High School category, Page 1095
WPIAL football player of the week — Week 12
Thomas Jefferson running back Dylan Mallozzi was a freshman in 2016 when Quinton Hill put on a dominant display at Heinz Field. Hill rushed for 248 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Jaguars stomped New Castle, 42-0, in the 2016 WPIAL Class 4A championship game. Fast forward three years...
WPIAL 5A and 2A football finals along with PIAA quarters on Trib HSSN
The Highway to Heinz is over and the high school football fans’ focus is now on the Route to Norwin and the Road to Hershey this week here on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Our exclusive coverage of the district football playoffs concludes with audio coverage of the 5A...
WPIAL Class 6A final notebook: Central Catholic adds to decorated history
Saturday’s down-to-the wire WPIAL Class 6A championship victory was the seventh for Central Catholic since joining the WPIAL in 1974. The school won five titles in the old Pittsburgh Catholic League before the WPIAL move. The Vikings have a 47-19 WPIAL playoff record following Saturday night’s 10-7 win over Pine-Richland....
Opalko’s late field goal lifts Central Catholic past Pine-Richland in WPIAL Class 6A finalVideo
This was a kick that might make NFL kickers nervous. A 40-yarder on the notorious Heinz Field grass, yet Central Catholic’s Johnathan Opalko tucked the ball inside the left upright Saturday night to defeat Pine-Richland, 10-7, in a slow-moving WPIAL Class 6A championship that turned into a defensive grind. Opalko...
High school scores, schedules for Nov. 16, 2019
High schools Football WPIAL playoffs Championship Saturday’s result Central Catholic 10, Pine-Richland 7 Class 5A Championship Nov. 23 schedule Peters Township (12-1) vs. Gateway (11-2) at Norwin, 6 p.m. Class 4A Championship Saturday’s result Thomas Jefferson 41, Belle Vernon 7 Class 3A Championship Saturday’s result Central Valley 13, Aliquippa 12...
North Allegheny wins 3rd straight PIAA girls volleyball championship
SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP — North Allegheny had a tougher road but came out on top in its quest for a PIAA girls volleyball three-peat. In a rematch of the 2018 PIAA Class 4A championship in which the Tigers swept Bishop Shanahan, North Allegheny went the distance to edge the Eagles,...
WPIAL Class 4A final notebook: Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak ties WPIAL title record
Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak continued to add to his incredible legacy Saturday. Not only did he tie longtime West Allegheny and current Mt. Lebanon coach Bob Palko with his eighth WPIAL title, but he has 271 career wins and 46 losses. Cherpak passed Chuck Wagner for fifth on the...
Freeport, Knoch volleyball teams reflect on PIAA runs
Only 16 high school girls volleyball teams were left standing last Tuesday as the four classifications moved to the semifinal round of the PIAA playoffs. Freeport and Knoch were in the mix and hoped to return to the finals where they captured gold in 2017. However, their postseason runs were...
Thomas Jefferson routs Belle Vernon for 9th WPIAL football championshipVideo
Experience matters in the WPIAL football finals. Teams that have been there and done that always seem to have a significant edge over teams that don’t quite have a feel for the championship atmosphere. Thomas Jefferson is a gleaming example. While names on the roster change and jersey numbers get...
Aliquippa quarterback plays in WPIAL championship hours after mother’s deathVideo
On the eve of the WPIAL championships, Aliquippa football coach Mike Warfield received a desperate text message from his quarterback. Coach Mike. Please call. It’s an emergency. “I called him and he told me he thought his mom had passed,” Warfield said Saturday, speaking quietly as he fought back tears...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Honors roll in for Franklin Regional boys soccer
Franklin Regional was lauded for its unbeaten regular season and its second straight WPIAL boys soccer championship. Sophomore forward Anthony DiFalco was awarded WPIAL Class 3A Player of the Year, and the Panthers’ Rand Hudson is coach of the year in the classification. Additionally, senior Connor Hudson and junior Cole...
WPIAL Class 3A final notebook: Overtime rare in WPIAL championship gamesVideo
Saturday’s Class 3A final was the fifth championship game decided in overtime in WPIAL history. In 1995, Burrell defeated Washington, 14-13. In 2007, Central Catholic defeated Gateway, 35-34. In 2011, North Allegheny defeated Upper St. Clair, 28-21. In 2016, West Allegheny defeated McKeesport, 38-37. A decade’s impact In just 10...
