High School category, Page 1163
Union small in numbers but big on talent
Another year, another common scenario for coach Stacy Robinson and the Union Scotties. One of the smallest schools in the WPIAL, Union had just 20 kids arrive for the first day of camp. While those numbers are small, the veteran head coach knows that the effort of his players, especially...
Sto-Rox football team returns core of explosive offense
The Sto-Rox football team enters the season with plenty of motivation. The Vikings made strides in LaRoi Johnson’s first season as coach. The team achieved a winning record for only the second time since 2013. The offense improved its points-per-game average from 17.8 in 2017 to 41.6 in 2018. Quarterback...
Rochester eager to atone for WPIAL title game loss
Though Rochester came up short against OLSH in the WPIAL Class A championship game last season, coach Gene Matsook does not spend time reflecting on the past. “This is a new team with new kids,” he said. “We can’t be worrying about what happened in 2018.” The Rams made it...
OLSH football team reloads hoping for another championship run
Last fall, OLSH football enjoyed unprecedented success. The Chargers won a Big 7 Conference title and a WPIAL Class A championship for the first time in program history. A 41-10 setback to Farrell ended OLSH’s season at 12-2 in the PIAA semifinals. It marked the end for 15 seniors, which...
WPIAL position by position breakdown: Scouting the safeties
Versatile safeties are crucial in today’s WPIAL. With more teams turning to no-huddle, spread offenses, defenses need defensive backs who can cover receivers and also attack the run. The safeties on this year’s list — topped by Blackhawk’s Marques Watson-Trent — are just what coaches want. Combined, they forced nearly...
Northgate optimistic after nightmare season in 2018
One season after the Northgate Flames were barely an ember, second-year coach Mike Fulmore is feeling a bit more optimistic. “Our numbers are looking good,” he said. “Things are really going pretty well for us right now. We’re just really excited.” Fulmore has about 25 players in camp this season...
Hempfield girls soccer team zeroes in on defense
If you notice the Hempfield girls soccer team getting defensive, it’s nothing personal. The Spartans simply don’t want opposing teams to score. “One thing we can definitely improve on is our defensive look,” Hempfield coach Adam Shaffer said. “The phrase we’ve literally been using is, ‘The goals will come.’ ”...
Hempfield boys soccer team sees dividends from feeder program
It has been eight years since the Hempfield boys team tasted playoff soccer, and that season ended in a Class 4A, first-round loss to Upper St. Clair. The Spartans, at least, were in the hunt. But there’s been nothing much to show since that 2011 season. “They’ve struggled here. It’s...
Lessons learned should guide Fox Chapel girls soccer this season
Last season was a learning experience for the Fox Chapel girls soccer team. As the Foxes battled in a new section against some of the top teams in Class 4A, injuries to several key players tested their mettle. Coach Peter Torres said several younger players got opportunities to show what...
Fox Chapel boys soccer expects to be battle-tested come playoff time
There is a buzz surrounding the Fox Chapel boys soccer team. With several players back who earned postseason all-star recognition among a sizable group of returning talent, the Foxes hope to make a move up the ladder, contend for a section championship and be in the mix for a WPIAL...
Experienced Laurel motivated for big season
Ten starters back on offense. Nine starters back on defense. And a team that feels like it should have been in the postseason last year. That’s a dangerous combination for opponents of Laurel, which went 6-4 a year ago. The Spartans only two Big Seven Conference losses coming to the...
Cornell learns from struggles, aims to make history
Zaier Harrison has endured hard times, but he hasn’t been alone. Cornell’s Class A football program has gone from barely afloat to nonexistent to reborn in the last decade. The Raiders returned in 2016 when Harrison was named the starting quarterback as a freshman, a year in which the offense...
George Guido: Plenty of milestones to watch for this football season
The stage is set for the 121st high school football season in the Alle-Kiski Valley, and it appears several teams are poised for success in 2019. After all, last year was the first time since 1909 that no local team finished over .500. To be fair, Freeport was 5-4 in...
Bishop Canevin aims to resume winning tradition
Outside of the locker room at Bishop Canevin, there is a plaque that honors legendary coach Bob Jacoby. The quote on it features six words that showcase what he demanded from his teams: “48 minutes of tough Canevin football.” First-year Crusaders coach T.J. Wiley wants to bring that mentality back...
Hanlon’s versatility provides unique advantage for Riverview
Zach Hanlon possesses two Riverview football jerseys: No. 36 and No. 78. Versatility is the name of the game for the Raiders senior captain, a 220-pound bruising running back and the anchor of the defense at inside linebacker. While he enjoys his current offensive position at running back, he understands...
With options under center, Penn-Trafford could go off script offensively
Senior Gabe Dunlap and junior Ethan Carr once competed for the starting quarterback spot at Penn-Trafford. The friendly competition brought out the best in each athlete as they pushed each other to improve. In the end, there were no hard feelings. That is because both have become primary players —...
West Greene ready to build off successful 2018 season
If West Greene’s 2018 season was turned into a movie script, producers might shy away from it because it wouldn’t seem realistic. There was a five-game winning streak, a game shy of the total number of wins the program had from 2013-16 combined. West Greene earned a share of the...
Monessen looks to build on WPIAL playoff appearance
When Mike Blainfield took the Monessen coaching job in 2017, his goal was to restore pride in a program that had slipped from its accustomed lofty heights. The third-year coach appears to have the program on the right track again as the Greyhounds went 7-3 last season, sharing the Tri-County...
Coach: ‘This is not the same Mapletown football team’
In his 39 years as a high school football coach — most of them spent as the head man at Mapletown — George Messich has seen plenty of the good, the bad and the ugly. Last season was too much of the latter. The Maples, just two seasons removed from...
Jefferson-Morgan football team relies on competition to improve
Competition for playing time tends to bring out the best in everyone. Young or less-experienced players give their all to make coaches take notice, and established players, in turn, step up their game to avoid losing playing time. Jefferson-Morgan football coach Aaron Giorgi, in his fifth season with the Rockets,...
Chartiers-Houston hopes to end 2-year playoff absence
Chartiers-Houston stopped short of the WPIAL football playoffs two seasons in a row. The Bucs hope to avoid a three-peat. Despite coming up short of a playoff berth by one game in 2018, Chartiers-Houston’s 3-7 season was a step in the right direction for a program that was coming off...
Short-handed Avella football team returns experienced skill group
The conversation has taken place many times over the past decade. Avella football coach Ryan Cecchini, in his ninth season, and longtime Mapletown coach George Messich often talk numbers — or lack thereof. The Eagles, like the Maples, fight a yearly battle with roster size. Cecchini said as long as...
Riverview will rely on versatility in hopes of successful season
As his team went through summer workouts, Riverview coach Todd Massack said he made sure to remind his players they need to learn and be comfortable at multiple positions. It’s been that way the past couple of seasons, he said, with the Raiders’ limited roster and the specter of injuries...
Positive end to ’18 season serves as catalyst for Springdale
It might not seem like much on the surface, but Springdale’s Week 10 nonconference victory over Vincentian Academy has proven to be an offseason springboard. The 35-13 victory gave the Dynamos just a 2-8 overall record, but it proved to be a positive end to a trying season. “That was...
Senior-heavy Leechburg expects to take next step after .500 campaign
There was a ton of positive energy and momentum surrounding the Leechburg when last season wrapped up. The Blue Devils closed with convincing wins over Springdale and Cornell. The Blue Devils were playing their best ball of the season during the back half of the schedule, but it was too...
