High School category, Page 860
Baldwin finding balance as unusual softball season kicks into gear
Baldwin softball coach Gina Fuchs is counting on junior shortstop Maleah Pacella to be the team’s linchpin this season, both offensively and defensively. Pacella hit .483 as a freshman in 2019 and can play either middle infield position. “I expect Maleah to anchor our defense at shortstop,” Fuchs said. “She...
Sewickley Academy softball focused on development
The Sewickley Academy softball team will look to build in 2021. After losing four-year starting pitcher Alexis Barlock, along with four other starters, the Panthers won’t have any seniors this season and co-head coaches Heather Border and Shannon Rankin are looking to build the program back up. “We’re just focusing...
Quaker Valley boys lacrosse looking to improve with inexperienced team
Two years ago, with a team that was filled with experienced talent, Quaker Valley boys lacrosse earned a third-place finish in the WPIAL tournament and punched its ticket to the PIAA playoffs. But after a canceled season due to the coronavirus pandemic and the graduation of a talented group, the...
Father-son duo forms backbone of Penn Hills volleyball program
Joe Mitlo has latched onto several integral roles this year on the Penn Hills boys volleyball team. He is a 6-foot-2 middle hitter, senior team leader, team captain, student-athlete, team player, a teaching tool at times, plus he is the coach’s son. “To be honest, I sometimes forget that I’m...
Penn Hills baseball team follows 2-sport captains into battle
A trio of co-captains who play two sports but excel on the diamond — Josh Zambito, Anthony Sciulli and Josh Gerken — will lead the Penn Hills baseball team into this season. Zambito, a first baseman and pitcher, was a two-way lineman on the football team. His baseball skills are...
Intrigue surrounds 2021 PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs
After the 2020 playoffs were suspended and eventually canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the PIHL is ready to crown Penguins Cup champions once again. The 2021 version of the playoffs are set to get underway with quarterfinal games in each classification scheduled for Monday. There’s intrigue in each class....
Trib HSSN Softball Team of the Week for week ending April 4, 2021
When last we saw the Norwin softball team, it was falling in the final four. The Knights lost to North Allegheny, 8-4, in the 2019 Class 6A semifinals, ending their season with a 13-8 overall record. Now in his sixth season as coach at Norwin, Brian Mesich knows a lot...
Burrell’s Dynamic Duo, Ian Oswalt and AJ Corrado cap off high school careers at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic
Throughout their high school wrestling careers, Burrell’s AJ Corrado and Ian Oswalt often have been intertwined. As teammates, they’ve helped the Bucs capture four straight WPIAL team titles and led them to a third-place finish at the PIAA team tournament this season. They combined to win six WPIAL individual titles...
Mt. Pleasant gets past Penn-Trafford in early-season softball showdownVideo
Having played three games coming into Saturday’s nonsection showdown against Penn-Trafford, a team that finally was playing its long-awaited season opener, Mt. Pleasant had somewhat of an advantage. “An advantage, or a disadvantage?” Mt. Pleasant coach Chris Brunson pondered before the game. “You never know how that’s going to go.”...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 3, 2021
High schools WPIAL Baseball Saturday’s results Class 5A Section 1 Laurel Highlands 11, West Mifflin 1 Section 4 Plum 7, Armstrong 2 Plum 10, Armstrong 0 Nonsection Mars 20, Shenango 8 Penn-Trafford 4, Connellsville 3 Pine-Richland 9, Hempfield 8 Riverside 15, Ellwood City 13 Seneca Valley 8, Avonworth 2 Hockey...
High school roundup for April 3, 2021: Tanner Singh delivers walkoff win for Pine-Richland
Tanner Singh hit a walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead Pine-Richland to a 9-8 victory over Hempfield in a nonsection slugfest Saturday afternoon. Chase Vrabel went 3 for 3 and Joey Woodrow doubled, tripled and drove in three for the Rams (2-0). Joe Fiedor...
