High School category, Page 800
Shady Side, Neighborhood Academy students team up for football co-op
After 127 years as an independent football program, Shady Side Academy now has a partner. Due to a recently-approved cooperative agreement, 11 students from The Neighborhood Academy in Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights section will be suiting up for Shady Side Academy. The co-op was approved by the PIAA on July 14...
Bethel Park QB Max Blanc plans for college career at Youngstown State
Max Blanc is a student of the game, particularly at the quarterback position. Blanc is a 6-foot-5, 210-pound strong-armed signal caller at Bethel Park who also plays linebacker. He studies, learns, then executes the Black Hawks’ game-plan to the best of his intellectual abilities. “His football IQ is better than...
Bethel Park boys soccer eyes WPIAL playoff berth
Small steps. The Bethel Park boys soccer team isn’t reaching for the sky this season. More on point, the Black Hawks would like to return to the WPIAL playoffs after sitting out the postseason the past four years. “Our goal is to make the playoffs,” said fourth-year coach Doug Fink,...
North Journal notebook: North Allegheny girls golfers off to strong start
The North Allegheny girls golf team opened its season by shooting 166 to sweep a tri-match with Fox Chapel (188) and Mt. Lebanon (185). Katie Rose Rankin shot 38 at North Park. Sissi Hai shot 40, Lauren Kardos had a 42 and Megan Manesiotis 46. Niyati Cannabilla, Jena Norman, Amber...
New wave of players ready to carry on North Allegheny girls volleyball tradition
Senior middle hitter Rachel Burton understands the expectations for the North Allegheny girls volleyball team. With 88 victories in their last 89 matches, including an 18-0 mark last season that culminated in the Tigers’ fourth straight PIAA Class 3A title, no one in the program wants to see the train...
Franklin Regional girls golfers look to stay on top of section
Franklin Regional girls golf coach Kane Daignault said he knew he had a good team returning. But when he finally got to watch freshman Anna Qin, he knew this could be a special season. Qin instantly made Franklin Regional the team to beat in Section 3-AAA, he said. “How good...
Fresh start energizes talented, young Hampton cross country team
A youthful Hampton girls cross country team is about to get even younger. And probably a lot better. The Talbots return five of their top seven runners from the WPIAL championships and welcome talented freshman Kevyn Fish into the fold. “I’m really excited,” said sophomore Lydia Bailey, who as a...
Hampton boys soccer seniors driven to make most of last chance
Since going undefeated as eighth graders, the seniors on the Hampton boys soccer team have held lofty expectations. They own a sparkling 35-15-3 overall record in three seasons but have zero section titles and no WPIAL championship game appearances. This is their final chance, and they plan on making the...
Ligonier Valley pitcher Maddie Griffin commits to Youngstown State
A slightly crumpled piece of paper is far from a national letter of intent, but it sure meant a lot to Maddie Griffin when she was a big-dreaming middle schooler. “I still have the paper I wrote my future goals on from fifth grade,” said Griffin, a star softball pitcher...
Big-play defense leads Sto-Rox past Bishop Sycamore at Wolvarena
Sto-Rox’s high-scoring offense will have big nights this season, there’s little doubt about that. But this season-opening win belonged to the defense. Tre’shaun Barron returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown and the Vikings kept forcing turnovers in a 19-7 victory Friday night over Bishop Sycamore of Columbus, Ohio....
Philly power Imhotep Charter wears down Central Catholic with oversized offensive line
Two tight ends, a huge offensive line and a gritty running back gaining chucks of yardage at a time. This certainly was the style of offense Central Catholic usually would relish. Yet, this was the rare occasion when someone was doing that to the Vikings. Philadelphia powerhouse Imhotep Charter ran...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 28, 2021
LOCAL High schools Football Friday’s results Western PA vs. Everyone Showcase At Wolvarena Sto-Rox 19, Bishop Sycamore (Ohio) 7 Imhotep 12, Central Catholic 6 Nonconference Albert Gallatin 40, Yough 0 Armstrong 48, Freeport 14 Avonworth 49, Summit Academy 14 Beaver 33, Quaker Valley 0 Blackhawk 31, Beaver Falls 20 California...
