Chris Harlan stories, Page 3

There was no surprise about the talent Central Catholic’s opponent brought to town. Ranked 13th nationally by USA Today, St. Frances Academy lived up to the program’s lofty reputation with a 44-16 victory over the Vikings in a Week Zero showcase Saturday at the Wolvarena. South Florida-bound senior Jeremiah Koger...

The spread offense. The no-huddle. The Gatorade shower. High school football has borrowed plenty of trends from the college and pro ranks, but the NFL’s new kickoff format is one that traditionalists hope never makes its way to Friday nights. They say a long kickoff return nowadays is a rare...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 1-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 0-1, 2 3. Norwin, 1-0, 5 4. Canon-McMillan, 0-1, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 0-1, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 1-0, 1 2. Pine-Richland, 1-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 1-0, 5 4. Woodland...

Breaking long runs can be a big part of Central Valley’s offense, especially with a 200-pound running back that has a hard-to-tackle reputation. Yet the biggest plays on this night belonged to a Montour defense that schemed for this matchup for a while. Central Valley running back Jance Henry Jr....

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top coaching changes for the 2024 season. 1. Vashawn Patrick Aliquippa Patrick took over one of the WPIAL’s most successful programs when Mike Warfield stepped away in July....

One point was the margin last year when Montour and Central Valley met in a conference game, so how could they not have a rematch? Realignment split the rivals into separate classifications this fall, but their coaches wanted to keep the game somewhere on the schedule. As a result, Montour...

St. Frances Academy, a traditionally talented high school football team from Baltimore, has a schedule dotted with national powers. Ranked 13th in the country by USA Today, St. Frances visits No. 1-ranked Mater Dei next month in Santa Ana, Calif., and hosts No. 2 IMG Academy in October. But first,...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top kickers and punters for the 2024 season. 1. Peter Notaro North Allegheny Senior, 5-11, 180 Notaro, a first-team all-conference kicker in 6A, committed to Alabama this summer...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top safeties for the 2024 season. 1. John Wetzel Latrobe Senior, 6-1, 205 Penn State-bound linebacker Alex Tatsch isn’t the only stopper on Latrobe’s defense. Wetzel, a standout...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top cornerbacks for the 2024 season. 1. Xxavier Thomas Central Catholic Senior, 5-10, 160 Thomas has shown a knack for big plays. He took the opening kickoff 99...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top linebackers for the 2024 season. 1. Alex Tatsch Latrobe Senior, 6-3, 222 Around this time last summer, Tatsch had received only a couple of college offers from...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top defensive linemen for the 2024 season. 1. Christopher Climes Elizabeth Forward Senior, 6-2, 305 The “Sack Sensei” is the fun moniker Climes added to his social media...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top offensive linemen for the 2024 season. 1. Jack Yatchenko North Allegheny Senior, 6-3, 285 The Tigers are two-time defending WPIAL 6A champions and reached the state finals...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top tight ends for the 2024 season. 1. Brady O’Hara North Catholic Senior, 6-6, 250 O’Hara took a pass 75 yards for a touchdown in North Catholic’s season...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top wide receivers for the 2024 season. 1. Scoop Smith Woodland Hills Junior, 5-7, 150 Smith’s speed and big-play ability make him a concern for opposing defenses. The...

TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top running backs for the 2024 season. 1. Tiqwai “Tikey” Hayes Aliquippa Senior, 6-1, 198 Soon to be a four-year starter, Hayes already ranks among the top 10...

Starting today, TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top quarterbacks for the 2024 season. 1. Matt Sieg Fort Cherry Junior, 6-0, 175 If his 1,000/1,000 freshman year wasn’t good enough, Sieg proved himself again...

Knowing that boys volleyball coaches prefer room in the schedule for tournaments, the WPIAL on Monday approved a new section alignment with that idea in mind. There are two classifications in boys volleyball — 2A and 3A — and the WPIAL increased both from three sections to four for the...

Record-setting quarterback Jaivin Peel is fully eligible for his sophomore football season at Western Beaver after a hearing Monday at the WPIAL office in Scott. Peel is a student at Lincoln Park and plays football at nearby Western Beaver through a co-op between the schools. He took steps this summer...

Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 23. Mike Warfield surprised many this summer when he stepped away as Aliquippa’s football coach, but his successor was preparing for that day for a while. Warfield,...

Forget about tiebreakers or wild cards, Upper St. Clair’s mission this fall is to win enough conference games to clinch a playoff spot without any help. They got no help last year. The Panthers were excluded from the playoffs despite an eight-win record that was among the best in WPIAL...

Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 23. The state finals are the first weekend in December and the WPIAL championships are a couple of weeks earlier, but those dates aren’t circled on calendars...

Getting the ball to Scoop Smith was the best option any time Woodland Hills’ offense faced a tough spot and needed a big play. It often worked, too, since the wide receiver scored a team-high 17 touchdowns, flashing the quickness that made him a WPIAL track champion in the 100...

No matter which quarterback Gateway starts behind center or which running back carries the ball, the Gators know their success is on the line. As in, the offensive line. The Gators have some new faces in the backfield, but all five blockers are returning starters. That experience should be a...