High School category, Page 893
Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Player of the Week for week ending Feb. 14, 2021
It’s almost as if New Castle’s Aayanni Hudson was built for all the hurdles and obstacles that all athletes have had to deal with this season, especially at New Castle. Hudson had another big week on the score sheet, even though the Red Hurricanes lost two of their three games....
Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Team of the Week for week ending Feb. 14, 2021
Norwin girls basketball coach Brian Brozeski believes coaching has a lot to do with the fact that entering the final week of the regular season, things are still tight in Section 1-6A. “The section has a lot of good coaches and teams that have all shown improvement from the beginning...
PIHL standings through Feb. 14, 2021
Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings through Sunday. The PIHL announced games for Wheeling Park and Wheeling Central Catholic were postponed until March 1. The Pa. Cup state hockey championships are set for April 24. Wins – Losses – Overtime/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class AAA Canon-McMillan,...
WPIAL basketball teams must choose: Playoffs or no?
Many are going. Some are not. Others have stipulations, and a couple more are on the fence. The decision to enter the WPIAL open basketball playoffs is not as easy as you might think, at least for some schools. Opinions are being weighed in the decision-making process. Are we good...
An early fall? PIAA planning committee opposes starting football season sooner
The PIAA doesn’t have a prognosticating groundhog, but after hearing from its strategic planning committee, it doesn’t look like fall sports will arrive any earlier next school year. By a two-to-one margin, “starting earlier is not something (the 12 PIAA districts) would embrace at this time,” the planning committee said...
Kiski Area swimmers focused on top performances as WPIALs looms
Last year as a freshman, Parker Sterlitz had a goal of joining classmate Levi Hansen on the medals podium for the Class AAA boys 500-yard freestyle at the WPIAL championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. However, the Kiski Area distance specialist fell two seconds short, placing 12th in 4 minutes, 47.58...
Penn-Trafford wrestling team makes progress, looks forward to next season
It didn’t end the way Penn-Trafford wrestling coach A.J. Brentzel had hoped, a loss in the Section 1 championship match and a loss in the quarterfinals of the Class AAA WPIAL Team Tournament, but the second-year coach is proud of the progress the team has made in two seasons. The...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors rifle team falls to Hempfield
Penn-Trafford’s coed rifle team saw a seven-game winning streak come to an end with a loss to Hempfield on Feb. 10. The Spartans, who handed the Warriors only other loss this season, outscored Penn-Trafford, 800-59x to 797-47x. Penn-Trafford had won seven consecutive matches. The team was nearly perfect in defeating...
Penn Hills’ Pollard will walk on to Akron football team
Senior Dontae Pollard was hoping to have a strong final season for Penn Hills in an effort to increase college interest. However, a leg injury cut his season short after five games. After mulling a couple opportunities at the collegiate level, Pollard decided to walk on at Akron and announced...
Penn Hills diving newcomer qualifies for WPIAL meet
Three weeks before the season, freshman Luke Hoolahan decided to pick up diving. Even with his limited experience, the Penn Hills swimming and diving coaching staff started to think early in the season that Hoolahan had an opportunity to qualify for the WPIAL Class AAA Swimming and Diving meet. Hoolahan...
Gateway’s Andrew Holmes posts top WPIAL time in 200 IM
Gateway junior Andrew Holmes earned a WPIAL swimming championship automatic qualifying time in the 200-yard individual medley with a personal-best of 1 minute, 52.04 seconds against North Hills on Feb. 9. That put him at the top of the list in the event, surpassing Seneca Valley junior Daniel Simoes (1:52.25)...
Shaler Area’s Keenan balances basketball, indoor track
Jack Keenan didn’t seek an opportunity to follow in his dad’s footsteps. When the Shaler Area junior hurdler landed on the hurdles as his primary event in middle school track and field, the idea was to try and exceed his dad’s accomplishments. “I started in middle school because my dad...
