High School category, Page 804
Smith shines as Franklin Regional beats rival Plum
Things couldn’t have started any better for Franklin Regional and new coach Lance Getsy on Friday against Plum at Franklin Regional Stadium in Murrysville. A Caden Smith interception, his first of three picks, on the first play from scrimmage led to a Connor Donnelly 2-yard touchdown run. With less than...
Led by QB’s 99-yard run on 1st snap, Penn-Trafford speeds past Norwin
If the first play of the season is an indicator of how Penn-Trafford’s football season is going to go, watch out for the Warriors. Carter Green took his first snap as the Warriors’ starting quarterback and went 99 yards for a touchdown on the team’s first play from scrimmage —...
Olsen, Armstrong roll after slow start in victory over Freeport
It took a little more than a quarter for Cadin Olsen to get into gear. But when the 6-foot-5, 205-pound junior quarterback started clicking with some new players in the lineup, the Armstrong River Hawks were on their way to an opening night victory, 48-14 at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium....
Southmoreland football holds on vs. McGuffey
Southmoreland had the ball on its own 20 and a 20-point lead when Anthony Govern threw a deep pass over the middle that was intercepted by McGuffey’s Ethan Dietrich and returned 45 yards for a touchdown with 19 seconds left in the first half. Josh Plants made the second of...
Mt. Pleasant turns in dominating performance, beats Burrell in season opener
Heading into its season opener, Burrell knew it needed to dictate the tempo with its run game. The Mt. Pleasant defense thwarted the Bucs from establishing anything on offense. The Vikings capitalized on their short fields and Burrell miscues in a 40-7 nonconference win Friday night at Mt. Pleasant Viking...
Central Catholic draws Philadelphia power Imhotep Charter in cross-state Week Zero clash
Finding a willing Week Zero opponent nearby isn’t always easy for Central Catholic, the two-time defending WPIAL Class 6A champion. “I’ll be honest, there are calls I avoid, too,” said coach Terry Totten, listing nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. “But for the most part, yeah, teams...
2021 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the new coaches
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the biggest coaching moves for the 2021 season. 1. Steve Campos Pine-Richland Campos’ hire certainly drew the most attention this summer. That’s largely because of the controversy that arose when...
2021 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the kickers
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top kickers and punters for the 2021 season. 1. Andrew Massucci Peters Township Senior, 5-9, 160 Massucci is one of the WPIAL’s top soccer players but also doubles as...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 26, 2021
WPIAL Football Friday’s schedule Western PA vs. Everyone Showcase At Wolvarena Bishop Sycamore (Ohio) vs. Sto-Rox, 5 p.m. Imhotep vs. Central Catholic, 8 p.m. Nonconference Albert Gallatin at Yough, 7 p.m. Allderdice at North Allegheny, 7:30 p.m. Ambridge at Wheeling Central Catholic (W.Va.), 7 p.m. Armstrong at Freeport, 7 p.m....
Trib HSSN 2021 high school football preview hub
From Union to Waynesburg, Avella to Ligonier Valley, Trib HSSN has previewed the 2021 WPIAL football season from top to bottom and left to right. Here’s a hub for all of those stories, including previews of 118 teams, a breakdown of the championship races in all six classes and a...
First-year coach Wade Brown tackles Monessen rebuild
When Monessen got together for preseason workouts, first-year coach Wade Brown typically had 15 or 16 players attend. The key being they weren’t always the same 15 or 16 players. Injuries, academic issues and apathy infiltrated Monessen’s once-proud program last season and derailed it after four games. Because of low...
Breakout players back to power West Greene
For West Greene, the 2020 season was a mission to forge an identity after the Ben Jackson and Kolin Walker era of running through opponents. The Pioneers lost three of their first four games but won three straight to close the season, and with 11 starters returning on offense and...
Motivated Mapletown hunting for playoff berth
Mapletown football coach George Messich believes this year’s team is the most motivated group he’s had during his time at the school. The Maples, who finished 2-5 last season, return nine starters on offense and defense leading into its season-opener against Avella at home. “Our goal every year is to...
New coach stresses preparation at Jefferson-Morgan
Brent Baker won’t necessarily have to build from the ground up as he takes over the Jefferson-Morgan football program. The first-year head coach spent the past three years as an assistant coach and worked at all levels of the program. Baker has been an assistant coach at three programs —...
Carmichaels seeks playoff return after hard-luck miss
Carmichaels won its first five games last year before dropping two in a row to end the season. Most years, the Mikes, who tied for second place in the Tri-County South Conference with a 5-2 record, would have been heading to the WPIAL Class A playoffs. But with spots limited...
Avella looks to keep ball rolling after breakthrough season
For Avella coach Ryan Cecchini, last year’s run to the playoffs showed that even if his program doesn’t always have the biggest roster, it can compete in the WPIAL. The Eagles surprised a lot of people by finishing second in the Tri-County South and earning their first playoff berth since...
5 things to watch in WPIAL football Week Zero: On opening night, teams have options
“Week Zero” is back. The optional week on the football calendar was eliminated from last year’s pandemic-shortened schedule but returns this fall in full force. In so-called “Week Zero,” teams can replace their second preseason scrimmage with a regular-season contest. A five-game showcase at the Wolvarena highlights this weekend’s slate,...
Westmoreland County high school football notes: Franklin Regional to rotate QBs
The quarterback competition at Franklin Regional will remain just that as it stretches into the regular season. New coach Lance Getsy plans to rotate a pair of quarterbacks in Friday night’s season opener against visiting Plum as he looks for a firm starter. Junior Roman Sarnic and senior Connor Donnelly...
After close call, Frazier motivated to claim playoff spot
As the 2020 football season unfolded, the Frazier Commodores found themselves wondering what each week would hold. The coronavirus restrictions that limited offseason workouts and forced game cancellations across the state had a profound negative impact on many teams trying to plow their way through a disjointed season. The Commodores...
2021 City League preview: Westinghouse chasing 3-peat but elite talent is everywhere
Some of the top football prospects in Western Pa. will display their talents on the Cupples Stadium turf this season, and plenty of eyes will be on the City League. Perry’s Tyreese Fearbry and Brashear’s Ta’Mere Robinson are highly regarded four-star prospects, but many other elite players are set to...
Trib HSSN don’t-miss high school football matchups for Week Zero 2021
The 2021 high school football season kicks off this weekend with Week Zero games. All of the contests are nonconference. Here is a look at some of the top matchups in each class. Final records from 2020 are in parenthesis. Class 6A vs 5A Class 6A No. 2 Mt. Lebanon...
This week on Trib HSSN: Week of Aug. 26, 2021
Let the games begin! We kick off another season with August high school football for the first time in two years this weekend on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN has video and audio coverage of Week Zero of the new scholastic gridiron season with 33 WPIAL and...
Loaded Serra Catholic has big goals: ’16-0 or bust’
The expectations shared by those in the football locker room at Serra Catholic are the same this season: Win a conference title, claim a WPIAL championship and capture a state title. “We want to go all the way, 16-0 or bust,” Serra Catholic coach Jose Regus said. “We want to...
Ringgold looking to surprise in Big Eight Conference
For third-year Ringgold head coach Darwin Manges, the formula for his program is starting to become clear and he’s hoping this is the season it all comes together. The Rams return nine starters on offense and eight defensively, and Manges thinks his team is ready to make some noise in...
Talented California lineup in position to defend conference title
As California enters the 2021 season, the Trojans and veteran coach Ed Woods face a lot of juicy storylines. Can the Trojans win back-to-back titles in the Tri-County South? Can they get over the hump and win in the playoffs after losing their last two postseason games by a combined...
