High School category, Page 468
Norwin junior Pons makes Miami (Ohio) his football choice
Norwin’s Jackson Pons will continue his football career at Ben Roethlisberger’s alma mater. Only he will be playing on the defensive side of the ball. Pons announced Sunday his commitment to Miami (Ohio) of the Mid-American Conference, where he will line up at safety. The stress of the recruiting game...
Ligonier Valley splits baseball doubleheader
Ligonier Valley’s baseball team split a pair of games Sunday. Duncan Foust tossed a one-hitter with seven strikeouts and also was 3 for 4 with two doubles and five RBIs as the Rams beat Johnstown, 15-0, in four innings. Broderick Schreyer was 2 for 2 with a double and three...
Shaler sports help scholarship winner from Venezuela expand horizons
Alexandra Valentina Navas started learning how to speak English from Google Translate. Over a year-long process, Valentina Navas had many teachers, including Axl Rose. The Shaler senior moved to Etna from Venezuela in the sixth grade and quickly started learning how to adapt. Valentina Navas learned a new language by...
Sophomore Taylor Walsh helps guide Chartiers Valley softball to 9-1 start
The Chartiers Valley softball team is loaded with talented upperclassmen, including seniors Zoe and Callie Mangan, Madison Crump, Rylee Prosperi and Mackenzie Manga, along with juniors Marta Gualazzi and Kylie DeSalle. The Colts have also relied on sophomore Annabelle Helt and freshman Lily Dufill. However, the future is now for...
Warm-up routine key part of game for Chartiers Valley baseball
If you are a high school baseball fan that shows up right at game time, then you miss the pregame performance every team at nearly every level goes through. Pregame warm-ups are a well-choreographed chance for players to get their bodies prepared for the game while getting used to the...
Thomas Jefferson baseball looking to smooth rough edges, peak at playoff time
Thomas Jefferson’s baseball team rebounded nicely from a slow start to the 2023 season. TJ went into its Easter break riding a five-game winning streak and with a 5-2 record. “I think we are doing well, but there’s a lot of season left to play,” coach Tim Vickers said earlier...
Brentwood grad, longtime assistant excited to take reins of football program
Nick Caponi has worn an assortment of hats in his coaching career. He actually started out as a high school baseball coach. “My first coaching job was as an assistant baseball coach at Brentwood,” he said. “I then became the assistant varsity coach at Baldwin; my uncle Dan was head...
Thomas Jefferson football’s Ryan Lawry makes impact with hard work, dedication
He may be a bit small in stature, but he was a big-time player for the Thomas Jefferson football team. Senior WR/DB Ryan Lawry had 32 receptions for 371 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 to rank as the second-leading receiver on the team. Defensively, he was credited with 21...
Sewickley Academy’s Severin Harmon shines in WPIAL singles tournament
A budding WPIAL tennis rivalry took place April 12 at the Class 2A singles tournament held at Bethel Park. Winchester Thurston’s Austin He, the top-seeded 2A singles player as a freshman, defeated Sewickley Academy sophomore and second seed Severin Harmon in the championship match by scores of 6-2, 6-4. The...
Quaker Valley baseball chasing section championship
Quaker Valley was in a three-way battle for second place in Section 1-3A when the season’s second half commenced. But after winning four consecutive section games, the young, hard-hitting Quakers were aiming for a higher spot than second place; they planned to contend for the section championship. “Our goals start...
Penn-Trafford boys lacrosse riding 5-game winning streak
When Charlie Hach took over the Penn-Trafford boys lacrosse program, his first year was a short one because of the covid-19 pandemic that shuttered spring sports in 2020. Year 2 didn’t go much better as the team won only four games. But the past two seasons, the program has made...
Penn Hills volleyball looks to build foundation with improved technique
Will Piccolino knows setting the standard for the Penn Hills boys volleyball program isn’t going to revolve around his players suddenly finishing highlight-reel kills. The Indians are in the process of laying the foundation for getting in position to make those types of plays possible. Penn Hills recently picked up...
Penn Hills senior relies on simple, effective approach on mound, at plate
Penn Hills senior pitcher/first baseman Kenny Boyle has a simple pitching philosophy. He’s a one-two-three guy: He throws a fastball, curveball and slider. When Boyle, who is committed to play at Penn State New Kensington, is on the field, he tries to pitch to contact. “It’s all about not walking...
