High School category, Page 349
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Dec. 21, 2023: Big-school girls basketball powers to square off
The top-ranked team in Class 5A girls basketball battles the No. 2 team in Class 6A in one of the top nonsection girls basketball games Thursday when McKeesport visits Norwin. Both teams had strong seasons a year ago and are off and running this season. Norwin lost a year ago...
Hempfield’s Dylan Firmstone commits to Penn State baseball
A good summer playing baseball for Flood City Elite helped Hempfield junior Dylan Firmstone get seen and receive a scholarship offer from Penn State. Firmstone turned that offer into a commitment Wednesday. He cannot officially sign until his senior season. “I liked the new coaches and the direction they want...
Burrell wrestlers look sharp in shutout win over Valley
From the moment the Burrell wrestling team set out Wednesday on a short bus ride to Valley until the time they returned home, the Bucs treated the evening like any other. It mattered not that they were heavy favorites. “Just go out and wrestle your match,” said Cooper Hornack, Burrell’s...
Valley defensive lineman Ballard signs to play football at Division I Buffalo
Demetrius Ballard was a focus of many offensive game plans during his senior season on the Valley defensive line. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder wreaked havoc in the trenches and in backfields, often garnering double and triple teams to try to neutralize his strength and quickness. The Valley News Dispatch first-team all-star...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Greensburg Salem junior likes wearing stripes
Regan Kerr has a good reason for becoming a referee. “My mom told me to get a job, so I thought, why not be a ref?” said Kerr, a junior basketball player at Greensburg Salem. The 5-foot-11 forward passed her PIAA officials’ certification test about two months ago and has...
Mt. Pleasant girls adapt quickly, find new ways to win
The post-Tiffany Zelmore era could have begun a number of ways at Mt. Pleasant. But five wins in the first six games? Not even coach Scott Giacobbi saw that coming. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Giacobbi, who is in his 19th season leading the girls. “I knew it...
2023 TribLive HSSN Terrific 25 Football All-Stars
Here’s a look at the TribLive High School Sports Network’s Terrific 25 football all-stars for the 2023 season. Terrific 25 Tyree Alualu North Allegheny, RB/LB 6-0, 220, senior Alualu was a two-way standout for the Tigers, who won back-to-back WPIAL Class 6A titles. He rushed for nearly 900 yards and...
Early signing day for 2024: WPIAL football players announce Division I commitments
High school football recruits used to have to wait until February to sign a national letter of intent, but that changed starting in 2017, when the NCAA added an early signing period for Division I football. Now, most of the top recruits sign in December. Here’s a look at senior...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Dec. 20, 230: Basketball teams hit road for holiday tournaments
Several district basketball teams are singing “I’ll be home for Christmas,” as they hit the road for some holiday tournament action. The Lincoln Park boys basketball team conclude its successful trip to the great northwest Wednesday as the Leopards play the last of their four games in the Capital City...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 19, 2023
High schools Basketball Boys Tuesday’s results Class 4A Section 2 Beaver 76, Hopewell 53 Central Valley 62, Blackhawk 40 Class 3A Section 1 Beaver Falls 56, New Brighton 50 Neshannock 62, Ellwood City 51 Section 2 Keystone Oaks 59, Steel Valley 51 Seton LaSalle 49, South Park 43 Section 3...
High school roundup for Dec. 19, 2023: Montour boys fend off North Hills comeback bid
Jake Wolfe scored 20 points and Montour held off a fourth-quarter charge to defeat North Hills, 68-66, in nonsection boys basketball Tuesday night. Ama Tening Sow added 19 for the Spartans (4-1). Zach Pollaro led North Hills (2-3) with 27 points and Eric James had 21. Aquinas Academy 73, Geibel...
With Rylee Kalocay back, Upper St. Clair girls pull away from Moon
Due to an illness, Upper St. Clair was without star guard Rylee Kalocay on Monday as the Panthers lost big to Norwin. The junior returned and made visiting Moon sick with a big game as the Panthers handed the Tigers their first loss of the season, 64-44. Kalocay hit five...
‘Wild horse’ scores 28 as Deer Lakes beats Derry for 5th straight win
Deer Lakes welcomed reserve forward Nate Moore back to the lineup Tuesday night following a football injury. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior’s return helped one of his teammates have a career night. You might say the Lancers shared the Love. Senior forward Wayne Love scored a career-high 28 points on 14-of-18...
