High School category, Page 1101
Sto-Rox pulls away in second half, ends run for West Greene, Jackson
Behind a strong defensive performance and a streaky-but-sharp-enough offense spearheaded by quarterback Eric Wilson, No. 3 Sto-Rox knocked off No. West Greene, 24-7, on Friday night at Trinity’s Hiller Field in the WPIAL Class A semifinals to punch its first ticket to its classification’s championship game since 2012. The Vikings...
Central Valley shows no weakness, routs Derry
Rather matter of factly, Derry football coach Tim Sweeney said Central Valley’s greatest strength is the fact that it doesn’t have a weakness. He called the challenge of facing the top-seeded Warriors a “monumental task.” It was, in every sense. Top-seeded Central Valley piled up the yardage, and the big...
Riverside’s postseason run continues with victory over McGuffeyVideo
While Riverside’s first round upset of No. 3 Burgettstown surprised a lot of WPIAL football fans, it wasn’t a surprise to the Panthers. “Our league is very tough. There were six teams that could’ve been in the playoffs,” Riverside coach Ron Sciarro said. “We lost our first two, ran off...
Peters Township wins rematch with Moon in WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinalVideo
When Peters Township lost to Moon in the regular season, Josh Casilli’s stat line read: one catch, six yards. His role changed dramatically in the rematch. The Penn recruit totaled 183 yards from scrimmage and scored twice Friday night as No. 5 Peters Township defeated No. 4 Moon, 33-7, in...
High school scores, summaries, schedules for Nov. 8, 2019
High schools Football WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Friday’s results Central Catholic 31, Mt. Lebanon 14 Pine-Richland 49, North Allegheny 14 Championship Nov. 16 schedule Central Catholic (10-1) vs. Pine-Richland (10-1) at Heinz Field, 8 p.m. Class 5A Quarterfinals Friday’s results Gateway 17, Bethel Park 13 McKeesport 35, Penn Hills...
Jordan Stancovich relies on football instincts to set Gateway tackles record
Football highlights often feature pinpoint passes, dazzling runs and spectacular catches, but not when senior Jordan Stancovich is on the field. A three-year starter at middle linebacker, Stancovich recently etched his name into Gateway’s record books with 346 career tackles, breaking Dorian Bell’s mark of 341. “My oldest brother (Jason...
Three Baldwin runners finish season as state cross country qualifiers
Three top runners in the Baldwin cross country program — senior Teddy Boehm, junior Gina Bolla and sophomore Dominick Ditoro — qualified for the PIAA finals held Nov. 2 in Hershey. “All three are great athletes but better young adults,” coach Rich Wright said. “All three are well liked by...
A by-the-numbers look at Baldwin’s football season
Several players on the Baldwin football team enjoyed outstanding statistical seasons. Many have been three-year starters for the Highlanders, who advanced to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs with a 5-5 record this season. A four-game winning streak against Woodland Hills (30-27), Chartiers Valley (42-35), West Allegheny (23-0) and Bethel Park...
Sewickley-area runners excel at PIAA cross country championships
Three Sewickley-area runners earned medals at the PIAA cross country championships Nov. 2 in Hershey. Quaker Valley seniors Annie Wicker (19 minutes, 22 seconds) and Daniel Ford (16:49) placed 12th and 22nd in the Class AA girls and boys races, respectively. Eden Christian Academy senior Eric Gronbeck (16:54) came in...
Quaker Valley keeps the faith during trying football season
The record doesn’t tell the whole story. It rarely does. That’s what Quaker Valley football coach Ron Balog told his seniors after their last game against South Park. “The effort our seniors gave (that night) was emblematic of what they did all year,” Balog said. “That will never ever be...
Penn-Trafford field hockey savors championship season, looks to keep program growing
Penn-Trafford’s field hockey team has been a dominant force in the WPIAL Class AA ranks. The Warriors won their fourth consecutive WPIAL title this season, shutting out Latrobe, 4-0, on Oct. 29 in the championship game. “This season was one of great growth,” coach Cindy Dutt said. “We had 36...
Norwin closes book on record-breaking career of QB Jack Salopek
Norwin’s highly touted senior quarterback Jack Salopek ended his high school career as the all-time leading passer in Westmoreland County history. A Western Michigan recruit, Salopek finished with 6,150 career passing yards and 40 career touchdowns. He now is ranked among the top 15 passers in WPIAL history in 14th...
