High School category, Page 800
Big plays help unbeaten Ligonier Valley past Elizabeth Forward
Ligonier Valley made several big plays and turned the momentum to its favor early in taking down Elizabeth Forward 26-14 in nonconference play Friday night. The Rams (2-0) scored a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, a 68-yard touchdown pass from Haden Sierocky to Grant Dowden. Ligonier Valley coach...
Seneca Valley stuns Pine-Richland with late touchdown pass
The adrenaline still was running at maximum for Brandon Ross moments after catching the winning touchdown pass in the final 10 seconds to propel his Seneca Valley Raiders to a 24-20 win over Pine-Richland. “I might have blacked out a little,” Ross said. “I just remember catching it, running on...
Ringgold football runs to shutout of Yough
Ringgold coach Darwin Manges was looking for his Rams to build confidence after last week’s tough loss to Elizabeth Forward. After a dominating display in Friday’s game against Yough at Joe Montana Stadium, Manges and his Rams are full of confidence. The offense was firing on all cylinders, and the...
Alex Tecza, Mt. Lebanon teammates jump on Upper St. Clair to improve to 2-0
So far, so good for the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils in 2021 as they took care of their second straight South Hills rival, defeating Upper St. Clair, 36-13, Friday night at Mt. Lebanon Stadium. For the second straight game, it was a quick start for Mt. Lebanon, which scored 20...
Belle Vernon routs Chartiers Valley behind methodical offense, staunch defense
Belle Vernon Area couldn’t have scripted a better start for its Week 1 nonconference matchup against Chartiers Valley on Friday night. The Leopards received the opening kickoff, and three minutes late, they were in the end zone after a nine-play, 80-yard drive. BVA never looked back, racking up 388 yards...
Senior quarterback steps up, leads Thomas Jefferson past Gateway in battle of top-ranked teamsVideo
Quarterback was considered a big question mark for Thomas Jefferson, so coach Bill Cherpak intended to give a couple of players snaps there. Joe Lekse altered those plans. The senior first-year starter threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another Friday night as Thomas Jefferson defeated host Gateway, 21-16, in...
Penn-Trafford jumps out to early lead in rout of Hempfield
This scoring on the first play of the game thing is catching on at Penn-Trafford. First-year senior quarterback Carter Green did it last week when he scored on a 99-yard run against Norwin. This week it was senior running back Cade Yacamelli who took the first snap from scrimmage to...
Greensburg Salem reverses fortunes in 4th quarter, pulls away from Connellsville
In its opener a week ago, Greensburg Salem folded in the fourth quarter. The Golden Lions didn’t let it happen again on Friday night. Greensburg Salem scored 20 fourth-quarter points to pull away from visiting Connellsville and earn a 36-19 victory. Hayden Teska threw a touchdown pass and rushed for...
Norwin’s Levendosky clutch in final minute of win versus Latrobe
Norwin runs the 2-minute drill almost every day at practice. So with 32 seconds left Friday in a nonconference game against Latrobe, Norwin quarterback Luke Levendosky ran it to perfection. The senior used his arm and legs to drive Norwin to the Latrobe 4, where junior Joe Castle nailed a...
Freeport builds big lead, holds off rival Knoch
Last year’s Freeport and Knoch football game was canceled amid the plethora of schedule changes because of the covid pandemic. The teams resumed their rivalry Friday at Knoch Knights Stadium, and the Yellowjackets raced to a four-touchdown lead at halftime before holding off a Knights comeback attempt for a 28-14...
Big plays leads Highlands past Valley
Highlands quarterback Chandler Thimons made the most of his pass completions Friday night at Valley. The junior completed three passes — all for touchdowns — as the Golden Rams routed the Vikings, 41-6, in a nonconference game at Valley Memorial Stadium. Thimons threw touchdowns of 45 and 40 yards to...
North Hills football easily dispatches PlumVideo
Robert Dickerson stood outside of his locker room, popped a couple of Hot Tamales candies in his mouth and just kept on smiling. And why not? He doesn’t mind bringing the heat. Dickerson, North Hills’ standout senior receiver, was bottled up on offense all night but pulled off a pair...
Laurel Highlands prevails in toe-to-toe battle with Southmoreland
Southmoreland matched Laurel Highlands score for score, but the rushing attack of Rodney Gallagher and Eric Allen was too much for the Scotties in the Mustangs’ 28-21 victory on Friday at Russ Grimm Field. Gallagher ran for 157 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns and Allen added 149 yards...