Now recovered from knee injury, Louisville recruit Gianna Rotelli ready to finish Pine-Richland career strong
Gianna Rotelli was excited going into her junior season, because she was the top ranked javelin thrower in the WPIAL after a second-place finish as a sophomore, but she never got the opportunity to showcase her talent. She suffered a serious knee injury while playing volleyball, which sidelined her the...
6-foot-6 freshman sparks Pine-Richland boys volleyball
Doolin Stober has a unique name and an equally distinct skill set on the volleyball court. Standing at 6-foot-6, he provides a major presence in the middle of the net for the Pine-Richland boys volleyball team. He had a big performance that helped the Rams secure their first win of...
Gateway boys tennis captures long-awaited section championship
The last time the Gateway boys tennis team captured a section title, Bill Clinton was ramping up his campaign to become President of the United States, Duke has just routed Michigan to win the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, and “Jump” by the hip-hop duo Kris Kross was moving...
Gateway lacrosse eyes improvement, progress in 2nd half of season
The Gateway boys lacrosse team last made the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs in 2019. The Gators that year defeated Sewickley Academy in the first round before falling to No. 2 Hampton in the quarterfinals. Gateway’s momentum was stunted the next year as the covid pandemic wiped out the entire spring...
Led by veteran doubles team, Shaler boys tennis ends long playoff drought
Nolan Le knows he doesn’t have to wait for Shaler coach Brian Duermeyer to circle back to his doubles match for advice. Le can lean on partner Ethan Opiela to point him back in the right direction. “I always start slow and we drop a few games,” Le said. “Ethan...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 22, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball Sunday’s schedule Johnstown at Ligonier Valley, 11 a.m. Ligonier Valley at Richland, 1:45 p.m. Lacrosse Saturday’s results Boys Nonsection Cathedral Prep 10, Bethel Park 7 Owen J. Roberts 13, Hampton 0 Girls Nonsection Moon 10, Sewickley Academy 9 Track and field Saturday’s results Rock Relays High...
High school roundup for April 22, 2023: Laurel’s Atkins sisters collect medals at Slippery Rock
Regan and Tori Atkins led the WPIAL contingent at the Rock Relays at Slippery Rock University on Saturday, each claiming three first-place finishes. Regan Atkins won the javelin with a throw of 113 feet, 1 inch and Tori Atkins took first in the 200 with a time of 25.35. They...
Soccer took Kiski Area’s Lundberg to Duquesne, pros, now A-K hall of fame
As a youngster, Stefan Lundberg gravitated toward the sport of soccer for a simple reason. “T-ball was a little too slow-paced for me,” Lundberg said with a laugh. “Soccer is a fast game, and you have to keep moving. I picked it up pretty well and kept playing the rest...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Freeport’s Michael Hanz, Burrell’s Kadi Bauer
Kadi Bauer Class: Senior School: Burrell Sport: Track and field Report card: Distance running Bauer set a school record in the 1,600-meter run (5 minutes, 20.34 seconds) as the Bucs locked up second place with a 6-1 record in Section 4-2A and a spot in the WPIAL team playoffs. They...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Latrobe’s Havrilla pulls double duty
Maybe it has something to do with nets. Playing two sports in the same season is challenging enough, but how about two in one day? Latrobe senior Josh Havrilla made it happen last Tuesday. In the frigid afternoon, he joined teammate August Lawrence in the championship match of the Section...
Westmoreland athletes of the week: Greensburg Salem’s Gionnah Ruffner, Norwin’s Nolan Ryan
Gionnah Ruffner School: Greensburg Salem Class: Junior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: Ruffner, a center fielder, is helping to keep the Golden Lions in the playoff race in WPIAL Section 2-4A. She went 4 for 5 with a double, triple and three runs in a 12-3 win over Laurel Highlands....
WPIAL softball rankings: Week ending April 23, 2023
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Seneca Valley, 9-1, 2 2. Norwin, 11-2, 3 3. Hempfield, 11-2, 1 4. North Allegheny, 10-4, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 4-7, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Shaler, 12-0, 1 2. Armstrong, 11-1, 2 3. Trinity, 10-1, 3 4. West...
