High School category, Page 928
High school roundup for Nov. 30, 2020: Chartiers Valley hockey rallies past North Hills
Jackson Fodor, Greg Kraemer and Ryan Kantner scored in the final seven minutes of the game to lead Chartiers Valley to a 4-3 comeback win over North Hills in a PIHL Class A Southwest game Monday night. Roman Rennebeck had a goal and an assist as North Hills (2-1-0) took...
Girls basketball preview: Latrobe loaded with veteran talent
The 2021 senior class at Latrobe includes four girls basketball players who represent the first group to play the sport at the seventh-grade level when the current coaching staff, led by sixth-year coach Mark Burkhardt, took over the program in 2015. As a result, Latrobe’s varsity roster is loaded with...
PIAA savors fall season completed against all odds
There was cause to celebrate, but PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi probably didn’t spike the football or exchange high-fives after the state championships finished Saturday night. A high school football season that seemed doomed from the start, a season opposed by no less than the governor himself, made it all...
Boys basketball preview: Kiski Area hopes preseason competition leads to in-season success
Opportunity was a main theme as the Kiski Area boys basketball team began preseason practices Nov. 23. Three starters from last season — 6-foot-7 forward Jason Baker (Legacy Early College charter school in South Carolina), and guards Kyrell Hutcherson (North Allegheny) and Joe Lukas (Kiski Prep) — transferred in the...
Girls basketball preview: Kiski Area forced to adapt after injury sidelines top sophomore
Lexi Colaianni made the most of her freshman season with the Kiski Area varsity girls basketball team. Colaianni averaged 8.5 points through 22 games last year, tops among all underclassmen on the team. Cavaliers coach Nick Dizon said she worked hard in the offseason with hopes of raising her game...
Boys basketball preview: Latrobe looks for return to winning ways
Latrobe boys basketball has seen its share of success under longtime coach Brad Wetzel, who has experienced just four losing seasons since taking over the program in 2002-03. The Wildcats enter the current campaign, though, hoping to erase the memory of one of those off years that resulted in a...
Penn-Trafford leads all-conference picks on Big East football team
Penn-Trafford quarterback Ethan Carr was among 10 teammates who earned first-team all-conference honors, and Warriors coach John Ruane earned Coach of the Year honors in the Class 5A Big East this season. Carr was joined by Penn-Trafford players Joe Spadaro, Declan Ochendowski, Cole Darragh, Cade Yacamelli, Chase Vecchio, Tom Wilkie,...
Central Catholic leads WPIAL Class 6A all-conference football team
WPIAL champion Central Catholic had eight players earn first-team all-conference honors in Class 6A, including running back Eddy Tillman, who led the largest classification in rushing. Also, Central Catholic’s Terry Totten was named Coach of the Year in 6A after the Vikings won back-to-back WPIAL titles. Joining Tillman were teammates...
Pine-Richland earns 12 all-conference spots on Northeast football team
A dozen Pine-Richland players earned first-team all-conference honors in the Class 5A Northeast, including the record-setting combination of quarterback Cole Spencer and receiver Eli Jochem. The Rams won WPIAL and PIAA titles this season under coach Eric Kasperowicz, who was named Coach of the Year in the conference. Pine-Richland had...
Peters Township tops Allegheny 6 all-conference football team
Peters Township reached the WPIAL finals for the second year in a row and was rewarded with eight first-team spots on the Allegheny Six all-conference team. Indians coach T.J. Plack, who guided the team to an 8-1 record, earned coach of the year honors in the Class 5A Allegheny Six...
Belle Vernon baseball standout Garrett Greco commits to Gardner-Webb
Though Tony Watson has only been at the helm of the Belle Vernon baseball program for a short time, he’s been around senior Garrett Greco long enough to see how hard he’s worked to get to where he is today. “I’ve watched him develop into a Division I ball player,...
PIHL standings through Nov. 29, 2020
Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings through Sunday, Nov. 29. Team – Wins – Losses – Overtime/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class AAA North Allegheny, 3-1-0 = 6 Peters Township, 3-1-0 = 6 Mt. Lebanon, 2-1-0 = 4 Pine-Richland, 2-1-0 = 4 Seneca Valley, 2-1-0 = 4...
