High School category, Page 1218
Baldwin girls relay team dazzles at South Hills Classic
Lena Barakat, Kaylee Garofalo, Devon Schroeder and Gina Bolla are tireless distance runners on the Baldwin girls track and field team. Schroeder is a senior, Barakat and Bolla are sophomores and Garofalo is a freshman. The four girls banded together to win the 3,200-meter relay at the 15th annual South...
Baldwin’s O’Malley takes 4 golds at South Hills Classic track and field meet
Brendan O’Malley is one of the most talented, dedicated and well-respected track and field athletes in the region. His athleticism was on full display April 6 at the 15th annual South Hills Classic held on a pleasant, sunny day at Baldwin Stadium. O’Malley, a senior, won four events, taking first...
Veteran athletes leading Plum track and field team in early going
Maddie Monick knows what it’s like to compete at the PIAA track and field championships. She earned the opportunity as a sophomore in the 300-meter hurdles. Now, as a senior, Monick hopes to represent Plum again at Shippensburg. “Right now, the focus for me us just getting my times down...
Fundamental approach pays off for Norwin girls lacrosse
Norwin’s girls lacrosse team worked diligently on fundamentals last year. This season, the Knights are more fundamentally sound, splitting their first four decisions to start 2-2. “The other coaches and I are extremely pleased with the team’s performance this season,” coach Drew Polczynski said. “Because we had so many players...
SSA girls track hopes to repeat postseason success
The Shady Side Academy girls track and field team, despite a 3-6 regular season record, found success at the WPIAL and PIAA championships in 2018. Hannah Steffey, Aya Youssef, Krystyna Rytel and Sophia McMahon finished in 10th place in the 400-meter relay at the WPIAL meet. The 1,600 relay team...
The Herald Spotlight Athlete: Fox Chapel’s Mary Ellis
Mary Ellis, a junior on the Fox Chapel lacrosse team, has helped the squad to a strong start. In a 17-11 win over North Allegheny on April 1, she scored a goal and had nine assists. She followed that with two goals and four assists in an 11-10 overtime win...
Quaker Valley boys lacrosse showing ‘grit’ during 3-1 start to season
“Grit” started as a motto for the Quaker Valley boys lacrosse team. Their tough talk has translated into a hard-nosed playing style. The Quakers jumped out to a 3-1 start to the season with the lone loss against Canon-McMillan, which plays up a classification. “I think we’re where I thought...
Penn-Trafford boys lacrosse hopes consistency catches up with talent
Just three years ago, the Penn-Trafford boys lacrosse team earned its first section title and first WPIAL playoff berth in the history of a program that is in the midst of its ninth season. But alignments change, players graduate and coaches often are forced to adjust on a year-by-year basis....
Pine-Richland hurdlers, relay teams poised for success
The Pine-Richland track and field team is off to a solid start, with the boys and girls teams 2-1 in dual meets. However, with a slate loaded with challenging invitationals, starting with the Butler Invitational on Thursday followed by the Montour Invitational and then Pine-Richland’s own event, tough tests lie...
Strong mental approach has Pine-Richland lacrosse off undefeated start
The Pine-Richland boys lacrosse team is off to a dominant start, running to an 8-0 record and outscoring its opponents 111-46. Part of why the Rams have been so successful is an abundance of talent at each position group, but to hear coach Kevin Welty tell it, his players’ mental...
Young Deer Lakes softball team not taking anything for granted
Katrina Taliani batted in the final inning of a PIAA quarterfinal game two seasons ago, one of the youngest players on a veteran-laden Deer Lakes softball team. Two seasons later, she is the lone senior on the Lancers, hoping to bring the program back to its recent heights. “It’s been...
2 WPIAL girls javelin champions headline Tri-State Track Coaches Championship
The girls javelin field at the TSTCA Outdoor Championship will have two defending WPIAL champions Saturday with Elizabeth Forward’s Brianna Spirnak and South Park’s Maura Huwalt each scheduled to throw at West Mifflin. Spirnak won the Class 3A title last season and Huwalt won 2A. The TSTCA event has more...
WPIAL again forced to move softball championships
WPIAL administrators will decide Wednesday at their board meeting where the 2019 softball championships will be held. That’s because Cal (Pa.) informed the WPIAL last week that construction at Lilley Field will not be complete in time for the games, which are scheduled for May 29-30. Cal hasn’t played a...
