High School category, Page 843
Sophomore Adin Zorn helps lead Sewickley Academy to baseball playoffs for 1st time since ’16
Before the coronavirus pandemic canceled Sewickley Academy’s baseball season last year, Panthers coach Anthony Garofalo saw then-freshman Adin Zorn hitting in the cage and knew he would play a big part in the team’s future. “Obviously, we didn’t get to play, but just seeing him in the cages and stuff,...
Tamo-Noche, fellow seniors continue development for Penn Hills boys volleyball
Alain Tamo-Noche picked up volleyball as a sophomore looking to build skills for basketball season. The 6-foot-1 Penn Hills senior outside hitter is now considering playing in college. Learning the sport has been a fun process for Tamo-Noche, who learned from veteran players when he started and is now part...
Penn Hills’ Big Red Rugby building foundation for future
Every match the Big Red Rugby club team plays is a learning experience. After opening against a few clubs that were newer programs like Penn Hills’ squad, the Big Red took one on the chin against West Allegheny. At an event hosted by Moon, the Big Red Rugby club fell...
Pine-Richland girls lacrosse leans on consistent defense, balanced attack
Members of the Pine-Richland girls lacrosse team knew they had built something special during a seven-game winning streak in April and they wanted to prove it in their much anticipated showdown with Fox Chapel on May 4. The Rams got everything they bargained for in an 8-7 victory that reaffirmed...
Pine-Richland boys lacrosse team battle-tested for postseason
Coming into this season Pine-Richland boys lacrosse coach Kevin Welty budgeted for adversity. He expected there to be postponements, some injuries and for it to take time to build chemistry on the field after the canceled 2020 season. In some form or fashion each one has happened, but Welty said...
Gateway hurdlers to be well represented at WPIAL meet
Jayson Jenkins is known in athletic circles at Gateway as a talented place kicker who will head to Robert Morris in August and join the Colonials football team. But this spring, the Gators senior is making strides one leap at a time as one of the WPIAL’s top hurdlers. He...
South Fayette baseball coach makes clutch catch
In his days as a baseball player and now as the head coach at South Fayette, Ken Morgan delivered plenty of big hits, clutch plays and some winning lineups. However, nothing compares to the delivery Morgan made April 20. Morgan helped deliver his third child and first daughter into the...
Carlynton girls track having best season in decades
When the 2021 WPIAL track and field regular season ended, there were a lot of familiar schools in first place in their respective sections. Teams that have earned a plaque from the district after earning a spot in the WPIAL team postseason. However, you’ll excuse one local team from not...
Brentwood track and field making ‘huge strides’
The Brentwood track and field athletes, guided by veteran coach Mike Cramer, are a goal-oriented group. “We have been focusing on the positives and the situations that we can control this year,” Cramer said. “The kids have worked their tails off and have made huge strides (pun intended). “All the...
A year after high jumping at home, Beaver’s Emma Pavelek worried another season was doomed
Emma Pavelek had never been to a chiropractor before this past week and was skeptical one could help her painful foot. She’d been diagnosed with a sprain but after five weeks, her injury wasn’t getting any better. So, what did she have to lose? “He felt my foot for one...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 8, 2021
High schools Baseball Saturday’s results Class 6A Section 2 Hempfield 4, Norwin 1 Class 5A Section 4 Bethel Park 13, Thomas Jefferson 2 Connellsville 11, Albert Gallatin 8 Class 3A Section 3 Deer Lakes 2, Ligonier Valley 1 Class 2A Section 2 Neshannock 6, South Side 5 Class A Section...
High school roundup for May 8, 2021: Big wins for Hempfield, Bethel Park
Christian Zilli hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning, sparking Hempfield to a 4-1 victory over Norwin on Saturday, giving the Spartans a share of the Section 2-6A baseball title. Jake Kramer started for Hempfield, allowing one run on five hits in five innings. Zilli pitched...
Shady Side’s Melissa Riggins wins twice at Baldwin Invite despite facing ‘worst wind’
The weather app on Melissa Riggins’ smartphone misled her a little. “For some reason, I never check the wind,” she said with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Oh, 53 degrees, that shouldn’t be that bad.’” It wasn’t good. Yet the talented Shady Side Academy senior fought through steady winds and some...
