High School category, Page 1164
Small roster Imani Christian hopes for happier ending
Imani Christian is faced with a steep task to begin 2019, but it is not necessarily something new. The Saints’ thin roster was nearly cut in half by graduation this spring following a 7-4 season that ended in a blowout loss to eventual Class A champion OLSH in the quarterfinals....
Typical high expectations fuel healthier Clairton
Clairton’s football players, to a man, know the anticipation of the fanbase. “It’s kind of like state championship or bust,” said Bears coach Wayne Wade, who enters his sixth season. And Wade is right. Clairton has been the WPIAL’s most dominant program since the turn of the millennium, winning nine...
Jeannette hopes to utilize speed on new turf at McKee Stadium
To the surprise of some, the landmark decision to replace the grass at Jeannette’s McKee Stadium with artificial turf was met with little resistance. Even at a place where change is minimal, more tolerated than accepted — a program where “the old way” still works — a new playing surface...
New coach Bret Colbert to rely on talented returning roster at Greensburg C.C.
New Greensburg Central Catholic coach Bret Colbert comes from rich football pedigree. His father, Bob, has 44 years of coaching experience at various levels — high school to the pros — while his uncle, Kevin, is the general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Football shaped me and has been everything...
Carmichaels hopes to rebound with experienced roster
Members of the Carmichaels football team took their lumps last season. A year more experienced, the Mighty Mikes hope to be delivering those lumps this fall. After enduring a 2-7 season with a 1-6 mark in the Class 2A Interstate Conference, Carmichaels returns 10 starters on both sides of the...
Southmoreland believes it is closing in on end of playoff drought
As an alum and second-year coach, Dave Keefer is all for recognizing high points in the history of Southmoreland football — even if one such commemoration captures a frustrating and cumbersome streak in full perspective. The Scotties’ run of missed playoff trips hits a milestone this season, and Keefer couldn’t...
High-powered Washington sets sights on another WPIAL championship
Washington’s quest for an eighth WPIAL football championship figures to get off to a better start than the defense of its seventh title. The Prexies won the 2017 WPIAL Class 2A title in convincing fashion, but last season got off to a rocky start. Washington missed 12 practices and a...
Pieces in place for McGuffey to take next step
For McGuffey, last season might have been bittersweet. The Highlanders finished 8-3 overall and 5-3 in Class 2A Interstate Conference play, but lost 36-27 in a first-round playoff game to district runner-up South Side Beaver. McGuffey earned its third playoff berth in five seasons but could not secure a home-playoff...
Fichter more optimistic for 2nd season at Brownsville
Even before the 2018 season started, the Brownsville football team was facing an uphill battle. Coach Scott Fichter didn’t take over the program until June, and the Falcons weren’t fully staffed until around August. Because of the late start, Fichter’s ability to develop a program was hampered. After a full...
Beth-Center football team will lean on young core
When it comes to the WPIAL playoffs, Beth-Center football is a familiar face. After routing Frazier, 36-0, in last year’s regular-season finale, the Bulldogs made their 16th straight WPIAL Class 2A playoff appearance. The Bulldogs carried a 7-4 record into the first round, where they lost 49-0 to Steel Valley...
High school scores for Aug. 19, 2019
High schools Golf Boys Monday’s results WPIAL Class AAA Section 3 Shaler 237, North Hills 239 Medalist: Logan Marshalek (NH), 40 Section 5 Moon 205, Blackhawk 208 Medalists: Hunter Woodward (B), 37; Nathan Schachner (M), 38 Section 8 Mars 204, Highlands 254 Medalist: Blake Bartolo (M), 38 Shady Side Academy...
Freedom must replace large senior class to reach playoffs for 4th straight season
After Freedom made the WPIAL playoffs for a school-record third consecutive season, sustaining the streak will be in the hands of new coach Greg Toney. Toney was named coach in December after athletic director John Rosa served as interim coach the last four games of the season following Russ Barley’s...