‘Happy, cheerful and ready to go,’ Pilyih leads Shaler Area bowling
Lexi Pilyih doesn’t dwell on what could have been. The Shaler Area sophomore was a major cog of a Titans’ girls bowling team that made school history by qualifying for the state bowling championships as a team. Days before states were scheduled to commence, the Titans saw their first trip...
South Fayette swimmers maintain focus through constant changes
It has been a challenge for all sports to find any sort of routine or normalcy during this pandemic. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Daily practices have been altered and new ways to train have been created as the season creeps closer to the district championships. The...
Carlynton wrestling program looks forward to individual postseason
The team portion of the WPIAL wrestling season is in the books, with individuals set to take the spotlight. For Carlynton, like several teams these days, it’s all about the numbers — or lack of them. The Cougars have quality, but once again this season, lacked the quantity for success...
Thomas Jefferson swimmers maintain success through pandemic protocols, coaching change
Thomas Jefferson’s first-year coach is a familiar figure to the many members of the swim program. Brian Peters, former assistant to longtime mentor John Penn, has taken over as head coach following Penn’s retirement. “Wow, I have been coaching a long time, but I have never felt more like a...
Baldwin junior dives into 5-sport schedule
Baldwin junior Abbey Herrle doesn’t have time to waste. After all, she’s a five-sport athlete with a 3.6 GPA. “Every time anyone asks about my sports and how I manage five of them, I always tell them that if you love something enough, you’ll always be committed to it,” Herrle...
Quaker Valley wrestling continues upward trend after WPIAL team tournament run
When the Quaker Valley wrestling team faced off with Mt. Pleasant on Jan. 23 at the Hampton Dawg Duals, they came away with a 42-21 loss after only winning four contested matches. So when the Quakers were matched up with the Vikings in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals on Feb....
Quaker Valley girls finding their form as postseason approaches
The Quaker Valley girls basketball team is searching for a WPIAL title this season, and with just four losses on their record, the Quakers seem to be in a good position as the WPIAL’s open tournament quickly approaches later this month. Before the No. 2 Quakers fell to No. 1...
WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan take early look at girls basketball tournament
The WPIAL basketball playoffs will seem bigger than ever this winter since the league intends to hold an open tournament in each of the six classifications. Any team that wants to take part can. The WPIAL took this route because covid-related cancellations made the section standings unbalanced, making it nearly...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 13, 2021
High schools Basketball Boys Saturday’s results WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 Butler 69, North Hills 68 Class 5A Section 4 Plum 48, Armstrong 44 Indiana at Shaler, ppd. Class 4A Section 2 Central Valley 60, Beaver 37 Class 3A Section 3 Steel Valley at Shady Side Academy, ppd. Section 4...
High school roundup for Feb. 13, 2021: OLSH cruises in championship showdown
In a battle of defending WPIAL champions in their respective classes, OLSH opened up a 12-point lead in the first quarter en route to a 73-51 nonsection win over Highlands on Saturday evening. Jake DiMichele had 33 points and Dante Spadafora scored 28 for the Chargers (15-0), the defending Class...
Trib HSSN girls basketball rankings: Feb. 14, 2021
Class 6A Rk. Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 15-0, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 10-1, 2 3. Bethel Park, 11-2, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 11-3, 4 5. Norwin, 10-2, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk. Team, W-L, Last 1. Trinity, 12-1, 1 2. Chartiers Valley, 14-2, 2 3. Woodland...
Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings: Feb. 14, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 11-1, 1 2. Fox Chapel, 12-2, 3 3. Hempfield, 9-3, 4 4. North Allegheny, 12-3, 2 5. Penn-Trafford, 8-5, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 15-1, 2 2. New Castle, 13-2, 1 3. Mars,...
Westmoreland notebook: Belle Vernon boys basketball builds on last season’s success
Think of the pressure. Belle Vernon boys basketball made the WPIAL finals for the first time since 1978 last season and won a PIAA playoff game for the first time since ‘81. This year’s Leopards carried the unenviable burden of following that group into 2020-21, in the shadow of the...
