High School category, Page 450
WPIAL players ousted in semifinals of PIAA boys tennis tournament
The PIAA boys tennis semifinals were not kind to some of the WPIAL’s best players Saturday. Class 2A singles finalists Austin He of Winchester Thurston and Severin Harmon of Sewickley Academy and Class 3A doubles champs Adam Memije and Zidaan Hassan of Gateway were ousted one win from the state...
Hempfield’s Peyton Murray gives dad a special gift, a gold medal in PIAA discus
SHIPPENSBURG — Father’s Day isn’t until June 18, but Peyton Murray gave his dad and coach the best present ever. The Hempfield junior threw a personal record of 185 feet, 9 inches to win the Class 3A discus Saturday at the PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg’s Seth Grove...
Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo extends family’s winning streak to 5 at PIAA championships
The PIAA had a special guest award Brownsville senior Jolena Quarzo her final state championship gold medal — her older sister Gionna. The sisters combined to win the 3,200-meter title five times in a row, with the younger sister finishing off their dominant run Saturday with a nine-second win in...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Streak of teams reaching WPIAL finals continues
With the Hempfield, Belle Vernon and Southmoreland softball teams, along with the Latrobe baseball team, reaching the WPIAL finals, a local streak continues. Westmoreland has had a baseball or softball team in the championships every season since 2014, which means every season since the beginning of six classes. (There was...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Belle Vernon’s Maren Metikosh, Latrobe’s Logan Bradish
Maren Metikosh School: Belle Vernon Sport: Softball Class: Senior Claim to fame: Metikosh helped Belle Vernon upset the top-seeded team in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals and reach the championship for the first time in five years. The outfielder belted a grand slam, one of three Leopards’ homers, in a...
Mt. Lebanon’s Logan St. John Kletter breaks PIAA championship record in 3,200 meters
SHIPPENSBURG — At this time last year, Logan St. John Kletter was suffering from a nerve condition in her foot and wondering when she’d run competitively again. She missed WPIALs and states. “I didn’t know if I could ever get back to this,” the Mt. Lebanon junior said Saturday while...
Pine-Richland notebook: Rams collect WPIAL track medals
Pine-Richland athletes earned medals in 17 events at the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships May 17, at Slippery Rock. On the girls’ side, senior Natalie McLean was second in the 1,600-meter run (4:51.24) and fifth in the 3,200 (10:43.03). • Senior Sonja Stugart was second in high jump...
Girls relay team headlines Penn Hills showing at WPIAL track meet
The girls 1,600-meter relay team saved what could have been a total loss for the Penn Hills track team at the WPIAL Class 3A championships at Slippery Rock. The Indians’ relay team — consisting of Maliah Powell, Janaya Coleman, Mylah Faulk and Milani Oliver — finished in third place to...
Riverview junior to play for Team USA at ball hockey World Juniors
Riverview junior Landon Johnson has been working on playing all the angles. When it comes to playmaking in ball hockey, being in the right position is a large part of the battle. “One thing I realized is that I need to know the angles,” Johnson said. “When I know the...
Norwin notebook: Bella Brozeski captures WPIAL hurdles gold
Bella Brozeski overcame hurdles, literally, to capture a WPIAL championship. She was the lone district champion from Norwin. The senior ran to victory in the 300-meter hurdles at the WPIAL 3A finals at Slippery Rock with a winning time of 45.56 seconds. Sophomore Nick Puskar took home a silver medal...
North Allegheny notebook: NA baseball advances to WPIAL title game
Andrew Hart and Anthony Varlotta each brought home a run as No. 2 North Allegheny bested No. 6 Butler, 5-2, in the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals May 23. David Posey tossed seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out seven to send the Tigers (16-6) to...
Unconventional coaching career leads former Fox Chapel soccer standout to hall of fame
Mike Babst made peace with being done with soccer more than once in his life. But circumstances kept the Davidson men’s soccer coach circling back to the game. When Babst took his first assistant coaching position at Washington & Lee in Lexington, Va., it was something he hardly scheduled. Babst,...
Penn Hills notebook: PH grad breaks school triple jump record
Penn Hills graduate Kemi Balogun was one of three Frostburg State athletes to earn all-region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Balogun set the school record in the triple jump and went on to win the Mountain East Conference title. Balogun also had a...
