High School category, Page 890
Norwin notebook: Kessler’s home run trot a familiar sight for Knights
Sophomore Madie Kessler wasn’t aiming for Route 30, but those who witnessed her towering home run against North Allegheny believe the ball might have landed on the highway below Norwin High School. An umpire was even impressed, saying he hadn’t seen a ball hit that far. Kessler’s tape-measure blast to...
North Allegheny girls pleased with runner-up finish at WPIAL team championships
Only a handful of schools reach the WPIAL team track championships each year, but the meet has become almost an annual tradition for the North Allegheny girls. Consider, the Tigers returned this spring for the 17th time since 2000, finishing second to Butler in the WPIAL Class AAA meet May...
North Journal notebook: North Hills softball finishes 2nd in Section 3
The North Hills softball team fell just short of a section title last week after falling to Shaler, 9-8, on May 11. In the bottom of the seventh, Shaler’s Cam Murphy hit a two-run home run, and Natalie Spears delivered a two-run double for the walk-off win. North Hills belted...
Franklin Regional softball team hits upswing as playoffs approach
After losing its first two games, the Franklin Regional softball has been a model of consistency. Sort of. A four-game winning streak was followed by four losses. But then, as you might have been able to guess, the Panthers won four more in a row. Coach Jim Armstrong is focusing...
Hampton boys lacrosse surges into postseason
Hampton senior defender Gus Wolf hopes history repeats itself in the WPIAL Class AA boys lacrosse playoffs. But only some of it. “Obviously, our big goal is to be able to see Mars again in the WPIAL championship,” Wolf said. “That would be ideal.” They just want the outcome to...
Shady Side Academy boys tennis celebrates 1st WPIAL title since ’14
All season, Shady Side Academy senior Colin Gramley was hoping at least one tennis match would come down to him. Turns out, on May 12, in Shady Side’s biggest match of the season, Gramley got his wish. The Bulldogs were ahead of Franklin Regional, 2-1, in the WPIAL Class AAA...
Bethel Park’s Malecki, Underwood vaulting to personal best marks
It takes a unique type of high school athlete to compete in the pole vault event. “It does,” said Mark Jacobs, Bethel Park’s pole vaulting coach. “You need that combination of speed, strength and determination that every great athlete needs, but at the same time you need grit and to...
Hampton athletes sprint toward WPIAL track championship meet
The Hampton boys track and field team last month won its first section title in 36 years. Next up for the Talbots is the chance for some individual accolades. Hampton heads into the WPIAL Class AAA track and field championships May 19 at Slippery Rock with a number of highly...
High school scores, summaries and schedule for May 14, 2021
High schools Baseball Friday’s results Nonsection Beaver 7, Keystone Oaks 2 Canon-McMillan 5, South Park 4 Connellsville 5, Derry 4 Freedom 12, Carlynton 8 Freeport 11, Valley 2 Greensburg Central Catholic 11, Apollo-Ridge 7 Indiana 18, Ligonier Valley 6 Knoch 5, Shady Side Academy 1 Laurel Highlands 8, California 1...
High school roundup for May 14, 2021: West Allegheny softball grabs share of section title
Adriana Vicari-Baker went 3 for 3 with two doubles to lead West Allegheny to an 11-1 victory over South Fayette in Section 4-5A softball Friday afternoon. The win moved West Allegheny into a tie with Chartiers Valley for the section title. Emily Nolan doubled, tripled and drove in three runs...
Playoff seeds sit well with Norwin, Franklin Regional baseball teams
Nothing seems to bother baseball coaches when it comes to pairings. So it was no surprise to see North Allegheny (17-3) seeded No. 1 in Class 6A despite a nonsection loss to No. 2 Norwin (13-3). All three Tigers losses were by a run. “Class 6A was pretty straightforward,” Hempfield...
9 A-K Valley baseball teams learn playoff fate; Plum earns No. 5 seed in Class 5A
This season has been full of ups and downs for baseball teams throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley, but on Friday afternoon, nine teams found out their fate for the WPIAL baseball playoffs. First-round games will begin Wednesday at neutral sites with WPIAL championship games being played at Wild Things Park in...
Trib HSSN baseball bracket breakdown
Class 6A Favorite: North Allegheny owns seven WPIAL titles but hasn’t won since 2013, an eight-year wait that ranks as the team’s longest between hanging banners. So, maybe the Tigers are due. Duke recruit Cole Young, a junior shortstop, is batting .434 with six home runs. Hard-throwing right-hander Kyle Demi...
