High School category, Page 1086
Healthy Hampton could pose problems for mat opponents
After a breakout year in 2017 and with nearly every major competitor returning, Hampton’s wrestling team seemed primed to take a step forward to WPIAL title contender last season. Those plans were dashed by a rash of injuries. Seven wrestlers missed time — five with season-ending ailments — as Hampton’s...
WPIAL rushing champ Ben Jackson to play at Army
West Greene’s Ben Jackson, the first rusher in WPIAL history to rack up more than 3,000 yards in a season, has made his college choice. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound senior will play for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he announced via Twitter on Thursday night. “Lately, I’ve been getting...
Top quarterbacks to square off when Central Valley, Wyoming Area meet for PIAA 3A title
As Central Valley football coach Mark Lyons and Wyoming Area’s Randy Spencer look back on the past four months that have led up to their teams meeting on Saturday in the PIAA Class 3A championship game, they both found that the turning points for their respective teams were remarkably similar....
A listing of Friday’s boys and girls high school basketball tip-off tournaments
Boys Friday’s schedule Aquinas Academy tournament Cornerstone Prep vs. Neighborhood Academy, 7 p.m. First Baptist Christian vs. Aquinas Academy, 8:30 p.m. Baldwin/Peters Township tournament At Baldwin Thomas Jefferson vs. Baldwin, 8 p.m. At Peters Township Seton LaSalle vs. Plum, 5 p.m. Central Catholic vs. Peters Township, 8 p.m. Brentwood tournament...
Pine-Richland, South Fayette join 5A football as PIAA officially draws up new classifications in all sports
Claiming a Class 5A title in WPIAL football will be that much more difficult next season, according to enrollment numbers released by the PIAA Thursday. Pine-Richland, a Class 6A finalist this season, will drop to 5A for the new two-year cycle that begins in the fall. The Rams will now...
Thomas Jefferson dominates Dallas, celebrates 4th PIAA titleVideo
HERSHEY — Thomas Jefferson’s Bill Cherpak had coached 24 seasons, won seven WPIAL titles and celebrated three state championships before this year. Needless to say, Cherpak has some fond memories. But as TJ marched toward Hershey, he insisted for weeks that this season was the most fun he’d ever had...
Penn-Trafford boys embark on ‘total reload’
Total reload. Those are the words Penn-Trafford boys basketball coach Jim Rocco paired together to describe his team heading into a new season that begins Friday night with the Warriors taking on North Allegheny at the Hempfield tip-off tournament. The Warriors bid farewell to five quality seniors, including double-digit scorer...
Starting 5: A guide to the Westmoreland County girls high school basketball season
STORYLINES 1. Great expectations Norwin and Southmoreland could be the last local teams standing come the postseason. Both have experienced teams that went a couple of rounds in the WPIAL and PIAA postseason but will need deep benches to sustain prolonged runs. 2. Gene pull A veteran coach returns to...
Starting 5: A guide to the Westmoreland County boys high school basketball season
STORYLINES 1. Youth movement Christian Hyland is the new coach at Greensburg Central Catholic and he is barely older than his players. At 24, he is one of the youngest head coaches in the WPIAL. Can he take the experience he honed as an assistant and turn it into wins?...
Fralic Award winner to be announced Saturday morning
Pancakes. How appropriate. Late Penn Hills, Pitt and NFL great Bill Fralic made the pancake block famous and organizers of an award in his honor will announce the first recipient Saturday morning during a pancake breakfast. The first Bill Fralic Memorial Award, which will recognize the top lineman in the...
Starting 5: A guide to the A-K Valley girls high school basketball season
STORYLINES 1. New leadership A trio of teams – Apollo-Ridge, Cheswick Christian and Fox Chapel – hope to make playoff runs again this season under the direction of new head coaches. Jacque Willis, 22, takes over a veteran Cheswick girls program. Mike Montstrola, a Plum graduate who most recently coached...
Starting 5: A guide to the A-K Valley boys high school basketball season
STORYLINES 1. Back in Business Damian Davies has led the Leechburg boys basketball team to a WPIAL championship in the past. Now he’s back to try to do it again. After being rehired in June, the longtime Leechburg coach has a team filled with size, speed and talent capable of...
