High School category, Page 371
Quaker Valley junior spearheads charity to benefit women in El Salvador
Kirsten Close is not your average transfer student. The standout tennis and lacrosse athlete launched a unique program almost immediately upon walking through the doors of her new school, Quaker Valley. Close, a 16-year-old junior who transferred from Sewickley Academy, has dedicated much of her time over the past year...
With lofty expectations, Penn-Trafford football team expects more in ’24
When you have recently won the WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A football titles, expectations for future remain high. You get spoiled. Once you break through that barrier, you expect another, and the next one should be easier to obtain because you know how it’s done. For Penn-Trafford, after winning those...
Penn Hills notebook: Kelly hits court for Quinnipiac
Daemar Kelly was on the court for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball season opener Nov. 6. The Bobcats destroyed Coast Guard, 116-48, to open the season. Kelly, a freshman guard, contributed 17 minutes off the bench, scored seven points, grabbed two rebounds and had two assists. Kelly also made the first...
Strong playoff performance led to Penn Hills’ biggest offensive explosion in 5 years
Charles Morris had to wait until his second season to coach his first playoff game as the Penn Hills football coach. The Indians’ performance left quite the impression on anyone who saw it. Penn Hills blasted Penn-Trafford, 63-28, in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals. It was the first time the...
Plan comes together for Pine-Richland sophomore in cross country postseason
Lucas Thompson left last year’s WPIAL cross country meet with the mindset that he was going to qualify for states in 2023. It was an ambitious goal for a freshman, but one he was determined to meet. He started doing some research on how he could optimize his workouts using...
Gateway’s Kefimba Cisse caps high school career at PIAA championship meet
Two years ago as a sophomore, Gateway’s Kefimba Cisse placed 67th in the Class 3A boys race at the WPIAL cross country championships at Cal (Pa.). He wasn’t able to reach the state meet in Hershey, but Gators coach Tom LaBuff said the then first-year high school runner was making...
5 things we learned in Week 11 of the WPIAL football season: Semifinals feature new blood
Some teams are penciled into the semifinals before the WPIAL playoffs even start. Aliquippa, after winning Friday, will make its 17th straight appearance in the final four. But, this year, have an eraser handy for some other regulars. A couple of teams with semifinal streaks lost Friday night in the...
Norwin boys get another thrilling penalty-kick win in PIAA quarters
CHAMBERSBURG — As the pink sky faded into darkness and one overtime gave way to another, Norwin’s confidence grew. As time melted off the clock in the second overtime, the Knights began to feel it. Another shootout was imminent. It was their time to shine. Again. “We’ve been to PKs...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 11, 2023
High schools Field hockey PIAA playoffs Class 3A Quarterfinals Saturday’s results Lower Dauphin 2, Conestoga 1 (OT) Manheim Township 6, Parkland 0 Warwick 3, Penn Manor 1 Emmaus 7, Wyoming Valley West 1 Semifinals Tuesday’s schedule Times, sites TBD Lower Dauphin (20-3) vs. Emmaus (24-1); Manheim Township (20-1-1) vs. Warwick...
Bentworth drops Burrell in playoffs for 2nd time this season
Burrell found itself in the same position Saturday as it was 12 days ago against Bentworth. Searching for a tying goal. This time, however, instead of getting that goal and sending the game to overtime, the Bearcats provided a dagger. Ryan Scott scored in the 65th minute, and Bentworth won...
High school roundup for Nov. 11, 2023: Moon, Mars to meet in girls soccer semifinals
Lilly Snyder scored with 23 minutes left in the second half to lift Moon to a 1-0 victory over Northern York in the PIAA Class 3A girls soccer quarterfinals Saturday at Westmont Elementary in Johnstown. It was the first loss of the season for District 3 champion Northern York (20-1-1)....
Freeport’s PIAA volleyball title defense ended by Philipsburg-Osceola
PUNXSUTAWNEY — Defending PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball champion Freeport saw its title defense come to an end Saturday at Chuck Daly Memorial Gymnasium in Punxsutawney. District 6 champion Philipsburg-Osceola — a team the Yellowjackets defeated in the Class 2A semis a year ago — swept Freeport in the quarterfinals,...
Riverview girls advance to 1st PIAA semifinal after another win over rival Springdale
In Lola Abraham’s freshman year at Riverview, there weren’t enough girls to field a soccer team, and in her sophomore and junior years, the team didn’t get a win against neighboring rival Springdale. So Saturday’s 3-1 win for the Raiders over the Dynamos in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals at...
