Chick’s Picks: Like everything else, making predictions isn’t easy in 2020
As we know by now, 2020 looks a little different. This year’s version of different includes the WPIAL football playoffs, as not all classifications are on the same postseason schedule. Chick’s Picks was attempting to set her crystal ball’s parameters for this week’s predictions, which included one championship game and...
WPIAL playoffs roundup: No. 1 Aliquippa blanks Hampton in opening round
Top-seeded Aliquippa forced four first-half turnovers, including a fumble on the opening kickoff, and sprinted past No. 8 Hampton, 31-0, in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs Friday night at The Pit. Aliquippa (8-0) took a 7-0 lead 81 seconds into the game on Vernon Redd’s 14-yard...
What to watch in Week 8: Small-school Aliquippa enters 4A playoffs as top seed
The No. 1 seed in WPIAL Class 4A football is one of the smallest schools in the WPIAL. “I don’t want people to forget that,” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said. “Just because we won some games, it’s still not right. It’s still not fair. We’re a Single-A school.” Aliquippa hosts...
WPIAL Class 4A football quarterfinals preview
WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals No. 5 Chartiers Valley (6-1) at No. 4 Belle Vernon (5-1) 7 p.m. Friday at James Weir Stadium, Belle Vernon On the air: Audio at 1020 AM and TribHSSN.TribLive.com Winner plays: Winner of No. 8 Hampton (5-2) vs. No. 1 Aliquippa (7-0), 7 p.m. Nov. 6...
Coach Mike Zmijanac retires after 2 seasons at Seton LaSalle
Mike Zmijanac, six times a WPIAL champion as Aliquippa’s coach, has retired after two seasons at the helm of Seton LaSalle’s program. The school made the announcement moments after Seton LaSalle lost its season finale to South Side on Saturday night, 28-21, to fall to 1-6, 1-4 in the Class...
Breaking down the 2020 WPIAL football playoffs
Here’s a class-by-class breakdown of the WPIAL football playoff brackets: Class 6A Favorite: North Allegheny was the only undefeated team in WPIAL Class 6A this season, but the Tigers did miss three conference matchups because of covid-19 shutdowns by opponents. That included a Week 1 matchup with Seneca Valley that...
WPIAL reveals 2020 football playoff brackets
The WPIAL promised its football teams weeks ago that if they canceled games for covid-19, those decisions wouldn’t hurt their qualifying chances come playoff time. The WPIAL kept it word. In playoff brackets released Saturday night, the WPIAL included a couple of teams that played only four regular-season games as...
WPIAL Class 4A roundup: Rodney Gallagher accounts for 5 TDs as Laurel Highlands edges Trinity
Rodney Gallagher threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 77 yards and a TD and scored on interception returns of 75 and 72 yards to lead Laurel Highlands to a 34-33 victory over Trinity (3-4, 2-4) in the Class 4A Big Eight Conference on Friday night. Tyson Brophy...
High school roundup for Oct. 17, 2020: Aliquippa drops Montour, clinches conference crown
Led by Vernon Redd on the ground and the combination of Vaughn Morris and Tajier Thornton in the air, No. 2 Aliquippa cruised to a 39-14 victory over Montour on Saturday night, clinching the Class 4A Parkway Conference crown. Redd ran 23 times for 175 yards and a score. Morris...
Trib HSSN don’t-miss high school football matchups for Week 6
Class 6A Canon-McMillan (2-2, 2-2) vs. No. 1 North Allegheny (4-0, 3-0) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Newman Stadium at North Allegheny On the air: Audio on KDKA-AM 1020 and at TribHSSN.TribLive.com Coaches: Mike Evans, Canon-McMillan; Art Walker, North Allegheny Players to watch: Ryan Angott, Canon-McMillan (Jr., 5-10, 185, RB); Khalil Dinkens,...
Nothing artificial about Chick’s Picks’ intelligence as she makes Week 6 predictions
Chick’s Picks has seen a lot of news headlines lately about artificial intelligence (AI), and the role it is beginning to play in so many industries. While fascinated by this new science, Chick’s Picks also began to wonder if, someday, AI could be used in the prognosticating space. She could...
Trib HSSN football players to watch in Week 6
Here are four WPIAL football players to watch for during Week 6: Joey Daniels Mt. Lebanon, jr., QB/FS Daniels (5-10, 175) threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns in leading the Blue Devils past Central Catholic, 37-30, in a Class 6A clash last week. The junior signal-caller has thrown for...
