High School category, Page 818
2-sport standouts named Brentwood’s top athletes
Nine seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and one freshman landed individual or team honors in 2020-21 at Brentwood. A video presentation of the annual all-sports banquet sponsored by the Brentwood High Athletic Boosters was created and made available for viewing, at which time the Brentwood award winners were announced. Steven...
Norwin long snapper Xander Smith garnering national attention
Xander Smith is chasing a dream to play college football at the highest level possible. But his vehicle to get there differs from most. While the sophomore at Norwin plays wide receiver and defensive back, his specialty is long snapping. He lives it, breathes it and works tirelessly at it....
North Allegheny baseball appreciates contribution of seniors, looks to bright future
North Allegheny’s Cole Young shared hugs and handshakes with teammates near the first base dugout at Penn State’s baseball field, season-ending thank yous to the seniors whose high school careers were ending there. But after falling one run short in the state finals, the junior shortstop added that a return...
Summer league basketball gives Hampton chance to build chemistry
High school basketball season is still five months away, but the Hampton boys are getting a running start. Hampton competed in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club’s 28th annual summer league, which attracted roughly 40 schools from around the WPIAL for a month-long return to the court. The teams played two 20-minute...
Hampton football carries momentum into offseason program
Success is becoming contagious for the Hampton football team. Coming off their first WPIAL playoff season in five years, the Talbots have attracted an increased number of players during spring and summer workouts. “It was awesome,” coach Jacque DeMatteo said. “Our numbers are up, and we are getting some more...
After appeal, Latrobe’s Hanna Green makes finals in 800 at U.S. Olympic trials
After an appeal, Latrobe’s Hanna Green advanced to the finals in the 800-meter run at the U.S. Olympic team trials Friday in Eugene, Ore. Green finished fourth in her semifinal heat in a time of 2:01.19. The top three finishers in each heat and the top two remaining times qualified...
Hempfield’s Williams, Latrobe’s Green advance at U.S. Olympic trials
Bridget (Guy) Williams is headed to the U.S. Olympic trials women’s pole vault finals after clearing 14 feet, 9 inches during qualifying Thursday in Eugene, Ore. Latrobe’s Hanna Green, meanwhile, advanced to the semifinals in the 800-meter run. Williams, a Hempfield grad, needed to finish in the Top 12 to...
Trib 10: 4 WPIAL teams win state gold, top final power rankings
A record 10 WPIAL baseball and softball teams advanced to Penn State last week to play for a PIAA championship. Six returned west with silver while four district teams struck state gold. Of those four, New Castle baseball, Beaver softball and Mt. Pleasant softball hit double diamond gold by winning...
Boys basketball coach Buddy Valinsky resigns at Norwin
Norwin boys basketball coach Buddy Valinsky resigned Wednesday after two seasons on the job. The Knights were 19-23 under Valinsky and lost to Butler in the WPIAL 6A playoffs this past season. They were 6-14 in the section. Valinsky previously coached at Allderdice in Pittsburgh City League. Norwin athletic director...
Hempfield grads, lifelong friends chase Olympic dreams together
They were neighbors in the Heather Ridge plan of Hempfield Township with adjacent backyards. They grew up together and competed together for the Hempfield track team. They were state and national track champions. They were NCAA Division I All-Americans. Now they are trying to make the United States Olympic team...
Trib HSSN Final State Baseball Rankings for June 23, 2021
Six teams have been crowned state champion as the 2021 high school baseball season is now in the books. Thus we present the final edition of the Trib HSSN state baseball rankings. Congrats to the state champions: LaSalle College in 6A, Bethel Park in 5A, New Castle in 4A, Tyrone...
Trib HSSN Final State Softball Rankings for June 22, 2021
A year after great disappointment over the lost 2020 spring season, the 2021 high school softball season concluded on a great high after six PIAA champions were crowned. Whether your favorite team won gold, silver or nothing at all, it was definitely a season to celebrate. As part of the...
