High School category, Page 372
Touchdown with 2 seconds left sends defending champ Pine-Richland back to WPIAL finals
Pine-Richland was two seconds away from a season-ending loss when freshman Aaron “Oobi” Strader narrowly crossed the goal line on a touchdown run that has the defending champion headed back to the WPIAL finals. “If there’s time on the clock, there’s a chance,” coach Jon LeDonne said. But time was...
McKeesport makes big plays in Class 4A quarterfinal win over Trinity
When it comes to playoff football in the WPIAL, it’s vital to limit mistakes and be opportunistic in making big plays. On Friday night, No. 2 McKeesport made a few more key plays than No. 10 Trinity in a 28-14 win to move onto the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals against...
Beaver Falls gets revenge vs. Neshannock with win on 2-point try
It figures the second tussle between Beaver Falls and Neshannock this season would come down to a 2-point conversion. In a flashback to September, when the sides met in a MAC regular-season showdown and Neshannock won on a 2-point conversion stop by Anthony Bonner, Beaver Falls returned the favor Friday...
East Allegheny holds off South Park to advance to 1st semifinal since 1992
Tears swelled in East Allegheny coach Dom Pecora’s eyes Friday as he discussed the emotional 28-21 WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal victory the Wildcats had just completed to advance to their first semifinal since 1992. “For us to go to the semifinals, it doesn’t even seem real,” Pecora said. After the...
Avonworth running game revs up in 2nd half of quarterfinal win over Beaver
With their undefeated season on the line, only leading by a touchdown at halftime, No. 2 Avonworth turned to its run game to open the second half. That propelled the Antelopes to a 41-21 win over No. 7 Beaver in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals at Lenzner Field at Avonworth...
Central Catholic motors past Mt. Lebanon back into WPIAL championship game
Central Catholic is back in position to go after another WPIAL football championship. The Vikings, the No. 1 seed in Class 6A, held a two-touchdown lead at halftime of Friday’s semifinal matchup with No. 4 Mt. Lebanon at Fox Chapel. They added on over the final 24 minutes, fronted by...
High school football roundup: Donald Barksdale runs for 250 yards as Steel Valley edges Western Beaver
Donald Barksdale scored the deciding touchdown and picked off a pass to seal a victory Friday night as top-seeded Steel Valley defeated No. 9 Western Beaver, 21-18, in a WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal game Friday night at Steel Valley’s Campbell Field. Barksdale scored his second touchdown of the game on...
Trib HSSN’s 2023 Week 11 top performers for passing, rushing, receiving
Top performers for Week 11 of high school football in Western Pennsylvania. Passing 255 - Jaivin Peel, Western Beaver (12 of 28) 254 - Michael Cahill, East Allegheny (16 of 18) 236 - Braden Laux, Belle Vernon (14 of 18) 222 - Payton Wehner, Central Catholic (17 of 25) 218...
Clairton rights ship in 2nd half of win vs. Union
Clairton went to the locker room down a touchdown at halftime, but Wayne Wade thought his team was controlling the game. He just needed his team to limit its mistakes and penalties after being flagged eight times. Once it came back to the field, the miscues subsided and the Wright...
Mason Childress’ leg helps Mars defeat Central Valley in Class 4A quarterfinals
Field position can sometimes make or break a football game. In the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal between Mars (10-2) and Central Valley (8-4) at Moe Rubenstein Stadium at Ambridge on Friday night, field position played a key factor. Mason Childress used his leg to help the Fightin’ Planets to a...
Aliquippa fends off furious upset bid from Latrobe in WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal
Aliquippa football coach Mike Warfield, his team and fans took a deep breath at the end of Friday’s WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal at Heinz Field. That’s because No. 9 Latrobe took No. 1 Aliquippa to the brink before losing 37-29. After falling behind 25-7 at halftime, the Wildcats threw everything...
Montour passing game gashes Thomas Jefferson in Class 4A quarterfinals
Montour threw the first punch, controlled the game throughout and rolled to a 51-21 victory over Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals Friday night. Montour was spearheaded by Jake Wolfe, who threw five touchdown passes and tallied 213 passing yards, completing 13 of 27 attempts. He also ran...
South Side lives up to top seed, takes care of Greensburg Central Catholic
Have run, will travel. South Side’s well-oiled wing-T rushing attack was as advertised Friday night — complemented by a hint of pinpoint passing at the right times— in the WPIAL Class A football quarterfinals. The top-seeded Rams ran for 280 yards and seven touchdowns and rolled over No. 8 Greensburg...
