High School category, Page 1222
Fox Chapel girls lacrosse looks to maintain winning ways under new coach
The Fox Chapel girls lacrosse team will be under the guidance of new coach Rebecca Hartrum this spring. She takes over a team that posted a 12-2 mark last year. With realignment, this year’s team will compete in Section 2-3A with Butler, Freeport, Indiana, Moon, North Allegheny, Fox Chapel, North...
Pine-Richland girls lacrosse has plenty of returning experience
Over the course of the last two seasons, the Pine-Richland girls lacrosse program has established itself as the cream of the WPIAL Class AAA crop, racking up a 31-4 record against district opponents and winning back-to-back WPIAL championships. There has been some turnover on the Rams (3-0, 1-0) roster since...
Plum’s Decheck leads Sampson Family YMCA charge at state meet
Plum senior Justin Decheck keeps every one of the commemorative patches he has earned at the Pennsylvania YMCA State Swimming Championship meet. There’s something else to add to his collection: a gold medal. Decheck, 18, a member of the Sampson Family YMCA team, won the boys 15-and-over 100-yard backstroke (52.05...
Norwin track and field teams expecting another strong season
The Norwin girls have advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA final four in track and field in 13 of the past 14 years. “The expectations for both the girls and boys are always the same,” coach Brian Fleckenstein said. “Win all the section meets, win the Westmoreland County team title,...
Norwin boys tennis team undertakes complete rebuild
The Norwin boys tennis team (2-4 in Section 1-AAA) faces a massive rebuilding job. Norwin coach Ryan Hornick said the Knights have a completely new roster after losing 14 players from last season. Among the losses were four players who represented the Knights in the Section 1-AAA singles and doubles...
Franklin Regional track teams reload after heavy graduation losses
Most high school track and field programs would not only struggle to survive, but also struggle to compete if they were to lose a senior class of more than 20 athletes from the year before. And then there’s the Franklin Regional track team looking like a battalion of soldiers on...
Franklin Regional boys lacrosse team hopes to maintain level of success
In 2018, the Franklin Regional boys lacrosse team made the WPIAL playoffs for the second straight year, doing so for the first time in six years. Although they lost in the first round both times, the Panthers have made the necessary changes within the program to continue their success in...
SSA girls lacrosse returns experienced roster
The Shady Side Academy girls lacrosse team, coached by Katy Phillips, is hoping to improve on last year’s 16-5 record that included a trip to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. This year, they will be competing in Section 2-3A, which also includes Butler, Freeport, Indiana, Moon, North Allegheny, Fox Chapel,...
Thomas Jefferson athletes sign letters of intent, break records
Notebook items in and around the Thomas Jefferson High School campus: • The senior class has hit double digits. No less than 10 seniors have signed letters of intent for college, where they will continue their academic/athletic careers. They include Darius Barrett (Clarion/football), A.J. Meshanko (California, Pa./soccer), Jenna Clark (Yale/basketball),...
High school roundup for April 4, 2019: Bethel Park tops Upper St. Clair on walk-off
Lauren Caye had the game-winning RBI as part of a four-run bottom of the seventh inning as Bethel Park defeated Upper St. Clair, 8-7, in a Section 1-6A softball game Thursday afternoon. Gianna Sciullo had three hits for the Black Hawks (5-0, 5-0). Peters Township 13, Mt. Lebanon 9 —...
High school scores, schedules for April 4, 2019
High Schools Baseball Thursday’s results WPIAL Class 5A Section 3 West Allegheny 6, Albert Gallatin 1 Class 4A Section 1 Deer Lakes 11, East Allegheny 0 (5 inn.) Greensburg Salem 17, Highlands 0 (4 inn.) Mt. Pleasant 9, Derry 5 Yough 9, Knoch 3 Section 2 Beaver 7, Central Valley...
6 WPIAL teams debut in Trib HSSN state softball rankings
Four teams from Western Pennsylvania won PIAA softball gold last spring, two from the WPIAL in Hempfield and West Greene, one from District 6 in Philipsburg-Osceola and one from District 9 in Punxsutawney. However, what happened on the diamond in 2018 means nothing in 2019. Two weeks are in the...
