High School category, Page 930
Senior captain sets tone for Shaler hockey turnaround
Tre Junker was surprised when Shaler hockey coach Cory Sakolsky handed him a playbook. Junker, a senior forward for the Titans, has been playing hockey since he was 5. Before Shaler started its new era, Junker had questions. “I wasn’t trusting it at first,” Junker said. “It was new to...
‘Everything was strange’ for South Fayette football this season
Since coming to South Fayette in 2007, coach Joe Rossi has turned the Lions into a perennial power. It’s a program that has won four WPIAL and two PIAA championships in those 14 years. However, something strange happened to South Fayette this fall. Its season ended before the calendar changed...
Second straight WPIAL title continues long run of winning football for Thomas Jefferson
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Thomas Jefferson won its ninth WPIAL football title under coach Bill Cherpak, and 10th all-time, when the Jaguars edged Aliquippa, 35-28, in overtime Nov. 14 at North Allegheny. Cherpak captured his first WPIAL crown in 2004 at age 36. Longtime...
Senior defensive backs brought physicality to Baldwin football
Two undeniable stalwarts on the Baldwin football team this season were senior standouts Connor Lavelle and C.J. Robbins. Both were four-year starters and team leaders for the Fighting Highlanders, who ended up 2-3. Lavelle, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver/defensive back, ranked among the WPIAL’s leading receivers. A Lehigh recruit, he...
Senior class leads Sewickley Academy boys soccer to another strong season
The Sewickley Academy boys soccer team was on the brink of a berth into the WPIAL Class A championship for the first time since winning it all in 2016. The Panthers ran into No. 2 seed Winchester Thurston in the WPIAL Class A semifinals and took the defending PIAA Class...
Shaler swimmers to revamp training for unique season
Planning improvements for the Shaler Area swimming program will need to be a dynamic plan for first-year coach Abi May. WPIAL officials still have many decisions to make on where the championships will be held, how many athletes will qualify and what the qualifying times need to be. All of...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 21, 2020
Field hockey PIAA playoffs Championship Saturday’s results Class 3A Emmaus 4, Central Dauphin 0 Class 2A Palmyra 2, Archbishop Carroll 1 (OT) Class A Wyoming Seminary 3, Greenwood 0 Football PIAA playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Saturday’s results Central York 37, McDowell 21 St. Joseph’s Prep 51, Souderton 43 Championship Saturday,...
Seneca Valley boys soccer wins state championship on Zack LaValle OT goal
HERSHEY — The test was difficult and tested them physically and emotionally. But at evening’s end the Seneca Valley Raiders achieved their goal. Zach LaValle scored 36 seconds into the second overtime to give the Raiders a 2-1 win over Neshaminy on Saturday night in the PIAA Class 4A boys...
North Allegheny volleyball wins 4th straight PIAA title with dominant performance
SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP — In their quest for a fourth consecutive PIAA Class 4A volleyball championship, the North Allegheny Tigers faced a formidable foe with very similar size in Unionville, the District 1 champion. North Allegheny’s size and experience took over and the Tigers completed the four-peat by sweeping Unionville...
Pennridge edges North Allegheny in double overtime for PIAA Class 4A crown
HERSHEY — Sometimes, there’s a bitter side to “The Sweetest Place on Earth.” Despite a superb defensive effort, a huge game from junior keeper Megan Miller and plenty of resolve from the attack, North Allegheny’s first trip to the PIAA Class 4A girls soccer title match ended short of a...
Franklin Regional takes silver at PIAA Class 3A volleyball finals
SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP — Franklin Regional’s dream season carried all the way to the PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball final, but the bubble burst quickly behind the power of Bethlehem Catholic. The Golden Hawks earned a 3-0 sweep of the Panthers by game scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-17 on...
Pine-Richland headed to Hershey after wild win over Governor MifflinVideo
HOLLIDAYSBURG — “It was over” when Pine-Richland stumbled off the bus and let Governor Mifflin score the first three touchdowns. “It was over” when the Rams threw three interceptions, lost a fumble and misplayed a punt. “It was over” when the team from Berks County held a daunting 22-point lead...
