High School category, Page 1234
Johnson, Smith help Moon edge Lower Dauphin in overtime of PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals
ALTOONA — Donovan Johnson got Moon into position. But Jioni Smith brought the Tigers home. Or, at least, put them in the PIAA Class 5A boys basketball semifinals. Johnson scored 20 of his game-high 21 points in the opening half. Smith, though, tossed in a crazy, off-balance throw in the...
Mars uses near-perfect 2nd half to defeat Meadville in PIAA quarterfinalsVideo
Mars coach Rob Carmody felt mixed emotions when Mars freshman Zach Schlegel let fly a 3-pointer with an 11-point lead and two minutes left. “I let out a ‘Nooooo!’” Carmody said, but that quickly turned into a “Yeaaaaah!” Schlegel’s 3 slipped through the net, and so did almost every other...
Central Cambria takes down Beaver girls in PIAA quarterfinals
With a lineup dominated by underclassmen, the Beaver girls basketball team still managed to attract some attention this season, playing into the middle of March, despite entering the state tournament as the sixth-place team from the WPIAL playoffs. The Bobcats, who typically go with three sophomores and a freshman among...
WPIAL champion Neshannock girls ousted by Delone Catholic in PIAA quarterfinals
ALTOONA — The 2018-19 Neshannock girls basketball team won 25 games and a WPIAL championship. Unfortunately, one quarter is going to haunt the Lancers. Neshannock endured a polar vortex of a cold spell in the fourth. District 3 runner-up Delone Catholic took advantage with a 17-point swing to sideline the...
Knoch softball eager to build on last season’s long-awaited playoff victory
Coming off a season in which it won a playoff game for the first time in 11 years, the Knoch softball team exudes optimism. The Knights shared a section title two seasons ago and have been regular qualifiers for the postseason over the past five years, but getting that playoff...
Knoch baseball team wants to carry on recent winning ways
Knoch baseball coach Sean O’Donnell likened success to a two-way street. It’s good to have, but it doesn’t guarantee future results. The Knights won back-to-back section championships the past two seasons and fostered a winning culture over the last six-plus years, which is, naturally, where O’Donnell wants the program to...
Magin, Kazalas cap Quaker Valley careers on PIAA podium
At the beginning of the season, seniors Geoff Magin and John Rocco Kazalas weren’t ready to say Quaker Valley’s 3-year-old wrestling program had a tradition of excellence. Their goal was to win WPIAL and PIAA championships. Maybe then they could boast about their accomplishments. Though the pair fell short at...
PIAA boys basketball playoff capsule: Deer Lakes vs. Sharon
PIAA basketball playoffs Saturday’s game Class 3A Quarterfinals Deer Lakes (18-7) vs. Sharon (23-4) 1 p.m. at Slippery Rock Winner plays: Lincoln Park (24-4) or Richland (22-6) on Tuesday in the semifinals. Coaches: Terence Parham, Deer Lakes; Zach Sarver, Sharon How they got here: Deer Lakes: beat District 6 third-place...
Fox Chapel freshman Skirboll claims 200 IM title at PIAA Class AAA championships
LEWISBURG — Zoe Skirboll was confident she could go under two minutes in the finals of the 200-yard individual medley Thursday at the PIAA Class AAA swimming championships at Bucknell University. The Fox Chapel freshman recorded a time of 2 minutes, .25 seconds in finishing second at WPIALs on Feb....
Gateway softball looks to maintain momentum after playoff appearance
The Gateway softball team enjoyed a “turnaround season” of sorts in 2018. The Gators finished with a winning record, going 8-7 overall and 8-6 in Section 1-5A, tying for third place with Kiski Area. What can coach Scott Lewis do for an encore in his second year? “There is a...
Trio of senior letterman lead Gateway baseball into ’19 season
The Gateway baseball team is seeking a quadfecta, as the Gators are looking to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Gateway ended up 12-6 overall and finished third in Section 3-5A last year. The 12 victories were the most in a season since the 2009 squad...
Sophomore Szazynski bolsters Shaler Area tennis lineup
Participating in tennis in some form was always a likely choice for Shaler sophomore Cam Szazynski. Szazynski enjoys watching Rafael Nadal, viewing matches on television and keeping up with old and new players. Pedigree also had something to do with Szazynski picking up the sport about two years ago. “My...
