High School category, Page 1165
Consistency could key season for Greensburg Salem girls soccer
When Greensburg Salem girls soccer coach Michael Rhea surveys his team, he sees a hard-working group with the potential for a couple of explosive scorers. He also sees a freshman class willing to learn, but with several players stuck on the basics. One thing Rhea wishes he saw was more...
Talent-infused Greensburg Salem boys soccer team eyes 1st for program
A whitewashing against eventual state champion West Allegheny in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs meant Greensburg Salem finished with a losing record. In many ways, however, last season was a resounding success. Thanks to a 7-5 record in Section 3, the Golden Lions qualified for postseason...
Deer Lakes looking to build on historic 2018 season
The Deer Lakes girls soccer team won’t be short on fire power in 2019. A year after winning their first section title and advancing to the WPIAL semifinals for the first time in a decade, the Lancers return nine starters and two all-WPIAL selections, including 2018 Valley News Dispatch Player...
Plum’s Matolcsy hopes to build on solid sophomore season as 2-way playerVideo
Max Matolcsy led the Plum football team last year in receiving yards and touchdowns, total tackles and interceptions. He capped his sophomore season with Class 5A All-Foothills second-team honors at outside linebacker. But the numbers Matolcsy, along with the rest of the Mustangs, was most concerned with were the ones...
Krevokuch grows into expanded role in Norwin offense
If the Norwin football team hopes to qualify for the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs this season, then the Knights will need a big season from senior quarterback Jack Salopek. But for the Knights to be successful, the young receiving crew needs to grow up quickly. Two players who caught passes...
Newly-led Summit Academy to play 5 of 6 top seeds from last year
Joe Marak might only be in his first year as head coach at Summit Academy, but it’s just like home to him. “My father taught here and my uncle worked here,” Marak said. “I feel like I’ve been around here my whole life. It’s like a family tradition.” Marek will...
Steel Valley adjusts to new coach, shorthanded roster
Maroon and gold is the new blue and gold for new Steel Valley coach Ray Braszo as the long-time coach will once again walk the home sideline at Ironmen Stadium. Braszo isn’t concentrating on the past and how he got there, he’s more focused on trying to lead Steel Valley...
After roster turnover, Shady Side Academy to rely on speed
The Shady Side Academy football team won its first 10 games before falling to South Side Beaver in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs a year ago. Third-year coach Chuck DiNardo will have to replace several key members of that team, including quarterback Skyy Moore and explosive receivers Dino Tomlin and...
East Allegheny hopeful for playoff 3-peat
East Allegheny was a spectator of the WPIAL football playoffs from 2012 to ‘15. The Wildcats turned the tide and have enjoyed postseason trips the past three years, including a trip to the Class 2A quarterfinals in 2017. It might not sound like much, but EA finishing fourth in the...
Veteran players hope to lead Apollo-Ridge back to playoffs
The Apollo-Ridge football team, youthful over the past couple of seasons, returns experience at several key positions this fall, and coach John Skiba said the Vikings are pointing in the right direction for a return to the WPIAL playoffs. However, an improvement on last year’s 2-8 record, he added, will...
Avonworth hopes to challenge in Allegheny Conference with new QB Penrod
Playing quarterback for Avonworth will provide Park Penrod plenty of opportunities to shine. Penrod saw that while backing up Derek Johncour, who passed for 2,694 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. “I know the offense like the back of my hand,” Penrod said. “I know how it’s run. I didn’t...
Coach Rod Steele makes West Mifflin roster battle for jobs in 1st season
A few days of heat acclimation and a week of camp wasn’t enough time for Rod Steele to pick starters. As West Mifflin approaches its season opener, there are at least four running backs in his rotation for carries and a handful of wide receivers still vying to start. That’s...
High school sports broadcasts on tap this week
Let the games begin! It’s the start of the 2019-20 high school sports year this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN has video and audio coverage of Week Zero of the new scholastic gridiron season with 37 WPIAL and District 6 high school football broadcasts on...
Reigning section champ Storkel serves notice for Greensburg Salem tennis
Greensburg Salem senior girls tennis player Kasey Storkel will have a shiny new serve when the Golden Lions open the season Monday, one she hopes will lift her to the top of the WPIAL. “After I went to states, I practiced with my aunt (Seton Hill coach Kim Kissell),” Storkel,...
Beaver Falls football team looks to turn 2018 success into championship
In 2016, for the first time since 1984, Beaver Falls celebrated a WPIAL championship. In defense of the title in 2017, the Tigers won one game. However, last year, Beaver Falls bounced back to win nine games before falling to eventual Class 3A champion Aliquippa in the semifinals. This year,...
Waynesburg to ride talented backfield in Tri-County West
The Waynesburg backfield will have some familiar faces in it this fall; they just might not be lined up in the same places. Senior Caleb Shriver will shift from quarterback to tailback, as junior Darnell Johnson moves back under center after recovering from a knee injury that cost him his...
South Park ready to rebound with experienced group
South Park football coach Marty Rieck isn’t one to make excuses for shortcomings, but the fact of the matter is that his team was young last season. The Eagles had only four seniors a year ago and as a young team they went through trials and tribulations en route to...
Quaker Valley redesigns offense, keeps playoff goals intact
Quaker Valley was already going to have a thinner-than-usual roster this season, and then its starting quarterback moved to another state in July. Senior Cameron Wolf said the Quakers will still aim for another deep postseason run. “Every team is going to be different year-to-year, and we understand that,” Wolf...
Keystone Oaks will turn to young players to try to make run at playoffs
Late last summer, Keystone Oaks was the talk of the town. When autumn came in Week 5, the Golden Eagles’ season turned upside down. Keystone Oaks won its first four games and was 2-0 in the Class 3A Tri-County West Conference before back-to-back overtime losses to Central Valley and Quaker...
New coach Weiss wants Hopewell to compete, be physical
Four-to-six, A-to-B. That phrase has become a team motto for the Hopewell Vikings in 2019 behind first-year coach Matt Weiss. “You will hear four-to-six, A-to-B all the time at our practices,” Weiss said. While it comes off as puzzling to those who may not be too familiar with the game,...
Central Valley expects to be in contention again
In less than a decade on the scene, Central Valley has established itself among the WPIAL’s elite football programs. In 2010, the Center-Monaca merger became the first school in 44 years to win a WPIAL title in its inaugural season. The Warriors made at least the semifinals the first six...
Mt. Pleasant working to rebound after 2-win season
How do you erase the memory of a sad season? Turn around the record, of course. Jake Johnson and the Mt. Pleasant Vikings are hoping to begin that process in their high school football opener Friday night against Southmoreland. “We all know we don’t want to feel like we did...
Burrell boys soccer wants to muscle way into WPIAL playoffs
Starting as an underclassmen provided invaluable experience for junior midfielder Nicholas Kariotis. Having several members of the Burrell boys soccer team in similar situations allowed them to grow together. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, they were, at times, outmuscled last season. “With us getting older, we have become more mature,” Kariotis...
Burrell girls soccer, 1st-year coach building upon solid foundation
Frank Nesko does not want to put too many expectations on the Burrell girls soccer team. As the Buccaneers’ first-year coach, Nesko wants to continue building on the program’s solid foundation. During the past two seasons, Burrell lost in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals. The Buccaneers, who finished last season...
Leechburg searching for right combination at middle linebacker
The human heart has two ventricles. One side pumps blood into the lungs, and the other pumps blood into the aorta. With expectations running high after the Blue Devils’ most successful season in almost three decades, and the team returning all but three starters on defense, there’s a gaping hole...
