High School category, Page 912
Gateway boys bowlers leaning on experience
Experience is the calling card for the Gateway boys bowling team. A group of five seniors — Mason Servello, Cody Beckwith, Nathan Clark, Anthony Zappa and Liam Brown — front the Gators in matches as they hope for big things in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League and beyond. So...
Shaler swimming gets creative to navigate unusual season
There was no perfect way for the Shaler swim team to restart its season following the state-mandated three-week layoff for covid-19 precautions. But having a meet on the road against Chartiers Valley on Jan. 13 gave Titans coach Abi May a good way to ease back into competition. The Colts’...
Freshman goalie playing key role for Shaler hockey team
Shane Ciganik never planned on seeing so much time on the varsity team. The Shaler freshman netminder expected to ease into the high school level. But Ciganik has seen more than his share of minutes for the school’s hockey team. He’s appeared in eight games and was named the starting...
Senior forward confident South Fayette hockey can heat up after slow start
The 2020 portion of this high school hockey season was not kind to South Fayette. A finalist in the PIHL Class A Penguins Cup playoffs two years ago, the Lions struggled out of the gate this season in Class AA with a 1-3-2 record before the season was paused due...
Savanah Abbott leads Bishop Canevin girls basketball into new era
Two program icons that helped Bishop Canevin win the WPIAL Class 2A championship last year, as well as titles in their freshman and sophomore seasons in 2017 and 2018, are playing college ball now. Alyssa Pollice and Diajha Allen left their golden mark on a Crusaders program that has won...
Thomas Jefferson gymnasts happy to compete, aim to defend WPIAL title
The Thomas Jefferson gymnastics program has climbed quickly to elite status. Last year, TJ won its fourth section title in a row, second consecutive WPIAL championship and finished as the state runner-up in the gold division. “We hope to defend the WPIAL title,” coach Jodi Cummings said, “and we hope...
Baldwin gymnasts ready to defend championship
The tag “defending state champion” provides awe-inspiring incentive for the Baldwin gymnasts in 2020-21. This season, the Highlanders are looking to retain their Pennsylvania Classic team title in the silver division. “We hope to be able to qualify for WPIALs and defend our state title,” coach Jodi Cummings said. “Each...
High school roundup for Jan. 16, 2021: Chartiers Valley boys continue sizzling start
Brayden Reynolds scored 25 points and Chartiers Valley stayed undefeated with an 88-81 victory over North Allegheny in a nonsection matchup of top WPIAL teams Saturday night in the MLK Showcase at North Allegheny. Socrates Bulis hit on 5 of 6 3-point attempts and scored 19 points for Chartiers Valley...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 16, 2021
WPIAL Basketball Boys Saturday’s results Tournament MLK Weekend Showcase at North Allegheny Chartiers Valley 88, North Allegheny 81 Nonsection Bishop Canevin 72, Springdale 44 Burrell 66, Kiski Area 51 Butler 80, Knoch 49 Burgettstown at Waynesburg Central, ppd. Central Catholic 51, Bethel Park 41 Laurel 58, Eden Christian 49 McDowell...
WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 16, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 4-0, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 2-0, 3 3. North Allegheny, 3-1, 5 4. Hempfield, 2-1, NR 5. Butler, 2-1, 2 Out: Central Catholic (2-2, 4) Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. New Castle, 3-0, 2 2. Chartiers Valley, 6-0,...
WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Jan. 16, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 4-0, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 3-1, 2 3. Mt. Lebanon, 4-0, 3 4. Norwin, 3-0, 4 5. Bethel Park, 1-1, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 5-0, 1 2. Trinity, 4-0, 2 3. Thomas...
St. Joseph swimmer Wygonik completes long road back from elbow surgery
Sam Wygonik hoped for the best when he stepped up to the block for the boys 200-yard freestyle Thursday during a dual meet between Fox Chapel and Woodland Hills at Fox Chapel High School. The St. Joseph junior, swimming in a high school meet for the first time since the...
WPIAL coaches have mixed feelings about open basketball playoffs
Yes, we’re open. Derry girls basketball coach Gene Brisbane was coaching the Jeannette boys 37 years ago when the WPIAL opened the playoff door to everybody. The league held a free-for-all tournament where any team that wanted to compete in the postseason could. At the time, Brisbane wasn’t sure what...
