High School category, Page 1159
High school football roundup: Stump shines in Thomas Jefferson’s Week Zero win
Shane Stump threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 120 yards and an 80-yard score to lead Class 4A No. 1 Thomas Jefferson to a 54-10 win against Class 6A Canon-McMillan (0-1) in a Week Zero nonconference football game Friday night. Preston Zandier caught four passes for...
Moon gets defensive in Week Zero victory over Montour
Moon sacked Montour quarterback Luke Persinger 11 times and forced two Spartans turnovers en route to a 14-10 victory in a nonconference game Friday night. It was the second year in a row the Tigers defeated Montour (0-1) to begin the season. Persinger was pressured all night, especially in the...
Latrobe edges crosstown rival Derry in overtime
As backyard brawls go, this one went overtime. Branden Crosby’s 27-yard screen pass to Logan Gustafson gave Latrobe the go-ahead touchdown in the extra session, and the Class 5A Wildcats came away with a 20-14, season-opening road victory over Class 3A No. 5 Derry on Friday night. The victory ended...
Late touchdown lifts Springdale past Deer Lakes
The first football game between Springdale and Deer Lakes in 26 years proved to be a memorable one. A 27-yard touchdown pass from Legend Ausk to Demitri Fritch with 53 seconds to go lifted the Dynamos to a 29-27 victory over the neighboring Lancers. The game truly went down to...
Defense carries Serra Catholic over Yough
As Serra Catholic and Yough took the field for a Week Zero matchup, both did so facing similar questions. Youth and inexperience abound for both teams, especially on offense, as both are breaking in new quarterbacks. Similarly, both teams have a bit more talent and experience on defense. Those predicted...
Who’s No. 1 in Westmoreland football history? A debate for the ages
With more than 100 years of high school football in the books, Westmoreland County has nurtured its fair share of champions, Cinderellas and dynasties. Picking the best of them is anything but easy. “In this day and age, there were some great teams,” said Howard “Huddie” Kaufman, 91, of Greensburg....
GCC hangs on against Monessen to give Bret Colbert his 1st coaching win
Week Zero presents a chance for some of the top teams across the WPIAL to play nonconference games as they prepare for their conference schedules. Greensburg Central Catholic coach Bret Colbert will remember Friday’s opener against Monessen as his Centurions held off a late rally to earn a 21-18 win....
Apollo-Ridge defeats rival Leechburg in Week Zero matchupVideo
The Apollo-Ridge football team had payback on its mind after Leechburg won last year’s meeting to snap the Vikings’ eight-game winning streak in the rivalry series. Led by the hard running — and opportunistic defense — of Logan Harmon, Apollo-Ridge scored a 28-12 victory over the Blue Devils on Friday...
Demetris McKnight’s big game lifts New Castle over Shaler
In a tit-for-tat football game, New Castle coach Joe Cowart knew who had to get the ball with time ticking away. The call for a designed pass to Demetris McKnight shouldn’t have surprised anyone. McKnight scored on runs of 40 and 73 yards in the first half and had an...
Penn-Trafford combo of Lisbon, Dunlap, Carr too much for Norwin
There weren’t many things that displeased Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane on Friday in his team’s season opener against rival Norwin. That’s because his team, though not flawless, dominated from the start in a 42-7 nonconference victory at Warrior Stadium. The trio of Caleb Lisbon, Gabe Dunlap and Ethan Carr turned...
WPIAL football Week Zero results
TribLIVE’s sports reporters have you covered from Friday’s Week 0 high school football action. GAMES OF THE WEEK • PENN-TRAFFORD 42, NORWIN 7 Penn-Trafford’s Caleb Lisbon, a senior running back, rushed for 172 yards on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns: 68- and 45-yard runs, and a 38-yard pass from...
Upper St. Clair defeats South Fayette in first game of post-Render era
Mike Junko knew what the expectations were when he got the job as the football coach at Upper St. Clair. Not only was he inheriting a program that was a perennial power, he was replacing the legendary Jim Render, who walked the Panthers’ sideline for the previous 40 years. Not...
