High School category, Page 854
Fired football coach Eric Kasperowicz reaches out to Pine-Richland to ‘come to a resolution’
With students, parents and community members demanding Pine-Richland rehire Eric Kasperowicz, the ousted football coach has asked school administrators to meet with him and “come to a resolution quickly.” The Pine-Richland football coach and his assistants were fired last Wednesday. Kasperowicz re-applied for the school’s head coach position Friday and...
Pine-Richland community shows ‘silent support’ for fired football coach Eric KasperowiczVideo
Reaction to the firing of Pine-Richland high school football coach Eric Kasperowicz has been swift and strong. It has ranged from confusion and anger over the school board’s lack of an explanation — citing their policy not to comment on personnel matters — to students rallying outside their football stadium,...
Hockey player/golfer Abdallah is Franklin Regional’s version of Happy Gilmore
Zach Abdallah is a hockey player who plays golf. Or is it the other way around? Either way, he would make Happy Gilmore proud. “Hockey led to golf for me,” the Franklin Regional junior said. “I started playing because of (golf teammate) Michael Wareham. Now, I play all the time.”...
North Allegheny, Ambridge hold their top spots in boys volleyball coaches rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its WPIAL Week 4 boys rankings Monday morning, and North Allegheny (Class AAA) and Ambridge (Class AA) maintained their No. 1 positions in their respective polls. In Class AAA, Seneca Valley remained at No. 2, while Hempfield, which made it to the finals...
Trib HSSN What to Watch for: Monday, April 19, 2021
The last time the PIHL crowned a Penguins Cup Class AAA champion, North Allegheny skated away with its first title in six years in 2019. On Monday, North Allegheny has a chance to “defend” its title in the Penguins Cup Class AAA final when it faces off against Mt. Lebanon...
Trib HSSN Baseball Team of the Week for week ending April 18, 2021
Coming into last week, the Hempfield team had split its first four Section 2-6A games and was 2-4 overall. The start was the opposite of the 4-2 start the Spartans enjoyed in 2019, a season in which they finished 11-10 and lost in the opening round of the WPIAL Class...
High school schedules for April 19, 2021
High schools Baseball Monday’s schedule WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 Butler at Pine-Richland, 4 p.m. North Allegheny at Central Catholic, 3:30 p.m. Seneca Valley at Allderdice, 3:30 p.m. Section 2 Baldwin at Upper St. Clair, 7 p.m. Canon-McMillan at Norwin, 4 p.m. Mt. Lebanon at Hempfield, 4 p.m. Class 5A...
GCC’s Brewer ranked No. 1 in steeplechase after weekend performance
Greensburg Central Catholic junior Corinn Brewer jumped to No. 1 in the state and No. 6 in the country by winning the 2K steeplechase at the Jack Roddick Invitational on Saturday at Shippensburg. Her winning time was 7 minutes, 26.20 seconds. State College’s Karsyn Kane and Marlee Kwasnica placed second...
WPIAL girls lacrosse standings through April 18, 2021
Here are the WPIAL girls lacrosse standings through April 18. The top six teams in each section will qualify for the district postseason. Only section records are shown. #-Clinched section championship *-Clinched playoff berth x-Eliminated from playoff chase Class AAA Section 1 Bethel Park, 4-0 Upper St. Clair, 4-0 Canon-McMillan,...
WPIAL boys lacrosse standings through April 18, 2021
Here are the WPIAL boys lacrosse standings through April 18. The top six teams in each section will qualify for the district postseason. Only section records are shown. #-Clinched section championship *-Clinched playoff berth x-Eliminated from playoff chase Class AAA Section 1 Mt. Lebanon, 3-0 Upper St. Clair, 2-0 Bethel...
This week on Trib HSSN: Week of April 19, 2021
The puck stops here on our postseason hockey coverage with three days of district and state championship action on the TribLive High School Sports Network. We have the PIHL Penguins Cup championship games in Class AAA, AA, A and Class B on Monday and Tuesday, then all three Pa. Cup...
Trib HSSN softball team of the week: April 19, 2021
Not since spring 2017 has the Central Valley softball team enjoyed a winning season. So far, so good in 2021 thanks to a big 3-0 week. A lot of new players have led the Warriors to a 4-1 start in Section 3-4A and a 5-3 record overall. “We lost six...