Kiski Area takes advantage of Franklin Regional’s mistakes to come away with win
Kiski Area capitalized on several gaffes by Franklin Regional for a 24-14 win Friday night in a Class 5A nonconference matchup in Vandergrift. Kiski (2-0, 0-0) returned two interceptions for touchdowns and recovered a fumble deep in Franklin Regional (1-1, 0-0) territory,which led to a field goal. The second pick-6...
Indiana grounds Burrell, sails to decisive victory
With 100 yards of plush two-tone green field turf surrounded by a bright cosmic blue track, Buccaneer Stadium’s new makeover gives the illusion the Burrell football team is playing on an island. The Bucs’ ship never set sail Friday night and stayed grounded as Indiana put up 22 second-quarter points...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Sept. 2, 2021
High schools Football Thursday’s result Nonconference Perry Traditional Academy 34, Uniontown 0 Friday’s schedule Nonconference Aliquippa at Beaver Falls, 7 p.m. Allderdice at Oak Glen, W.Va., 7 p.m. Apollo-Ridge at Avonworth, 7 p.m. Avella at Fort Cherry, 7 p.m. Beaver at Central Valley, ppd. Belle Vernon at Chartiers Valley, 7...
Perry blanks Uniontown to kick off Week 1
Quarterback Ahmad Arrington had a hand in a pair of long first-half touchdowns, leading Perry Traditional Academy to a 34-0 victory over Uniontown (0-1) in nonsection football Thursday night at Cupples Stadium. In the second quarter, Arrington scored on a 43-yard run and hit Nate Cutler with a 63-yard scoring...
5 things to watch in WPIAL football Week 1: Teams roll with covid cancellations
If high school football teams were hoping covid shutdowns were left behind in 2020, this week shows they’re not gone yet. In all, four Week 1 matchups were canceled. Scheduled games between Riverview and Chartiers-Houston, Beaver and Central Valley, Hopewell and Blackhawk, Butler and Erie High, and Westinghouse and Kirtland...
Jeannette football team to wear helmet decals to honor late coach Mucci
Thinned-out Jeannette will honor the memory of one of its all-time great football coaches Friday night as players wear special “JM” helmet decals for the late Joe Mucci. Jeannette (0-1) hosts Sto-Rox (1-0) at 7 p.m. at McKee Stadium. The Jayhawks’ coach from 1968-85, Mucci died last December from complications...
Trib HSSN don’t-miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 1
In what we hope is not a flashback to last year, five area high school football games slated for this holiday weekend have been postponed due to covid-19 related issues. Beaver at Central Valley, Hopewell at Blackhawk, Riverview at Chartiers-Houston, Kirtland (Ohio) at Westinghouse and Butler at Erie have been...
Through the years: Burrell’s Cole Bush thwarts Valley comeback
Each Friday throughout the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch will take a look back at the games, players and events that are part of local scholastic history. Cole Bush scored on a 2-yard run to lift Burrell to a 23-16 overtime win at Valley in 2011. The...
Mt. Pleasant junior Casey Shaffer plays on despite death of his mother; ‘She would have wanted me to’
As he surged through the line and wrapped up a Burrell ball carrier for his first tackle of the game — and season — Casey Shaffer could hear a familiar cheer. It was faint, but it rang so true in his ears — and in his heart. His mother had...
A-K Valley girls volleyball preview: Freeport seeks 17th straight section title
In the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s preseason poll for Class AAA, four of the top six girls teams in the rankings are the ones who finished in a four-way tie for last year’s Section 5-AAA title. Leading the way is No. 2 Freeport, which won its 16th straight section...
No imposters here: Chick’s Picks has your Week 1 WPIAL football winners
Amidst the controversy unraveling this week about the football program at the alleged “fake” high school, Bishop Sycamore, Chick’s Picks reflected on a time when she, herself, was duped by an imposter. The year was 2003. Chick’s Picks was still relatively new to prognosticating, but her tremendous success early in...
Sasko Classic returns at Belle Vernon to kick off soccer season
You know the WPIAL soccer season is here again when the name Paul Sasko appears on schedules. The Paul Sasko Kickoff Classic is back at Belle Vernon after it was canceled last season. The pandemic tightened the early part of the WPIAL schedule and organizers could not find a place...
