High School category, Page 298
Fox Chapel grad Borkovich makes adjustments to improve performance in circle for Slippery Rock
Mackenzie Borkovich felt like she had been kicked in the face during her freshman year at Slippery Rock. The skills that served her well in the pitcher’s circle at Fox Chapel Area High School were going to take some adjusting to be successful in college. After making seven relief appearances...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Hockey teams join madness
There has been plenty of March Madness around here — on the hardwood and now, on the ice. After five Westmoreland County teams played for WPIAL basketball championships earlier his month, three underdog hockey teams from the county have reached the finals of the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs. Greensburg Salem...
Plum seniors cap careers at PIAA wrestling tournament
Mike Tongel wrestled at the PIAA Class AAA tournament as a senior in 1984. He went 4-1 at 155 pounds and took third place overall. Forty years to the week, his son, Jack, a senior at Plum and a Pitt commit, took his first steps onto a wrestling mat at...
Expectations remain high for new-look Plum baseball team
It was another banner year in 2023 for the Plum baseball team. The Mustangs used a walk-off win against Fox Chapel on the final day of the regular season to earn a split of the Section 1-5A title with Penn-Trafford and went on to make the WPIAL semifinals before falling...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 15, 2024
High schools Baseball Friday’s results Nonsection Avella at Washington, ppd. Canon-McMillan 4, Central Valley 4 Carlynton 7, Northgate 5 Charleroi at California, (n) Deer Lakes 14, Steel Valley 3 Eden Christian 9, McGuffey 0 Ellwood City 4, Burgettstown 0 Laurel at Riverside, (n) Liberty County (Ga.) 7, Yough 3 Ligonier...
WPIAL swimmers dominate field on 1st day of PIAA Class 2A meet
Indiana’s Preston Kessler knows nothing but PIAA championships in the Class 2A boys 200-yard freestyle. The junior freestyle specialist won his third state title Friday evening with a time of 1 minute, 38.57 seconds. While it wasn’t his best time in the event – he swam a 1:38.26 at WPIALs...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 16, 2024: Jeannette looks to continue surprising state playoff run
Welcome to Quarterfinals Saturday on the Road to Hershey with third-round PIAA basketball games in boys Class 6A, 3A and 2A, along with girls 5A, 4A and A taking center stage. What a difference six weeks make. After losing to rival Greensburg Central Catholic in early January by 27 points...
High school roundup for March 15, 2024: Hampton, Lincoln Park win to set up WPIAL rematch
Peter Kramer scored 22 points to lead Hampton to a 60-54 victory over District 3 champion Eastern York (20-9) in a PIAA Class 4A boys basketball quarterfinal Friday night. Alex Nyilas added 17 points and Liam Mignogna scored 15 for the Talbots (25-4). Hampton will face Lincoln Park in Monday’s...
Mt. Pleasant adds 6 state swimming gold medals to trophy case
WPIAL individual swimmers and relays captured nine out of a possible 12 state titles on the first day of the PIAA Class 2A championships Friday at Bucknell University. Mt. Pleasant claimed six of the nine and added a state record to the program portfolio. Junior David Mutter was a big...
Franklin Regional boys sprint past Shaler and into the PIAA semifinals
If Franklin Regional isn’t sprinting up and down the floor, there is a good chance it isn’t winning basketball games. Transition is the lifeblood of this Panthers team. A Panthers team that has two speeds: fast and turbo-fast. “That’s when our guys are at their best,” coach Jesse Reed said....
Greensburg Central Catholic finds footing, blows past Everett into PIAA semifinals
SIDMAN — A three-point halftime lead turned into a rout in a hurry for Greensburg Central Catholic. Once the Centurions girls found their legs in their state quarterfinal Friday night, there was no way of stopping them. “We definitely picked it up in the second half. We beat them by...
Freeport’s Schrecongost takes PIAA silver in 100 butterfly
Leah Shackley is fast. Very fast. The senior from Bedford in District 6 has owned the PIAA Class 2A girls 100-yard butterfly for the past several seasons and came into this year’s meet as the state record holder. She crushed her own record in the finals Friday night at Bucknell...
Norwin girls eliminated in PIAA quarterfinals
STATE COLLEGE — When the Spring-Ford girls basketball team defeated Norwin in third game of the season, the Rams got off to a quick start. Friday in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals, they did it again. Spring-Ford, the District 1 runner-up from north of Philadelphia, scored the first two baskets...
