High School category, Page 906
PIAA moves state swimming, diving championships to high school venue
The state swimming championships are changing lanes. The PIAA board voted to move this winter’s state swimming and diving meet to Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg. Covid-19 gathering limits led the PIAA to find a host site other than Bucknell, PIAA associate executive director Melissa Mertz said Wednesday. Diving...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 28, 2021: Trinity girls face another test
Less than a week after a headlining-making victory, the Trinity girls basketball team faces another tough challenge on Thursday. The Hillers climbed to the top of the district and state rankings by ending the state record win streak of Chartiers Valley, 49-42, on Saturday. Now they host Thomas Jefferson with...
Trib HSSN boys basketball state rankings for Jan. 27, 2021
Once again, there was very little movement among the ranked teams in the weekly HSSN boys basketball state rankings, with the two exceptions being in the two highest classifications. Upper St. Clair lost to Fox Chapel and exited in 6A while Milton Hershey lost twice in Class 5A to slip...
Trib 10: New teams at the top of boys, girls power rankings
Big changes this week in the HSSN boys and girls basketball power rankings with three teams out, three teams in and two new No. 1 teams in the Trib 10. The changes in the boys rankings started at the top with Fox Chapel beating Upper St. Clair, allowing the Foxes...
High school roundup for Jan. 27, 2021: No. 1 Waynesburg rolls over Canon Mac
When Waynesburg and Canon-McMillan met in the Section 4-AAA finals last year, it was one of the most exciting dual meets of the season. After the teams wrestled to a 30-30 tie, the Raiders won on the ninth tie-breaking criteria. When the teams met again Wednesday night, tie-breaking criteria were...
Winning, not points or records, motivates Plum girls basketball standout Montue
Kennedie Montue averaged 22.1 points a game last year and helped the Plum girls basketball team to a 14-7 record and to within a game of the program’s first section championship. Last year’s Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year and multi-year all-conference performer has picked up where she left...
PIAA might keep football championships in November, start season earlier
Should the state football championship remain in November, even if that requires an earlier start date or smaller playoffs? That’s a question the PIAA wants its strategic planning committee to consider. For now it’s just talk, but the PIAA might take action before next season if the right plan comes...
Westmoreland high school girls basketball notebook: Yough revels in snapped streak
Yough is showing steady improvement and the proof is in the numbers. Especially one gigantic, glaring number: 99. That was how many section games the Cougars had lost in a row before they finally broke through last week. Yes, they almost lost 100 consecutive section games dating to 2013. Coach...
Former Allderdice coach, police academy cadet accused of selling cocaine from house
A former Pittsburgh Allderdice High School football coach who was going through a police academy is accused of selling cocaine out of his Squirrel Hill home, according to charges filed Wednesday by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Branndon Pezzelle, 36, allegedly had 1,252 grams – nearly 3 pounds – of...
Local basketball freshmen playing beyond their years
Jim Nesser liked what he saw from Terek Crosby from the moment the promising freshman first laced up his basketball shoes and took the court at Yough. Nesser has coached at a few area schools over a lengthy career, coming full circle at Yough — his first stop in 1988...
AK Valley girls basketball notebook: Every second counts for Kiski Area
In Saturday’s 33-31 buzzer-beating win over Greensburg Salem, Kiski Area’s players saw first-hand how much every second counts in close games. The early seconds, and minutes, didn’t add up to much for the Cavaliers, who missed their first nine shots. They trailed the Golden Lions for a total of 31...
3 WPIAL freshmen make MaxPreps All-America football team
Three rising stars in the WPIAL Class of 2024 were named to the MaxPreps All-America Freshman football team. Belle Vernon running back, receiver and defensive back Quinton Martin, Central Catholic tight end/linebacker Anthony Speca and Jeannette quarterback Brad Birch were among the 48 national selections for offense and defense. All...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 26, 2021
High schools Basketball Boys Tuesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 North Allegheny 74, North Hills 65 (OT) Pine-Richland 76, Seneca Valley 60 Class 5A Section 3 McKeesport 52, Kiski Area 40 Franklin Regional at Woodland Hills, ppd. Latrobe at Penn Hills, ppd. Section 4 Highlands 56, Hampton 55 Mars 91,...
Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings for Jan. 27, 2021
There may have been some shuffling going on, but the elite girls teams across the state enjoyed a successful week as no teams fell out of the weekly HSSN state rankings. Old Forge fell in Class 2A from No. 2 to No. 5, and Mohawk and Camp Hill Trinity switched...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 27, 2021: Highlands, Springdale square off
Everything is A-OK with boys basketball in the A-K Valley. Two of the top teams are scheduled to square off in a nonsection game Wednesday when defending Class 4A champion Highlands hosts Springdale. The Golden Rams moved to 5-0 with a 56-55 win voer Hampton on Tuesday. Highlands has used...
High school roundup for Jan. 26, 2021: Aquinas sophomore Vinnie Cugini hits for 52 in loss
Aquinas Academy sophomore Vinnie Cugini scored 52 points, breaking the 50-point barrier for the second time in a week, but this time, it didn’t lead to a victory. Andrew Sullivan scored 39 points to lead St. Joseph to an 85-72 win over Aquinas Academy in Section 3-A boys basketball Tuesday...
Devin Whitlock, freshmen put on a show as Belle Vernon puts away YoughVideo
Devin Whitlock said Belle Vernon is a second-half team. That might be the case from the perspective of the team’s junior point guard, but Yough might argue that the Leopards are a second-quarter team. At least they were on Tuesday night in Herminie. After Yough came out poised to challenge...
Trinity finds scoring touch, gets past Mt. Lebanon
Trinity entered Tuesday’s nonsection game against Mt. Lebanon averaging more than 65 points per game. After a slow start in the opening quarter, the hosts found their touch, and it was all downhill from there. Thanks to the scoring of senior Michael Dunn, Mt. Lebanon was done as Trinity held...
Khalil Dinkins’ double-double helps North Allegheny top North Hills in overtime
As a future Penn State football player, there’s no questioning Khalil Dinkins’ athleticism. But his basketball coach has told him there’s one flaw in his game: He’s too nice. North Hills might disagree. Dinkins made a game-saving block at the end of regulation Tuesday night and then scored the first...
Knoch seniors step up in win over Burrell
The Knoch Knights were celebrating their seniors on Tuesday night as they hosted Section 1-4A rival Burrell. Their seniors stepped up big time in a 55-53 victory. Senior forwards Zach McMillen and Tyler Buterbaugh scored 11 apiece and Buterbaugh drilled three fourth-quarter 3-pointers to push the Knights (3-3, 3-1) ahead...
Hempfield’s Briar Priest tops Latrobe’s Nate Roth to lift Spartans
The top wrestlers in the WPIAL at 132 pounds met for the first time Tuesday, and the two walked away knowing this likely won’t be the last time they meet this season. Latrobe sophomore Nate Roth, who was ranked No. 1 in the Trib Total Media individual rankings, and Hempfield...
A-K Valley wrestling notebook: Local wrestlers earn top seeds at Powerade
Wrestling teams around the WPIAL might’ve had to wait a little longer, but the annual Powerade wrestling tournament, which includes some of the best high school wrestling teams in the country, is finally here. Fifty-five teams will converge on the tournament’s new location at the Monroeville Convention Center on Friday...
WPIAL wrestling notebook: Waynesburg, Seneca Valley grapplers eye 2nd Powerade titles
Waynesburg sophomore Mac Church and Seneca Valley senior Alejandro Herrera-Rondon are the only WPIAL wrestlers looking for their second Powerade Tournament titles this weekend. Church won the 106-pound title in 2019 and Herrera-Rondon nabbed the 113-pound crown in 2018. Because of Gov. Tom Wolf’s state shutdown of all high school...
WPIAL wrestling standings through Jan. 25, 2021
Class AAA Section 1-A Fox Chapel 2-1 2-5 Hampton 2-2 4-9 Kiski Area 1-0 4-3 Armstrong 0-0 0-0 Indiana 0-0 0-0 Highlands 0-2 1-5 Section 1-B Franklin Regional 4-0 11-3 Penn-Trafford 3-1 5-5 Gateway 0-1 0-2 Penn Hills 0-1 1-3 Woodland Hills 0-2 0-2 Plum 0-2 4-5 Section 2-A Thomas...
Trib HSSN WPIAL wrestling team rankings for Jan. 26, 2021
Class AAA Rank Team Last week 1. Waynesburg (7-0) 1 2. Seneca Valley (13-1) 2 3. Hempfield (7-0) 3 4. Franklin Regional (11-4) 7 5. North Allegheny (7-0) 8 6. Canon-McMillan (7-3) 5 7. Norwin (3-1) 8 8. Butler (8-2) NR 9. Latrobe (4-3) 10 10. Thomas Jefferson (8-1) NR...