2021 WPIAL statistical leaders for rushing, passing, receiving in Week Zero
Top performers for Week Zero of high school football in Western Pennsylvania. Passing 318 - Hayden Teska, Greensburg Salem (14 of 40) 267 - Cadin Olsen, Armstrong (13 of 26) 224 - Nick Buckley, Keystone Oaks (23 of 30) 187 - Jake Phillips, Hempfield (14 of 24) 198 - Carson...
Week Zero high school football roundup: Moon takes down Seneca Valley
Dylan Sleva rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns as Moon defeated Seneca Valley, 38-21, in the Week Zero nonconference opener for both football teams Friday night. Tyler McGowan threw for 49 yards and one touchdown and ran for 100 yards on seven carries for the Tigers (1-0). Kai West...
Quarterback’s breakout game powers South Fayette past Montour
For Landon Lutz, this was a long time coming. Two years after nearly claiming South Fayette’s starting quarterback job, Lutz made his first start as a varsity player Friday. The result? A smashing success. Lutz methodically executed South Fayette’s offense, passing 13 of 16 for 138 yards and a touchdown,...
Mt. Lebanon delivers complete performance, shuts out Bethel Park
It didn’t take the Mt. Lebanon offense long to get on track in 2021. And the defense did its job, too, during a season-opening 28-0 win Friday night at Bethel Park in a nonconference game. After holding Bethel Park to a three and out on the opening first series, Mt....
Dickerson, Tracey score 2 TDs each; defense stout as North Hills blanks Mars
Moments after shaking hands with their opponents from Mars, the North Hills players raced over to their sideline to greet a packed and raucous student section waiting for them in the visitor’s grandstand. “The student section and the atmosphere were crazy,” North Hills running back Liam Tracey said. “It makes...
Latrobe builds huge 1st-half lead, dominates Derry
Vince Skillings stood motionless as his grandson, Latrobe sophomore Ja’Tawn Williams, intercepted a Derry pass and raced 45 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game. It was about the only thing Skillings could laugh about after Latrobe thrashed his Trojans, 61-0, on Friday night in the...
Hempfield’s furious 4th quarter dooms Greensburg SalemVideo
Hempfield scored 22 points in the fourth quarter Friday and rallied to defeat rival Greensburg Salem, 29-14, at Spartan Stadium. Junior quarterback Jake Phillips tossed two touchdown passes, including the winner to junior Ian Tuffs with 3 minutes, 2 seconds left to erase a 14-13 deficit. Junior Elijah Binakonsky iced...
Smith shines as Franklin Regional beats rival Plum
Things couldn’t have started any better for Franklin Regional and new coach Lance Getsy on Friday against Plum at Franklin Regional Stadium in Murrysville. A Caden Smith interception, his first of three picks, on the first play from scrimmage led to a Connor Donnelly 2-yard touchdown run. With less than...
Led by QB’s 99-yard run on 1st snap, Penn-Trafford speeds past Norwin
If the first play of the season is an indicator of how Penn-Trafford’s football season is going to go, watch out for the Warriors. Carter Green took his first snap as the Warriors’ starting quarterback and went 99 yards for a touchdown on the team’s first play from scrimmage —...
Olsen, Armstrong roll after slow start in victory over Freeport
It took a little more than a quarter for Cadin Olsen to get into gear. But when the 6-foot-5, 205-pound junior quarterback started clicking with some new players in the lineup, the Armstrong River Hawks were on their way to an opening night victory, 48-14 at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium....
Southmoreland football holds on vs. McGuffey
Southmoreland had the ball on its own 20 and a 20-point lead when Anthony Govern threw a deep pass over the middle that was intercepted by McGuffey’s Ethan Dietrich and returned 45 yards for a touchdown with 19 seconds left in the first half. Josh Plants made the second of...
Mt. Pleasant turns in dominating performance, beats Burrell in season opener
Heading into its season opener, Burrell knew it needed to dictate the tempo with its run game. The Mt. Pleasant defense thwarted the Bucs from establishing anything on offense. The Vikings capitalized on their short fields and Burrell miscues in a 40-7 nonconference win Friday night at Mt. Pleasant Viking...
Central Catholic draws Philadelphia power Imhotep Charter in cross-state Week Zero clash
Finding a willing Week Zero opponent nearby isn’t always easy for Central Catholic, the two-time defending WPIAL Class 6A champion. “I’ll be honest, there are calls I avoid, too,” said coach Terry Totten, listing nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. “But for the most part, yeah, teams...
