High School category, Page 936
Belle Vernon boys set to meet Freeport in playoff game that almost wasn’t
Thursday night’s WPIAL Class 4A first-round playoff game between top-seeded Belle Vernon and Freeport almost didn’t happen. Belle Vernon (11-1) had its last two games postponed because of covid-19 and has not played since Feb. 20. Coach Joe Salvino decided last week not to hold practices, and it might turn...
PIAA says spring athletes can shed masks outdoors, if physical distancing possible
Spring sports athletes and coaches can shed their masks when outdoors, as long as they maintain 6 feet of physical distance, according to new PIAA guidelines for covid-19. The PIAA board met online Wednesday and approved Return to Competition Guidelines for baseball, softball, track and all other spring sports, the...
A-K Valley basketball playoff capsules: Games for Thursday, March 4, 2021
Here’s a look at Thursday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving A-K Valley teams: Boys First round Class 4A 11-Burrell (9-9) at 6-Central Valley (10-5) 6 p.m. Thursday Coaches: Mike Fantuzzo, Burrell; Brandon Ambrose, Central Valley Winner plays: Winner of 19-Beaver (2-16) at 3-Montour (12-7), 6 p.m. Monday About Burrell: After...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Thursday, March 4, 2021
Here’s a look at Thursday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Girls First round Class 5A 11-South Fayette (14-5) at 6-Latrobe (12-2) 6 p.m. Thursday Coaches: Bryan Bennett, South Fayette; Mark Burkhardt, Latrobe Winner plays: Winner of 14-Moon (7-11) at 3-Hampton (14-5), 6 p.m. Monday About South Fayette:...
Latrobe to rely on late-game composure in WPIAL playoffs
There was a time when Latrobe girls basketball players felt a certain kind of way about fourth-quarter leads. The ball became slippery, the heat of the moment unsavory, as time crawled by and became their enemy. But this year’s edition of the Wildcats seems to appreciate the challenge that comes...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 3, 2021: Bracket opens up for Jeannette
With one night in the books and another to come Thursday, Wednesday marks the midway point of the first round in the 2021 WPIAL boys and girls open basketball playoffs. Round 1 action Wednesday will feature games from boys 5A, boys 2A, girls 6A and girls 3A. Boys round one...
Trib HSSN Girls Basketball State Rankings for March 2, 2021
A Columbia loss to Penns Manor forces the only change among the elite 30 teams in the state as the regular season winds down and the district playoffs begin. The Comets’ win over the Crimson Tide dropped Columbia from the Class 2A rankings, the only change outside of position shuffling...
Seneca Valley tops Mt. Lebanon without its coach, earns 1st playoff win since ’13
With about 30 seconds until half, Mt. Lebanon decided to hold for the final shot, but Seneca Valley wasn’t in a wait-and-see mood. Connor Lyczek converted a steal near midcourt into a breakaway layup and teammate Caiden Oros followed with a steal and layup seconds later as Seneca Valley played...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 2, 2021
High schools Basketball Boys WPIAL playoffs Class 6A First round Tuesday’s results Upper St. Clair 54, Canon-McMillan 39 Seneca Valley 82, Mt. Lebanon 54 Penn-Trafford 53, North Hills 50 Butler 59, Norwin 46 Fox Chapel 63, Bethel Park 44 North Allegheny 45, Central Catholic 41 Hempfield 66, Baldwin 63 Pine-Richland...
High school roundup for March 2, 2021: Pine-Richland girls rally past Peters Township
Kaili Doctor and Sophie Catalano scored 14 points each as Pine-Richland mounted a second-half surge and defeated Peters Township, 54-45, in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball first-round matchup Tuesday night. The No. 10 Rams (7-10) outscored Peters Township 21-10 in the third quarter. Sarah Pifer added 12 points, including...
Hempfield boys hold off Baldwin in Class 6A first round
Stepping foot into what is considered a wide-open WPIAL Class 6A playoff field, while exciting, can also be like a mine field. Leads, no matter how large, can be unstable in a year like this as teams look for bracket-busting upsets. Need proof? Look at Hempfield. Need proof of a...
Sophomore scorer sparks Mt. Pleasant girls in overtime win over Freeport
Survive and advance. That is what the Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team did Tuesday evening in a WPIAL Class 4A first-round game against No. 6 Freeport. The No. 11 Vikings rallied from six points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime. They outscored the Yellowjackets 7-0 in the extra...
