High School category, Page 642
Westmoreland County WPIAL baseball playoff preview capsules for May 17, 2022
WPIAL baseball playoffs Capsule previews Class 5A First round 12-Thomas Jefferson (13-6) vs. 5-Latrobe (12-7) 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hempfield Winner plays: Winner of 13-Chartiers Valley (9-11) vs. 4-Mars (14-5) on Thursday in quarterfinals Players to watch: T.J. Bucy, Sr., Thomas Jefferson; Logan Short, Sr., Latrobe Last year’s finish: Thomas...
Alle-Kiski Valley well represented at WPIAL track and field championships
Greg Klingensmith owns the Apollo-Ridge boys school record in the discus at 156 feet 9 inches recorded in placing third at last year’s WPIAL Class 2A track and field championships at Slippery Rock University. The William & Mary football recruit has his sights set on improving both numbers as he...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Leechburg’s Tommy Burke
Tommy Burke spent his four years in high school balancing numerous activities, including baseball, football, academics and musical theater. Despite the hefty workload, the Leechburg senior managed to become the school’s valedictorian. Burke excelled on the gridiron last fall as the Blue Devils’ starting quarterback, throwing for 2,207 yards and...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Mt. Pleasant’s Mark Gallagher
It can be said that opposites attract. On the tennis court, that’s certainly true for Mt. Pleasant seniors Mark Gallagher and Ryan Borkowski. Gallagher and Borkowski were among the top players in Section 1-2A this season, and they teamed up to finish third in the section doubles tournament and earn...
WPIAL hires chief operating officer to ease workload of executive director
The role of the WPIAL executive director has changed over the years, with social media bringing more and more issues to the league’s attention, said outgoing director Amy Scheuneman. As a result, executive directors has become more than a one-person job. Now more than ever, the WPIAL staff and its...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on May 16, 2022: Baseball, softball playoffs begin
Welcome to opening day of the 2022 WPIAL baseball, softball and lacrosse playoffs. Of course for the diamond sports, it is weather permitting. Perhaps with an eye on the forecast, the WPIAL did schedule all four games for turf fields, including the lone district baseball preliminary round game. McKeesport faces...
Trib HSSN broadcasts set to begin for baseball, softball, spring sports playoffs
The curtain is about to rise on the final district party of the school year. Let the games of the 2022 spring sports postseason begin this week here on the TribLive High School Sports Network. We have exclusive video and audio diamond action from the WPIAL baseball and softball first...
Trib HSSN Baseball Team of the Week for May 15, 2022
A year after key injuries helped keep the district’s preseason top-ranked team in Class 5A baseball from reaching its potential, most of those key players were returning for what looked like a potentially dominant spring for West Allegheny. However, it didn’t take long for injuries to mount and take a...
Optimistic Plum girls lacrosse team seeks 1st playoff victory
Heading into this season, the Plum girls lacrosse team already had experienced the WPIAL playoffs three times in its young history. The first trip came in 2018 in only its second full season in the WPIAL. As the No. 10 seed for the Class 2A playoffs, the Mustangs lost to...
Trib HSSN Baseball Player of the Week for May 15, 2022
Following an 8-2 start to the 2022 baseball season, Knoch hit a rut as April turned to May. A four-game losing streak killed the Knights’ chances at a Section 1-4A title and saw them slipping toward the middle of the pack in Class 4A. Winning three of four games last...
Franklin Regional lineman Nesler takes up cause of disabled veterans
Inspired by what he heard and saw, Andrew Nesler set out to help — a good soldier wanting to pay back an army of them for their service. A junior football player at Franklin Regional, Nesler formed a fundraiser called “DefenseForDefense” aimed at raising money for disabled war veterans. The...
Softball playoff capsule: Baldwin vs. Norwin, Monday, May 16, 2022
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 6A First round 9-Baldwin (4-11) vs. 8-Norwin (5-9) 3 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin Winner plays: 1-Hempfield (12-3) at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Penn-Trafford Players to watch: Gabby Jaquay, Fr., Baldwin; Madie Kessler, Jr., Norwin Last year’s finish: Baldwin — Lost to Bethel Park, 9-1, in...