WPIAL announces playoff sites for football semifinals
WPIAL football playoffs Class 6A Saturday’s final No. 1 Central Catholic (10-1) vs. No. 2 North Allegheny (10-1) at Norwin, 6 p.m. Class 5A Saturday’s final No. 1 Peters Township (12-0) vs. No. 3 Pine-Richland (9-3) at Norwin, noon Class 4A Friday’s semifinals No. 1 Aliquippa (10-0) vs. No. 4...
After WPIAL 3-peat, PIAA title, Hampton runners celebrate ‘incredible’ season
On their way home from the PIAA Class 2A cross country championships in Hershey, the Hampton boys were met at the turnpike by township fire trucks and escorted to the high school three miles down Route 8. Their long journey ended in style. The Talbots, coming off their third consecutive...
Riverview cross country caps season with 2nd-place finish at PIAA meet
An award-winning season for the Riverview boys cross country team ended with silver medals and a runner-up trophy at the PIAA Class A championships Nov. 4 on Hershey’s Parkview course. It was the second podium finish for the Raiders in five years. The 2019 squad, led by Mason Ochs, Gideon...
Young Plum skaters getting up to speed in early going
Plum’s ice hockey season started well enough with a pair of victories and a combined 14 goals. With both games at home at Pittsburgh Ice Arena in New Kensington, the Mustangs skated past Hampton, 8-2, and then beat Wheeling Park, 6-4. The youthful Plum skaters — there are just four...
Norwin notebook: Irwin resident wins World Series ring
For the second year in a row, a man with ties to North Huntingdon is bringing home a World Series ring. Last year, former Norwin star JJ Matijevic earned a ring with the Houston Astros’ taxi squad. This fall, Jon George is getting one as a scout for the Texas...
North Allegheny notebook: Tigers soccer teams rebound after title-game losses
Abigail Stager, Kieran Shannon, Ally Ruiz and Isabella Costa scored to lead WPIAL runner-up North Allegheny to a 4-2 win over District 6 champ Altoona (15-6) in the PIAA Class 4A girls soccer first round Nov. 7. The Tigers (21-1) were to play District 3 champ Central Dauphin in Saturday’s...
Franklin Regional boys soccer will enter next season with new coach, plenty of talent
Franklin Regional has a coaching vacancy with the sudden departure of two-year coach Lukas Petersen, who is moving to Maryland because his wife has a new job there. The position might be one of the most attractive in the state, which isn’t hyperbole considering the Panthers only lose five seniors...
After 3rd straight playoff season, Franklin Regional football wants to take next step
Franklin Regional football coach Lance Getsy spent Nov. 6 collecting equipment and doing exit interviews with his players. He would have rather been preparing his team for another game. For the third consecutive season, the Panthers were one-and-done in the WPIAL playoffs. The Panthers’ last postseason win was in 2018...
Shady Side Academy freshman bursts onto WPIAL tennis scene
Shady Side Academy freshman Meriwether McCargo upset the apple cart. That is to say, the 14-year-old McCargo won the WPIAL Class 3A girls tennis championship Sept. 21 at North Allegheny by upsetting the reigning champion. “I was super excited to win the WPIAL championship,” McCargo said. “As a freshman, I...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 10, 2023
High schools Football WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Friday’s results Central Catholic 42, Mt. Lebanon 7 North Allegheny 49, Canon-McMillan 7 Championship Nov. 18 schedule Central Catholic (10-1) vs. North Allegheny (10-1) at Norwin, 6 p.m. Class 5A Semifinals Friday’s results Peters Township 41, Moon 18 Pine-Richland 16, Penn Hills...
Elizabeth Forward defense comes up big in win over West Mifflin
Charlie Meehleib takes pride in his performance on the defensive side of the ball. The Elizabeth Forward senior defensive end cherishes every opportunity he gets to change the complexion of a game, whether it be by making a tackle or putting pressure on an opposing quarterback. The senior Bucknell recruit...
Mohawk defeats Imani Christian to reach WPIAL semis for 1st time
Forty-eight minutes of play came down to the final 12 seconds. But in reality, it came down to the previous 11 games of the season. Fifth-seeded Mohawk was able to get a defensive stop in the final seconds against No. 4 Imani Christian on fourth down to secure a 17-12...