WPIAL softball rankings | May 8, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Bethel Park, 13-0, 1 2. Norwin, 12-2, 3 3. Mt. Lebanon, 8-4, 4 4. Hempfield, 9-5, 2 5. Canon-McMillan, 7-7, NR Out: Seneca Valley (9-7, 5) Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. West Allegheny, 11-2, 2 2. Penn-Trafford, 11-4, 1 3. North...
WPIAL baseball rankings | May 8, 2021
Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 15-2, 2 2. Hempfield, 12-6, 5 3. Norwin, 11-3, 1 4. Butler, 11-5, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 9-6, NR Out: Seneca Valley (10-7, 3) Class 5A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Franklin Regional, 13-0, 1 2. Bethel Park, 13-2, 2 3....
George Guido: Leechburg softball streak takes on special meaning
Leechburg High School’s streak of 34 consecutive seasons in the WPIAL softball playoffs is special to anyone involved in that program. But on this Mother’s Day, it’s extra special for Janel Daugherty Cibik. She pitched for the Blue Devils right at the time the streak started in the late 1980s....
All in the families for Greensburg Central Catholic boys, girls track teams
It’s been quite a season for the Greensburg Central Catholic track and field teams. After the coronavirus caused the shutdown of the 2020 spring sports season, the Centurions came back strong in ’21. The boys and girls teams finished the regular season undefeated and won the WPIAL Section 8-AA titles....
Westmoreland high school notebook: YMCA to host summer hoops leagues
A local summer basketball league is taking shape, and it will feature some of the top returning WPIAL girls players and teams. The Greensburg YMCA will host varsity girls and boys leagues beginning June 1. The girls field includes Connellsville, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant and...
Pirone, Treloar form strong 1-2 punch for Franklin Regional rotation
When baseball season began, Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler referenced pitching depth and how it could relate to covid shutdowns for WPIAL teams. He said the staffs with depth probably would negotiate a stoppage best but also could be effective in the new back-to-back section series format. The Panthers (13-0),...
After battle with covid-19, Deer Lakes’ Carson McCoy has his eyes set on WPIAL gold
Two years ago, Deer Lakes track and field coach Justin Mech took his core group of runners to a meet out in Altoona and came away impressed by a youngster who had joined his squad. “I took this skinny little red-headed freshman, and he did awesome,” Mech said about current...
Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes with luncheon
For the second consecutive year the Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame banquet had to be cancelled because of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, but board members wanted to organize an event to honor local athletes for their accomplishments. On Saturday at the Quality Inn in New Kensington, the board hosted a...
Fox Chapel’s Dante DiMatteo throws 2 no-hitters in 5-day span
Not many WPIAL pitchers have been as hot as Fox Chapel’s Dante DiMatteo. In his final starts of April, the hard-throwing right-hander allowed zero hits in 11 innings while striking out 24 batters and walking eight. On April 23, DiMatteo threw a five-inning no-hitter against Section 2-5A opponent Woodland Hills...
Bethel Park softball pleased with strong start but aims to improve
Bethel Park’s softball team was perfect in the first month of the season. The Black Hawks improved to 10-0 with a 10-7 win at home April 27 against South Fayette. It marked the seventh time in 10 games that the Black Hawks scored in double digits. “I think we are...
Bethel Park boys lacrosse chasing section title
Bethel Park’s boys lacrosse team is trying to make up for lost time. “Missing last season has been difficult for our program to handle,” coach Tim Schreiber said. “We had a loaded class of seniors who were ready for a run at the section and WPIAL championship. It was devastating...
Strong pitching, clutch hitting bolsters Bethel Park baseball
Bethel Park’s baseball squad ended the month of April with an exclamation point. The Black Hawks blanked Upper St. Clair, 6-0; Fox Chapel, 5-0; and Connellsville, 13-0, to improve to 6-0 in Section 4-5A and 10-2 overall. The team’s pitching staff posted a boat-load of zeroes and had a 1.72...