Leechburg takes advantage of runs to secure 1st-round victory
Basketball is a game of runs, and when the Leechburg boys team has gotten hot this season, it has been tough to beat. The Blue Devils took advantage of unanswered runs of 13 and 16 points between the first and second quarter Tuesday to jump out to a 30-point halftime...
Covid forces Plum girls out of WPIAL basketball playoffs
Plum girls basketball is the latest team to drop out of the WPIAL playoffs because of covid protocols. The Mustangs will forfeit a Class 5A first-round game against second-seeded Chartiers Valley that was scheduled for Thursday night. Chartiers Valley will advance to the quarterfinals, where it will face the winner...
Dave Teorsky resigns as Freeport boys soccer coach
Freeport boys soccer coach Dave Teorsky resigned this week after eight seasons at the helm of the program. He compiled an overall coaching record of 77-63-4 with five playoff appearances. The Yellowjackets won the second section title in the program’s 28-year history in 2016. Teorsky cited additional responsibilities at his...
Will Saunders steps down as Kiski Area boys basketball coach
After a year in which the Cavaliers went 5-15 and lost in the preliminary round of the WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball playoffs, Kiski Area coach Will Saunders is resigning from his position. During his three-year stint, Saunders’ record was 18-46 with one playoff appearance, which came this season thanks...
A-K Valley basketball playoff capsules: Games for Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving A-K Valley teams: Boys First round Class 5A 15-Plum (9-5) at 2-New Castle (17-2) 6 p.m. Wednesday Coaches: Mark Marino, Plum; Ralph Blundo, New Castle Winner plays: Winner of 10-Latrobe (7-6) at 7-Thomas Jefferson (18-4), noon Saturday About Plum: The...
Parents of Springdale basketball players protest playoff cancellationVideo
A group of about a dozen parents, players and their head coach showed up in the lobby of the Allegheny Valley School District offices in Harmar on Tuesday morning to protest its decision to forfeit Springdale High School’s WPIAL first-round boys basketball playoff game. The decision was made after four...
Westmoreland basketball notebook: Franklin Regional, Mars set for another playoff meeting
Rivalry is a strong word. Franklin Regional and Mars have a history, yes. But it’s more of a friendly get-together when they play than a mean-spirited rivalry. You could argue Franklin Regional had more of a competitive spark with Highlands before the Golden Rams went to Class 4A. (They’re back...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games for Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s WPIAL basketball playoff games involving Westmoreland County teams: Girls First round Class 6A 9-Baldwin (8-7) at 8-Penn-Trafford (10-6) 6 p.m. Wednesday Coaches: Jamal Woodson, Baldwin; John Giannikas, Penn-Trafford Winner plays: At 1-North Allegheny (19-1), noon Saturday About Baldwin: After a rash of early-season postponements, the...
Trib HSSN WPIAL wrestling individual rankings for March 2, 2021
Here’s a look at this week’s Trib HSSN individual wrestling rankings: Class AAA 106: 1. Tyler Chappell, Seneca Valley, so. (31-2); 2. Antonino Walker, Plum, fr. (22-2); 3. Andrew Binni, Canon-McMillan, fr. (22-4); 4. Jake Layton, Connellsville, so. (13-4). 113: 1. Vinny Kilkeary, Latrobe, so. (21-1); 2. Troy Hohman, Penn-Trafford,...
High school notebook: Wrestling’s super region seeds upset some coaches
There are a few wrestling coaches wondering why the PIAA doesn’t do a better job seeding tournaments. The super region tournaments in the West have some crazy first-round matches Saturday. How about a potential state finals match in the 113-pound quarterfinals at the Class AAA tournament in Altoona between returning...
Trib HSSN Wrestling Team of the Week: Waynesburg
The Raiders finished this weekend’s WPIAL Class AAA individual tournament with three wrestlers atop the podium, two finishing as runners-up, and two as third-place finishers just one week after having 12 section champions. They finished first in the team race this weekend with 120 points. Hempfield was next with 85.5...
Trib HSSN Wrestler of the Week: Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer
In one of the toughest brackets of this weekend’s WPIAL Class AAA tournament at Canon-McMillan, Pine-Richland senior Cole Spencer came away with his second straight WPIAL title. He earned a pin and two decisions to capture the 160-pound weight class. After winning WPIALs at 152 pounds last season, Spencer bumped...
Kapcin’s block helps Penn-Trafford end 20-year playoff droughtVideo
A long playoff drought ended for the Penn-Trafford boys basketball program Tuesday. And it was a defensive play that keyed the win. The Warriors, sparked by defensive blocked shot and resulting layup by Josh Kapcin, rolled to a 63-50 victory against North Hills in the opening round of the WPIAL...
