High School category, Page 97
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Latrobe at forefront of girls flag football movement
It is just a matter of time before girls flag football is a fully sanctioned PIAA sport, complete with district and state championships. Latrobe is one of the local club teams preparing to field a team in the WPIAL for 2025-26. It appears to be in good standing with the...
Riverview, Plum athletes earn trips to PIAA track and field championships
Riverview senior Matt Orbin was seeded fourth entering the Class 2A boys javelin at last Wednesday’s WPIAL track and field championships at Slippery Rock. Orbin didn’t let the fact that it was his first appearance at the WPIAL finals get to him as he stayed consistent from his season-best of...
North Allegheny’s Advaita Sircar readies for state singles
North Allegheny tennis standout Advaita Sircar is feeling rejuvenated these days. The arm that bothered him during a straight-set loss in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship has recovered, and the upcoming PIAA tournament includes a favorable bracket for the Tigers’ star sophomore. “I feel super confident now after all...
Senior class filled with college recruits puts North Allegheny baseball in good place
North Allegheny ninth-year baseball coach Andrew Heck considers every senior class special. But this year’s group could be extra special. “They do a really good job of making sure they keep everything light and tight-knit,” Heck said, “and that’s what you like to see as a coach.” The 10-player Class...
3 Franklin Regional athletes advance to PIAA track and field championships
Five athletes from the Franklin Regional track and field team earned medals at the WPIAL Class 3A championship May 14 at Slippery Rock, but only three secured a trip to the PIAA championship meet Friday and Saturday at Shippensburg. Senior Will Weaver, sophomore Sean Cartwright and sophomore Jamie Kociela will...
Hampton boys tennis surprises with deep playoff run
Hampton junior Zane List admits the Talbots boys tennis team held modest goals this season. “Honestly,” he said, “we just wanted to make the playoffs.” After graduating five of their top seven players from last year’s WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinalist, including PIAA singles qualifier Vitaliy Pikalo, the youthful Talbots were...
Hampton girls lacrosse coach Kelsey Burke makes ‘bittersweet’ departure
Hampton girls lacrosse coach Kelsey Burke is leaving behind one beloved family to focus on another. Burke, an expectant mom, told her players after the Talbots’ 12-1 victory over Trinity in the WPIAL Class 2A first round May 12 that this will be her final season. “It’s very bittersweet,” she...
Playoff win headlines list of memorable moments in Fox Chapel softball season
The Fox Chapel softball team’s season won’t end with a trip to the PIAA Class 5A tournament, but the Foxes were able to create memorable moments before they were knocked out 6-3 by North Hills in the WPIAL quarterfinals. In the first round, 12th-seeded Fox Chapel (13-7) stunned No. 5...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Shady Side girls relay team wins WPIAL title
The Shady Side Academy girls 3,200-meter relay team was laser focused on winning a WPIAL Class 2A championship. The Bulldogs didn’t disappoint in their pursuit May 14 at Slippery Rock University. Shady Side Academy finished nearly 10 seconds ahead of second-place North Catholic en route to the top of the...
Fox Chapel junior shakes off pressure, wins WPIAL gold in discus
Claire Conti knows what the issue is when her progress stalls out in the thrower’s circle. The Fox Chapel junior has to find a way to get out of her own way. Conti showed she is more than capable of defeating her own self doubt during the WPIAL Class 3A...
1-run loss puts abrupt end to stellar season for Fox Chapel baseball
Jeremy Haigh knows the nature of a single-elimination playoff format for baseball is likely to bring heartbreak at some point. The Fox Chapel senior pitcher was hoping the Foxes would be able to avoid that feeling for a little longer. The eighth-seeded Foxes struggled to hit Latrobe pitcher Cole Short...
Plum softball reflects on power-packed season after WPIAL playoff exit
The Plum softball team had designs on breaking a tough playoff losing streak when it took on Chartiers Valley at West Mifflin in a WPIAL Class 5A first-round game May 12. The Mustangs were the No. 8 seed as they hoped to snap a six-game playoff skid. The game with...