Deer Lakes volleyball battles through early-season adversity
A year after the coronavirus pandemic canceled its entire season, the Deer Lakes boys volleyball team still is dealing with the virus. The Lancers aren’t letting it completely nix their season this time around, though. Most recently, Deer Lakes has dealt with a shutdown that will keep it off the...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Gera, Hauck earn scholarships
The WPIAL awarded $1,000 scholarships to 20 student-athletes, including a pair of girls from Westmoreland County. Local winners were Bella Gera of Hempfield and Julia Hauck of Penn-Trafford. Other girls winners were Brooke Bauer of Knoch, Danielle Bryant of Pine-Richland, Jacquelyn Jardini of Sewickley Academy, Nadia Lape of Mohawk, Tegan...
Knoch thrower Josh Rohland hoping for big numbers as postseason approaches
Knoch’s Josh Rohland got his first taste of WPIAL track and field championship competition as a sophomore at the 2019 Class AAA meet at Slippery Rock. Throwing the discus, he finished 16th with a throw of 123 feet, 8 inches. The trip to WPIALs was a building block for Rohland,...
Urged not to apply at Pine-Richland, coaches statewide pledge support for ousted coach Eric Kasperowicz
Dozens of high school football coaches statewide have used social media to announce their support for coach Eric Kasperowicz and his assistants, who were fired at Pine-Richland on Wednesday. Many of the tweets were in response to an email sent by Gateway athletic director/football coach Don Holl, who urged his...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Boys tennis bounces back with section wins
After falling to Franklin Regional in a battle for first place in the section, Penn-Trafford bounced back by sweeping Hempfield on April 12 and Connellsville on April 13. The wins improved the Warriors to 6-1, 5-1 in Section 1-AAA. The Warriors have clinched a spot in the WPIAL playoffs, which...
Penn-Trafford boys volleyball team looking for identity
Penn-Trafford volleyball coach Jim Schall has learned a lot about his team the first week of the season. And he is learning more with each match or practice. The Warriors (2-1, 2-1) opened the season by losing to Hempfield and then went 7-13 in a tournament at North Allegheny, falling...
Gateway soccer standout seizes opportunity with Cal (Pa.)
In December, Gateway senior Jayson Jenkins set in stone his decision to kick in college for the Robert Morris football team. Twin sister Joelle, a standout physical defender and four-year starter for the Gators girls soccer team, also hoped to find a place to call her own for the next...
Gateway baseball determined to join playoff race in second half of season
As the Gateway baseball team continues to find its way in what is turning out to be a competitive Section 1 in Class 5A, coach Mark Wardzinski likes the resolute attitude of his players. They’re determined to keep building on the positives and working to smooth any bumps in the...
South Fayette hockey team takes pride in progress made
The South Fayette hockey team finished at .500 for the season with a record of 8-8-2 and missed the PIHL Class AA playoff by only four points. All in all, that’s pretty good for a team that didn’t win its first contest until the sixth game of the season. “This...
Stocked with height, athleticism, Thomas Jefferson volleyball team has high hopes
With seven starters returning from 2019, the Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball team has high hopes for the 2021 season. “We set our expectations high with a lot of returning veterans,” coach Frank Staffen said. “There are still a lot of unknowns since the season was canceled last year. “The team...
Ex-Baldwin AD enjoys new role in WPIAL office
Former Baldwin athletic director Vince Sortino joined the WPIAL staff July 1, 2020, assuming the full-time position of assistant to the executive director. In his new role, Sortino helps run the day-to-day league operations for District 7 and reports to the board of directors. Sortino, 58, worked 28 years at...
Young Baldwin boys volleyball lineup gaining experience
The 2019 boys volleyball season proved to be a true learning experience for then-rookie coach Milan Yekich at Baldwin. “Taking over for Eric Falcione was not only daunting, but filling huge shoes and years of experience that set the standards high at Baldwin,” Yekich said. “I am still trying to...
Competition hits close to home for Quaker Valley’s Sirianni twins
Stepping onto the tennis court to compete for a WPIAL section title is a goal in itself, but imagine stepping onto the court and seeing your twin on the opposite side. Twin brothers Mike and Will Sirianni, who are juniors at Quaker Valley, found themselves in that situation April 8...
