High School category, Page 635
Shenango thrower Emma Callahan ties shot put record at PIAA championships
SHIPPENSBURG — The target distance on Shenango thrower Emma Callahan’s mind was 50 feet, 10¾ inches, which was the state championship record for girls shot put in Class 2A. On Saturday, she threw that distance. Exactly that distance. Callahan won the girls shot put title at the PIAA track championship...
Missed opportunities prove costly for Plum baseball team
The Plum baseball team was no stranger to a close game even before it played its WPIAL Class 5A first-round playoff game against No. 6 Shaler on May 17 at North Allegheny. The 11th-seeded Mustangs battled to keep their season alive, but the Titans were just that much better in...
Competition with teammate leads to WPIAL javelin gold for Norwin’s Cody Scherle
Norwin senior Cody Scherle had been nipping at teammate Aaron Schmook’s heels all season. When Schmook won a javelin title, Scherle was consistently close behind, often as the runner-up. The competition was healthy, but also frustrating at times for Scherle. But the momentum shifted at the WPIAL Class 3A championships...
Norwin notebook: Strong volleyball season ends in WPIAL quarterfinals
Norwin had a strong regular season but bowed out early in the WPIAL Class 3A boys volleyball playoffs. The No. 5-seeded Knights dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 4 Shaler in the quarterfinals. Norwin coach Mike Palaschak said he expected the match to be close, and it was. The Knights...
Strong finish helped Plum cap season in WPIAL playoffs
The Penn-Trafford softball team will play for a WPIAL Class 5A title against Armstrong on Thursday at Cal (Pa.). The Warriors were dominant in the regular season, losing just a pair of one-run games, and as the No. 2 seed, they were favored to make a deep postseason run. Plum...
Franklin Regional track teams build foundation for future
Franklin Regional track and field coach Bob Ralston has been dealing with a sprained ankle, but it didn’t stop him from leading the Panthers at the WPIAL Class 3A Championship meet at Slippery Rock. The Panthers did not have any PIAA qualifiers, but several athletes performed as well as they...
Bright future for Hampton boys lacrosse
Hampton boys lacrosse coach Andy DeMichiei and his wife, Kristen, welcomed their first child, Owen, on May 10. The former high school All-American also watched his Talbots program make some baby steps during his first season as coach at his alma mater. “I think they showed positive signs and movement...
Disputed call haunts Hampton baseball team
Hampton baseball coach Kellen Wheeler said he “couldn’t even sleep that night” after the Talbots’ controversial WPIAL playoff loss to Penn-Trafford. Senior left-hander Cam Marshalwitz called it “a terrible way to go out” and “the worst way” to end a game. A questionable seventh-inning call brought the Talbots’ 2022 season...
Fox Chapel boys volleyball finds positives after reaching postseason again
Phil O’Keeffe’s 20th season as Fox Chapel boys volleyball coach wasn’t as lengthy as hoped, but the veteran coach is pleased about the season overall. The Foxes finished 5-7 in section play and 6-9 overall. Fox Chapel made the WPIAL playoffs for the 13th time during O’Keeffe’s tenure. The Foxes,...
Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy athletes make state meet
Sophomore Mason Miles was the only member of the Fox Chapel track team to move on to the PIAA finals this year at Shippensburg University. The sophomore finished second in the shot put at the WPIAL meet recently at Slippery Rock University’s N. Kerr Thompson Stadium. Miles’ recored a throw...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Deer Lakes’ Carson McCoy, Reese Hasley
Carson McCoy Class: Senior School: Deer Lakes Sport: Track and field Report card: Carson McCoy found success at the PIAA track and field championships over the weekend, winning gold in the 1,600 and 800 meters. McCoy also won gold in the 1,600 and the 800 at the WPIAL championships earlier...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 27, 2022
High schools Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Tuesday’s schedule Mt. Lebanon (15-7) vs. Upper St. Clair (12-8) at Wild Things Park, 7:30 p.m. Class 5A Championship Wednesday’s schedule Peters Township (21-1) vs. West Allegheny (18-4) at Wild Things Park, 7:30 p.m. Third place Tuesday’s schedule Thomas Jefferson (15-7) vs....
Female sports pioneers headline 15th WPIAL Hall of Fame class
Getting girls scholastic sports on the map wasn’t easy at first, but Ruth Ann Burke had faith that female participation would catch on quickly. Once Burke co-founded the Western Pennsylvania Girls Athletic League in 1971 with Donna Shaver, girls scholastic sports became a reality. In its second year, 51 schools...