Derek Moye eager to guide Western Beaver football team
Derek Moye is short on football coaching experience. His only job as a coach, in fact, was last season when he oversaw the receivers at PIAA Class 3A champion Aliquippa. But he is a veteran when it comes to playing the game. He parlayed a standout career at Rochester into...
Daily improvement, consistency are keys to success for Ellwood City
Four head coaches in four seasons can certainly lead to a lot of inconsistencies in a program. Joe Lamenza hopes he’s the right man for the job. The 1996 Ellwood City graduate was hired in December to coach his alma mater. The veteran coach has eight years of head coaching...
Shenango roster young but experienced
A quality football team usually has a good combination of youth and experience on its roster. For Shenango, after a season where at times seven or more freshmen were starting, youth and experience come as a package deal. “We have a lot of experience,” second-year coach Jimmy Graham said. “It’s...
Riverside to rely on veteran QB Ben Hughes
For most teams, a winning record and a trip to the playoffs would be seen as a successful season. Not for Riverside. The Panthers finished 2018 with a 6-4 overall record, falling to Charleroi in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs. However, after finishing 6-1 in the Midwestern...
Veteran New Brighton looks to continue upward trend
Through five weeks of the 2018 season, New Brighton had 1-4 record. What had the look of a third consecutive year of missing the postseason took a complete turn in the right direction. The Lions went 4-1 down the stretch. “The second half of the year we just kept gaining...
Neshannock looks to bounce back from ‘disappointing’ season
High school football coaches talk about it all the time: Every game is meaningful. Neshannock found that out in 2018 after finishing fifth in the Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference, one game out of a playoff spot behind Riverside. The difference was the Lancers’ Week 1 loss to the Panthers...
New Mohawk starters carry torch into new season
Mohawk’s 2018 season was one of the best in program history. The Warriors were co-champions of the Class 2A Midwestern Conference and won a home playoff game before falling in the quarterfinals to Charleroi. The conference championship and playoff victory were the first for the squad from Bessemer since 2005....
Moon basketball star Donovan Johnson joining brother Cameron in Arizona
Moon basketball star Donovan “Puff” Johnson is joining older brother Cameron in Arizona. Johnson, whose senior season here was in question, has enrolled at powerhouse Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, his father said. The decision to transfer was made Monday, he said. “It’s a very, very good school,” Gil Johnson said....
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the cornerbacks
There’s no major college recruit on this list like last year when Aliquippa’s M.J. Devonshire, North Allegheny’s Joey Porter Jr. and Penn Hills’ Daequan Hardy topped the cornerback rankings. That was one of the WPIAL’s best classes in years. Devonshire is now at Kentucky while Porter and Hardy are at...
Burgettstown seeks back-to-back Three Rivers Conference titles
Burgettstown is ready for another memorable year, similar to the one it put together last season. The Blue Devils went 10-0 during the regular season but lost 7-6 to Freedom in the second round of the WPIAL Class Class 2A playoffs. Fifth-year coach Mark Druga believes the key to last...
MVP lineman Bauer in leading role for Brentwood
The centerpiece of the Brentwood football team is a 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior lineman. Luke Bauer, along with being named first-team all-conference on offense and defense last year, was voted as the most valuable lineman in the Class 2A Three Rivers Conference. “He won it hands down,” coach Kevin Kissel said....
South Side looks to build on trip to WPIAL title game
The South Side Rams had championship DNA coursing through their veins during the 2018 season. The Rams went 8-3 last year and advanced to the WPIAL Class 2A championship game to take on Steel Valley. There, they were routed by the Ironmen, 48-6, who won their second championship in the...
Piccinini out to change culture for Carlynton football
Rich Piccinini is one of the few football coaches in the WPIAL who knows what it is like to be in the playoffs with Carlynton. He was the Cougars’ offensive coordinator in 2001, the last time the team qualified for the postseason. To put that in perspective, as Piccinini embarks...
