Chris Harlan stories, Page 51

Four WPIAL coaches earned state coach of the year honors from the PIAA for the 2020-21 school year. The four were New Castle baseball coach Bill Cook, Central Valley football coach Mark Lyons, Seneca Valley boys soccer coach George Williams and North Hills softball coach Libby Gasior. The PIAA revealed...

The Plum football team used an ineligible player in some games this season, the WPIAL decided Monday, meaning the Mustangs must forfeit those contests. Once made official, the mistake will cost Plum one conference win against Mars, said athletic director Josh Shoop. Plum self-reported the violation to the WPIAL after...

Gateway football players receive a video scouting report every Sunday from coach Don Holl that starts with an update on the state of the season. “Here’s where we’re at. Here are the standings. Here’s the deal. We talk about it every week,” said Holl, who provides the voiceover for the...

One of Pennsylvania’s top football players may miss the rest of his junior season with a knee injury. Brashear’s Ta’Mere Robinson, a four-star college prospect with a bevy of major Division I offers, revealed Saturday on Twitter that he’s sidelined with a “possible ACL/MCL tear.” Rivals has him ranked as...

Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Mt. Lebanon, 8-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 6-2, 2 3. North Allegheny, 5-3, 3 4. Seneca Valley, 6-2, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 4-4, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Moon, 7-0, 1 2. Penn-Trafford, 5-2, 3 3. Pine-Richland, 4-3, 2...

There wasn’t much surprise whenever Dylan Sleva got the football in the fourth quarter, yet Moon kept feeding their 225-pound battering ram. Twenty-nine times Sleva carried the ball Friday. “We ran like the same play five times in a row,” Moon lineman Trent Fraley said. “They know it’s coming and...

Zero has become North Catholic’s favorite number. That’s because the Trojans have shut out five of their first seven opponents, by far the most shutouts by any defense in the WPIAL this season. Take that dominance a step farther and they’ve held offenses scoreless in 25 of their 28 quarters....

An old football adage says if you’re playing two quarterbacks, you actually have none. “What if you’re using six?” Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko asks with a laugh. So far, USC has found strength in numbers. Just before the start of conference play, the Panthers overhauled their offense, transforming...

The PIAA says it’s OK to skip practice. Starting next fall, most high school sports teams will need to complete only 10 days of preseason practice rather than the current 15, the PIAA board voted Wednesday. However, football was not one of the sports included in the reduction. Football teams...

Imani Christian is a small school in East Hills, yet Saints basketball coach Khayree Wilson welcomed one of college basketball’s biggest names Tuesday. Kentucky coach John Calipari was there to see Alier Maluk, a 6-foot-10 freshman who already has offers from Pitt, LSU, Seton Hall and Texas A&M. The 15-year-old...

The WPIAL launched a league-wide food drive Monday that runs until Oct. 23 and since sports teams are involved, it comes with a competitive twist. Participating schools will compete against one another to donate the most meals. Schools are divided into six divisions based on enrollment and one winner from...

After rushing for 167 yards and two touchdowns on Friday, Mt. Lebanon running back Alex Tecza didn’t sleep well that night. The senior was thinking about all the work to be done Saturday morning. The Central Catholic vs. Mt. Lebanon matchup was one of three WPIAL games delayed Friday by...

Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Mt. Lebanon, 7-0, 2 2. Central Catholic, 5-2, 1 3. North Allegheny, 4-3, 4 4. Seneca Valley, 5-2, 5 5. Canon-McMillan, 4-3, 3 Out: none Class 5A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Moon, 7-0, 1 2. Pine-Richland, 4-3, 2 3. Penn-Trafford, 5-2, 5...

Mt. Lebanon quarterback Joey Daniels dislocated a finger on his left hand Friday night while catching a trick-play touchdown, but he was back behind center Saturday morning to finish the lightning-delayed game. Opponents in years past used to test this team’s grit, yet these Blue Devils pride themselves on their...

The lake wasn’t frozen, so the North Allegheny hockey team traded its sticks for oars and competed in the Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival at North Park. In a long, skinny canoe that seats 20 rowers, they zipped across the water last month. On that day, the goal was to go...

When Central Catholic visited Mt. Lebanon on Friday night, the game was supposed to be electric, not the weather. Yet, the clash between the top-ranked teams in WPIAL Class 6A was suspended in the third quarter because of a lightning storm that hung around Mt. Lebanon for more than an...

Six-time winner Hampton was among five schools named Friday as recipients of the WPIAL Sportsmanship Award, joining Derry, Laurel, Moon and Upper St. Clair. This is the 25th year for the awards, which recognize the schools that “best demonstrate the elements of good sportsmanship,” the WPIAL said in a press...

College football coaches want Robert Dickerson as a slot receiver, but the North Hills senior knew he didn’t want to put away his baseball glove and bat for good. So, he found a place to play both. Dickerson recently committed to Bucknell, where he’ll have an opportunity to play football...

No, it’s not over ‘til it’s over. And, yes, four weeks remain in the regular season, meaning the WPIAL football schedule is far from over. But there are a few key matchups Friday night that sure seem likely to serve as de facto conference championship games. The list starts in...

Unlike last week, there won’t be any motivational banner hanging over Mt. Lebanon’s locker room entrance. No history lesson. No hype. That’s because Friday’s conference matchup may decide the regular-season champion in WPIAL Class 6A when top-ranked Central Catholic (5-1, 3-0) visits the No. 2 Blue Devils (6-0, 3-0) at...

The Wyomissing football team might have a thank you gift headed its way with a Clairton postmark on the package. Suddenly, the Bears are huge fans of the high school near Reading. That’s because Southern Columbia was one win away from tying Clairton’s state-record winning streak of 66 games when...

Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 5-1, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 6-0, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 4-2, 5 4. North Allegheny, 3-3, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 4-2, 3 Out: none Class 5A 1. Moon, 6-0, 1 2. Pine-Richland, 3-3, 4 3. Gateway, 4-2, 5 4. South Fayette, 4-1,...

As two-time reigning WPIAL champions, the girls on North Allegheny’s soccer team are trying to defend their title again this fall, with an added emphasis on the word “defend.” They’ve outscored their first nine opponents 53-1 and posted eight shutouts. “There are a lot of teams that are giving you...

If this matchup was meant to decide the most-dangerous playmaker in the Big Eight, Devin Whitlock certainly made his case. The Belle Vernon senior delivered another astonishing play Friday night when he returned a punt 67 yards untouched to the end zone for one of his three touchdowns in a...

Greensburg Salem, Laurel Highlands and Steel Valley lead a collection of WPIAL football teams enjoying a revival this fall. Combined, the three went 4-16 last season before quickly shutting the door on a difficult 2020. This year, the trio already has celebrated 13 wins with only one loss. Greensburg Salem’s...