Valley News Dispatch Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Plum’s Kennedie Montue
Valley News Dispatch Girls Basketball Player of the Year Kennedie Montue, Plum 5-11, Sr., Forward In Plum’s season-opening win over Mars, Kennedie Montue scored 29 points. Two nights later, she scored 30 as the Mustangs nearly upended Upper St. Clair. Montue then hit for 30 as Plum rolled past Kiski...
Valley News Dispatch Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Fox Chapel’s Eli Yofan
Valley News Dispatch Boys Basketball Player of the Year Eli Yofan, Fox Chapel 6-2, Jr., Guard Heading into this season, the Fox Chapel boys basketball team was set to replace four senior starters from a team that went 21-2 the previous year and earned the No. 2 seed in the...
Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Latrobe’s Anna Rafferty
Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Basketball Player of the Year Anna Rafferty, Latrobe 6-2, Jr., C With defenders closing in all around her — and looking up at her in the process — Anna Rafferty calmly paused and made moves to the basket. Time and again, the junior center from Latrobe seemed...
Tribune-Review Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year: GCC’s Brevan Williams
Tribune-Review Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year Brevan Williams, Greensburg Central Catholic 6-3, Jr., G/F Nobody saw the type of season Brevan Williams had in store — not even Brevan Williams. The junior at Greensburg Central Catholic exploded onto the scene, both on a local and WPIAL-wide scope, as...
Hampton tennis off to quick start in return to Class AA
The Hampton boys tennis team is hoping to make a racket this season. After playing in a loaded Class AAA section for most of the past decade, the Talbots are competing in Class AA as part of the enrollment-based realignment. Four-time defending WPIAL Class AAA champion Fox Chapel, perennial power...
Hampton hockey rolls with punches
The youthful Hampton hockey team endured a lot of growing pains this season. The Talbots finished 4-14 in a season that started one month late because of the pandemic. They were shut down for two weeks in mid-February when a player tested positive after a practice, and two key players...
Shady Side Academy girls lacrosse ready to rewrite story
Two years ago, the Shady Side Academy girls lacrosse program won its first WPIAL championship in historical fashion. In a game that stretched over 24 hours because of weather conditions, Shady Side Academy’s Molly Walsh scored with three minutes left in the second overtime of their WPIAL championship match with...
Shady Side Academy’s Melissa Riggins ready to end high school career on high note
Shady Side Academy senior Melissa Riggins had her sights set on becoming the first girl to win state medals in the 800- and 1600-meter races in four straight years. She was halfway there heading into her junior season when the coronavirus pandemic brought an end to that goal after the...
Strong season has South Fayette girls basketball excited about program’s future
Every team had to deal with the pandemic this past basketball season, but covid-19 related issues hit some programs more than others. The South Fayette girls basketball team had several stops and starts it had to deal with, but it was able to enjoy success in a season that started...
Pine-Richland track team boasts large crop of WPIAL, PIAA contenders
The Pine-Richland boys and girls track teams are looking to go the distance this spring. The finish line many of the Rams hope to cross is at the state championship. That includes the endurance runners, who are part of a deep and talented group of athletes on both the boys...
Pine-Richland hockey team solidly in Class AAA mix
A glance at the PIHL Class AAA standings shows the field is wide open with the top five teams separated by four points. A closer look at Pine-Richland’s season really highlights the parity. The Rams, who were third in the final standings, split with the other top-five teams: Peters Township,...
Riverview track and field athletes aim to maintain section success
After being denied an opportunity to compete and defend section championships last spring, members of the Riverview boys and girls track and field teams got back to competition March 27 at the Altoona Igloo Invitational. It was the first glimpse of what Riverview coach Dave Illnicki hopes are productive seasons....
Senior Logan Parker leads deep, talented Plum track team
Logan Parker made the most out of his winter competitions. The Plum senior built momentum heading into his senior season by placing 13th in the shot put at the Adidas Indoor Nationals in late February. Parker’s best throw of 53 feet, 9 inches placed him 13th overall and second of...
North Journal notebook: North Allegheny, North Hills teams start spring season
The high school sports spring season kicked into full swing last week. Here’s a look at how some of the North Allegheny and North Hills teams opened the campaign. Baseball Danny Gallon doubled and drove in three runs and winning pitcher Brady Palmer struck out seven to lead North Allegheny...