Springdale has plenty of motivation heading into PIAA quarterfinal match with GCC
Heading into Saturday’s PIAA quarterfinal matchup with WPIAL Class A champion Greensburg Central Catholic, the Springdale boys soccer team won’t lack competitive fire. “There are a lot of things that can be extra motivation,” Springdale coach Cesareo Sanchez said. The first is wanting to prove to their opponents that the...
WPIAL football playoffs 2nd round: How to watch, listen and find scores
Championship berths are on the line Friday night in the WPIAL football playoffs. Teams in Class 6A, 4A, 3A and A will be vying for spots in the finals. In particular, all eyes are on Class 6A, where Pine-Richland and North Allegheny face off and Mt. Lebanon faces Central Catholic....
Knoch block party frustrates volleyball foesVideo
In last week’s WPIAL Class AAA semifinal victory over Franklin Regional, Knoch girls volleyball players recorded more than two dozen blocks, with four players leading the way with six apiece. Senior Hannah Rowe tallied 14 blocks in Saturday’s WPIAL title game victory, and fellow senior Skylar Burkett added five. On...
Freeport refocuses, gets set for PIAA volleyball quarterfinals
After two emotional and physically draining five-set matches to cap the WPIAL playoffs, senior outside hitter Lauren Lampus and the other Freeport girls volleyball team members were happy to take care of business in straightforward fashion Tuesday in the first round of the PIAA tournament. The WPIAL champion Yellowjackets took...
Allegheny 8 co-champions Moon, Peters Township rematch in WPIAL quarterfinals
The WPIAL football playoffs often bring together unfamiliar teams, so their coaches spend hours studying one another on film. But that’s not always the case. Allegheny Eight co-champions Peters Township and Moon meet for the second time in six weeks Friday night in a Class 5A quarterfinal at West Allegheny,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 7, 2019
Football WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Friday’s schedule Central Catholic (9-1) vs. Mt. Lebanon (7-4) at Fox Chapel, 7 p.m.; North Allegheny (10-1) at Pine-Richland (9-1), 7 p.m. Class 5A Quarterfinals Friday’s schedule Penn-Trafford (10-1) vs. Upper St. Clair (7-4) at West Mifflin, 7 p.m.; Moon (9-2) vs. Peters Township...
High school roundup for Nov. 7, 2019: Cole McNair, Brendon Linderman net hat tricks for Greensburg Salem
Cole McNair and Brendon Linderman each recorded three goals and three assists to lead Greensburg Salem to a 9-5 victory over Freeport in PIHL hockey Thursday night. Colin Kruth scored twice for Greensburg Salem (3-1-1). Caleb Hoffman had two goals for Freeport (1-5-0). Penn-Trafford 8, Armstrong 5 — Xavier Soloman...
After 2 winless seasons, Butler football might leave WPIAL for independent schedule
Mired in a 20-game losing streak, Butler’s football team might leave the WPIAL for an independent schedule next season. “We are considering it,” athletic director Bill Mylan said Thursday, “but we haven’t made any kind of decision one way or the other.” The school district’s administration will meet later this...
Belle Vernon preps for South Fayette with ‘laser focus’
Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert had a message for his football team after last week’s quarterfinal win over New Castle. “Don’t you dare enjoy this one,” he said. “We’ve worked our butts off for a year to get back to where we are right now. We have more work to...
Shaler runners savor PIAA cross country experience
Shaler Area sophomore runner Tyler Paszkowski was happy to have an opportunity to run in the PIAA Class AAA cross country championships earlier this month in Hershey. For the first-time state qualifier, it was an opportunity for him to take everything in. One thing that stood out was the speed....
Late-season success boosts confidence for Shaler football
Once the Class 5A football playoffs started, things got ugly for the WPIAL’s Northern Conference. While the conference had the most playoff participants, as Fox Chapel snagged the wild card, only Penn Hills remained after the smoke cleared. The other five teams lost by a combined margin of 28.6 points...
South Fayette girls volleyball celebrates special season
It was a season full of highs for the South Fayette girls volleyball team. But it had to come to an end. The Lions wrapped up their season with a loss in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs Nov. 5. While it wasn’t how the team imagined...
Strong pass rush, team speed lead game-changing Penn Hills defense
Since he took over as coach at Penn Hills in 2017, Jon LeDonne has made sure his defenses set the tone on the field. This season, a strong defense has been mandatory since the Indians offense isn’t as potent as last year’s. The Indians defense has responded to the challenge...