WPIAL reveals brackets for 2021 baseball playoffs
After enduring a year with no baseball, the WPIAL playoffs are back. The WPIAL announced postseason brackets Friday for all six classifications with North Allegheny seeded first in Class 6A, Franklin Regional in 5A, Montour in 4A, Hopewell in 3A, Seton LaSalle in 2A and Eden Christian in A. Playoffs...
Kasperowicz suing Pine-Richland School District for defamation of character
Former Pine-Richland High School head football coach Eric Kasperowicz on Friday filed a lawsuit for defamation of character against Pine-Richland School District and several district officials for comments school officials made in the wake of his dismissal. Kasperowicz, who was informed on April 14 that his contract would not be...
Norwin soccer coach Lauren Karcher resigns after 7 successful seasons
Pregnant with her second child who is due to arrive in mid-September, Lauren Karcher knows she won’t be able to dedicate all of her attention to the girls soccer program at Norwin. She had the same issue in 2019 when she gave birth to her daughter, Harper, and she turned...
WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan take an early look at baseball playoff pairings
The real brackets for the 2021 WPIAL baseball playoff will be revealed at 3 p.m. Friday on TribLive HSSN. Who’ll draw the No. 1 seeds? Which teams get a first-round bye? Here’s a look at what the WPIAL bracket would look like if HSSN’s Don Rebel and Chris Harlan were...
Norwin, Penn-Trafford girls medal at national hockey tournament
Girls from Norwin and Penn-Trafford were part of the Pittsburgh amateur hockey teams that won medals in the recent USA Tier-II Hockey National Championships in Denver. Megan Swick, a Norwin senior, and Robyn Caswell, a Penn-Trafford senior, both of whom play forward, won bronze medals as members of the Steel...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 13, 2021
High schools Baseball Thursday’s results Class 5A Section 2 Fox Chapel 7, Armstrong 6 Section 4 Connellsville 13, Thomas Jefferson 1 Class 4A Section 3 Uniontown 8, Ringgold 1 Belle Vernon 7, Greensburg Salem 6 Class 3A Section 3 Mt. Pleasant 4, Ligonier Valley 3 Class A Section 1 Jefferson-Morgan...
High school roundup for May 13, 2021: Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward grab baseball berths
Coming into the final official play date of the WPIAL baseball season, four teams were on the playoff bubble in Section 3-4A. Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward made the field. Greensburg Salem and Ringgold did not. Belle Vernon (6-8, 6-6) qualified with a dramatic 7-6 victory over Greensburg Salem (4-10,...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on May 14, 2021: It’s time for baseball brackets
For the first time in two years, it is time to discuss baseball bracketology in the WPIAL. You can watch when Trib HSSN unveils the brackets first on the WPIAL Baseball Playoff Pairings Show at 3 p.m. The field is set with nine teams in the Class 6A brackets, 16...
Trib 10: New team takes top spot in baseball power rankings
After weeks of calm waters and few changes, the boats were rockin’ as the regular season came to an unsteady finish this past week. Thus, there was a shifting of power in this week’s Trib 10 baseball and softball rankings. Seven teams slid down the baseball power rankings, including Hopewell...
Trib HSSN WPIAL softball bracket breakdown
Class 6A Favorite: Bethel Park is top seeded and a heavy favorite for a reason, with five Division I players on the roster. The Black Hawks (15-0) have scored 10 or more runs in nine games. One of their wins was against 2019 finalist North Allegheny, 13-2. Their closest game...
Record 12 A-K valley schools qualify for WPIAL softball playoffs
A record 12 Alle-Kiski Valley softball teams now know their WPIAL playoff fates as the tournament brackets were released Thursday afternoon. Games begin Tuesday and Wednesday at neutral sites with the WPIAL finals set for June 2-3 at Cal U (Pa.). Leechburg, the co-champions of Section 3-A with Springdale, garnered...
Latrobe in lofty spot as Westmoreland County softball squads earn top WPIAL seeds
Even though it seemed like it at first glance, there was no clerical error or mix-up on the right side of the WPIAL Class 5A softball playoff bracket when it met public eyes Thursday. Latrobe, the No. 2 seed? It even surprised Latrobe’s coach. Bob Kovalcin was slightly taken aback...