Baldwin held in check against Avalon (Md.)
After fumbling the opening possession and allowing a touchdown just a few plays later, Avalon faced a 7-0 deficit. But the Black Knights took control from then on, defeating Baldwin(0-1, 0-0), 26-7, in a game that was part of the Western Pa. vs. Everyone Showcase at Woodland Hills’ Wolvarena. After...
Plum gains momentum with Week Zero win over Highlands
Plum went into its Week Zero matchup at Highlands hoping to take some positive momentum into Class 5A Foothills Conference play and the Mustangs got it in all three phases of the game. The Mustangs produced a 70-yard punt return from Reed Martin, sprinkled in some big yardage plays on...
Hempfield handles rival Greensburg Salem in openerVideo
Hempfield’s big line played as advertised, getting a fairly strong push early. But the Spartans did something they hadn’t planned to do — at least not this much — in their season opener. They went to the air. With a gameplan that is, by all accounts, hell-bent on running the...
Burrell shuts out Valley to snap 6-game streak in ‘Battle of the Bypass’
Throughout the history of the “Battle of the Bypass,” Burrell and Valley have traded winning streaks. On Friday, Burrell ended Valley’s six-game win streak that started in 2013. Mike Scherer led the way on the ground, rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and Central Catholic transfer...
Knoch blanks Hampton in season opener
Entering their WPIAL Week Zero nonconferene matchup, the 52nd edition of the Knoch versus Hampton rivalry, the all-time series was tied at 25-25-1. Knoch made sure to break that tie in head coach Brandon Mowry’s first game at the helm, and they did so with authority. The Knights opened a...
Pine-Richland uses fast start to defeat Penn Hills in clash of championsVideo
Pine-Richland didn’t ease into this new football season. Junior quarterback Cole Spencer threw two touchdowns in the first 2½ minutes as host Pine-Richland defeated Penn Hills, 21-0, in a Week Zero contest that matched the defending WPIAL Class 6A and 5A champions. The Rams scored on their first two possessions...
Derry boys, girls soccer squads combine forces
It definitely is a rebuilding season — in more ways than one — for the Derry boys soccer program. First-year coach Austin Main has a new group of players to work with as there were 12 seniors on last year’s squad with many filling integral positions. But last week, the...
Ligonier Valley girls soccer kicks off new era as ‘underdogs’
With only two starters and two other letterwinners back from last season, the Ligonier Valley girls soccer team could have cause for concern. Instead, the Rams are invigorated and eager to begin what longtime coach Eric Vogelsang calls “a new era.” Nine first-year starters and a sizable group of incoming...
2 goals for Ligonier Valley boys soccer: make playoffs, have fun
In his quarter century of coaching the Ligonier Valley boys soccer team, Kip Crumrine has gained valuable perspective. The man who started the program 25 years ago is willing to teach whoever signs up to play, no matter the level of experience. Most importantly, Crumrine wants to makes things fun...
Boot camp helps Gateway tennis team prepare for season
Members of the Gateway girls tennis team are not in the military, but sure felt like that recently. The Gators had a week of boot camp-style training, in which they started practice at 7 a.m. and worked on conditioning for an hour without lifting a racket. Gateway second-year coach Kenny...
Gateway boys soccer coach, players say it’s time to win
Forget that Gateway has won five of its last 22 conference games. Everyone in the boys soccer program believes the balance of power in Section 4-3A will start to tilt in their favor. The struggles of the last two seasons were growing pains, players said. “I think our coach just...
Cherpak’s record at TJ speaks for itself
He is considered by many to be the Michaelangelo of high school football in Western Pennsylvania, if not the state. Much like the Italian artist’s masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Bill Cherpak’s exemplary performance as coach of the Thomas Jefferson football program for two-and-a-half...
Middle of lineup powers Sewickley Academy boys soccer
Sewickley Academy’s boys soccer team is going to build from the middle this season. With a large senior class lost to graduation, the Panthers return six starters, and most play in the middle of their formation: Nick Wilson, Jackson Coles, Cole Rychel, Bobby Serafin, Jack Wentz and Josh Chico. “With...