Hempfield, Freeport bowlers finish in top 5 at state championships
Hempfield’s Amelia Droste and Freeport’s Mackensie Livingston each reached the finals to lead the WPIBL contingent at the state boys and girls singles bowling championships Friday at Leisure Lanes in Lancaster. Droste qualified third with a six-game series of 1,289, including a 247 game. She defeated CD East’s Rayana Gonzalez...
Blackhawk, Derry divers medal at PIAA Class 2A championships
Blackhawk senior Brecken Finkbeiner and Derry junior Jacob Hauser finished 1-2 at the WPIAL Class 2A diving championships Feb. 23 at North Allegheny. The standout duo, both diving at the PIAA championships for the third time, led the seven-diver WPIAL contingent Friday afternoon at Bucknell University’s Kinney Nataorium. Finkbeiner captured...
WPIAL swimmers in good position after Class 2A preliminary swims at PIAA meet
WPIAL Class 2A swimmers took the baton from their Class 3A counterparts Friday morning at the PIAA swimming and diving championships at Bucknell University. Several of them over the six boys and six girls preliminary events punched their tickets to the evening’s championship finals heats with shots at state titles....
Fervent community support grows for Deer Lakes during playoff run
Deer Lakes and Forest Hills both wear green and gold, so Lancers coach Albie Fletcher wasn’t exactly sure what the supporter breakdown was when he first walked into the gym Wednesday night at Armstrong. He quickly learned that the majority donning the colors were Deer Lakes supporters. “I wasn’t sure...
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Some Roundball Classic games to be televised
High school basketball suddenly will be a part of Memorial Day weekend. And fans will be able to post up on the couch to watch the top players in the district play on TV. The plan is for KDKA to televise some of the Roundball Classic all-star basketball games set...
Westmoreland high school basketball playoff preview capsules for March 16, 2024
Boys Class 2A Quarterfinals Jeannette (19-9) vs. Fort Cherry (22-6) 1 p.m. Saturday at AHN Arena, Peters Township District seeds: Jeannette 7-6; Fort Cherry 7-3 Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Aliquippa (23-5)/9-1 Redbank Valley (24-3) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Markus McGowan, Jeannette; Blake Sweder,...
2024 WPIAL Class A baseball preseason breakdown
For a young Bishop Canevin team, 2023 was a year to dip a toe in the water and drink whatever success was possible while building for the future. Well, the future was now for the Crusaders as they belly-flopped into the district postseason waters and came away with gold from...
2024 WPIAL Class A softball preseason breakdown
Three WPIAL underclassman pitchers earned first-team all-state honors last season, and each returns for the 2024 season, hoping to lead her team to a championship. Union captured a second straight district title and finished as the PIAA runner-up behind Mia Preuhs in the circle. WPIAL runner-up Carmichaels has sophomore pitcher...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 15, 2024
High schools Baseball Friday’s schedule Nonsection Allderdice at West Mifflin, 4 p.m. Avella at Washington, 4 p.m. Canon-McMillan at Central Valley, 4 p.m. Charleroi at California, 4:15 p.m. Deer Lakes at Steel Valley, 3:30 p.m. Fox Chapel at Shaler, 4 p.m. Highlands at Valley, 4 p.m. Laurel at Riverside, 4...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 15, 2024: 4 WPIAL teams square off in Class 5A quarterfinals
Welcome to Quarterfinals Friday on the Road to Hershey with third-round PIAA basketball games in boys Class 5A, 4A and A, along with girls 6A, 3A and 2A taking center stage. The WPIAL had dominated boys 5A through two rounds. All four teams in the “western” semifinals are from District...
With brilliant final session, North Allegheny girls win back-to-back PIAA team titles
A trio of North Allegheny divers got the ball rolling Thursday afternoon with points scored in the PIAA Class 3A competition. Juniors Juliet Hood and Lola Malarky and sophomore Maggie Lapina finished second, third, and 10th, earning 40 points to the overall team total. Then the Tigers swimmers took over...
Moon outlasts Bethel Park, sets up WPIAL finals rematch in state semifinals
Yes, these are the state playoffs, but WPIAL champion Moon is back fighting its way through teams from its own league. Aiden Reesman scored 10 of his season-high 26 points in the fourth quarter Friday night to fuel a strong finish as Moon outlasted Bethel Park, 67-51, in a PIAA...
