Westmoreland County high school notebook: Franklin Regional establishes sports hall of fame
From now until April 29, Franklin Regional is taking nominations for its inaugural hall of fame class. A longtime idea that was finally brought to fruition, the Franklin Regional Athletics Hall of Fame will launch this year. While halls of fame are not as popular as one might think, at...
Trib 10 teams head to Hershey for PIAA championship games
Three boys and two girls WPIAL basketball teams saw their dreams of merging gold and chocolate together come to an end last week with a loss in the PIAA semifinals. However, nine district teams have booked their hotels and are heading east in search of a state championship…and chocolate. While...
Trib HSSN Girls Basketball State Rankings for March 22, 2022
The top two heading into the semifinals remain the top two in four of the six classifications entering championship weekend in Hershey. While there was no change to the Top 5 of the weekly Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings in 6A, 5A, 2A and A, the deck was shuffled...
2022 WPIAL Class 3A softball preseason breakdown
Last spring was a celebration as district athletes returned to the diamonds after the 2020 season was canceled because of the covid-19 shutdowns. Softball was a success throughout as the WPIAL crowned four new champions while Laurel and West Greene remained on top in 2A and A. District softball squads...
2022 WPIAL Class 4A baseball preseason breakdown
Last spring was a celebration as district athletes returned to the diamonds after the 2020 season was canceled because of covid-19 shutdowns. Baseball thrived throughout the WPIAL as six new champions were crowned, some in dramatic fashion. That success carried over to the state playoffs as WPIAL teams captured two...
North Allegheny, Seton LaSalle top preseason boys volleyball polls
It should come as no surprise that defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champion North Allegheny, and WPIAL 2A winner Seton LaSalle top the Western PA Volleyball Coaches Association preseason polls. Both boys programs are primed for more success in 2022. Powerhouse North Allegheny has won the last four WPIAL...
North Catholic’s Maggie Foley takes 2nd at PIAA diving championships
LEWISBURG — North Catholic junior Maggie Foley placed second to Marple Newtown senior Alexandra Pastris at last year’s PIAA Class 2A diving championships at Cumberland Valley High School. Foley hoped that a return to Bucknell and a rematch with Pastris on Saturday afternoon would yield different results. They held the...
Freedom stuns WPIAL champion North Catholic to earn trip to PIAA basketball finals
As Freedom girls basketball coach John Kaercher would have it, “These dogs had their day.” Talk about March Madness. Instead of falling victim to highly touted North Catholic for a fourth time this season, Freedom decided to stun the Trojanettes, 46-39, in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals Friday night at...
What to watch for in high school sports for March 18, 2022: Basketball semifinals tip off
Welcome to Semifinals Friday in the PIAA basketball playoffs. With Blackhawk losing in the quarterfinals, there are no undefeated girls teams from the WPIAL left here in 2022. One team still alive for state gold lived the perfect season dream 13 years ago. Mt. Lebanon finished 31-0, defeating Fox Chapel...
Trib HSSN girls basketball state rankings for March 16, 2022
Eleven girls basketball teams saw two dreams come to an end this past week. First, their goal of winning a PIAA basketball championship, and second, finishing the season in the coveted Top 5 of the Trib HSSN state rankings. While every class saw at least two teams ousted with the...
PIAA announces sites, times for Tuesday’s basketball quarterfinals
The WPIAL is guaranteed to have a boys team in the Class 5A state championship with Laurel Highlands, New Castle, Gateway and Penn Hills all reaching the quarterfinals. They’ll pair off Tuesday in two matchups in a doubleheader at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center. New Castle plays Penn Hills at...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for March 11, 2022: Shenango-Seton LaSalle to clash on court
Nine months ago, the two schools met for WPIAL gold. Now Shenango battles Seton LaSalle with a spot in the PIAA girls basketball quarterfinals at stake. The last time these schools collided in a postseason clash, Shenango stunned top seed and defending champion Seton LaSalle, 2-1, in the 2021 WPIAL...
While supporting grieving teammate, North Catholic fends off Freedom to reclaim WPIAL Class 3A crown
It’s not easy to play in a championship basketball game the same day as your mother’s funeral. But there was Anastasia Peterson, on the floor for North Catholic on Thursday night in the WPIAL Class 3A title game. Peterson only scored two points — but it was a basket that...