North Catholic rallies to capture 1st PIAA Class 2A volleyball crown
SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP — North Catholic overcame a slow start and rallied from two sets down to defeat North Penn Liberty and capture the program’s first PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball championship Saturday afternoon at the Eagle Dome at Cumberland Valley High School. Game scores were 17-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-14...
Mars captures 2nd PIAA title with win over Villa Joseph MarieVideo
HERSHEY — During a preseason workout, Mars girls soccer coach Blair Gerlach told his players they would need to get a little bit stronger because Hershey’s chocolate is pretty heavy. On Saturday, at Hersheypark Stadium, the Fightin’ Planets got to put those muscles to use as they lifted the PIAA...
Central Valley stops Aliquippa in overtime in tense WPIAL title gameVideo
On the first play of overtime, Michael Barbuto was pushing toward the goal line when he felt something strange happen. “I got to the 3-yard line and from there I slowly felt myself rising off the ground,” Barbuto said. No, Barbuto didn’t suddenly learn the art of levitation. The feeling...
Penn-Trafford QB Gabe Dunlap stands tall after playoff loss to Peters Township
Penn-Trafford football players filed out of the locker room at West Mifflin on Friday night, their collective demeanor one of sadness and frustration. There were tears and dejected spirits after the top-seeded Warriors lost to Peters Township, 28-10, in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. Suddenly, a promising season was halted...
WPIAL Class 6A football finals primer: Central Catholic vs. Pine-Richland
WPIAL Class 6A championship No. 1 Central Catholic (10-1) vs. No. 2 Pine-Richland (10-1) 8 p.m. Saturday, Heinz Field On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 1020 AM, 107.1 FM Coaches: Terry Totten, Central Catholic; Eric Kasperowicz, Pine-Richland Winner plays: District 6 champion State College (11-1) in PIAA quarterfinals Nov. 22-23 WPIAL titles:...
Moravian Academy tops Winchester Thurston in PIAA Class A boys soccer final
HERSHEY — At the beginning of the season, the Winchester Thurston boys soccer team set out on a journey to make an appearance in the state championship game and bring home the title. They accomplished half of that goal Saturday, but District 11 champion Moravian Academy denied the second as...
WPIAL Class A final notebook: Brendan Parsons, Kenlein Ogletree play starring roles for Clairton
It was another spectacular day for Clairton quarterback Brendan Parsons, who passed for 201 yards and ran for 94 yards. On the season, he has thrown for 1,885 yards and 23 touchdown passes and has run for 999 yards and 11 TDs. Ogletree now has 19 touchdowns and 52 extra...
Clairton conquers Sto-Rox to win 14th WPIAL championshipVideo
It’s a good bet, in recent years, that if Clairton reaches the WPIAL championship game, it’s going to win. The Bears won their 10th consecutive championship game by rolling over Sto-Rox, 41-19, on Saturday in the Class A game at Heinz Field. It’s the 14th WPIAL championship for Clairton, second-most...
District 3 champ Camp Hill blanks Shady Side Academy to capture first PIAA title
HERSHEY — The Shady Side Academy girls soccer team was on a mission to capture a second PIAA title in school history, but when the Indians stepped onto the field at Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday, they were met by a team equally as motivated. In search of the perfect season...
Gateway’s defense uses 4th-down stands to edge McKeesport in WPIAL semifinalsVideo
McKeesport’s Devari Robinson sprinted forward on fourth-and-4, colliding with Gateway linebacker Jay Johnson, who dragged him to the Offutt Field turf. First down? Over on downs? “I was unsure,” Johnson said, “but I knew I had him when I looked to the left and he was short of the sticks.”...
WPIAL Playoffs 3rd round results — Nov. 15 and 16, 2019
TribLIVE’s sports reporters have you covered from Friday’s WPIAL high school football playoff action. GAMES OF THE WEEK • RICHLAND 34, LIGONIER VALLEY 6 @ Mansion Park Senior Trevor Tustin caught two touchdown passes, and senior Caleb Burke scored twice and threw a pair of touchdown passes as Richland posted...
Washington leans on Zahmere Robinson to stop upset-minded Brentwood
After Washington’s Zahmere Robinson fumbled for the first time this year in a third quarter that saw Brentwood surging, he went to the sidelines and told his teammates he’d make up for it. “I told them that (fumble) was my fault, but I had their back,” he said. Robinson was...
Avonworth stops Riverside’s run, reaches WPIAL Class 2A finalVideo
While Avonworth has relied on a powerful offense that averages 37 points per game, two key stops by the Antelopes defense were crucial in Friday’s first half. Stopping Riverside on downs twice inside the 10-yard line paved the way for a 41-14 victory in a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal at...