Lewisburg too much for Deer Lakes boys soccer in state title game
Throughout the 2020 season, the Deer Lakes boys soccer team has taken pride in forcing its style of play on opponents. On Saturday, in the PIAA Class 2A championship game at Hersheypark Stadium, it was Lewisburg (22-0) that dictated how the game would flow. From the first whistle, Lewisburg dominated...
North Catholic girls soccer falls in first PIAA championship game appearance
North Catholic goalie Andrea Bean did everything she could during the Trojans’ first PIAA championship appearance on Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium. But with just under 20 minutes remaining in their contest against Bloomsburg, Panthers forward Rylee Klinger drew a penalty and Bucknell commit Paige Temple buried her attempt into the...
Hampton bowlers aiming high with deeper rosters
The Hampton bowling team is turning to a familiar face for a season the likes of which it has never seen before. Coach Glenn Thomas, who started the program five years ago, returns to the helm after last year’s coach, Bob Wallace, stepped away because of covid-19 concerns for his...
Shady Side Academy field hockey caps season with improbable run to PIAA semifinals
The Shady Side Academy field hockey team has made its fair share of PIAA playoff appearances since winning its first WPIAL title in 1993. But SSA could never find its way out of the quarterfinals and into the semifinals. Actually, not many WPIAL teams have been able to do so...
Fox Chapel’s Nate Lazzara caps high school career with all-state, all-WPIAL recognition
Throughout the 2020 high school soccer season, the Fox Chapel boys soccer team had a player to rely on when a goal was desperately needed. Senior forward Nate Lazzara fit that role perfectly for the Foxes, who finished 11-4 and fell just short against No. 1 Peters Township, 2-1, in...
Pro baseball dreams carry Penn Hills catcher to Maine
Penn Hills senior catcher Josh Zambito has dreams of playing baseball professionally. Zambito took a step towards that goal by deciding where he was going to play collegiate baseball. After a tiring virtual recruitment process, Zambito signed his letter of intent Nov. 11 to play baseball at Maine. Zambito, who...
Penn Hills’ A’Lysa Sledge signs on with UMass Lowell
A’Lysa Sledge has known for months where she wanted to play basketball at the collegiate level. The Penn Hills senior made it official Nov. 13 when she signed a national letter of intent to attend UMass Lowell next season. The 5-foot-11 standout was mulling an offer from Niagara and also...
Plum volleyball team savors remarkable turnaround season
Plum entered this season with the expressed goal of reaching the WPIAL Class 3A girls volleyball playoffs. Wait. The playoffs? Plum went 3-21 in Class 4A section play the previous two years, including 0-12 in 2018. Turns out the Mustangs sold themselves short. Led by All-American middle hitter Makayla Jackson,...
Norwin Star high school notebook: Athletes in wide array of sports sign letters of intent
At the start of the NCAA signing period, Norwin had an abundance of college signees who will further their athletic careers in various sports and at various college levels. Twenty-seven athletes made their commitments official in 12 sports. In soccer, Anna Durmis (William & Mary), Maddy Rose (Duquesne), Kennedy Soliday...
Murrysville Star high school notebook: Franklin Regional baseball standouts pick colleges
National Letter of Intent Day often brings out the best in high school sports programs. That was the case at Franklin Regional last week, when some of the Panthers’ top baseball players made official commitments to college programs with a simple signature. Four senior baseball players inked with college programs,...
Pine-Richland’s stout run defense faces star tailback in PIAA 5A semifinals
Here’s what makes Pine-Richland’s semifinal opponent dangerous: “They’ve got one of the top junior tailbacks in the country,” Rams coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “If that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what does.” Pine-Richland will get a close look at Governor Mifflin’s Nicholas Singleton at 1 p.m. Saturday when...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 20, 2020
Field hockey PIAA playoffs Championship Saturday’s schedule Class 3A Emmaus vs. Central Dauphin at Whitehall HS, 3 p.m. Class 2A Archbishop Carroll vs. Palmyra at Whitehall HS, 12:30 p.m. Class A Wyoming Seminary vs. Greenwood at Whitehall HS, 10 a.m. Football PIAA playoffs Semifinals Class 6A Saturday’s schedule Central York...
Another mercy rule win punches Central Valley’s ticket to Hershey
ALTOONA – It takes a special kind of dedication and discipline to have a successful season during a pandemic, and at least some on the Central Valley football team think that’s given the Warriors the little extra edge they needed as they attempted to make it back to the PIAA...