WPIAL Class A girls basketball preseason breakdown
WPIAL girls basketball season will tip off next weekend. Preparing to defend their district championship from a year ago are Peters Township (6A), Chartiers Valley (5A), North Catholic (4A), Neshannock (3A), Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (2A) and Rochester (A). North Catholic is looking for a fourth straight district...
WPIAL Class A boys basketball preseason breakdown
A new decade of WPIAL boys basketball tips off next weekend. Preparing to defend their district championships from a year ago are Mt. Lebanon (6A), Mars (5A), New Castle (4A), Lincoln Park (3A), Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (2A) and Nazareth Prep (A). New Castle is looking for a...
Dutch Harvey returning to coach Yough softball team
Yough was in Dutch, so it brought “Dutch” back. Art “Dutch” Harvey has returned to lead the Cougars softball program, which he had run until June when he resigned. He had been the coach for six seasons but decided to go in a different direction. That direction became a U-turn...
Trinity’s DeRubbo, Johnson named Trib HSSN scholar-athletes of the month for November
The TribLive High School Sports Network is recognizing some of the best and brightest student-athletes in Western Pennsylvania. School administrators, athletic directors, coaches and teachers have the opportunity to nominate one female and one male scholar-athlete to receive the TribLIVE High School Sports Network Scholar Athlete of the Month Award....
Avonworth will ‘relish’ underdog role against 9-time PIAA champion Southern Columbia
Avonworth coach Duke Johncour acknowledges the apparent mismatch his football team is walking into Friday when the Antelopes make their first state championship appearance. Waiting for them at Hersheypark Stadium will be nine-time PIAA champion Southern Columbia, a team that’s won 47 games in a row and has players committed...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 4, 2019
Bowling Boys Wednesday’s results WPIBL Carlynton 5, Bishop Canevin 2 Freeport 7, Apollo-Ridge 0 Norwin 7, East Allegheny 0 Penn-Trafford 5, Greensburg Salem 2 Quaker Valley 5, North Hills 2 St. Joseph 7, Armstrong 0 Girls Wednesday’s results WPIBL Armstrong 7, St. Joseph 0 Freeport 7, Apollo-Ridge 0 North Hills...
Ligonier Valley officially welcomed back to WPIAL
It’s official. Ligonier Valley has returned to the WPIAL after spending the past 50 years in District 6. The PIAA Board of Control on Wednesday voted unanimously, 31-0, to allow Ligonier Valley to leave District 6 and join the WPIAL. It was the final piece of a five-step process started...
Hempfield lineman Cole Graham adds another D-1 offer
Hempfield senior football player Cole Graham added his second Division I college opportunity Wednesday, announcing a scholarship offer from Lehigh, a FCS program. Graham, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound two-way lineman, has a FBS offer from Connecticut. Graham this season helped Hempfield rush for 2,039 yards — led by senior running back...
A-K Valley Class AA wrestling preview: Burrell looking to extend WPIAL championship streak
In order to win 13 straight WPIAL Class AA team wrestling championships, there has to be some type of secret formula. Right? According to seventh-year Burrell coach Josh Shields, who won an individual WPIAL title during his time with the Bucs, there’s no secret sauce. It just is something that...
PIAA football title game factoids: Golden facts and figures to prepare for Hershey
While the WPIAL champions looking for double gold this fall were cut in half from six to three in the state semifinals last weekend, they are still the most represented district in the PIAA championship party coming up in Hershey. The WPIAL has Thomas Jefferson, Central Valley and Avonworth in...
Thomas Jefferson, Central Valley, Avonworth still have ‘power’ in Trib 10
The PIAA championship hopefuls from the WPIAL were sliced in half during state semifinals weekend. Three district teams were victorious and are on their way to Hershey to play for state gold, while the other three WPIAL champions saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion. Central Catholic was eliminated in...
Mt. Pleasant puts pieces in place to take a run at Burrell in WPIAL Class AA wrestling
It’s been 13 years since a team other than Burrell as captured a WPIAL Class AA team title. That was Mt. Pleasant in 2006. In fact, the Vikings also won in 2005 and 2003 under then-coach Mark Mears, currently the Director of Transportation and Athletics at Latrobe. Winning a title...
WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball preseason breakdown
A new decade of WPIAL boys basketball tips off next weekend. Preparing to defend their district championships from a year ago are Mt. Lebanon (6A), Mars (5A), New Castle (4A), Lincoln Park (3A), Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (2A) and Nazareth Prep (A). New Castle is looking for a...