Roger Sullenberger, coach with encyclopedic knowledge of Hempfield track, dies at age 75
Roger Sullenberger was a math teacher at Hempfield, but if anyone wanted to know the history of the school’s track program, Sully was the guy to go to. He could recite every record, current or retired, in the school’s history. Hempfield assistant track coach LaRoyal Wilson referred to Sullenberger as...
Fox Chapel boys are looking to rediscover their defensive identity
In recent years, the Fox Chapel boys basketball team has shaped its identity around success on the defensive end. Four years ago, when the Foxes finished 19-4, they allowed an average of 53.4 points, and they haven’t allowed an average higher than that since. They look to keep opponents under...
Fox Chapel girls basketball team shows resolve
After suffering a pair of disappointing losses and some crucial injuries earlier this season, the Fox Chapel girls basketball team persevered for their first victory of the season Jan. 12 when they took down Section 2-5A foe Hampton, 58-49. Fox Chapel’s first two games resulted in a seven-point loss to...
Pine-Richland junior having breakthrough season on ice
When Alex Erlain’s skates touch the ice, his Pine-Richland teammates and coaches know he’ll make every second of his shift count. The junior forward has emerged as an offensive playmaker with a team-leading 11 points through five games this season after scoring all of four points one year ago. He...
Despite shorthanded roster, Riverview wrestlers getting up to speed
Riverview has fewer wrestlers on its roster than normal, but coach Joe Murphy said excitement is high for those ready to test their mettle on the mat. The Raiders started their practices on time (Nov. 20) and maintained their schedule through Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown orders that took effect Dec....
Plum’s Kvortek sets sights on success at WPIAL gymnastics meet
Sarah Kvortek made her WPIAL gymnastics championship debut as a freshman last year, and the Plum athlete showed she had arrived with a fifth-place finish on bars in the Gold Intermediate I Division. “That was such a great experience,” said Kvortek, who qualified for WPIALs in all four disciplines, including...
North Journal notebook: North Allegheny wrestlers start strong at host invitational
North Allegheny welcomed eight wrestling teams to the Wright Automotive Invitational on Jan. 9. The season-opening individual tournament gave the Tigers a chance to gain some much-needed match experience after enduring a mandated three-week shutdown by Gov. Tom Wolf. Wrestlers from Burrell, Fort LeBoeuf, Fox Chapel, Hempfield, Hickory, Southmoreland, Thomas...
Now healthy, Habib steps into new role for North Allegheny
Greg Habib’s junior season ended early last winter when a player fell into his leg at Seneca Valley’s gym, forced his knee inward and injured his medial collateral ligament. A lot can change in 12 months. Almost one year to the day, the North Allegheny senior returned to Seneca’s gym...
Hampton wrestler steps up to help teammate who lost home in fire
On a school night in early November, Hampton’s Jayden Resch disappeared into a spare bedroom for a few hours. The 172-pound junior wrestler had learned the home of classmate Jacob Premick was significantly damaged in a Nov. 3 fire, and he was driven to do something about it. “He’s been...
3 Highlands football players set to play in All-American game in Alabama
Three Highlands players are getting one more opportunity to show what they are capable of on the football field. This weekend, seniors Kaleb White, Jeremiah Saunders and Jeremiah Nelson will travel to Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala., to compete in the DREAM All-American Bowl. Players from 25...
Chartiers Valley girls quietly tie longest winning streak in state basketball history
There were a couple of high fives when the clock reached zeroes Friday night but nothing more than usual as Chartiers Valley wrapped up a 53-point section win over Moon. There was no indication the Colts had just tied a state record. No idea they’d just won their 62nd consecutive...
High school scores, summaries and schedule for Jan. 16, 2021
WPIAL Basketball Boys Friday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Seneca Valley 87, Butler 81 North Allegheny 83, Pine-Richland 77 (OT) Section 2 Upper St. Clair 53, Canon-McMillan 45 Peters Township 72, Baldwin 55 Mt. Lebanon at Bethel Park, ppd. Section 3 Fox Chapel 39, Norwin 38 Hempfield 54, Penn-Trafford 51...