PIAA notebook: Injury knocks highly seeded WPIAL champion out of 100 meters
SHIPPENSBURG — An injury cut short New Castle sprinter Kaevon Gardner’s debut at the state track championships Friday, forcing one of the top athletes in the 100-meter dash to make an early exit. Gardner entered the meet with the second-fastest time in Class 3A, but the sophomore injured a hip...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 26, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Wednesday’s schedule Mt. Lebanon (12-10) vs. North Allegheny (16-6) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Class 5A Championship Tuesday’s schedule Shaler (18-4) vs. Bethel Park (17-4) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Third place Wednesday’s schedule Plum (14-8) vs. Penn-Trafford (14-6)...
Pair of singles players, doubles team from WPIAL remain in PIAA tennis title hunt
Two singles players and a doubles team from the WPIAL remain in contention for a championship after the first day of the PIAA boys tennis championships in Hershey. Winchester Thurston freshman Austin He, Sewickley Academy sophomore Severin Harmon and the Gateway doubles team of Adam Memije and Zidaan Hassan advanced...
Freeport senior shakes off rough start, claims PIAA discus medal
SHIPPENSBURG — After her first couple of discus throws produced a foul and a 104-footer, Reese Skiba’s state championship was off to a lackluster start. She could’ve panicked, but she didn’t. “They give us three throws for a reason,” said Skiba, a Freeport senior. “I always tell myself, ‘It’s not...
Hampton junior pulls off dramatic, shocking win in PIAA 1,600 meters
If it had been a horse race, the PIAA Class 3A boys 1,600-meter run would have needed a photo finish to decide the winner. It was that close. Hampton junior Dale Hall nudged out Butler junior Drew Griffith by seven hundredths of a second. Hall’s time was 4:08.52 and Griffith...
Hempfield’s Liz Tapper looking to make history after defending PIAA shot put title
SHIPPENSBURG — In the history of great throwers at Hempfield, only Rachel Serafin (2011-13) was a multiple state champion in an event, winning three discus titles. Senior Liz Tapper became the second multiple winner Friday at the PIAA Class 3A track and field championships at Shippensburg when she defended her...
Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo defends 1,600-meter title at PIAA track championships
SHIPPENSBURG — Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo decided to skip more races than usual in her senior year, but this wasn’t a case of senioritis. She was just focused on states. “I said, ‘I don’t want to do too much, get myself tired, burnt out or even get hurt,’” she said. “So...
Mt. Lebanon finishes strong to defeat Shady Side Academy for WPIAL Class 3A championship
In last year’s championship game between Mt. Lebanon and Shady Side Academy, J.P. Henry was the hero in overtime for the Bulldogs. For a while in this year’s rematch, it looked like another fantastic finish was in the offing, but the Blue Devils had other ideas, finishing strong in regulation...
Pine-Richland gets past Mt. Lebanon in dramatic WPIAL Class 3A girls lacrosse title game
In the regular season finale, Pine-Richland defeated Mt. Lebanon, 13-12, a win that most likely gave the Rams the top seed in the WPIAL Class 3A girls lacrosse tournament. The stakes were higher Thursday at Robert Morris as the teams squared off for the WPIAL championship. The Rams again emerged...
Shaler wins 1st WPIAL boys volleyball championship, ending North Allegheny’s title run
The Shaler boys volleyball team arrived at Peters Township High School as Thursday’s Class 2A championship game was taking shape. The players sat in the bleachers and watched North Catholic capture its first WPIAL title with a sweep of 10-time champion Ambridge. Shaler then went out and achieved a similar...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 25, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Wednesday’s schedule Mt. Lebanon (12-10) vs. North Allegheny (16-6) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Class 5A Championship Tuesday’s schedule Shaler (18-4) vs. Bethel Park (17-4) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Third place Wednesday’s schedule Plum (14-8) vs. Penn-Trafford (14-6)...
North Catholic tops Ambridge for WPIAL boys volleyball title in clash of Class 2A rivals
There were no secrets when section rivals Ambridge and North Catholic met Thursday evening at Peters Township to decide the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball championship. The Bridgers and Trojans split their season series, each winning in five sets. With the title on the line, North Catholic won the latest...
