High School category, Page 446
This week on Trib HSSN for week of June 5, 2023
Now that we are into June, the clock is winding down on the high school sports season, however with the district postseason in the rearview mirror, the focus turns to the state playoffs in the PIAA this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN begins our coverage...
Penn-Trafford has unfinished business, opens state playoffs against Central Mountain
When Lou Cortazzo was named interim baseball coach at Penn-Trafford two weeks before the season began, people around the district were stunned at the timing. Cortazzo replaced Dan Miller as coach, and despite the sudden change the goals stayed the same: make the WPIAL playoffs, win the section, qualify for...
Westmoreland PIAA baseball capsules: Games for Monday, June 5, 2023
PIAA baseball playoffs Class 5A First round Penn-Trafford (15-6) vs. Central Mountain (20-1) 4 p.m. Monday at Lock Haven District seeds: Penn-Trafford 7-3; Central Mountain 6-1 Winner plays: Winner of the 7-1 Shaler (19-4)/3-5 Muhlenberg (15-8) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Ryan Grabowski, Penn-Trafford; Brady...
Alle-Kiski Valley PIAA softball capsule: Game for Monday, June 5, 2023
PIAA Softball Class 3A First Round 7-3 Burrell (14-6) at 6-1 Juniata (22-3) 4 p.m. Monday at Juniata High School, Mifflintown Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Avonworth (21-1)/10-2 Fort LeBoeuf (20-1) on Thursday in second round (site/time TBD) Players to Watch: Katie Armstrong, Burrell; Liz Gaisior, Juniata Extra-bases: Burrell is...
Westmoreland PIAA softball capsules: Games for Monday, June 5, 2023
PIAA softball playoffs Class 6A First round Mifflin County (12-8) at Hempfield (18-3) 11 a.m. Monday at Robert D. Kalp Field, Hempfield District seeds: Mifflin County 6-1; Hempfield 7-1 Winner plays: Winner of 3-2 Central Dauphin (20-2)/1-3 Downington East (21-3) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch:...
Burrell softball team wants long ride to start deep run
Burrell High School graduation is Thursday evening. Four senior members of the Bucs softball team who will be receiving their diplomas — Abbie Larko, Alanna Miller, Cassidy Novak and Katie Armstrong — hope the day is a busy one as it also is the day of the second round of...
Gateway notebook: Gators tandem takes 3rd at PIAA doubles championships
Emily Levine wasn’t witness to her Gateway doubles team’s run to third place at the PIAA Class 3A tournament May 27, at the Hershey Racquet Club. Her husband had undergone emergency eye surgery, and she wasn’t able to travel. But the news that traveled back to the Pittsburgh area excited...
Penn Hills Progress notebook: Redeemer Lutheran track team collects medals
The Redeemer Lutheran track team turned in a strong performance at the National Christian School Athletic Association track and field championships at Geneva College in May. Alexis Banash was the Rams’ top finisher on the girls side, winning two events. Banash won the long jump (14 feet, 11.75 inches) and...
Penn Hills relay team gets feet wet at PIAA track championships
Penn Hills track and field coach Lee Zelkwotiz was happy to be able to take another group of athletes to Shippensburg to compete in the PIAA Class 3A championships on Memorial Day weekend. Following a few years with lower numbers after the start of the pandemic, the Indians track team...
Gateway showcases ‘premier baseball and softball complexes’ during WPIAL playoffs
When the baseball and softball fields at the Gateway Sports Complex were still in the construction stage, Gateway athletic director Don Holl gazed into his crystal ball and saw the facility hosting a number of WPIAL playoff games. Hope and optimism turned into reality over a two-week span from May...
Sewickley Academy baseball hit stride in season’s 2nd half
A month into the WPIAL baseball season, Sewickley Academy finally found its groove. The Panthers were 3-7 and riding a three-game losing streak on April 18. Following a 16-2 section loss to Eden Christian, Sewickley exploded for seven wins in a row to enter the WPIAL playoffs. The Panthers finished...
Surging sophomore leads Quaker Valley track team at states
Sophomore sensation Jay Olawaiye made the biggest impact for Quaker Valley at the PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg University. Olawaiye finished as the Class 2A runner-up in the girls triple jump thanks to a leap of 37 feet, 7 inches. “Jay’s performance was phenomenal,” QV coach Jared Jones...
