High School category, Page 1254
Fast start sends Blackhawk past Southmoreland and into WPIAL 4A semifinals
Blackhawk started hot and never let up. The No. 3 Cougars topped No. 6 Southmoreland, 61-42, in the WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinals at Moon. Blackhawk advanced to its third straight semifinal appearance, and a hot-shooting first quarter got the Cougars there. “All the credit goes to the girls,”...
Spirnak lifts No. 5 Elizabeth Forward past upset-minded Quaker Valley in quarterfinals
With Quaker Valley pushing Elizabeth Forward to the edge late in the fourth quarter, Bri Spirnak did what she had been doing all game: She stayed tough and found a way to score. The No. 13-seeded Quakers cut the lead to three points on two occasions with less than two...
Garvey’s standout performance helps lift North Allegheny gymnasts
Reyna Garvey’s WPIAL gymnastic routine was a collaborative effort. The North Allegheny freshman had to execute all of the tricks but wasn’t alone when it came to preparation. “I would write down the skills I have, what I need to add and what might look better for the judges,” Garvey...
Record-setting Shaler swimmers headed for WPIALs
Shaler swimming coach Keith Simmons wanted every opportunity for his athletes to qualify for the WPIAL Class AAA swimming championships. Going to the last-ditch meet at North Allegheny was an opportunity to try to get a few kids through to swim at Pitt’s Trees Hall. Lydia Nebiolo, Isabella Cercone, Jenna...
Shaler boys break through with playoff win vs. McKeesport
Navigating the regular season is a grind. So is finding a path through the WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball playoffs, Shaler coach Rob Niederberger said. However, Shaler extended its postseason stay by toppling McKeesport, 76-60, on Feb. 18. It was the Titans’ first playoff win since 2012. Shaler played defending...
Pinnix leads Penn Hills indoor track into state event
Entering the season, Penn Hills indoor track and field coach Lee Zelkowitz didn’t know very much about freshman Miniya Pinnix. However, after a few practices and the first meet, Zelkowitz knew he had something special. Pinnix finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes, 21.48 seconds...
Penn Hills bowlers use group effort to excel
The Penn Hills bowling team didn’t have a standout bowler this season. However, the Indians blended as a team and managed to get the best out of their talents. Penn Hills finished seventh at the WPIBL team championships with a total of 2,187 pins Feb. 14 at AMF Noble Manor...
North Hills hockey in position for postseason success
The PIHL regular season has come to a close for the North Hills hockey team, a group with a 13-5 record that has the No. 4 seed in the Class A North Division sewn up. The finish to the regular-season schedule represents the conclusion of a journey that began back...
Fox Chapel quartet ready to perform at WPIAL diving championships
For the second year in a row, Fox Chapel will have four athletes compete at the WPIAL Class AAA boys diving championships at North Allegheny High School. Senior Jonah Cagley is gunning for a third straight WPIAL crown Saturday afternoon, and sophomore David Manelis, third last year in his first...
Greensburg Salem’s White captures WPIBL singles title
In addition to battling fatigue and a field of 90 other bowlers, Greensburg Salem’s Mattie Mae White said she typically finds herself combating nerves in championship-level events. On Thursday at the WPIBL girls singles championships at Sims Lanes in Beaver Falls, White overcame all three challenges to earn first place,...
Laurel Highlands grad Kolesar hired as football coach at alma mater
The Laurel Highlands School Board stayed in house in hiring the district’s second high school football coach in as many seasons. Rich Kolesar, a 2006 Laurel Highlands graduate and a teacher in the district, was hired to replace Jake Just, who resigned after one season. “It’s pretty exciting,” said Kolesar,...
Alle-Kiski Valley basketball playoff capsules: Games of Friday, Feb. 23, 2019
Girls Class 6A Quarterfinals No. 1 Peters Township (22-0) vs. No. 8 Fox Chapel (15-7) 6:30 p.m. Friday at Mt. Lebanon Winner plays: No. 4 Bethel Park (20-2) or No. 5 Seneca Valley (15-7) on Tuesday in the semifinals. Coaches: Bert Kendall, Peters Township; Jennifer O’Shea, Fox Chapel Points scored/allowed:...