Hitting, defense come through as defending champion Belle Vernon tops McKeesport
The start of the 2019 season for the two-time defending Class 4A WPIAL softball champions has not been one the program is used to. After losing three starters, including pitcher Bailey Parshall, who is now the ace at Penn State, Belle Vernon has been searching for answers in the field...
Young players bolster lineup for Latrobe girls lacrosse
It was a long and quiet bus ride back to campus from Sewickley Academy last May for the Latrobe girls lacrosse team. The Panthers handed Wildcats a 23-3 shellacking in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. Egos were bruised, and the Wildcats were humbled. “I think that loss...
Tallman strikes out 18 as No. 2 Latrobe edges Franklin Regional in Section 1-5A
Franklin Regional and Latrobe are new opponents in Section 1-5A softball so it took them some time to get used to one another Thursday in Murrysville. There were some early errors, a few runners left on base and plenty of foul balls hit into the pine trees and lower parking...
Hampton boys lacrosse boasts strong group of athletes
What happens when you bring a group of experienced athletes from different sports and put them on a lacrosse team? Hampton is about to find out. The boys team is coming off a WPIAL runner-up finish and a state playoff berth. While this group of nine seniors is capable of...
Shaler lacrosse team grinds through section play
Ryan Shank doesn’t spend time thinking about being exhausted after Shaler lacrosse matches. Without a deep roster, the Titans’ veterans play long minutes. Shank, a senior defenseman, is no different in that respect. What all Shaler players have developed is an ironman approach. “It’s about having the mentality,” Shank said....
Shaler baseball team already prepping for playoff chase
There will be no break for the Shaler baseball team this season. Before entering Section 2-5A play last Monday against Moon, Titans coach Brian Junker wanted to prepare his players for what would be a tight playoff chase. During a five-game stretch to open the season, Shaler took on three...
Chartiers Valley boys lacrosse seeks return to playoffs
The Chartiers Valley boys lacrosse team entered the season with a mission. After missing the playoffs last year, the Colts return motivated with a strong senior core and a group of maturing underclassmen. The team got off to a strong start with a 2-1 overall record. “This senior class came...
Menosky leads more well-rounded roster for Bishop Canevin volleyball
Now in his third season as coach of the Bishop Canevin boys volleyball team, Pete Barakat isn’t quite ready to declare he has a “program” in place. At Bishop Canevin, as is the case with many small schools, students are involved with multiple sports — not to mention other activities....
Season of development commences for Penn Hills softball
With the majority of its roster being underclassmen, the Penn Hills softball team is looking forward to the development of key players who will be around past this season. After finishing last season 2-11 (2-8 in Section 2-6A), the Indians dropped to Section 2-5A. Penn Hills (1-3, 1-2) dropped its...
Penn Hills fitness team welcomes New York programs for competition
In recent years, Penn Hills athletics has experienced many firsts. After winning WPIAL basketball and PIAA football titles, Penn Hills can celebrate another first on a slightly different scale. The Penn Hills fitness program hosted its first competition in close to three decades in the Linton Middle School gym March...
North Hills boys volleyball looking to turn corner
Over the last couple of seasons, the North Hills (1-2, 0-1) boys volleyball program has displayed steady improvement. While that is a positive sign, the result of the team’s progress left it with four wins last season — a total that kept them on the outside looking in when it...
NA boys lacrosse relies on each player bringing own personality
Matt Osten and the North Allegheny boys lacrosse team have a strong baseline to guide them. The Tigers’ system provides a solid foundation for an offensive attack. Making North Allegheny’s attack special relies on each player bringing his own personality. No two players approach each situation the same way. During...
Hampton boys track hopes to replace departed performers
Hampton boys track is hoping big things come from small packages. The team will look to replace a handful of lost seniors and other key participants in hurdles and relays with young talent. The Talbots have had a strong crop of hurdlers through the years, and senior Colton Trush will...