WPIAL champs still alive at state tennis tournament
All four WPIAL champions are still alive in the hunt for state titles after Friday’s action at the PIAA tennis championships in Hershey. In Class 3A singles, Jake Patterson of South Fayette had no trouble reaching the semifinals, beating Council Rock South’s Alex Sterin and Northeast’s David Mamalat in straight...
Liz Tapper wins PIAA shot put gold to join list of Hempfield state champs
SHIPPENSBURG – On the wall in the lobby of the Hempfield field house are pictures of all the school’s PIAA champions. Hempfield athletic director Brandon Rapp now has to find room for Liz Tapper. The junior became the ninth thrower in school history to win a PIAA title when she...
Trib 10: Power rankings shuffled with WPIAL baseball, softball championships on horizon
Three rounds are in the books with one golden game remaining in the 2022 district baseball and softball playoffs. With plenty of head-to-head battles in the WPIAL quarterfinals and semifinals, change was bound to happen in the Trib 10 power rankings. Four baseball and three softball teams saw their hopes...
Moon’s Mia Cochran wins 1,600 meters, wants 2 more golds at busy PIAA championship
SHIPPENSBURG — After defending her state 1,600-meter title Friday morning, Moon’s Mia Cochran revealed the top item on her afternoon agenda. “A nap,” she said. She’ll certainly need her rest. The Arkansas recruit is attempting to pull off a triple win this weekend in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters...
Deer Lakes’ Carson McCoy defends 1,600-meter title at PIAA championships
SHIPPENSBURG — Carson McCoy maybe isn’t a front runner, yet the Deer Lakes senior usually crosses the finish line first. His patient, wait-for-your-moment strategy worked again Friday as he surged down the stretch to defend his PIAA Class 2A title in the boys 1,600 meters at the state track championships...
Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo captures PIAA Class 2A gold in 1,600
SHIPPENSBURG — Jolena Quarzo prefers running in the morning. The Brownsville junior was pleased when the PIAA announced that it was splitting the 1,600- and 3,200-meter events and running the 1,600 final as the first race Friday morning. Quarzo won her first PIAA Class 2A 1,600 title Friday with a...
Mars boys lacrosse rolls to 6th straight WPIAL title with another dominant performance
Around these parts, “one for the thumb” was a popular rallying cry for a couple of decades. The Mars boys lacrosse team already took care of that last season. This year, the goal for the Fightin’ Planets was sixth consecutive WPIAL championship, and they reached that goal with a dominant...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 26, 2022
High schools Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Tuesday’s schedule Mt. Lebanon (15-7) vs. Upper St. Clair (12-8) at Wild Things Park, 7:30 p.m. Class 5A Championship Wednesday’s schedule Peters Township (21-1) vs. West Allegheny (18-4) at Wild Things Park, 7:30 p.m. Third place Tuesday’s schedule Thomas Jefferson (15-7) vs....
Late Highlands coach Rich Falter remembered for his humility, impact on players
Despite an outstanding coaching career that included 316 victories in high school basketball, Rich Falter never sought the limelight. In fact, he had to be deceived into showing up for an awards ceremony in order to be inducted into the Highlands High School Basketball Hall of Fame. Falter, who recorded...
As Emma Callahan chases shot put records, spotlight shines on Shenango’s success
From Emma Callahan’s view, she’d just set a WPIAL championship record, but the Shenango shot putter also knew it’s hard to see from the circle. “I was holding my breath and didn’t want to get excited too soon,” said Callahan, a senior. “I thought I had the record last year,...
Greensburg Central Catholic fends off Springdale rally to earn spot in state playoffs
She cranked a shot into the left-field corner and never saw the outfielder bobble the softball. Emma Henry only had one thing on her mind when the ball left the bat and she made the turn: Keep running. The Greensburg Central Catholic junior got the offense started with a triple...
With 233 wins, WPIAL title to his credit, Norwin baseball coach Mike Liebdzinski steps down
As sure as he looked at his watch, Mike Liebdzinski knew when he walked off the field Monday at Plum that it was time. The longtime Norwin baseball coach is calling it a career after nearly three decades in the dugout. He told his players about his resignation Thursday. “This...