Shaler boys basketball hopes standard set continues in future
Rob Niederberger does everything possible to get the Shaler boys basketball team exposure to different styles during the summer. That strategy helped the Titans make their first appearance in the PIAA playoffs in seven years an eventful one. Shaler took District 10 champion Meadville down to the wire before losing...
Chartiers Valley, Carlynton, Bishop Canevin softball have reasons for optimism
Bishop Canevin was the lone area team to make the WPIAL softball playoffs last season. This season, the Crusaders will try to make another run with a roster that looks very different. A new attitude is the theme at Chartiers Valley. Carlynton, meanwhile, returns an experienced team for third-year coach...
Tough loss at WPIBL championships helped spark victory at regional for Norwin bowlers
One lousy pin. That’s how the Norwin boys bowling team ended its season last year, falling one pin short at the Western Regionals and being denied a spot in the state tournament. The Knights are tired of hearing about it and instead of leaving anything to chance, Norwin went out...
Despite loss in PIAA tournament, Bishop Canevin girls reflect on special season
The Bishop Canevin girls basketball team suffered a roster shakeup in the postseason. The team lost one of its starting five in Alyssa Pollice. The junior guard transferred from Seton LaSalle last year but was ineligible for the postseason because of a new PIAA rule regarding transfers. The Crusaders put...
Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball hopes to battle for section title
Thomas Jefferson’s senior-laden boys volleyball team ended up 5-5 in section play last season. The Jaguars are aiming to improve on that record in 2019. “Our main goal is to fight for the section championship,” coach Frank Staffen said. “We lost a lot of starters (10) from last year, but...
Brentwood baseball team young but optimistic
Brentwood’s baseball team was hit hard by graduation last spring. Only one senior and two other starters return. “I guess you could say this is a rebuilding year,” coach Greg Perdziola said. “We are very young and inexperienced at the varsity level. With that being said, I still feel we...
Gabe Dominick receives TJ’s Breisinger Award
Gabe Dominick hopes to be a key member of the Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball team this season. A first-year defensive specialist/outside hitter, Dominick also made his mark as a starter on the Jaguars’ football team. The TJ senior recently was presented with the Breisinger Award at the football team’s postseason...
Penn-Trafford girls bowlers show improvement with regional tournament victory
Every coach wishes for the best and wants his or her team to do well, but Penn-Trafford bowling coach Bud Cummins never thought his girls bowling team would wind up being one of the best in the state when the season started. His bowlers proved the long-time coach wrong. “They...
Despite roster rebuild, Penn Hills boys make run to PIAA playoffs
Heading into the boys basketball season, Penn Hills was coming off the program’s first WPIAL championship since 2003 with a revamped roster. Coach Dan DeRose was unsure of what he had with his team after losing a lot of key contributors to graduation. The Indians (20-5, 12-0) ended up having...
Pine-Richland hockey earns bid to national tournament
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League is comprised of 56 teams across four separate classifications. Out of those teams, only one finished the 2018-19 regular season without a loss in regulation time — Pine-Richland. For their efforts this season, the Rams (20-0-1) were selected to participate in the USA Hockey Division...
Loaded Pine-Richland baseball squad stresses team dynamic
The Pine-Richland baseball team enters the 2019 season boasting a roster bursting at the seams with talent and experience. The senior class alone has four players who will be at the Division I programs: Troy LaNeve (Vanderbilt), Matt Wood (Penn State), Josh Johnson (Kent State) and J.D. Armstrong (High Point)....
Plum volleyball hopes to take step forward this season
Plum’s boys volleyball team hopes the rebuilding project is a quick one. The Mustangs finished 2-12 last year while laying a foundation for this season. With only four seniors graduated from that team, there is more experience on the court this spring. “Things are going pretty well, so far. We...
Plum boys lacrosse to field one of most talented teams in program history
After six years of being a varsity sport, dropping in WPIAL classification, getting a feeder program in place that is starting to churn out young talent, the Plum boys lacrosse team is finally poised to deliver a little payback and start winning some matches. It’s finally the Mustangs’ time to...
