High School category, Page 797
Birdie hops on Freiermuth bandwagon before picking this week’s A-K Valley matchups
Last week: 9-1 (90%) Season: 16-4 (81.8%) The Birdie spent an afternoon this week scouring the internet for a No. 88 Steelers jersey in women’s avian sizes. He really wanted to get Mrs. Birdie a Pat Freiermuth jersey. “Can’t find one,” the exasperated Birdie huffed. “Guy catches two touchdown passes...
2021 Western Pa. high school football schedule for Week 2
Thursday Nonconference Southmoreland at Perry Traditional Academy, 7 p.m. Friday WPIAL Ambridge at Laurel, 7 p.m. (HSSN*) Avonworth at Freeport, 7 p.m. Baldwin at Upper St. Clair, 7 p.m. Beaver at Hopewell, 7 p.m. Beaver Falls at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, ppd. Bentworth at Frazier, 7 p.m. Blackhawk...
Westmoreland County football players to watch for 2021 Week 2
Drake Clayton Latrobe, Sr., RB Clayton rushed for 216 yards and a touchdown in a 31-28 loss at Norwin last week. His 85-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter helped Latrobe rally for a 28-21 lead. He’s rushed for 256 yards this season. He had a 79-yard touchdown run against...
No day at the beach when Penn-Trafford visits Belle Vernon
Usually when someone goes to the beach, it’s a time to relax in the warm sum and play in the ocean. For football teams that visit the Belle Vernon beach, there is no time to relax or you might go home disappointed. Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane knows what awaits when...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 2
Nonconference Charleroi (0-1) at Monessen (0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Monessen An old rivalry is renewed: the battle for the bridge. Will it be called the Charleroi/Monessen Bridge or the Monessen/Charleroi Bridge? Both are looking for their first wins. Charleroi dropped a 42-7 decision to Class A Carmichaels and...
Quoting Confucius and picking Westmoreland winners, The Birdie’s ready for Week 2
Last week: 8-4 (66.7%) Season: 16-7 (69.6%) Waiting for a eureka moment to spark an idea for his next picks column, the Birdie daydreamed out of the window of a coffee shop he likes to frequent but found himself distracted by a nearby Chinese restaurant. That made him hungry. But...
Westmoreland County girls soccer notes: Small Jeannette roster battles on
Jeannette already had a small roster before a player had to quarantine due to covid exposure, cutting the girls soccer team roster to nine active players. That meant Jeannette had to postpone Wednesday’s season opener at Ligonier Valley. “We couldn’t play with that many, so we have to wait it...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notes: No hard feelings after 30-0 game
The score caught the attention of soccer fans and casual observers alike, and many of them asked the same question upon seeing it: “Is that a typo?” No, Fox Chapel really beat Southmoreland 30-0 on Saturday at the Canon-McMillan tournament to open boys soccer season. That is one large, crooked...
Veteran Latrobe field hockey team wants title game return
Latrobe field hockey coach Jeff Giordan has goals for his players, in athletics and in life. And he uses the game to blend the two. The Wildcats are coming off a respectable season, going 6-4 in the regular season and reaching the WPIAL Class AA semifinals, losing 2-0 to Fox...
Hempfield welcomes new field hockey coach
Hempfield field hockey, a program without at least a .500 record since its inception nearly 20 years ago, will look to former St. Francis (Pa.) midfielder Nikki (Snyder) Schmitt this season in the hope of building a winner. She replaces Michele Fischer, whose teams at Hempfield never won more than...
Westmoreland girls athlete of the week: Hempfield’s Raina Jones
Raina Jones School: Hempfield Sport: Golf Year: Senior Claim to fame: Jones was Hempfield’s medalist in two matches to start the season. Jones shot a 42 in a 203-204 win over Norwin in Section 3-3A action Aug. 20. A few days later, Jones shot a 45 in a 191-290 win...