Shady Side Academy’s Warden captures WPGA Junior title in a playoff
It wasn’t the way Weston Warden would have preferred to win the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association’s 101st Junior Championship Tuesday, but he’ll take it. Warden, a senior at Shady Side Academy, used a conservative bogey on the first playoff hole to edge Plum’s Wes Lorish. The 36-hole event began Monday...
Penn-Trafford’s Cade Yacamelli commits to Wisconsin
When Cade Yacamelli visited the University of Wisconsin this past weekend, he said it felt like home. The visit cinched his decision, so the Penn-Trafford rising senior announced Monday his verbal commitment to the Badgers. He said he really didn’t have a Top 5 list. “Since I made my decision,...
Trib HSSN Baseball Team of the Week for June 21, 2021
New Castle finished the regular season 10-9 overall with its longest winning streak being two victories in a row, twice. One wild and crazy month later following eight straight playoff wins, the Red Hurricane are celebrating both WPIAL and PIAA championships. “I am happy for the team,” New Castle coach...
Trib HSSN Baseball Player of the Week for June 21, 2021
Bethel Park used the one-two punch of senior lefty Eric Chalus and sophomore righty Evan Holewinski all season in route to a Section 4-5A title, a runner-up trophy in the WPIAL playoffs and the Black Hawks’ first state baseball championship in 33 years. However, with six of BP’s eight postseason...
Mt. Pleasant’s Mary Smithnosky writes fairy-tale ending to pitching career
A future college outfielder, Mary Smithnosky had to reaffirm to herself that she was a pitcher in her final high school softball season. The position in the circle had to be more than a facade to the senior from Mt. Pleasant, more than a column on the roster. If Smithnosky...
Trib HSSN Softball Team of the Week for June 20, 2021
Three weeks ago, Beaver was named the Trib HSSN Softball Team of the Week. So in our final edition of team of the week for 2021, I guess you could say Beaver is the district softball team of the year. They, along with Mt. Pleasant, were the only team to...
Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Week: June 20, 2021
In 2017, when Mt. Pleasant defeated Tunkhannock, 5-3, to win the PIAA Class 4A softball championship, Courtney Poulich and her current Vikings senior teammates were in eighth grade and watching their future team win the school’s first state softball title. Now, after beating Mid Valley to win the PIAA Class...
Gateway Sports Hall of Fame making plans for next induction
When the Gateway Sports Hall of Fame enshrined its 2019 class in October of that year, the committee members already were looking forward to the next biennial induction ceremony in 2021. But the covid pandemic caused a change in plans. Now, the hall of fame is looking forward to the...
Season full of highlights for Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse
The Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse season began with the team having to reschedule a scrimmage because of a lack of players. The Colts season ended with a heartbreaking one-goal loss to top-seed Blackhawk in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals. In between, there were many high points for a growing program....
Carlynton baseball team looks forward to future
It’s better to walk before you run. For the youthful Carlynton baseball team, it was more like crawl then walk this spring. “Our season had an abundance of growing pains, but, overall, we showed a ton of improvements,” Carlynton first-year coach Steve Bressler said. “With losing seven seniors last season...
Thomas Jefferson softball learns from move up in classification
Thomas Jefferson’s softball team moved up one classification — from 4A to 5A — in 2021, and seemed to pay for the price of admission. The Jaguars’ section opponents consisted of Albert Gallatin, Connellsville, Gateway, Latrobe and Penn-Trafford. TJ qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for a fifth straight year, but...
Thomas Jefferson lineman Alby Breisinger honored with award named for his uncle
He’s a natural. • Same family dynamics. • Same first and last name. • A great fit as a student-athlete on and off the football field. Senior lineman Alby Breisinger was the recipient of this year’s prestigious Breisinger Award at Thomas Jefferson. He found out about the honor June 1...
Penn Hills softball players earn postseason honors
Lauren Sipple didn’t anticipate having many nerves about if she would see the field for the Penn Hills softball team as a freshman. The Indians had vacancies at several positions going into the season. “I wasn’t nervous because I knew there weren’t a lot of people at Penn Hills who...
