High School category, Page 922
New era for Pine-Richland boys basketball tips off with enthusiasm
Joe Petcash was riding in the car with his dad in mid-June when they got a call that would put into motion the next era of Pine-Richland’s basketball team. Bob Petcash answered discreetly, opting not to take it on speaker, and hung up after a few brief words with the...
Norwin infielder chosen for exclusive showcase
No high school baseball season last spring only served to motivate players like Alex Gabauer, a slick-fielding, power-hitting shortstop at Norwin. The senior has committed to play at Penn, so his college future is secure — as secure as it can be during the covid-19 pandemic. But baseball can lead...
Last season’s abrupt ending motivates North Allegheny girls basketball
After having its state title hopes dashed last season by the covid-19 pandemic, the North Allegheny girls basketball team isn’t worried about a couple of inconveniences. Wear masks at all times for practices and during games? Fine. Social distance and wash uniforms and equipment every night? No big deal. “I...
WPIAL champion coach brings spark to North Allegheny boys basketball
Matt McDonough and Robby Jones knew there would be some wide eyes in the gym, so they offered words of advice to their North Allegheny teammates about new basketball coach Dan DeRose. “We let everyone know his style and how he can yell a little bit,” McDonough said. “But he...
Franklin Regional’s Lindeman chooses Towson
Franklin Regional girls soccer coach Scott Arnold calls Sydney Lindeman a leader by example. The junior midfielder does not have to say much to inspire her teammates. Her skilled game does most of the talking. They often follow the pace she sets. “Syd’s teammates love and respect her,” Arnold said....
Fox Chapel wrestling looks to lean on work ethic in 2020
After losing four seniors to graduation, the Fox Chapel wrestling team is going to go through a transition process in 2020. Eddie Farrell, Josh Miller, Luke O’Connor and Alex Wecht all left a lasting impact on the program after combining for 101 wins last season. They all recorded double-digit pins....
Fox Chapel swimming set to have best team in recent history
The Fox Chapel swimming program is on the rise. With an influx of young talent on both the girls and boys side and state champion Sophie Shao returning, the Foxes are in position to have one of the best seasons in recent history. “We feel really confident; we had one...
Hampton girls swimmers get up to speed quickly in preseason
With most swimming pools shut down for much of the offseason, Hampton coach Morgan Zweygardt was unsure what to expect from her girls team when practices began. To her pleasant surprise, they’ve made a big splash. “I had no real expectations for this year,” she said. “I just wanted to...
Hampton boys swimmers a WPIAL title threat in Class AA
The Hampton boys swimming team is looking forward to picking on someone its own size. Coming off a memorable season in which Hampton placed third at the WPIAL Class AAA swimming and diving championships, the Talbots are dropping into Class AA, where they are expected to be a serious title...
2020 Valley News Dispatch Football All-Stars
Here’s a look at the 2020 Valley News Dispatch football all-star team: Evan Azzara Plum, OL/DL, sr. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound senior was a key piece of an offensive line that helped the Mustangs racked up 344.7 yards per game. The Miami (Ohio) commit was first-team all-conference and was selected to...
Valley News Dispatch Offensive Player of the Year: Apollo-Ridge’s Logan Harmon
Alle-Kiski Valley Offensive Player of the Year Logan Harmon RB, Senior, 5-8, 215 pounds, Apollo-Ridge Logan Harmon saved one of the best rushing performances of his career for Apollo-Ridge’s WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal game against Washington on Oct. 30 at Owens Field. The 215-pound senior running back helped dash the...
Valley News Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year: Springdale’s Logan Dexter
Alle-Kiski Valley Defensive Player of the Year Logan Dexter S, Junior, 6-2, 165 pounds, Springdale In Springdale’s first scrimmage of the season, Imani Christian sent two receivers toward junior safety Logan Dexter in hopes they would force him to make a difficult decision about who to cover. Dexter found himself...
Penn-Trafford’s Ethan Carr named Tribune-Review Westmoreland County Player of the Year
When Penn-Trafford football coach John Ruane asked Ethan Carr to switch positions during his sophomore season, there were no objections. Carr took it as a challenge and became one of the Warriors’ top receivers and special teams players. So when Ruane approached Carr about returning to his original position —...