2022 WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship breakdown: North Catholic vs. Freedom
WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship No. 1 North Catholic vs. No. 3 Freedom 7 p.m. Thursday, Petersen Events Center On the air: Video livestream: TribHSSN.TribLive.com; Radio: WBVP-AM 1230, WBVP-FM 99.3, WMBA-AM 1460 WPIAL titles: North Catholic 20; Freedom 0 North Catholic (18-5) Coach: Molly Rottmann Projected starting lineup No.,...
North Catholic’s Foley, Ligonier Valley’s Roddy win gold at WPIAL Class 2A diving championships
Coming in as the two-time defending champion, North Catholic junior Maggie Foley was the obvious favorite at the WPIAL Class 2A diving championships at North Allegheny. Foley did not disappoint, posting her highest finals score (470.70) to win her third-straight WPIAL title. “Overall, it went smoothly today, so that’s very...
Confident and now healthy, star freshman Meleek Thomas leads Lincoln Park past North Catholic
Sharing the court with a couple of scorers bound for Division I colleges might make some freshmen timid. Not Lincoln Park’s Meleek Thomas, who waved for the basketball when the Leopards needed a fourth-quarter boost Wednesday night. And without hesitation, they passed it to him. Thomas missed much of this...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Feb. 23, 2022: Basketball quarterfinals begin
One round is in the books, now it’s time to move on to Round 2 on the Path to the Pete. The first of three straight basketball quarterfinals nights shines a spotlight on boys 4A, boys A, girls 6A and girls 3A. In boys 4A, they have met several times,...
Breaking down the 2022 WPIAL boys basketball playoff brackets
Class 6A Favorite: North Hills went undefeated and ran away with the Section 1 title, putting the Indians in position to maybe win their first WPIAL title. They’re led by a trio of double-digit scorers, including 6-foot-7 sophomore Royce Parham (20.9 ppg) and 6-3 senior guards Alex Smith (18.6) and...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Jan. 31, 2022: Basketball section titles on the line
Welcome to the final day of the first month of the year and the start of the stretch run of the 2022 WPIAL basketball regular season. While most teams are caught up on section games and will finish with three to four section contests over the next two weeks, a...
Andrew Maddalon helps North Catholic beat Burrell, clinch playoff spot
North Catholic junior Andrew Maddalon picked a good time for a career-best scoring night. The junior guard poured in 37 points Friday night as the Trojans started the second half of the Section 1-4A season by becoming one of the first WPIAL schools to clinch a playoff berth. “We got...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Dec. 27, 2021: Holiday hoops galoreVideo
‘Tis the season for holiday hoops around the WPIAL. The long tradition of holiday basketball tournaments played between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day returns after a one-year hiatus. Last year at this time, all high school sports were in a monthlong shutdown that began on Dec. 11 and lasted...
Allegheny 7 Offensive Player of the Year Kyle Tipinski finds family, stability at North Catholic
At 18, Kyle Tipinski has overcome a number of obstacles, but he eventually found a stable home environment. It has led to the New Kensington resident and North Catholic High School senior to reach the brink of a major decision: which football scholarship to accept. Tipinski, a key member of...
Trib 10: WPIAL seeks record PIAA championship haul
The WPIAL never has sent more than four district teams to the state finals. Until this season. Five WPIAL champions are a win away from adding a state title to their 2021 collection. Mt. Lebanon, Penn-Trafford, Aliquippa, Central Valley and Serra Catholic are headed to Hershey. Aliquippa is looking a...
Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball preseason breakdown
Class 4A is where the stars play in WPIAL boys basketball. Starting with defending champion Lincoln Park, most of the top teams in the class have at least one Division I prospect on the roster. By March, it might come down to which collection of talent comes together best as...
Trib HSSN WPIAL girls soccer all-stars: Steel Valley’s Salopek takes game to next level
TribHSSN Fab 15 Player of the Year Kelsey Salopek Sr., F, Steel Valley As a Kent State commit, Kelsey Salopek already was on the WPIAL radar, but she took her individual talents a step farther as she led Steel Valley to its first WPIAL championship in its first try. The...
