High School category, Page 806
The Birdie can’t always get what he wants as A-K Valley football kicks off
The Birdie was pecking at his plate from the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday, waiting for a friend to meet him for lunch the other day, when he realized it was way too early in the season to be dealing with a case of writer’s block. “I’m about to have...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for Week Zero 2021
Nonconference Burrell vs. Mt. Pleasant 7 p.m. Friday, Mt. Pleasant Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant Burrell looks to be a running team as it prepares to replace quarterback Alex Arledge, who threw for 3,619 yards in his career. Burrell has four players vying for the quarterback spot. The Bucs threw little...
A-K Valley football players to watch for Week Zero 2021
Derek Burk Deer Lakes, So., QB/DB Burk and the Lancers took their lumps in 2020 with a winless record. But things are looking up for the team, and Burk expects to help lead the charge. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound quarterback and defensive back threw for 537 yards and three scores in...
Former foes from Armstrong, Freeport set to renew rivalry in Week Zero
Freeport and Armstrong might be meeting for the first time, but it’s not like the players, coaches and fans are strangers. Armstrong coach Frank Fabian played against the Yellowjackets as a quarterback for Ford City and coached against the team while at Kittanning. “It always makes for an interesting matchup...
Bishop Canevin continues to build winning atmosphere
In 2019, Bishop Canevin finished 1-9 and had to forfeit a game because of a lack of healthy players. In his first season as head coach at Bishop Canevin last year, Richard Johnson led the turnaround that resulted in a big roster and a winning season. “We were able to...
Springdale hoping to build on back-to-back winning seasons
Springdale is coming off its second straight winning season after just two victories in 2018. The Dynamos navigated the covid waters and all of the imposed restrictions and schedule changes to finish 5-3 overall and 5-2 in Eastern Conference play. It gave perennial power Jeannette all it could handle before...
Riverview ready to rebound after winless campaign
The Riverview football team took its lumps last season as it navigated its way through a WPIAL-wide truncated season with restrictions and schedule changes brought on by the covid pandemic. The Raiders went 0-8 overall and 0-7 in the Eastern Conference. But second-year coach Trevor George said things are looking...
Leechburg knocking on door of elusive winning season
Leechburg came oh so close to its first winning football season since 1991, holding a 27-0 lead over Imani Christian in the season finale. But the Blue Devils couldn’t finish it out, suffering a 28-27 setback to go 3-4 in the truncated 2020 season, 3-3 in the Eastern Conference. Despite...
Just 1 starter returns for defending WPIAL champion Jeannette
Roy Hall is not sure how this season — his last with the Jayhawks — will play out, but he knows what the main goal is for his football team. “Survival,” he said. “We want to keep our kids healthy and do everything we can to get through the season....
Imani Christian to play ‘gladiator football’ in bid to return to playoffs
Imani Christian coach Cliff Simon knows numbers in his program are unlikely to ever be high. The Saints will have between 16 to 20 players when they play Monessen on Sept. 3 to open the season. That’s why Simon has used the term gladiator football since he took over before...
Clairton reloads behind imposing offensive line
It’s a hot July afternoon and Clairton just finished its final 7-on-7 competition of the summer. Next stop: McDonald’s. The players order their value meals, and the coach gets ready to pay. “That’ll be $76.81,” the cashier says. Coach Wayne Wade steps up and handles the transaction. “It would be...
With new coach in place, Greensburg CC to rely on strong defense, deep skill group
It could take some time for Greensburg Central Catholic to find its identity early in the football season. New coach Marko Thomas said the Centurions are ready to try a number of offensive sets until they find one that continually produces results. “I brought in some things from Connellsville, and...