Hempfield softball ace Riley Miller picks Kent State
Proximity to home had a little something to do with Riley Miller’s college decision. The ace softball pitcher from Hempfield is not going to play in Pennsylvania, but she decided to work the outside corner. Riley, a junior, announced Tuesday she has committed to Kent State in Portage County, Ohio....
Indiana pulls away from Kiski Area girls in 2nd quarter to win section opener
The Kiski Area girls basketball team hoped to stop a two-game losing skid, which included a one-point loss to Mars last Friday, as it opened Section 1-5A play Tuesday against defending section champion Indiana. But the visiting Indians had other plans. Senior guard Bella Antonacci, a section all-star last year,...
Trib HSSN team and individual wrestling rankings for Dec. 19, 2023
Team rankings Class 3A Team (This year’s record) Last week’s ranking 1. Trinity (3-0) 2 2. Connellsville (1-0) 3 3. Canon-McMillan (0-0) 1 4. Franklin Regional (10-0) 5 5. North Allegheny (7-2) 7 6. Norwin (7-3) 8 7. Plum (4-2) 6 8. West Allegheny (5-0) 10 9. Latrobe (3-2) 9...
Wrestling notebook: Southmoreland tournament getting bigger, better
While the Powerade Wrestling Tournament continues to bring in nationally ranked teams and receives top attention, the Southmoreland Holiday Classic continues to grow and get stronger. This year’s tournament at Southmoreland features its largest and most competitive field (38 teams) in the 24-year history of the event. The tournament will...
Quartet of WPIAL players selected to all-state field hockey teams
The Pennsylvania High School Field Hockey Coaches Association recently released its 2023 all-state teams, and while a majority of the players recognized are from the eastern side of the state, four from the WPIAL were honored with spots on the lists for both Class 2A and Class 3A. Penn-Trafford senior...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 18, 2023
High schools Basketball Boys Monday’s results Class 2A Section 4 Chartiers-Houston 80, Beth-Center 64 Nonsection Carrick 55, Winchester Thurston 37 Neighborhood Academy 74, Clairton 65 Penn Hills 57, Penn-Trafford 55 Perry Traditional Academy 54, Propel Andrew Street 53 Springdale 82, California 45 Thomas Jefferson 62, Norwin 33 Western Beaver 59,...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Dec. 19, 2023: Resurgent South Park to face tough test from Seton LaSalle
With less than a week to go before the big guy hits town jingling and jangling, it’s a rather light slate of district boys basketball section games this week. One of the more interesting matchups Tuesday has Seton LaSalle heading down Route 88 into South Park for a Section 2-3A...
High school roundup for Dec. 18, 2023: Plum girls go to 6-0 with win over Franklin Regional
Megan Marston put up 24 points as Plum stayed undefeated with a 58-42 victory over Franklin Regional in Section 1-5A girls basketball Monday night. Riley Stephans added 18 for the Mustangs (6-0, 2-0). Madi DeRiggi scored 11 points and Toryn Fulton chipped in with 10 for the Panthers (1-5, 1-1)....
Derry wrestlers rally from early deficit to knock off rival Latrobe
It might have just been a nonsection wrestling match Monday at Derry, but for the Trojans, beating neighboring rival Latrobe meant a lot. The Trojans won seven of 12 bouts and got pins from freshman Mason Horwat (160 pounds) and senior Nathan Barkley (189) to upset the Wildcats, 31-25. Derry...
Trib HSSN 2023 WPIAL football player of the year: Aliquippa’s Tiqwai Hayes
2023 WPIAL football player of the year Tiqwai Hayes School: Aliquippa Position: Running back Class: Junior In 2021, Tiqwai Hates splashed on the area high school football scene by finishing fifth in the WPIAL in rushing with 1,746 yards on 245 carries and leading the team in scoring with 23...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Southmoreland’s Bea Pawlikowsky
It takes a lot of time and energy to keep up with playing a sport in high school for four years. Playing three sports in succession is taking that notion and expanding it to a new level. For Southmoreland’s Bea Pawlikowsky, who has played basketball, softball and tennis, it’s almost...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Leechburg’s Olivia Vigna
As a 5-foot-11 freshman, Olivia Vigna was going to be a focus of the Leechburg girls basketball team right from the start of her varsity career. However, a dislocation of her kneecap in her freshman and sophomore years delayed her chance at playing. “Olivia is like a unicorn,” said Blue...