Leechburg boys soccer, girls volleyball teams postpone games through weekend
The Leechburg boys soccer and girls volleyball teams postponed games through this weekend. The girls volleyball team, which opened its season at the Deer Lakes tournament last Saturday, didn’t play its scheduled Section 4-A opener against Springdale on Tuesday, and Thursday’s section matchup with Riverview also was postponed, said athletic...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Sept. 7, 2021
High schools Field hockey Tuesday’s results Nonsection Penn Trafford 7, Norwin 0 Pine-Richland 6, Hempfield 0 Football Thursday’s schedule Nonconference Southmoreland at Perry Traditional Academy, 7 p.m. Friday’s schedule WPIAL Ambridge at Laurel, 7 p.m. Avonworth at Freeport, 7 p.m. Baldwin at Upper St. Clair, 7 p.m. Beaver at Hopewell,...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Sept. 9, 2021: Thursday night football on the South Side
Week 2 of the 2021 high school football season kicks off Thursday with another battle between the WPIAL and the Pittsburgh City League. After its first loss of the season, Southmoreland (1-1) tries to get back on the winning track when it visits Perry (1-0) for a 7 p.m. kickoff...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Sept. 8, 2021: Finals rematch in girls soccer
Last season, North Catholic and Avonworth played to a scoreless tie in their first Section 1-2A meeting, then the Trojans edged the Antelopes in the final section game of the regular season, 2-1. The third meeting of the season between the two WPIAL girls soccer powers came at Highmark Stadium...
High school roundup for Sept. 7, 2021: Franklin Regional stops Plum in overtime
Jake Zimmerman scored in overtime to complete a comeback for Franklin Regional in a Section 4-3A boys soccer win over Plum on Tuesday night. Anthony DiFalco tied the game with less than two minutes remaining in regulation with his second goal of the game for Franklin Regional (1-1, 1-0). It...
Trib HSSN state football rankings for Sept. 7, 2021
The top 30 teams in last week’s HSSN state football rankings were like an old Bachman-Turner Overdrive classic song as they spent Week 1 takin’ care of business. Only three teams lost their grip on a top five spot. Gateway in Class 5A, Lampeter-Strasburg in 4A and Bishop Guilfoyle in...
Riverview soccer teams eager to be back on field
It has been nearly two years since the Riverview boys and girls varsity soccer teams played games that counted in the WPIAL. That stretch, which included the entire 2020 season when low numbers prevented the teams from competing, came to an end when the Riverview boys faced section foe Eden...
Ellwood City, OLSH cancel Week 2 football games
Ellwood City and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart each canceled their scheduled football games this week because of covid-related issues. OLSH would have hosted Beaver Falls. Ellwood City was scheduled to host Shenango. Both were nonconference games. Beaver Falls and Shenango were attempting to find replacement games. There were...
Freeport football to honor veterans Friday
The Freeport football team takes on Avonworth at home Friday, and the Yellowjackets will honor local veterans and celebrate RED Friday. A Remembering Everyone Deployed ceremony will be during pregame festivities starting at 6:30 p.m. Local veterans will take the field to be honored, and residents of the Mechling Shakley...
Trib HSSN Football Team of the Week 2021: Week 1
It has been 12 years since the Shaler football team has been undefeated through two weeks. While there have been a lot of lean years since 2009, including an 0-7 season last year, the Titans did have back-to-back four-win seasons in 2018 and 2019 that included trips to the WPIAL...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Sept. 7, 2021: Boys soccer opens section play
Once again this school year, the network with the best coverage of high school sports brings you a daily dose of what to watch for around scholastic sports that day. We begin with a look at opening night in WPIAL boys section soccer. Tuesday features a pair of contests matching...
Westmoreland boys athlete of the week: Belle Vernon’s Patrick Bush
Patrick Bush School: Belle Vernon Sport: Golf Year: Junior Claim to fame: Bush shot a 38 for Belle Vernon a 206-214 nonsection loss to Canon-McMillan on Aug. 24. Last season, Bush tied for 25th place with a round of 83 at the WPIAL Class AAA championship at South Hills Country...
Hempfield senior making headlines, helping build girls tennis program
Whether it’s debating the views of world politicians or setting an example in her own life, Alexis Smith has a passion for leadership. Smith is a senior on the Hempfield girls tennis team and is one of the top players in the region. But she also is a standout student,...
Lily Fenton leads Latrobe volleyball team, carries on family legacy
She is the final sibling from a family known for its athletic excellence to etch her name into Westmoreland County sports folklore. And she’s just a junior at Latrobe. Lily Fenton, a 5-foot-6 setter who, in 2020, was a WPIAL first-team all-section player and was recognized by the AAU National...