Seneca Valley, North Allegheny ADs among 18 candidates vying for WPIAL board
Seneca Valley athletic director Heather Lewis and North Allegheny athletic director Bob Bozzuto are among the school administrators seeking to join the WPIAL board of directors this summer. In all, 18 candidates including 10 incumbents were on the ballot sent this year to high school principals. The results will be...
WPIAL teams join Trib HSSN state softball rankings
A pair of WPIAL softball teams fell out of this week’s Trib HSSN state rankings; however they were replaced by district teams that beat them. Both Seneca Valley in Class 6A and Latrobe in 5A were bumped from the weekly Top 5, and replaced by North Allegheny and Penn-Trafford, respectively,...
Olympian Lauryn Williams among 11 entering Beaver County Sports Hall
Olympian Lauryn Williams, a Rochester native who won medals in both the Summer and Winter Games, is among 11 inductees set to enter the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame this month. Also chosen were Hopewell’s Nate Guenin (hockey), Center’s Tom Hays (broadcasting), Riverside’s Chuck Kotuby (coaching), Rochester’s James Law...
High school scores, schedules for April 11, 2019
High Schools Baseball Thursday’s results WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 Pine-Richland 10, Allderdice 0 Section 2 Penn-Trafford 5, Plum 2 Section 3 Canon-McMillan 10, Brashear 2 Upper St. Clair at Baldwin, ppd. Class 5A Section 1 Gateway 1, Fox Chapel 0 Franklin Regional 16, Woodland Hills 0 (6 inn.) Kiski...
Penn Hills Sports Hall of Fame to induct Class of ’19
The Penn Hills Sports Hall of Fame will induct seven athletes, one contributor and two teams in its Class of 2019. An induction ceremony will take place April 27 at the Green Oaks Country Club, 5741 Third St. in Verona. The evening will include a 5:30 p.m. cocktail hour, dinner...
High school roundup for April 11, 2019: No. 3 North Allegheny beats No. 1 Seneca Valley
The North Allegheny softball team stayed undefeated Thursday afternoon with a key, early-season victory. Rachel Martindale doubled and homered to help the No. 3 Tigers defeat No. 1 Seneca Valley, 6-2, in a Section 2-6A game in McCandless. Kristen Chomos and winning pitcher Ashley Adams also knocked in runs for...
Strong senior class leads North Hills girls lacrosse to solid start
The North Hills girls lacrosse team is off to a scorching hot start, racking up an undefeated 6-0 record as they approach the halfway point of the season. While the Indians’ successful early-season stretch may be a surprise to some of their Section 2-AAA opponents, coach Jim Cassandro is hardly...
Topich continues tradition of strong setters for North Allegheny volleyball
Sava Topich is the latest in a long line of North Allegheny volleyball players tasked with taking over the mantle at a tradition-laden position. But Tigers coach Dan Schall doesn’t expect Topich, a senior setter, to be like AJ Schmidt or MJ Barton. History won’t make this year’s offense go....
Hampton girls track looks to compensate for relay team losses
With only underclassmen on Hampton’s state-qualifying relay team last year, the squad looked poised to score big on the team and individual levels. But with Rylee Obringer, Logan Nicklas and Olivia Bianco — all of whom contributed to the 1,600- and 3,200-meter teams — off the squad, the team will...
Hampton tennis facing challenges with new lineup, section
With its top seniors and expected No. 1 player not returning, the Hampton boys tennis team has a challenging road to get back to the playoffs. But a handful of seniors have stepped up, and last year’s No. 3, Abheet Badrinath, has grown comfortable in his role as top singles...
Shaler Area girls lacrosse motivated after missing WPIAL playoffs
Having another year together has done the Shaler girls lacrosse program a lot of good. Missing out on a trip to the playoffs helped bring everyone together. “Our biggest strength is teamwork,” Titans coach Ali Nicholas said. “We work well as a team. Last year, a lot of the girls...
Young Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse team hoping to contend for postseason berth
The Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse team is experiencing a youth movement. The Colts have turned to several underclassmen to fill key roles on the field. Chartiers Valley coach Jordan Burkes is happy with their play so far and only expects the team to improve. “We are definitely giving younger players...
