High School category, Page 692
Former WPIAL football stars playing waiting game in hopes of being selected in USFL Draft
T.J. Neal has taken a circuitous route in chasing his dreams of playing professional football, going from major-college programs to living in hotels as he bounced around indoor and spring leagues. The 28-year-old McKeesport native has toiled in obscurity while watching his former teammates at Illinois and Auburn shine in...
Butler boys, South Fayette girls star at TSTCA indoor track meet
Star sprinter Guinness Brown of Butler turned in four first-place finishes, two in individual events and two in relays, to headline the performance of WPIAL athletes at the TSTCA indoor meet at Edinboro on Saturday. Brown won the 200- and 400-meter dashes and was part of winning teams in the...
Szymanski keeps Burrell’s WPIAL champion streak alive
One historic run at Burrell ended this season, but an even longer one continued. Burrell senior Shawn Szymanski used a takedown to defeat Jefferson-Morgan sophomore Chase Frameli, 5-4, at 145 pounds to win a WPIAL Class AA title and extend his school’s streak of WPIAL champions to 23 years. The...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 19, 2022
High schools Basketball Boys WPIAL playoffs Class 6A First round Tuesday’s schedule North Hills (22-0) bye; Baldwin (12-10) at North Allegheny (14-8), 7 p.m.; Hempfield (7-15) at Mt. Lebanon (14-8), 7 p.m.; Penn-Trafford (9-12) at Upper St. Clair (15-7), 7 p.m.; Fox Chapel (21-1) bye; Bethel Park (16-6) at Pine-Richland...
City League crowns wrestling champions
Allderdice will send 11 wrestlers to the Northwest Regional tournament next month after an impressive showing Saturday at the City League championships at Carrick. The Dragons had three champions — Mike Rosario (120 pounds), Elijah White (160) and Marcus Wahila (215) — as well as five runners-up and three third-place...
Mt. Pleasant’s Pitzer, Frazier’s Lawrence dominate WPIAL 2A tournament
Central Valley senior Ambrose Boni was awarded the Outstanding Wrestler award by the Class 2A coaches Saturday at the WPIAL individual championships, but no one dominated the tournament more than Mt. Pleasant senior Dayton Pitzer and Frazier sophomore Rune Lawrence. Pitzer claimed his third WPIAL title and Lawrence his second...
George Guido: Willie Thrower luncheon set for April 9
On the 20th anniversary of Willie Thrower’s death, it’s a good time to look at the upcoming luncheon to decide the region’s top quarterback. The second annual Willie Thrower Award will be issued April 9 at the New Kensington Quality Inn. Thrower, a New Kensington High School graduate who became...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Kiski Area’s Lexi Colaianni, St. Joseph’s Jimmy Giannetta
Lexi Colaianni Class: Junior School: Kiski Area Sport: Basketball Report card: Colaianni made nine 3-pointers for a game-high 27 points in a 61-37 win over Freeport in Kiski Area’s season finale Monday. It was a school record for 3s in a game. She returned to the lineup after missing last...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Norwin’s Adam Bilinsky, Latrobe’s Emma Blair
Adam Bilinsky School: Norwin Sport: Basketball Year: Junior Claim to fame: Bilinsky, who is averaging 17.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2 blocks this season, scored 31 points to lead Norwin (9-10) to a 63-54 win over Franklin Regional in nonsection action Monday. A few days earlier, he finished with 16...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Hempfield senior signs with Duquesne
A torn ACL and the accompanying surgery cost Capri DeCaro her senior basketball season, but the injury did not ward off college suitors looking to recruit the Hempfield senior for track and field. A talented jumper, DeCaro signed last week to join the women’s program at Duquesne. She had one...
Hampton senior Wolfe enjoying best season after biding his time as junior backup
Hampton wrestler Alan Wolfe refused to get discouraged last season, stuck on the bench behind a two-time WPIAL qualifier. Wolfe worked hard every practice, patiently awaiting his chance. This season he is proving it was worth the wait. The 172-pound senior is 20-10 — after winning a combined 14 matches...
Fox Chapel’s Emi Kartsonas makes mark in multiple sports at Aquinas Academy
Emi Kartsonas has been one of the area’s busiest student-athletes, and it looks like she won’t be slowing down anytime soon. The Aquinas Academy senior has had an outstanding high school career, lettering in basketball, field hockey and lacrosse, and those teams have all made the WPIAL playoffs each of...
