high school football in Western Pennsylvania. Passing 288 - Max Blanc, Bethel Park (14 of 29) 284 - Anthony Mackey, Chartiers Valley (11 of 20) 281 - Nick Buckley, Keystone Oaks (27 of 36) 263 - Collin Dietz, Fox Chapel (13 of 21) 251...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Sept. 10, 2021
High schools Football Friday’s results WPIAL Nonconference Albert Gallatin 33, Northern Garrett (Md.) 13 Avonworth 21, Freeport 7 Beaver 46, Hopewell 9 Beaver Falls at OLSH, ppd. Belle Vernon 27, Penn-Trafford 7 Bentworth 20, Frazier 19 Burgettstown 57, Avella 8 California 49, Waynesburg Central 7 Canon-McMillan 34, Bethel Park 27...
Week 2 high school football roundup for Sept. 10, 2021: Chartiers Valley tops Keystone Oaks in OT
Chartiers Valley stopped a two-point conversion try by Class 3A No. 4 Keystone Oaks in overtime to pick up a 35-34 nonconference win Friday night. Chartiers Valley’s Anthony Mackey threw his fifth touchdown of the game earlier in overtime to Abe Ibrahim, and Joseph Krug kicked the ensuing extra point....
Central Valley’s Landon Alexander gets birthday wish, defeats rival Aliquippa
Landon Alexander wished for a win on his 18th birthday. The running back got that and more Friday night as Central Valley defeated rival Aliquippa, 21-12, in a nonconference win at the Quips’ Aschman Stadium. The senior rushed for 212 yards on 23 carries and scored twice in a rematch...
Defense steps up for Moon in shutout victory over Woodland Hills
When Moon needed it most, its defense came through. The Tigers (3-0) bottled up Woodland Hills (1-2), stopping the Wolverines four times in the red zone to win a 15-0 nonconference game at the Wolvarena Friday night. “Our kids battled,” Moon coach Ryan Linn said. “That was our best defensive...
Monessen beats Charleroi in ‘Battle of the Bridge,’ snaps long losing streak
Since arriving at Monessen, first-year football coach Wade Brown constantly has preached to his players that their time was coming. After the hard work they put in during the offseason and first two nonconference games, he knew they were on the verge of reaping the benefits. Then, Brown saw it...
Central Catholic rallies from 28-7 deficit, pulls away from Pine-Richland
After a disappointing loss to Seneca Valley in the final moments last week, Pine-Richland was extra motivated to upset Class 6A No. 1 Central Catholic. Instead, the Vikings made sure the Rams were disappointed again. The Vikings (2-1) came back from 21 points behind to avoid an upset as Central...
Gateway bounces back, rolls past Penn Hills
Gateway looked to send a message Friday night. By the end of a 41-13 road win over Penn Hills, it had done just that. Following a 21-16 loss to Thomas Jefferson a week ago, Gateway (2-1) jumped on Penn Hills early to take a 27-0 lead into half. The Gators,...
Thomas Jefferson controls line of scrimmage, blanks South Fayette
In his 26 years as coach at Thomas Jefferson, it always seems the one constant under Bill Cherpak is dominant play on the interior line. The 2021 edition of the Jaguars is no different, as they held an opponent to negative yards rushing for the second consecutive week and more...
Hempfield football escapes Franklin Regional rally for win
Hempfield made a concerted effort to run the football to open the second half, an impose-your-will mentality driven by junior running back Gino Caesar. Franklin Regional couldn’t stop it. The Panthers nearly rallied, pulling even with the Spartans in the fourth, but the force of the rushing attack and a...
Passing attack guides Greensburg Salem past Mt. Pleasant
Greensburg Salem quarterback Hayden Teska and wide receiver Cody Rubrecht didn’t connect many times in last week’s game against Connellsville. They made up for that Friday at Mt. Pleasant. Teska threw four touchdown passes, three to Rubrecht, and rushed for another to lead the Class 4A Golden Lions to a...
Kiski Area remains unbeaten, gets past Latrobe
Kiski Area and Latrobe conducted a football staredown, trading touchdowns nearly all night long. Until Latrobe flinched. Chad Hepler, picking up the slack when starter Brock Wilkins went down early with an injury, rushed for 136 yards and a key 30-yard touchdown late, and Logan Johnson passed for 171 yards...
Fox Chapel pulls away from Plum, picks up 1st win of season
Something had to give Friday as the Plum and Fox Chapel football teams both hoped to get into the win column after coming up empty over the first two weeks. The Mustangs struck first in the nonconference game at Plum, but the Foxes weathered the early punch and went on...
Long interception returns for TDs highlight Leechburg’s 3rd straight win
Leechburg picked the right way to break in the new artificial turf at Veterans Memorial Stadium — with an emphasis on “pick.” An 82-yard interception return touchdown by Thomas Burke and a 100-yard pick-six by Braylan Lovelace bookended another high-scoring night for the Blue Devils in a 50-20 nonconference win...
Special teams fuel Greensburg Central Catholic to victory over Apollo-Ridge
Two special-teams touchdowns and a switch at quarterback in the second half propelled Greensburg Central Catholic to a 33-7 victory over Apollo-Ridge on Friday night at Owens Field. When it appeared the first Centurions offensive possession stalled, up man Nate Dlugos passed to Jaydin Canady for 45 yards and a...
Big plays from Ross help Seneca Valley get past North Hills
A week ago, Brandon Ross said Seneca Valley can’t win every game on the last play. It wasn’t the last play Friday night at North Hills, but for the second week in a row, the senior wide receiver came through in crunch time. Ross caught a screen pass from Graham...
Highlands easily dispatches rival Burrell
During pregame walk-throughs, Highlands coach Dom Girardi had a worried look about him. His Golden Rams were about to face a bruised and battered Burrell team. But that’s not what he was worried about. What concerned Girardi the most was the rivalry between the schools. Girardi’s worries quickly were put...
Norwin blanks Connellsville in nonconference clash
Connellsville couldn’t have asked for a better start to Friday’s nonconference home game against Norwin. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the start was about the only thing that went their way as the Knights recovered from an early mistake and rolled to a 37-0 victory at Connellsville Stadium. On the first...
Whitlock, Belle Vernon earn statement victory over Penn-Trafford
Belle Vernon quarterback Devin Whitlock continued to dazzle Friday night, running for three touchdowns among his 20 carries for 208 yards, as the Leopards beat Class 5A No. 1 Penn-Trafford, 27-7, in a nonconference game at James Weir Stadium. Whitlock scored on runs of 75, 50 and 1 yards for...
