High School category, Page 819
Pine-Richland crew team closes season with strong results
The Pine-Richland crew team had to navigate plenty of obstacles that came with the covid-19 pandemic like mandated shut downs and having athletes train individually at home, but at the end of the year they finished with some strong results. At the biggest event of the year, the Midwest Scholastic...
George Guido: New River Valley High envelops Saltsburg, Blairsville
A new high school on the horizon. Blairsville and Saltsburg will be merging July 1 and will become River Valley High School. That same day, the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District will be officially known as the River Valley School District. The new school will be called the Panthers and will wear...
Softball a family affair for PIAA champion Mt. Pleasant
UNIVERSITY PARK — Mt. Pleasant took extra time to board the team bus for the ride home Friday from Penn State after the Vikings won the PIAA Class 3A softball championship. A large contingent gathered for photos with the trophy. Coach Chris Brunson tried to direct traffic, but seemed overwhelmed...
Westmoreland notebook: Youngstown State offers Belle Vernon’s Whitlock
Devin Whitlock reeled in his first Division I football scholarship offer. He hopes it will be the first of many to come. The rising senior at Belle Vernon announced an offer from Youngstown State, a program that often tries to cast a net over the WPIAL to land top players...
Plum baseball team eager to tackle summer tournament schedule
The Plum Bulldogs baseball team members are no strangers to each other. “Most of these guys have been playing together since they were 7,” coach Dan Macioce said. The high-school age squad, made up mostly of players transitioning from the Plum varsity and JV teams this spring, is hoping for...
Norwin notebook: Knights baseball, softball players earn spot on Big 5/6 all-section teams
Norwin was well-represented on the Big 5/6 Conference all-section baseball and softball teams. The Big 5/6 recognizes team and individual accomplishments in the WPIAL’s two highest classifications. Norwin baseball had three first-team selections in Setion 2: Jake Kendro, Jack Whalen and Jake Bazala, along with second-teamers Ty Stecko, Alex Gabauer,...
Franklin Regional baseball team looks back on memorable season
Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler did not ride the team bus, instead driving separately to what turned out to be his team’s final baseball game of the 2021 season. He had to transport canopies in his pick-up truck. The coach watched as the Panthers’ caravan pulled out of the lot...
Hampton’s Suyama presses on after covid cancellations, torn ACL deny her final 2 lacrosse seasons
Emi Suyama knows life can throw a lot at you. When the covid pandemic ruined her junior girls lacrosse season at Hampton, she was comforted by visions of her senior season. But then a fluky skiing accident Dec. 17 at Hidden Valley left her with a torn ACL in her...
After strong spring seasons, Fox Chapel athletes pick up all-section honors
The Fox Chapel baseball team made a run at the Section 2-5A title this spring, challenging Plum for the championship into the final week of the regular season. The Foxes ended up tied for second with Mars at 9-3, one game behind the Mustangs. Fox Chapel, 11-8 overall in 2021,...
Bethel Park grad Chiccitt honored with Courage Award from WPIAL Hall of Fame
Bethel Park product Anthony Chiccitt has determination chiseled in granite, as well a firm dose of patience. Chiccitt was presented with Courage Award at the 14th annual WPIAL Hall of Fame induction banquet May 28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Green Tree. In February 2019, Chiccitt was diagnosed with...
Bethel Park softball reflects on historic season
Bethel Park’s softball team enjoyed a historic run through the 2021 season, winning a WPIAL title in softball for the first time ever at the school. “We couldn’t be prouder of this group of girls,” coach Heather Semplice-Scott said. “Their performance throughout the season never ceased to amaze us. They...
Bethel Park alum, NFL player Nick Kwiatkoski helps give football locker room facelift
Nick Kwiatkoski hasn’t forgotten his roots. Not by a long shot. The Las Vegas Raiders linebacker and former West Virginia standout recently funded the costs to renovate the football locker room at Bethel Park, his alma mater. The planning process took place over a period of months; the actual physical...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for June 19, 2021
High schools Baseball PIAA playoffs Class 6A Finals Friday’s result La Salle College 2, North Allegheny 1 Class 4A Finals Friday’s result New Castle 7, Wyoming Area 3 Class 2A Finals Friday’s result Schuylkill Haven 8, Shenango 7 Softball PIAA playoffs Class 5A Finals Friday’s result Lampeter-Strasburg 10, Armstrong 7...