Trib HSSN Player of the Week: Eli Jochem, Pine-RichlandVideo
Pine-Richland has had great contributions from many players in finishing 11-0 and capturing district and state championships for the second time in school history. When it came to the Rams’ high-powered passing attack, they had a dynamic duo. If last week’s HSSN Player of the Week, senior quarterback Cole Spencer...
Boys basketball preview: Jeannette has deep, experienced roster, hopes to avoid slow start
If the Jeannette boys basketball team can duplicate the success of the football team, then the Jayhawks could be looking at a long season. That’s what veteran coach Adrian Batts is hoping for. The elder statesman of Section 3-2A is looking forward to the season. With four starters returning, a...
Westmoreland high school notebook: FR golfer Tragesser picks Rhode Island
Chuck Tragesser always knew he wanted to play golf collegiately. But he was unsure of where or what level. He just knew he had the game to compete at a higher level and waited for an opportunity to come along. The Franklin Regional senior had a breakout year, one that...
Girls basketball preview: Jeannette ready to make WPIAL playoff push
When Jonathan Bass took over the Jeannette girls basketball program in 2018, he was hoping to have things turned around in three years. This is the start of his third season at Jeannette, and Bass feels things are on the right track. Even though Jeannette is coming off a 4-18...
Jeannette football turns season of distractions into memorable run
The Jeannette football team experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat during the 2020 season. It was a season of uncertainty — a shortened season with the specter of covid-19 looming constantly. It also was thrilling, with their 10th WPIAL championship. But Friday, the season ended with...
Highlands’ Slepak gives baseball verbal commitment to Division I Mount St. Mary’s
The day after Thanksgiving, Highlands junior Jett Slepak gave thanks for the opportunity to make a verbal commitment to the baseball program at Division I Mount St. Mary’s. “This is a great opportunity for me,” Slepak said of the Maryland school, which is a member of the Northeast Conference and...
Boys basketball preview: Quaker Valley looking to run with experienced roster
By this point in the year, the Quaker Valley boys basketball team is used to having close to 60 offseason games under its belt, and although they may not matter in the grand scheme of things, those games are crucial. From spring shootouts to summer team camps and leagues, along...
Gateway hockey program focused on development
Gateway hockey coach Shawn Jesih sees a lot of potential in the freshmen and sophomores who make up the majority of the roster. So much so that before the season, he bumped the Gators up from the PIHL’s Tier 3 JV league to Tier 2 knowing it would be a...
Penn Hills boys maintain high expectations under new head coach
Even with a new voice leading the Penn Hills boys basketball program, the mission is still the same — win a WPIAL championship. Chris Giles takes over for Dan DeRose as Penn Hills’ new boys basketball coach. Penn Hills hired Giles on June 29 after DeRose accepted the head coaching...
Pine-Richland seniors cherish trip to PIAA field hockey semifinals
Every sports dynasty has a core molded long before its recognized, a foundation rooted in its relationships and, in Pine-Richland’s case, a “secret sauce.” For the Rams field hockey team, the foundation stems back to the days that seniors Ella Rottinghaus, Elaina Camino, Natalie Loftus and Jordan Landreneau first took...
Girls basketball preview: Shaler to lean on tenacious defense, team speed
Sophomore center Mackenzie Barr expects the Shaler girls basketball team to dig in and defend on every possession. The Titans can count on tough defense entering this season but will be searching for ways to score. Shaler graduated two players, Emily Cavacini and Megan Lacy, who were a big part...
Boys basketball preview: Revamped Shaler roster works to get up to speed
Logan Bernesser’s role on the back of the press for the Shaler boys basketball team is to survey the court. The 6-foot-6 junior forward is in the best spot to protect the rim and help direct his teammates on defense. When he peers out at the Titans this season, he...
Girls basketball preview: Penn Hills has experienced roster, playoff aspirations
With an experienced roster returning, the Penn Hills girls basketball team will look to make a deep run into the playoffs this season. The Indians, who finished 12-13 overall with an 8-5 section record last season, return four starters, including senior guards Amoni Blackwell, Jasmyn Golden and Jayla Golden. Blackwell...
