Chris Harlan stories, Page 69

With its playoff hopes in jeopardy, Mt. Lebanon would’ve gone for two in overtime Friday night, sticking with coach Bob Palko’s win-or-go-home reputation. Instead, the decision was made for them. Blue Devils junior Joey Peters blocked an extra point in overtime, letting teammate Casey Sorsdal kick the game-winner a few...

If Mt. Lebanon wins Friday’s regular-season finale at Seneca Valley, the Blue Devils will likely receive one of the top two seeds in the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs. With it comes a first-round home game. But if Seneca Valley wins, the one-loss Raiders can make an equally strong argument to...

Avonworth canceled Friday night’s football game over covid-related concerns, Central Valley athletic director Sam Cercone said Thursday. The matchup could have impacted the Northwest Six standings, where Central Valley (6-0, 4-0) is first and Avonworth (4-2, 3-1) is second. Avonworth announced its high school campus will be closed through Sunday....

Video conference calls replaced many of the in-school recruiting visits and campus tours canceled during the pandemic. North Allegheny senior Khalil Dinkins, one of the WPIAL’s top football players, navigated that new normal this year and committed Wednesday to Penn State. Dinkins announced his decision on Twitter. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound...

Could there be a quarterback controversy brewing at Pine-Richland? With a laugh, Miguel Jackson says yes. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound senior lived every lineman’s dream Friday night when he rushed for a touchdown and threw for another as undefeated Pine-Richland maintained its No. 1 ranking in WPIAL Class 5A with a...

Class 6A 1. North Allegheny, 5-0, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 3-2, 2 3. Central Catholic, 3-2, 3 4. Seneca Valley, 4-1, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 2-3, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 5-0, 1 2. Gateway, 3-0, 2 3. Peters Township, 5-0, 3 4. Penn-Trafford, 4-1, 4 5. South Fayette,...

As a defending WPIAL champion, no one would’ve blamed North Allegheny’s girls soccer team for glancing ahead to the playoffs. Now, that’s their only focus. Covid-19 concerns caused the team to shut down for the final two weeks of the regular season, canceling section games with Butler, North Hills and...

Some WPIAL football conferences may have no champion this season. The WPIAL announced this week that no conference champion would be recognized if canceled games could have changed the outcome. In the Class 2A Allegheny for example, Apollo-Ridge and Serra Catholic are both undefeated but their head-to-head matchup was canceled...

The lights above Sto-Rox’s football field aren’t new, but they might feel a little brighter this week. Big games have that effect. The stadium in Stowe Township will host two Class 2A contenders from the Three Rivers Conference when Western Beaver (5-0, 3-0) visits Sto-Rox (4-1, 2-1) at 7 p.m....

If playoff qualifiers can’t be determined from the standings, the WPIAL steering committee for each sport will decide who makes the postseason this fall. That surely will be the most scrutinized change the WPIAL board approved Wednesday while finalizing plans for an unprecedented postseason under covid-19 conditions. Among its other...

Baldwin and Seneca Valley have delayed this week’s football game to Saturday. The WPIAL Class 6A schools were scheduled to play Friday night but the game was delayed after Baldwin briefly paused workouts to test its players for coronavirus. All players tested negative, superintendent Randal Lutz said Wednesday in a...

Blackhawk and New Castle rescheduled their postponed football game for Oct. 30, the first week of the WPIAL playoffs, taking advantage of a PIAA decision to let teams extend the regular season. Neither New Castle (0-4, 0-2) nor Blackhawk (2-3, 1-2) is in position to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs...

Class 6A 1. North Allegheny, 4-0, 1 2. Mt. Lebanon, 2-2, 5 3. Central Catholic, 3-2, 2 4. Seneca Valley, 3-1, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 2-2, 3 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 4-0, 1 2. Gateway, 2-0, 2 3. Peters Township, *3-0, 3 4. Penn-Trafford, 3-1, 4 5. South Fayette,...

How will the WPIAL decide which football teams make the playoffs since covid-19 cancellations made the standings unbalanced? Week 5 didn’t make the answer any easier. The WPIAL football steering committee met last week and discussed that question at length, but the group’s recommendations won’t be revealed until after the...

When North Allegheny’s runners walked to the starting line wearing masks for their early-September scrimmage, coach John Neff wasn’t sure what to expect from cross country season under covid-19 conditions. Looking back, it all went fairly well. “It was not as different as I was afraid of, to be honest...

New Castle is shutting down its football program for two weeks after a varsity player tested positive for coronavirus, costing the Red Hurricanes at least two games, athletic director Sam Flora said Friday. The team was scheduled to host Beaver on Friday night and Blackhawk on Oct. 16. “This is...

After a two-week coronavirus hiatus, Gateway’s football team is getting back to normal. Or as close to normal as possible in a week that starts on Wednesday and ends with a game Sunday night. “It’s not normal but nothing’s been normal, right?” Gateway coach Don Holl said. “We’re just going...

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...

The PIAA made changes to its fall postseason plans Wednesday including a move that lets more WPIAL runners into the state cross country championships. Also, the playoff brackets for team sports were altered to remove the Pittsburgh City League, which opted out, and add District 12, after the Philadelphia Catholic...

As fall sports approach the postseason, the PIAA is turning its attention to winter. Covid-19 guidelines for basketball, wrestling and all other winter sports will be produced soon, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said, adding that the PIAA intends to start those seasons next month as scheduled. The PIAA board...

High school administrators across the PIAA were verifying the number of seats in their stadiums and gymnasiums Tuesday after Gov. Tom Wolf eased limits on gathering sizes. The governor’s new formula is based on a percentage of a facility’s capacity rather than the 25-person indoor and 250-person outdoor restrictions previously...

The Pittsburgh Steelers will allow fans at Heinz Field on Sunday for the first time this season. Shortly after Gov. Tom Wolf eased statewide restrictions on gathering limits, the Steelers on Tuesday announced plans to admit 5,500 spectators into the stadium for their game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The team...

Two WPIAL football teams are earning national attention. North Allegheny and Pine-Richland were among four Pennsylvania schools receiving spots in the Top 100 rankings High School Football America released Sunday. North Allegheny was ranked 35th and Pine-Richland 85th in the first list for this season. Also included was St. Joseph’s...