La Salle College starter shuts down North Allegheny in Class 6A finalsVideo
Sometimes, it’s not a pitcher’s fastball velocity that makes him unhittable. La Salle College starter Ryan Marler proved that true Friday night. The right-hander threw frequent change-ups in the PIAA Class 6A championship, a strategy that led to weak contact and some easy outs. North Allegheny faced more off-speed pitches...
Armstrong softball comes up short in PIAA Class 5A championship
UNIVERSITY PARK — Armstrong’s bid to win its first PIAA team championship in any sport was denied by a veteran Lampeter Strasburg team. The District 3 champions from near Lancaster used a five-run fifth inning to rally from a four-run deficit for a 10-7 victory Friday in the PIAA Class...
New Castle earns school’s 1st state baseball titleVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — With little more than a quick Internet search, a few conversations with a couple of coaches and the eye test of watching Wyoming Area go through infield-outfield drills prior to the start of the game, New Castle didn’t know much about its PIAA Class 4A championship game...
Mt. Pleasant rallies past Mid Valley to capture state softball championshipVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Tested for the first time in the postseason, the Mt. Pleasant softball team had to find a higher gear to get around Mid Valley in the state championship game. Rather than committing to memory an early deficit against the only team to score on them in the...
Shenango’s rally falls 1 run short in PIAA Class 2A championshipVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK – At 67, Shenango coach Larry Kelly was four years younger than his state championship counterpart in the other dugout Friday. Scott Buffington has coached Schuylkill Haven for 44 years, or a nice round 50 if you add his six seasons as an assistant. And Buffington celebrated his...
Tri-Valley scores twice in bottom of 7th to defeat West Greene in PIAA Class A softball final
UNIVERSITY PARK — Tri-Valley scored two runs in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning to stun WPIAL champion West Greene, 2-1, in the PIAA Class A softball championship game Friday at Penn State’s Beard Field. Senior Allison Huhn’s double to the right-center gap scored freshman Grace Header...
Facing 1-year suspension, Seton LaSalle football coach Mauro Monz resigns
Suspended football coach Mauro Monz, facing a one-year ban from the WPIAL over recruiting allegations, said he’s resigning at Seton LaSalle rather than continue to appeal. “It’s too much for the school and too much for my family to take,” Monz said Thursday night, but the first-year coach maintained his...
Jeannette athletic director Ryan Hayden resigns
Ryan Hayden is stepping down as athletic director at Jeannette after two years on the job. Hayden, 29, will continue to teach sixth grade in the district. A Hempfield graduate and former Seton Hill baseball player, Hayden wants to pursue a master’s degree, possibly get a principal certification and also...
High school scores, summaries and schedule for June 17, 2021
High schools Baseball PIAA playoffs Class 6A Finals Friday’s schedule La Salle College vs. North Allegheny at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, Penn State, 4:30 p.m. Class 5A Finals Thursday’s result Bethel Park 4, Red Land 2 Class 4A Finals Friday’s schedule New Castle vs. Wyoming Area at Medlar Field...
PIAA Class A softball championship preview: West Greene vs. Tri-Valley
History is being made in Happy Valley this week as the WPIAL sends 10 baseball and softball teams to Penn State University to compete in the PIAA championships. This is the fourth year the PIAA has had six championships in baseball and softball. In 2017, the WPIAL sent seven teams....
PIAA Class 2A baseball championship preview: Shenango vs. Schuylkill Haven
History is being made in Happy Valley this week as the WPIAL sends 10 baseball and softball teams to Penn State University to compete in the PIAA championships. This is the fourth year the PIAA has had six championships in baseball and softball. In 2017, the WPIAL sent seven teams....
PIAA Class 4A baseball championship preview: New Castle vs. Wyoming Area
History is being made in Happy Valley this week as the WPIAL sends 10 baseball and softball teams to Penn State University to compete in the PIAA championships. This is the fourth year the PIAA has had six championships in baseball and softball. In 2017, the WPIAL sent seven teams....
