High School category, Page 1167
Veteran team sparks enthusiasm at Greensburg Salem
Some time ago, when Dave Keefer was an assistant football coach at Central Catholic, he received a bit of insight from WPIAL coaching legend Art Walker Sr. And though he didn’t particularly dwell on it at the time, it has stuck with him since: “There’s no substitution for experience.” Years...
Belle Vernon football team knows keys to playoff drive
Coaches and players at Belle Vernon agree. A few key factors kept the Leopards from becoming an elite team in WPIAL Class 4A the past couple of seasons. One is injuries. Belle Vernon was hit hard with them last season, but the Leopards persevered during the regular season, losing to...
McKnight moves to tailback to bolster New Castle running game
Most high school coaches would be excited to have a first-team all-conference quarterback returning behind center. Joe Cowart is no different, although the New Castle coach’s excitement is with his signal-caller moving to a new position on the field. Demetris McKnight, who started the final seven games last season at...
Montour looks to erase sting of not making playoffs in 2018
The winds of change swept through the West Hills of Pittsburgh last fall, leaving one perennial WPIAL playoff team out in the cold when the postseason arrived. The 3-7 season ended a 12-year playoff run for Montour. The Spartans finished 3-4 in the Class 4A Northwest Eight Conference, tying for...
Knoch to feature similar schemes under new head coach Mowry
Those attending Knoch football games might not be aware a coaching change was made in the offseason. The offensive and defensive schemes will stay basically the same. New coach Brandon Mowry replaced Frank Whalen, but most of the assistants were retained. Even the school’s single-season rushing record-holder, Matt Goodlin, is...
Highlands ready to compete in Northwest 8 Conference
Every week in WPIAL’s Class 4A Northwest Eight Conference is a grind, and Highlands coach Dom Girardi would have it no other way. “We’re going to go out and compete every single week, and that’s how it’s going to be,” Girardi said. As the season wore on last year, the...
After turnaround season, Blackhawk wants more
What the Blackhawk football team was able to accomplish last season was remarkable. But now the Cougars are ready to take the next step. After winning two games in 2017, Blackhawk rattled off a 10-2 record in 2018 and made an appearance in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals, snapping a...
Plum hopes experience translates to success
The Plum football team last made the WPIAL playoffs in 2015 when it upset Penn Hills in a Quad-A first-round matchup. Mustangs coach Matt Morgan said the past three seasons out of the playoff picture, including last fall’s 2-8 campaign, were frustrating for him and his players, but with several...
Gateway seeks return to championship form
The Gateway football team won a combined 26 of 29 games the past two seasons. Two years ago, the Gators captured the WPIAL Class 5A title and finished as PIAA runner-up. In an attempt to repeat that feat last fall, Gateway, as the No. 1 seed, was stunned by West...
Connellsville football team hopes to continue climb
Winning has not been the way of the Connellsville football program in recent years. The Falcons won seven total games over the past four seasons, not making the WPIAL playoffs since 2014, but third-year coach Marko Thomas believes maturity will bring the team success. “We’ve improved on both sides of...
Offseason development sparks optimism for Franklin RegionalVideo
As Franklin Regional football coach Greg Botta was evaluating his 2019 team in mid-July, his areas of concern were at the quarterback, wide receiver and secondary positions. When football in shorts, as he calls it, ended Aug. 9 and the official start of practice began Aug. 12, those concerns were...
Penn-Trafford has championship aspirations
Penn-Trafford is a program that never seems to take a heavy hit from graduation losses. Sure, there is turnover, and top players move on to college like every other team, but it doesn’t faze the Warriors who — what else is new? — are going to be good again. Player...
Latrobe looks to repeat rare postseason appearance
Standing on the edge of a field at the athletics complex behind Latrobe High School, Wildcats football coach Jason Marucco couldn’t help but wonder what was in store for the upcoming season. So many questions. Will Latrobe repeat a trip to the WPIAL playoffs, where it made a return in...
Sam Sheeder excited to return as Ligonier Valley quarterback
Wally Pipp was the New York Yankees starting first baseman in 1925. As the story goes, he told his manager he had a headache and missed a game. Yankees manager Miller Huggins inserted a little-known slugger named Lou Gehrig, and Pipp never started for the team again. At least Ligonier...
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the offensive linemen
The offensive line is always strong spot for the WPIAL, and it is among the deepest positions again this season. This year’s group of offensive linemen is led by Mars senior Michael Carmody, a two-sport standout who drew Power 5 scholarship offers from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC...
Woodland Hills focused on fast start to season
There’s an old saying among WPIAL coaches when it comes to playing Woodland Hills during the season: You never want to get the Wolverines late, you want them early. Last season, Woodland Hills proved that to be true. The Wolverines had an unflattering start to the season with four straight...
Chartiers Valley eyes improvement in Knause’s 3rd season at helm
This season marks Year 3 of Dan Knause’s tenure as Chartiers Valley’s football coach. Knause is hoping this also marks the season the Colts break through. “When you go into your third year, it’s the first year they’ve had you longer than they had the previous coaching staff,” Knause said....
Bethel Park might be going to no-huddle offense, but toughness remains
There won’t be a fullback in the backfield, the tight end is optional and running backs might play wide receiver, but Bethel Park’s offense isn’t completely new. “To the lay person, it will look a lot different,” first-year coach Brian Delallo said. “It’s no huddle. We’re in more spread sets....
Baldwin strong at skill positions
Their priority is to win, and keep winning. With halfback Angelo Priore and quarterback Mason Stahl in the backfield once again, Baldwin’s quest to secure a playoff berth appears doable. Priore is a 5-foot-10, 220-pound senior and third-year starter. He is all muscle and he has speed, posting a 4.52...
New coach set to lead WPIAL runner-up West Allegheny into ’19 season
There are lots of questions surrounding the West Allegheny football program heading into the 2019 season. Not only will Bob Palko not be leading the Indians for the first time since 1995, but his replacement in waiting, Kim Niedbala, who worked closely with Palko during the 2018 campaign, also is...
Upper St. Clair, Junko start with ‘blank slate’
Upper St. Clair returns only three players who started last season, a seemingly tough spot for a first-year coach. Mike Junko sees things differently. “We’re kind of excited about that,” said Junko, who was promoted to replace coach Jim Render. “In a lot of ways, with these kids it’s a...
Peters Township looks to build on 1st conference title since ’75
Last season was a banner year for Peters Township football. The Indians tied West Allegheny for the Class 5A Allegheny 8 Conference championship, the first conference title for the program since 1975. Peters Township then rode that regular-season success into the postseason with playoff wins over Armstrong (35-7) and Penn-Trafford...
Moon hopes better O-line, quick-strike approach pay dividends
Moon’s offensive philosophy is simple: Get the ball to a player quickly in open space, and let him do all the rest. The Tigers hope their spread offense gets a jolt with the infusion of young speedsters this fall. “We have a bunch of young, skilled wide receivers that are...
Gateway to celebrate 50th anniversary of 1st WPIAL football championship
As the United States was putting a man on the moon in the summer of 1969, the Gateway football program was preparing to hopefully put a Gator on the turf at Pitt Stadium in Oakland. There was optimism heading into the campaign that Gateway would be able to reach the...
High school football teams set to scrimmage Saturday across Western Pa.
With the advent of Week Zero four years ago, many WPIAL and City League football teams now only have one scrimmage before playing a nonconference game at the end of the second week of training camp practice. Here is the scrimmage schedule for Saturday morning around Southwestern Pennsylvania. All games...