Trib HSSN Football Team of the Week for Week 5
The late Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders during their powerhouse days in the 1970s was fond of saying, “Just win, baby.” At Aliquippa, the football team takes that message to heart. Over the last half-century, the Quips have only endured one losing season, that coming in 1994 when...
Small-school Aliquippa shows big-play ability in victory over Chartiers ValleyVideo
Aliquippa is a small school known for its big plays. Chartiers Valley came to Aschman Stadium determined to limit them Friday night, but that strategy ran into trouble after just 13 seconds. Vernon Redd returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and Aliquippa added to its big-play reputation...
Aliquippa, Chartiers Valley follow different routes to Parkway clash in Class 4A
Anthony Collura heard stories about the horse, the rider and the flaming spear that arrives at Aliquippa football games, but the Chartiers Valley senior wasn’t sure they were true. “So, I went right onto YouTube,” he said, “and I saw that horse for real.” Now, Collura can’t wait to see...
Chick’s Picks: Basking in fantasy football glory, prognosticator gives out winning predictions
It was the week Chick’s Picks had been waiting for — the week when she faced off against The Boss in a friendly game of fantasy football. Chick’s Picks did her usual due diligence in preparation for the week, studying player potential and keeping abreast of this season’s ever-changing player...
WPIAL Class 4A roundup: Montour races past New Castle in Parkway clash
Gannon Kadlecik rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns as Montour scored a 47-22 victory over New Castle (0-4, 0-2) in the Class 4A Parkway Conference on Friday night. Luke Persinger threw for 165 yards and a touchdown for Montour (3-1, 1-1) while teammate Zachary Carletti scored on a 90-yard...
WPIAL Class 4A roundup: Olsen’s arm leads Armstrong past Knoch in GAC
Cadin Olsen threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns to lead Armstrong to a 34-7 victory over Knoch (0-3, 0-3) in the Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference on Friday night. Noah Cooper caught five passes for 116 yards and a touchdown for the River Hawks (2-1, 2-1). West Mifflin 27,...
Trib 10: Central Valley uses historic win to stay in upper echelon
History was made in Week 2 as Greensburg Salem became the fifth WPIAL school to reach No. 700 wins. The historic victory was not enough for the Golden Lions to earn a spot in this week’s HSSN power rankings, but another milestone win helped a district team remain in the...
WPIAL Class 4A roundup: Rodney Gallagher lifts Laurel Highlands past Ringgold
Joe Chambers threw for 187 yards and a touchdown as Laurel Highlands captured a 16-12 victory over Ringgold (0-2, 0-2) in the Class 4A Big Eight Conference on Friday night. Rodney Gallagher caught six passes for 104 yards and ran for a touchdown for Laurel Highlands (1-1, 1-0). Landon Oslowski...
WPIAL football rankings for Week 1
WPIAL football Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 1-0, 1 2. North Allegheny, 1-0, 2 3. Seneca Valley, 0-0, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 0-0, 4 5. Baldwin, 1-0, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 1-0, 1 2. Gateway, 1-0, 2 3. Peters Township, 0-0, 3 4....
WPIAL Class 4A roundup: No. 5 Aliquippa takes down New Castle
Vernon Redd scored on a 55-yard punt return and a 96-yard run as No. 5 Aliquippa debuted in Class 4A and defeated New Castle, 44-28, in the Parkway Conference on Friday night. Malachi Sherman scored twice for New Castle — on a 15-yard interception return and a 28-yard pass from...
Chick’s Picks ready for normalcy of Friday night lights
Welcome to Week 1 of the high school football season. As we approach kickoff Friday night, we can all safely say what we have endured thus far in 2020 has been one of the most trying, unsettling, uncertain times in our lives. The Friday night lights will certainly be a...
WPIAL Class 4A football breakdown: Road to title goes through Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson began its 2019 season with a dominant victory over Canon-McMillan and ended it in Hershey with a 46-7 rout of Dallas for the PIAA Class 4A title. In between, the Jaguars rolled in and out of conference play and added their eighth WPIAL title since 2004. They outscored...
Despite young roster, bump up in class, Aliquippa still thinking WPIAL title
It took a pandemic to end one of the most impressive streaks in WPIAL football history. Every year since 2008, Aliquippa has played for a WPIAL football championship at Heinz Field. The Quips’ 12 straight trips to the North Shore are more than every NFL team outside of the AFC...