Westmoreland County football players to watch for Week Zero 2021
Nick Beitel Ligonier Valley, Sr., RB/DB The 5-foot-8, 185-pound speedster rushed for 642 yards, second on the team, and three touchdowns last year. He also caught a team-high 14 passes for 147 yards. He’s a four-year starter as a defensive back. He also is an outstanding baseball player. Gavin Roebuck...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 24, 2021
WPIAL Tuesday’s results Golf Boys Class 3A Section 1 Penn-Trafford 182, Indiana 202 Medalist: Nick Turowski (PT) 29 Section 3 Pine-Richland 192*, North Allegheny 192 Medalists: Toby Kitay (PR) 36, Chris Hoffman, Dylan Fitzgerald, Collin Wang (NA) 38 *Won in playoff Section 7 Peters Township 197, Chartiers Valley 251 Medalists:...
Penn-Trafford’s Nick Turowski has record-breaking day at Manor Valley
Nick Turowski drove the first green Tuesday, ripping a 300-plus-yard drive to about 20 feet to open his nine-hole high school match. He then dropped a birdie putt into the cup and, “I was off to the races.” The sophomore from Penn-Trafford had a day to remember at Manor Valley...
Blue-collar linebacker leads charge for Riverview
Anthony Mazur came into Riverview’s preseason football camp in 2018 as a fullback on offense as he hoped to make an impact in his first varsity season. However, change was on the horizon for Mazur, then a 5-foot-7, 175-pound freshman. Injuries to the offensive line brought opportunity and a challenge...
2021 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the cornerbacks
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top cornerbacks for the 2021 season. 1. Rodney Gallagher Laurel Highlands Junior, 6-0, 170 Football or basketball? The two-sport athlete will have to make that decision sometime in the...
Penn-Trafford senior lineman can’t wait for season opener
When Declan Ochendowski looked at the 2021 football schedule, he didn’t just circle one game that he was looking forward to. He circled them all. “I’m excited about all the games,” said the 6-foot-3, 245-pound senior tackle/defensive end. “If I had to choose, the Norwin game is a big rivalry,...
Lawsuit challenges lack of PIAA track and field championships for para-athletes
Two students on Tuesday filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association alleging that the sporting organization discriminates against disabled athletes who want to participate in track and field by failing to offer a statewide championship opportunity. The plaintiffs include Alex Brown, 15, who is a sophomore...
2021 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the linebackers
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top linebackers for the 2021 season. 1. Anthony Speca Central Catholic Sophomore, 6-3, 220 As a freshman, Speca was a starting linebacker and leading tackler in the middle of...
2021 WPIAL Class 6A football breakdown: District playoffs to now feature 5 teams
Class 6A may have been the hardest-hit classification when it came to playing football during a global pandemic in 2020. There are only eight football teams now in the biggest class in District 7. Seven weeks of conference play with four 6A games in those seven weeks equals 28 total...
2021 WPIAL Class 4A football breakdown: Contenders line up to knock TJ from throne
Thomas Jefferson reigned again in Class 4A last season, winning its 10th WPIAL championship followed by its fifth PIAA title. It seems like every year the same question is asked: Can the Jaguars do it again? Veteran coach Bill Cherpak hopes so. But as with other seasons, he sounds the...
2021 WPIAL Class 3A football breakdown: Central Valley the heavy favorite again
Last season, Central Valley outclassed everyone in Class 3A. The Warriors breezed through the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs and capped it off by winning the school’s first state title. Central Valley averaged 50.1 points and allowed 9.8. While those numbers might be hard to duplicate, the Warriors remain the team...
2021 WPIAL Class 2A football breakdown: Teams again chasing Beaver Falls
The announcement that the WPIAL will bring some of its championship games back to Heinz Field this season after a one-year pandemic-related hiatus was greeted by many as good news. For a select few football programs, though, it’s more than good news. It’s motivation. “Absolutely,” Beaver Falls coach Nick Nardone...
2021 WPIAL Class A football breakdown: Clairton returns size, skill, speed … again
Wayne Wade has heard about Jeannette’s transfer issues and low player turnout. But the Clairton coach wants to see for himself if the ravaged Jayhawks are truly in for the rough go everyone says they are. Call it a respectful nod to the defending WPIAL Class A champions, who throttled...