Fox Chapel community mourns Mark Bellinger, who revitalized crew program
In the early 1990s, Dr. Mark Bellinger bought a scull and took up rowing for personal exercise. His daughter, Katie, thought it looked fun and began urging her father to help start a rowing team at Fox Chapel Area High School. It turned out to be the start of a...
Chartiers Valley wrestlers find individual success
This season has been a wild ride on the mat for the Chartiers Valley wrestling team. The Colts have enjoyed historic highs and struggled through some tough lows. They missed the WPIAL team playoffs for a second straight year after finishing 0-4 in the tough Section 4-3A. “We definitely had...
Development of young Chartiers Valley players provides optimism for future
What a difference a goal or two would have made for the Chartiers Valley hockey team. No team in the PIHL had more overtime or shootout losses then the Colts, who also were near the top in the league in one-goal losses. “We would definitely like to have swapped outcomes...
Bethel Park wrestlers look forward to individual postseason
Bethel Park’s wrestlers were hoping to make some noise in the postseason. Loud noise, if possible. “Individually, we’re looking forward for the postseason,” coach Tim Crawford said. “Our season has been going very well. We are happy to have made the WPIAL team tournament. We rebounded to beat Peters Township...
Bethel Park basketball teams power through ups, downs to earn playoff berths
Both teams at Bethel Park qualified for the WPIAL basketball playoffs. Here is a rundown of their 2021-22 regular seasons: Bethel Park girls Bethel Park’s girls team displayed significant improvement in the second half of the season. The Black Hawks won eight of their last 10 games to end up...
Norwin notebook: Wrestling team wins late-season tournament
The WPIAL team wrestling championship had already been decided, but that didn’t stop Norwin from beating up on opponents. The Knights won the Derry Duals on Feb. 12 in impressive fashion. They went 5-0 to take the title, defeating Meadville (47-19), Franklin Regional (46-22), Trinity (36-33), Derry (52-17) and Frazier...
Playoff berth breathes new life into Norwin boys basketball program
Norwin players and coaches sprinted toward center court and embraced one another. They soon were joined by some student fans who rushed the court after the final buzzer sounded. It had been a while since the Norwin boys basketball team, the program, felt something like this. Such energy and excitement...
Before speeding off to Youngstown State, North Hills swimmer excited for WPIAL meet
As Maddie Mahoney learned, she also grew an appreciation for teaching. That’s why Mahoney wants to study early childhood education when she heads to Youngstown State this fall. She also will do a little swimming. Mahoney, a senior at North Hills, committed to the Penguins in December, a culmination of...
Family, opportunity led North Hills speedster Dickerson to Robert Morris
After an explosive high school football career and a winding, challenging recruiting process, Robert Dickerson has found a home for the next four years. And he will have to drive only a few miles down the road to get there. Dickerson, North Hills’ dynamic wide receiver, committed to Robert Morris...
North Allegheny notebook: Wrestling caps team season with split
North Allegheny’s boys wrestling team split its final dual meet matches of the season Feb. 15. The Tigers defeated Penn-Trafford, 40-28, and lost to Connellsville, 54-9. Against the Falcons, Dylan Coy picked up a decision at 126 pounds, and Casey Walker won by forfeit at 106. In the win over...
North Allegheny grad Ayden Owens lands at Arkansas with record-setting splash
Ayden Owens felt the sunshine of Southern California and the cold of Ann Arbor, Mich., in his first three years of college. Nowadays, you’ll find the former North Allegheny star breaking track and field records down south in Fayetteville, Ark. He knows that may surprise some. “I’ve taken a crazy...
Franklin Regional boys stay motivated throughout up-and-down season
Franklin Regional boys’ basketball team season didn’t end how it planned. The Panthers missed out of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs after finishing in a three-way tie in Section 3-5A with Woodland Hills and McKeesport at 5-7. “The season was filled with ups and downs,” Franklin Regional first-year coach Jesse...
Franklin Regional notebook: Panthers miss playoffs on tiebreaker
The Franklin Regional boys basketball team needed a win in its final Section 3-5A game of the season to get into the WPIAL playoffs, but neighboring Gateway spoiled the Panthers’ plans. Gateway won, 57-36, to send the Panthers into a three-way tie for third place in the section. The top...