Norwin notebook: Baseball, softball teams earn spots in WPIAL playoffs
The Norwin baseball and softball teams learned their WPIAL playoff seedings and were primed to open the postseason. The baseball team (12-7) was seeded No. 4 in Class 6A and was set to play No. 5 Butler (10-8) in the quarterfinals on May 19. The Knights finished second in Section...
From cold call in February to playoffs in May, 1st-year coach sparks North Hills volleyball
Jimi Yu’s shot in the dark has turned into quite the decision for the North Hills boys volleyball program. Yu, in his first year leading the Indians, guided a breakthrough season for a program that has been frequently irrelevant come playoff time. “This was our first time making the playoffs...
Trib HSSN softball team of the week for May 16, 2025
Trib HSSN softball team of the week – Blackhawk Cougars Coach: Jim Riggio (ninth year) Record: Blackhawk finished in a tie for second place with Beaver with a Section 3-4A record of 8-4, four games behind section winner Hampton and three games ahead of both North Catholic and Western Beaver....
Trib HSSN baseball team of the week for May 16, 2025
Trib HSSN baseball team of the week – Mars Fightin’ Planets Coach: Jason Thompson (fifth season) Record: Mars finished in fourth place in Section 3-5A with a record of 4-6, two games behind Fox Chapel and four games in back of co-section champions Pine-Richland and Shaler. The Fightin’ Planets have...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 16, 2025
High schools Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Monday’s schedule Hempfield (8-12) vs. North Allegheny (14-6) at Boyce Mayview Park, 7 p.m.; Butler (11-8) vs. Norwin (12-8) at North Allegheny, 4 p.m.; North Hills (7-12) vs. Canon-McMillan (14-6) at Boyce Mayview Park, 4 p.m.; Mt. Lebanon (8-12) vs Seneca Valley...
High school roundup for May 16, 2025: Allderdice wins City League softball crown
Braelyn Altman threw a complete-game two-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts and helped her own cause with a double and a run scored to lead Allderdice to a 5-0 victory over Carrick in the City League softball championship game Friday. Delia Graham singled and drove in a run for the Dragons...
Trib HSSN Pennsylvania high school softball rankings for May 16, 2025
Some districts across the state began the softball playoffs this week while others get underway this upcoming week. While the countdown to the state softball playoffs in now weeks away, the elite teams from across the state are looking good with little movement in the weekly Trib HSSN state softball...
Trib HSSN Pennsylvania high school baseball rankings for May 16, 2025
This past week was the opening of the playoffs for some districts while the curtain goes up on some of the other district postseasons this upcoming week. Either way, there were some changes to the Trib HSSN baseball state rankings two weeks before the PIAA playoffs get underway. Four teams,...
GCC senior putting together last fundraiser before graduation
After a successful 5K walk last year that saw her raise more than $8,000 for a worthy cause, Greensburg Central Catholic senior Sasha Hoffman said there was only one thing she would have changed for this year. “I wanted to start the planning process a lot earlier so that I...
H.S. notebook: PIAA survey on shot clocks will be ‘good litmus test’ for hotly debated topic
Shot clocks or no shot clocks? The PIAA is tabulating results from its recent survey of schools and game officials to gauge their interest in adding the timing devices for high school basketball. But the survey alone won’t decide whether Pennsylvania ultimately adds the clocks, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi...
Lance Jeter, Derek Moye, Mike Zmijanac among inductees into Beaver Co. Hall of Fame
A pair of former NFL players, a former Pittsburgh Pirate and a WPIAL basketball hero in part headline an impressive, special 50th-anniversary 2025 induction class into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame. Aliquippa’s Jonanthan Baldwin and Rochester’s Derek Moye had memorable careers as wide receivers at Pitt and Penn...
Johnstown arena to host PIAA team wrestling, competitive spirit championships from 2026-28
State champions in team wrestling and competitive spirit will be crowned in Johnstown for the next three years. The PIAA announced 1st Summit Arena at Cambria County War Memorial will host the championships for the 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. Championship venues for other winter sports were announced last...
Longtime coach Joe Lafko hired to lead Knoch boys basketball team
Joe Lafko looked to the future and also the past for motivation to return to coaching high school boys basketball. Lafko, who was hired at Knoch on Wednesday, said his upcoming retirement in June after 35 years of teaching social studies at Hampton helped him in his decision. The WPIAL...