2020 Tribune-Review Westmoreland County Football All-Stars
First team Brad Birch Jeannette, QB, fr. The talented ninth-grader helped lead the Jayhawks to the school’s 10th WPIAL title. He completed 117 of 184 passes for 1,676 yards and 30 touchdowns. Late in the season, he started to become a running threat. He rushed for 272 yards and four...
WPIAL teams in action Friday night savor the moment, worry about what’s nextVideo
In all of his years as the Mars boys basketball coach, Rob Carmody has never celebrated an undefeated season. Not until now, said Carmody, who was in a deprecating mood Friday night after Mars won its season opener over Knoch, 79-59. He joked about hanging a banner in the gym,...
High school roundup for Dec. 11, 2020: OLSH boys top North Catholic in battle of WPIAL champs
With only a few hours to spare before a three-week, state-mandated sports shutdown, a pair of defending WPIAL champions managed to squeeze in one of the season’s most marquee boys basketball matchups. Jake DiMichele scored 37 points and Dante Spadafora added 21 to lead OLSH to an 80-74 victory over...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 11, 2020
Basketball Boys Friday’s results WPIAL Neshannock tournament Semifinals Neshannock 73, Moniteau 43 Mercyhurst Prep 74, Shenango 50 Championship Neshannock 57, Mercyhurst Prep 43 Consolation Shenango 75, Moniteau 51 Nonsection Seton LaSalle 54, Beaver 39 Brentwood 58, Northgate 28 Brownsville 35, Chartiers-Houston 32 Butler 82, Latrobe 72 Chartiers Valley 64, Penn...
Chartiers Valley girls keep winning streak alive with win over game Baldwin squad
Chartiers Valley waited exactly nine months to pick up their 59th consecutive victory toward breaking a state record winning streak. Now the Colts will have to wait another four weeks before attempting to win No. 60. The top-ranked girls Class 5A team in the district and the state bottled up...
Penn-Trafford fits in basketball sweep before sports shutdownVideo
One and done. Before the big pause, Penn-Trafford’s basketball teams opened the season Friday with a doubleheader — the only games the Warriors will play in 2020. The girls took on Sto-Rox and the boys entertained North Allegheny in Harrison City. In between games, a sparse crowd — about 10%...
Oakland Catholic girls hold off spirited Fox Chapel rallyVideo
The Fox Chapel girls basketball team gave host Oakland Catholic all it could handle in a nonsection game Friday night. The Foxes rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half and were within two possessions heading into the fourth quarter, but the Eagles held off a final Fox Chapel...
Greensburg Salem wrestling downs Southmoreland in match before hiatusVideo
When Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf decided to put high school and recreational youth athletics on a three-week hiatus and the Monroeville Mat Madness wrestling tournament was canceled, Southmoreland athletic director and wrestling coach Dan Boring went to work. With the governor’s mandate going into effect at midnight Saturday, Boring didn’t...
Fox Chapel gets a win over Hampton before three-week shutdown
Before his team met Hampton on Friday for its only game in the next three weeks, Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar wrote a message on the whiteboard. It was a simple question mark. Big and bold. “We always have a last word before the game, and our last...
St. Joseph girls ‘all-in’ on playing opener, lose to Neshannock
St. Joseph girls basketball coach Dennis Jones said there was no question his team wanted to take the court Friday to open its season less than 24 hours after Gov. Tom Wolf announced high school sports would shut down for four weeks as part of covid-19 mitigation efforts. “The girls...
PIAA doesn’t anticipate ‘pause’ becoming lengthy shutdown
PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said he doesn’t believe this “pause” of interscholastic sports will drag on for months like the shutdown last spring. “I take them for their word that it’s a pause,” Lombardi said Friday, a day after Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration halted practices and contests statewide until...
Schedules altered as WPIAL high school basketball season tips off
Welcome to opening day of the 2020-21 winter sports season. Also, welcome to the final night of high school sports for 2020. In a year of strangeness, this seems about right. With many contests set for the tip off of the boys and girls high school basketball campaign Friday, the...