Alle-Kiski Valley wrestling notebook: Class AAA steps into spotlight
The WPIAL’s top Class AA wrestlers took the stage last weekend. Now the Class AAA competitors will join them. The individual portion of the Class AAA season begins Saturday with sectional tournaments at Kiski Area (Section 1), Connellsville (2), Fox Chapel (3) and Chartiers Valley (4). Action begins at 9:30...
Franklin Regional quite familiar with Moon
Franklin Regional has developed a playoff connection with Moon in the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs. The Panthers (17-6), the No. 6 seed in Class 5A, will take on No. 3 Moon (18-4) again on Friday night at West Allegheny. Some will remember — others would like to forget — Franklin...
Trib HSSN Boys Swimmer of the Week: North Allegheny’s Jack Wright
Jack Wright is no stranger to the feeling of high school swimming’s championship season. The seasoned North Allegheny senior again is leading the pack as the WPIAL championship meet approaches and is the clear-cut No. 1 seed in the Class AAA boys 200-yard freestyle (1 minute, 36.09 seconds). He also...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Jeannette gets another shot at Sewickley Academy
To Jeannette, it seems like Sewickley Academy is lurking around every corner at boys basketball playoff time. There seems to be no escaping the perennially strong Panthers. The teams will meet again at 8 on Friday night for the fourth straight postseason — the third time in four years in...
Westmoreland basketball playoff capsules: Games of Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019
Saturday’s games Boys WPIAL Class 6A Quarterfinals No. 2 Latrobe (18-2) vs. No. 7 Canon-McMillan (15-8) 3 p.m. Saturday at Norwin Winner plays: Winner of No. 3 Mt. Lebanon (19-3)/No. 6 Fox Chapel (16-7) on Wednesday in semifinals Coaches: Brad Wetzel, Latrobe; Rick Bell, Canon-McMillan Points scored/allowed: Latrobe, 71.4/60.9; Canon-McMillan,...
Trib HSSN Girls Swimmer of the Week: Freeport’s Ariana Clark
Ariana Clark earned an eighth-place medal in the 100-yard backstroke at last year’s WPIAL Class AA championship meet at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Freeport senior just missed another medal in the 100 butterfly, taking 10th overall. Clark, now a senior, will return to WPIALs next week with bigger goals in...
NFL, NBA and MLB represented in 2019 WPIAL Hall of Fame classVideo
As an NFL quarterback, when Charlie Batch studied scouting reports, he would take note whether there were any Western Pennsylvania natives on the other sideline. “I always made an effort to go out and say hello at some point, whether that was before or after the game,” said Batch, who...
Five things to watch in the WPIAL girls basketball quarterfinals
It took five playing days and nearly a week’s time, but the opening round of the 2019 WPIAL girls basketball playoffs is in the books. Now, it’s down to the Elite Eight in each classification with not only berths in the district semifinals up for grabs, but state playoff berths,...
Ringgold boys oust Freeport in Class 4A opening round
The Freeport and Ringgold boys basketball teams were both on lengthy streaks without a WPIAL playoff victory. Freeport’s last win came in 2010 while Ringgold last appeared in the playoffs in 2011, when it lost in the first round. It was a tale of two halves for the No. 8-seeded...
Deer Lakes girls pull away from Seton LaSalle in Class 3A 1st round
Western Pennsylvanians saw nearly every form of precipitation Wednesday: snow, ice, sleet and rain. Weather conditions forced schools to call a two-hour delay or cancel classes, and it showed on the court. The Deer Lakes and Seton LaSalle girls played like two teams that were on a two-quarter delay during...
High school roundup for Feb. 20, 2019: Deshields leads Uniontown past Beaver
Billy Deshields had the hot hand Wednesday night and carried Uniontown to a 72-53 victory over Beaver in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball playoffs at Peters Township. Deshields drained seven 3-pointers and had 29 points for the No. 4 Red Raiders (19-3). Bryant Grady had...
Knoch displays versatility, rolls past South Park in 1st round
Knoch has displayed an ability and willingness to get out and run the floor a little more than it has in the past, and that continued in a big way in the playoffs Wednesday night. That transition game coupled with a defensive tenacity that has been the hallmark of Ron...
Derry denied elusive playoff win thanks to Blackhawk’s late surgeVideo
Neither Derry nor Blackhawk had school Wednesday because of the early morning snow storm. Their first-round boys basketball playoff game went on as scheduled, but Derry still ran into some tough sledding in its long-awaited return to the WPIAL postseason. The Trojans will have to wait a little longer for...