Penn-Trafford’s Matt Sarnowski caps season with 3rd-place finish at PIAA meet
It doesn’t happen often, but two of the top discus throwers in Pennsylvania reside in Westmoreland County and live less than 10 miles apart. So when the 2024 track season begins, Hempfield junior Peyton Murray and Penn-Trafford junior Matt Sarnowski, who finished first and third, respectively, at the 2023 PIAA...
Pine-Richland notebook: Heavyweight wrestler among Rams signing with colleges
Five Pine-Richland senior athletes made their college choices official during the May national signing day. Will Albrecht (Westminster/lacrosse), Matthew Carper (United States Coast Guard/swimming), Breanna Franchak (Dickinson/cross county and track), Joey Schneck (Maryland/wrestling) and Elizabeth Shaffer (Carnegie Mellon/swimming) all participated in a signing ceremony at the school. Between the November,...
Dan Boring to resign as Southmoreland athletic director
Dan Boring believes the Southmoreland athletic department is in better shape than when he began overseeing Scotties sports in 2020. “Absolutely,” he said. “We have done some great things over the last three years. We put some new systems in place that have smoothed out some kinks.” Boring, however, will...
Fox Chapel athletes learn from 1st trip to PIAA track championships
Fox Chapel coach Thomas Moul knows from experience that making a first trip to the PIAA Class 3A track and field championships in Shippensburg isn’t a disappointment no matter the results. What was most important for the two Fox Chapel athletes who competed at the state meet was gaining experience...
Fox Chapel notebook: Senior wrestler Trevor Katz named Student Visionary of the Year
Fox Chapel senior wrestler Trevor Katz made a big splash on the mats during his final year at the school. Katz, who qualified for the WPIAL championships at 180 pounds this season after finishing fourth in the section, helped raise $250,000 dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That is...
Southmoreland softball driven to succeed in state playoffs
As the only senior on the Southmoreland softball team, second baseman Brynn Charnesky has a voice on the field, in the dugout and on drab bus rides home from championship game losses. When she talks, the Scotties listen. After a 5-1 loss to playoff nemesis Avonworth in the WPIAL Class...
Latrobe looks to shake off WPIAL finals loss before state playoffs
Latrobe players tried to keep their heads up when the Pirate Parrot handed them their WPIAL Class 4A runner-up trophy last Tuesday at Wild Things Park. Even the Parrot seemed somber. The season wasn’t over, but it felt like it was to the Wildcats after a tough, 4-3 loss to...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: WCCA awards scholarships
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association gives out several scholarships each year with money raised through different means, including entry fees and 50/50 raffles at its events. This year, the association awarded a record seven scholarships to county athletes in the amount of $12,000. Three annual scholarships, each worth $2,000, went...
Hannah Shaw ends Norwin track career with state medal
Before a jump, Norwin senior Hannah Shaw tells herself, “You know you can do this.” She waited all season to compete for a state medal, and she came home from Shippensburg with one around her neck. Shaw finished tied for fourth at the PIAA track and field championships in the...
Softball team leads Norwin in strong spring sports season
Norwin brought contenders to the WPIAL spring sports season, along with plenty of highlights: home runs, goals, spikes and record times and distances. From the diamond to the jumping pits, the Knights made their mark. Softball With more than 30 home runs, the Knights used the long ball to build...
North Allegheny notebook: Tigers earn postseason volleyball honors
North Allegheny was well-represented on the All-WPIAL Class 3A boys volleyball team. The Tigers, who entered the PIAA tournament with an 11-4 record, had five players honored last week. Seniors Varun Kaveti and Jax Wilhite, a middle hitter and outside hitter, respectively, were named to the first team. Junior setter...
North Allegheny AD Bob Bozzuto looking to revive Murrysville American Legion baseball
Bob Bozzuto loves baseball. He’ll talk all day about the game he loves. He also loves to teach. The WPIAL baseball committee chairman wants to see players develop into stars and enjoy the game. Why else would the Hempfield Township native and North Allegheny athletic director return to coaching American...
Hard-hitting lineup helps Franklin Regional have softball season to remember
The crack of the bat and the swell of crowd noise was a regular thing for the Franklin Regional softball team this season. The Panthers connected on 30 home runs, making them one of the most threatening long-bombing teams in WPIAL Class 5A. But they fell short in the playoffs,...
