High School category, Page 922
Trib HSSN 2020-21 WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball preseason breakdown
Getting to the WPIAL girls basketball finals will take even more dedication and focus than ever this season. Teams will have to navigate an invisible opponent in covid-19 that could test them more than a section rival. But a reward of a WPIAL championship will drive girls basketball teams across...
WPIAL standouts earn spots on all-state girls volleyball lists
More than three dozen from the WPIAL have earned all-state girls volleyball recognition by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association. The four lists were released Monday and honor the top players from each of the 12 districts for accomplishments during a season unlike any other. Seneca Valley senior setter Sarah White...
School districts’ masks policies could impact WPIAL competitions
“Mask or no mask” has become a WPIAL dilemma. Some school districts will require athletes to wear masks during competition this winter and others will not, a disagreement likely to cause conflict and maybe cancellations. For now, there is no WPIAL or PIAA guideline, so the issue is left for...
Highlands’ Gabe Norris commits to Robert Morris University
Gabe Norris’ recruitment has dragged on for the past two years, but when it came down to it, the Highlands midfielder found his collegiate home in about two weeks. On Sunday, Norris announced his commitment to continue his soccer career at Robert Morris. “It’s weird because I’ve been doing this...
Boys basketball preview: Valley wants redemption after missing playoffs
After three straight trips to the WPIAL playoffs, the Valley boys basketball team was not as fortunate last season as it skidded to a 4-17 overall record and a 3-9 mark in Section 3-3A. But veteran coach Mark Faulx sees a different path for the Vikings this year with several...
Girls basketball preview: Valley seeks 1st winning season in 17 years
Jada Norman is ready to take that next step, both in her personal game and for the team overall. The Valley sophomore forward feels this year’s team can raise its level of success higher than in recent seasons. The Vikings won just one game a year ago. “We’re working hard...
4 starters return as Yough girls basketball continues to build
It’s all about building a foundation for the Yough girls basketball program. But adding the building blocks became difficult last season as the Cougars went 0-14 in section play and 3-19 overall. “It’s a slow process,” fourth-year coach Mike Gerdich said. “From where we started in my first year coming...
Yough boys looking to establish routine despite obstacles
Coaches have many challenges as the 2020-21 high school basketball season approaches. One of them is simply getting players into a routine. That’s the situation facing veteran coach Jim Nesser as he prepares Yough boys basketball for what he hopes is a return to the WPIAL playoffs. Yough is coming...
Coaches have mixed feeling about PIAA wrestling proposals
Wrestling coaches around Westmoreland County had mixed feelings about the PIAA’s proposal for how to handle postseason tournaments amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The PIAA board of directors will meet Wednesday and will consider reducing the amount of teams and individuals that will qualify for the state tournaments because of the...
Moon’s Mia Cochran named Pa. Track and Field Coaches Association Runner of the Year
Mia Cochran came minutes away from not defending her WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA titles. After receiving a negative covid-19 test and getting cleared to compete just before the WPIAL championship race, Cochran went on to capture another district gold medal. A week later she won the state championship. For...
Undefeated state champions lead Trib 25 football all-stars
Two WPIAL teams went unbeaten from start to finish, remarkable seasons that included lopsided wins, running clocks and record-setting stats. Ultimately, WPIAL champions Central Valley and Pine-Richland both celebrated undefeated state titles in Hershey. Their dominance — outscoring opponents by more than 400 points — is represented here in the...
Trib HSSN 2020-21 WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball preseason breakdown
Getting to the WPIAL girls basketball finals will take even more dedication and focus than ever this season. Teams will have to navigate an invisible opponent in covid-19 that could test them more than a section rival. But a reward of a WPIAL championship will drive girls basketball teams across...
Trib HSSN 2020-21 WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball preseason breakdown
This will surely be a boys basketball season like no other. WPIAL teams are set to tip off Friday and embark on a masked journey through a schedule likely to change many times as the year progresses. Teams all have hopes of hoisting a WPIAL championship trophy in March, much...
PIHL standings through Dec. 6, 2020
Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings through Dec. 6: Team – Wins – Losses – Overtime/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class AAA North Allegheny, 3-1-0 = 6 Peters Township, 3-1-0 = 6 Canon-McMillan, 2-0-0 = 4 Mt. Lebanon, 2-1-0 = 4 Pine-Richland, 2-1-0 = 4 Seneca Valley,...
Basketball tips off this week on TribLive High School Sports Network
After a week of rest in between scholastic sports seasons, we turn our attention fully to winter sports with pucks and round balls this week only on the TribLive High School Sports Network. We tip off the 2020-21 high school hoops season with several WPIAL boys and girls basketball games...
Girls basketball preview: Numbers shouldn’t be a problem for St. Joseph this season
The St. Joseph girls basketball team won just three games a year ago, but an opportunity to take part in the WPIAL Class A playoffs was a positive end to a season of growth for a team that lost just two to graduation. “I think we played as good as...
Boys basketball preview: Southmoreland steps up in class with young roster
With a quiet demeanor, the Southmoreland boys basketball team practices with masks on while the coach looks on wearing a face shield. The facial coverings are a sign of the times, but the Scotties are getting used to them. And the shield has not changed the way coach Frank Muccino...
Girls basketball preview: Southmoreland hopes for strong encore to historic season
Reaching the WPIAL finals for the first time and going two rounds deep in the state playoffs made Southmoreland one of the darlings of WPIAL girls basketball last season. Their story caught the eye of starving fans in town, neighboring spectators and even casual observers who appreciate good teams come...
St. Joseph boys basketball eyes return to postseason after down year
Andrew Sullivan remembers the feeling two years ago when the St. Joseph boys basketball team won 18 games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 1A playoffs. Eight seniors graduated from that team, and a younger and less experienced Spartans squad slipped to six wins last season. With...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Local football players dot all-star teams
The Big 5/6 Conference, which recognizes the accomplishments of teams and athletes in the WPIAL’s largest classifications, announced all-star teams for football. A number of local players made the lists, including in Class 6A where Hempfield senior center Sean Knight and the Norwin trio of senior lineman Anthony Giansante, senior...
Baldwin basketball teams take fresh approach
Location, location, location. Veteran coach Jeff Ackermann has returned to his South Hills roots. A Brentwood native who has won five WPIAL titles and one PIAA championship at various schools, Ackermann was hired in May to oversee the boys basketball program at Baldwin. “We have a fairly young team with...
Gateway swimmers have medal ambitions, wait patiently to dive into competition
The last time Gateway swimmers competed in a high school meet, coronavirus impacted the proceedings. In the initial stages of what would become a pandemic, PIAA officials shortened the second day of March’s Class AAA state championship event at Bucknell University. Several Gators competitors were affected. Covid concerns have again...
Loaded Sewickley Academy girls roster includes 5 returning starters and then some
The excitement in coach Mark Gaither’s voice was through the roof. Just one year after achieving an overall record of 14-12 and earning a berth into the WPIAL Class A semifinals, the Sewickley Academy girls basketball team is returning all five of its starters and then some. “We have a...
Quaker Valley girls basketball, a program on the rise, sets championship goals
The Quaker Valley girls basketball team got a nice taste of success last season, and now it’s ready for more. After recording an overall record of 17-7 and earning a blowout first-round victory over No. 9 West Mifflin, the Quakers got a shot at No. 1 seed North Catholic. While...
Pair of WPIAL qualifiers return to lead Penn Hills wrestling
In a normal year, turnout for Penn Hills wrestling is low. This season is no different, but the pandemic has caused a couple of more wrestlers to sit out the year. The Indians return only two lettermen from last year, and they couldn’t be more important for a young and...