Quaker Valley boys lacrosse gears up for playoffs coming off dominant regular season
Quaker Valley’s performance this season in boys lacrosse has been off the charts. It’s been the case of 12 up and 12 down in games played through May 8. The perfect 12-0 record vaulted the Quakers into first place in Section 1-2A. They were the only undefeated team in the...
Gateway savors elusive section volleyball title
The 36-year wait to put another number on the boys volleyball section-title banner in the gym at the Gateway Furrie Sports Complex has ended. Head coach Phil Randolph and his players couldn’t be more excited. Gateway clinched its first section title since 1986 with a 3-0 win over Mars on...
Sewickley Academy baseball meets lofty expectations with solid season
The Sewickley Academy baseball team had a firm foundation to build upon this season. Junior shortstop Adin Zorn, senior third baseman Sajen Schuchert, sophomore first baseman Jordan Smith and juniors Nick Straka (catcher), Bennett Spencer (infield) and Nick Madison (outfield) were returning starters. Zorn, Schuchert, Smith and Spencer bolstered the...
P-T’s Nate Schlessinger wins discus title at Baldwin Invitational
Penn-Trafford senior Nate Schlessinger won a title at the 48th Annual Baldwin Invitational. Schlessinger won the discus with a toss of 139-8. Amelia Barilla placed second in the girls mile run to South Fayette’s Lauren Iagnemma. who ran a 5:15.84. Barilla ran a 5:18.16. Madison Setzenfand finished second in the...
Penn Hills’ Richardson makes all-rookie team
Irlynn Richardson wanted to be sharp while she was on the diamond. The Lincoln (Pa.) University freshman spent more time as a collegian getting to know her opponents. “I wanted to have a higher IQ,” said Richardson, who is a 2021 Penn Hills graduate. “The girls at this level are...
Penn Hills softball shows marked improvement in ‘exciting’ season
Things were difficult down the stretch for the Penn Hills softball team, but the Indians still had a strong opportunity in front of them. If Penn Hills had found a way to beat Plum on May 10 at home, the Indians could have made the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs for...
Pine-Richland teams turn in playoff seasons in 4 spring sports
Four Pine-Richland spring sports teams earned spots in the WPIAL playoffs. The Rams baseball, softball, boys and girls lacrosse teams all qualified for the postseason. Here is a look at how they got there. Baseball The Rams split the Section 1-6A title with North Allegheny a season after a rare...
Pine-Richland grad Johnson leads Kent State batters
Josh Johnson sticks to the same regimen before every game. He starts by drinking an energy drink. Then he puts his gloves and cleats on the exact same way every time. After that he takes four rounds in the batting cage before taking batting practice every day. Some would call...
Riverview’s Bauer hopes to build on school-record time in 800 at WPIAL meet
Amberson Bauer qualified, along with several of his Riverview track and field teammates, for the WPIAL Class 2A championships at Slippery Rock University. The junior middle distance and distance specialist built up a great deal of momentum leading up to the meet with times that put him in contention for...
Plum notebook: Softball team grabs final berth, earns trip to Class 5A playoffs
It has been an up and down season for the Plum softball team, but last Tuesday against Penn Hills, the Mustangs were able to enjoy a victory which clinched a spot in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. Plum controlled its own destiny for the fourth and final spot from Section...
George Guido: Don’t pay attention to seeds in WPIAL baseball tournament
The 108th WPIAL baseball tournament is set to begin this week in all six classifications. The Alle-Kiski Valley has six teams entered, but none are seeded any higher than eighth. Of course, anyone who has followed the WPIAL baseball playoffs for any amount of time will say seeding means almost...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Norwin’s Bailey Snowberger, Hempfield’s Chaz Ewer
Bailey Snowberger School: Norwin Sport: Softball Year: Sophomore Claim to fame: Snowberger, a shortstop, helped Norwin make a late push for a WPIAL Class 6A playoff spot. She led off Tuesday’s game with a triple, hustling to third and beating the throw, and finished with two hits and an RBI...
Ligonier Valley ace Maddie Griffin dealing with hand injury, could miss time in playoffs
Ligonier Valley ace softball pitcher Maddie Griffin could miss Wednesday’s WPIAL playoff opener, and possibly be out longer, because of an injury to her throwing hand. The senior right-hander, who tossed a 21-strikeout perfect game earlier this season, was hurt Monday during a game at Apollo-Ridge. Griffin hit a grounder...