Belle Vernon rolls over Deer Lakes into WPIAL Class 3A semifinals
Belle Vernon quarterback Braden Laux threw three first-half touchdown passes — two to Quinton Martin — to help lead the top-seeded Leopards to a 49-6 WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal win over No. 8 Deer Lakes on The Beach at James Weir Stadium. Laux connected with Anthony Crews on a 21-yard...
Top-seeded Peters Township throttles Moon to reach WPIAL Class 5A title game
An 11-minute, 20-second drive opened the scoring in Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A semifinal with No. 5 Moon taking a 3-0 lead on Hayden Boland’s 32-yard field goal. The response of top-seeded Peters Township not only put the Indians ahead but allowed them to run away with a victory. The Indians...
Bishop Canevin gets ground game going to finish off California
Coming into the WPIAL Class A quarterfinal between No. 3 Bishop Canevin and No. 6 California, the Trojans’ running attack was grabbing all the headlines. But the Crusaders’ pass-happy offense wanted to prove its might on the ground, and they did just that Friday night at Norwin Knights Stadium, as...
North Allegheny routs Canon-McMillan to set up rematch with Central Catholic
North Allegheny quarterback Logan Kushner won a foot race four plays into Friday night’s WPIAL Class 6A semifinal playoff game at Wright Field. The 71-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 was a risk that paid off big time for the Tigers. North Allegheny gained the early lead and coasted to a...
Neighborhood rivals Riverview, Springdale to battle for 3rd time in PIAA quarterfinals
The Springdale and Riverview girls soccer teams both had to make long trips to earn victories Tuesday in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs. The WPIAL runner-up Raiders traveled 84 miles east toward Johnstown and came away with a 5-3 victory in a back-and-forth game against District...
Ligonier Valley to host 2nd annual WCCA girls volleyball match
The inaugural Westmoreland County Coaches Association girls volleyball match was a rousing success last fall, so it was a no-brainer for organizers to bring the event back. This year’s match is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 21 at Ligonier Valley. Rosters were announced Thursday. Hempfield’s Ashten Flynn will coach the...
Freeport faces stiff test against unbeaten Philipsburg-Osceola in PIAA quarterfinals
When the Freeport girls volleyball team entered the gym for its Monday practice on the heels of its heartbreaking five-set loss to Beaver in the WPIAL championship, coach Tom Phillips brought them together. The team gathered for 45 minutes. “When we got back into the gym after the WPIAL championship,...
Burrell eager for another crack at WPIAL champion Bentworth in state playoffs
With a trip to Highmark Stadium for the WPIAL championship on the line last week, Burrell and Bentworth put on an entertaining match that the Bearcats won 2-1 in overtime. The Bucs left that night with a feeling that they played well enough to win but didn’t get the job...
Westmoreland County boys soccer playoff preview for Nov. 11, 2023
PIAA soccer playoffs Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals Norwin (16-5-1) vs. Abington (21-3) 3 p.m. Saturday, Chambersburg High School, Chambersburg Winner plays: Winner of Central Bucks South (17-5-2)/North Allegheny (17-2-3) Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Coaches: Scott Schuchert, Norwin; Randy Garber, Abington Players to watch: George Bunovich, Norwin; Brandon Murataj,...
5 things to watch in WPIAL Week 11: Regular season rematches dominate playoff schedule
About two months ago, Penn Hills coach Charles Morris made a prediction before he left the field at Pine-Richland’s stadium. He was right. “If people remember, after the game, I said, ‘I know we’re going to see these guys again,’” said Morris, whose Indians will get that rematch Friday night....
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 9, 2023
High schools Field hockey PIAA playoffs Class 3A Quarterfinals Saturday’s schedule Conestoga (23-0) vs. Lower Dauphin (19-3) at Exeter Township, 11 a.m.; Wyoming Valley West (11-7) vs. Emmaus (23-1) at Nazareth, 11 a.m.; Manheim Township (19-1-1) vs. Parkland (18-5-1) at Exeter Township, 1 p.m.; Warwick (16-5-1) vs. Penn Manor (16-5-1)...
High school roundup for Nov. 9, 2023: Hampton hockey holds off Freeport
Sean Sullivan and Daniel Leyes each collected two goals and an assist to lead Hampton to a 6-5 victory over Freeport in PIHL Class A hockey Thursday night. Gavin Durden also scored twice for Hampton (1-5). Aiden Bauman and Zach Bowser scored two goals apiece for Freeport (1-5-1). Beaver 1,...
