High School category, Page 943
Greensburg Central Catholic boys fight off Eden Christian upset bid in Class A quarterfinals
Ricco Ciccarelli could hear Greensburg Central Catholic coach Tyler Solis say, “I think you got it,” as his attempted cross kept curling closer and closer to the net. What started out as a pass intended for the far post turned into a perfect strike just under the crossbar and the...
Springdale boys score 5 second-half goals to pull away from Seton LaSalle
Springdale’s boys soccer team spent the first half of its quarterfinal match against Seton LaSalle trying to get a feel for the Rebels’ tactics. That approach led to a scoreless first 40 minutes at Peters Township as the teams vied for a berth in the WPIAL Class A semifinals. In...
Norwin boys soccer charges into WPIAL Class 4A semifinalsVideo
With a wall of six defenders and a goalkeeper lined up across the front of the cage, creating a situation he had never faced before, Caleb Yuricha stepped to the top of the 6-yard box. Then junior then did what strikers do: He struck. Yuricha flicked a shot left of...
5 things we learned in opening round of WPIAL football playoffs
Sto-Rox’s coach LaRoi Johnson has a bundle of 2-point plays he will call in any situation, but with Friday’s game on the line, he summoned his sophomore kicker. Johnson admits even he wouldn’t have predicted that’s how his Vikings would win their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal. Yet, Adam Devine made...
Westmoreland high school football notes: P-T, Pine-Richland meet for just 2nd time, and stakes are high
Penn-Trafford at Pine-Richland is an intriguing matchup in next week’s WPIAL Class 5A semifinal. Two well-structured, well-coached programs with a winning tradition. “We’re both like the New England Patriots because everything is so in order,” Warriors quarterback Ethan Carr said. “Things don’t change much.” But similarities aside, there isn’t much...
WPIAL announces sites for boys, girls soccer championships
North Allegheny and Gateway will be host sites for the WPIAL boys and girls soccer championships. The WPIAL announced the locations Saturday for eight title games set for Thursday and Saturday. The championship games usually are played at Highmark Stadium at Station Square, but the venue was not used this...
Fox Chapel scores early to take down Upper St. Clair 6-0
Heading into their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal matchup with No. 5 Upper St. Clair on Saturday, longtime Fox Chapel coach Erik Ingram said his boys felt healthy, most importantly, and battle-tested after playing a grueling schedule that included Seneca Valley, North Allegheny and Butler. It showed throughout the 80-minute contest...
Competitive section prepared Fox Chapel boys soccer for playoff push
The Fox Chapel boys soccer team has tested itself against tough competition all season long. The Foxes played No. 2 Seneca Valley, No. 6 North Allegheny and No. 10 Butler twice this season and came away with an overall record of 10-3 and received the No. 4 seed in the...
Pine-Richland’s Waryanka pulls double duty as force on defense, reliable kicker
Most teams don’t account for blocking the kicker on returns, but a player such as Zach Waryanka doesn’t give them much of a choice. He does, after all, top Pine-Richland’s charts in tackles. “He’s awesome,” coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “I think he’s the only ‘mike’ linebacker that wears one football...
Pine-Richland girls soccer sends off successful group of seniors
Pine-Richland’s girls soccer team had an early exit from the playoffs, a 1-0 loss to Moon, but the players weren’t quite ready to disband. Two days after their season officially ended, the Rams held one more practice filled with more ghouls than goals. “I think every senior is getting ready...
Despite missing out on trip to state meet, Riverview boys proud of 2nd-place finish
Under normal WPIAL cross country circumstances, the Riverview boys team would be heading to Hershey this weekend to compete with the best in the state. But when the PIAA announced new qualifying parameters amid the coronavirus pandemic, it created a unique situation where only the district champions would qualify. Riverview,...
Plum slowpitch softball excited for future
The Plum slowpitch softball team was unable to solve second-seeded Seneca Valley in a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League quarterfinal Oct. 24 at Mt. Lebanon. The Mustangs reached that point with a first-round victory over West Allegheny, but the Raiders ended Plum’s season with a 15-5 win. “We had a...
Norwin notebook: Covid-19 quarantine keeps Knights out of volleyball playoffs
Norwin qualified for the WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs but did not compete because it had to quarantine for 14 days because of possible covid-19 exposure. The quarantine lasted until Nov. 2, after the playoffs began, so the Knights had to give up their spot, coach Mary Ellen Ferragonio said. Hempfield...
North Allegheny celebrates 4th WPISL championship
Players and coaches sprinted from the dugouts, swarming teammates on the field in celebration. There were hugs and tears of joy all around. The North Allegheny slow-pitch softball team had just captured its first Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League title since 2011, defeating rival Seneca Valley, 21-10, to commence a...
North Journal notebook: North Allegheny boys soccer advances
Jonathan Swann had two goals and Ben Christian, Evan Anderson and Kensly Owens also scored to lead No. 6 North Allegheny (13-3-1) to a 5-1 victory over No. 11 Allderdice (5-6-1) in a WPIAL Class 4A boys soccer game Oct. 27. North Allegheny was scheduled to meet No. 3 Norwin in...
North Allegheny, North Hills set to host WPIAL football finals
The WPIAL football finals are moving from the North Shore to the North Hills. Heinz Field wasn’t a viable option this fall under covid-19 restrictions, so the WPIAL’s six championship games are divided instead between North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium and North Hills’ Martorelli Stadium. Each stadium will host three. The...
Franklin Regional hockey ready to rebound after missing postseason
Franklin Regional missed the 2019-20 PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs by one point. That didn’t sit well with the players and coach John Winebrenner after his squad finished 10-8 behind Latrobe and Hempfield. But with nine starters returning and a talented group of players moving up from the junior varsity, Winebrenner...
Franklin Regional boys soccer accomplishing preseason goals
Franklin Regional arranged some objectives early in the boys soccer season like it was laying out a new outfit for the first day of school. Winning the section was first on the list. Bringing home a third consecutive WPIAL title was there, too, a little farther down. Only it wasn’t...
Liberto brothers boost Hampton football into playoffs
The Hampton football team made a valiant playoff push down the season’s home stretch. Hampton won five of its final six games to finish third with a 5-2 record in the Greater Allegheny Conference. The Talbots, making their first playoff appearance since 2015, landed the No. 8 seed in Class...
Trib HSSN’s Week 8 top performers for passing, rushing, receiving
Top performers for Week 8 high school football in Western Pennsylvania. Passing 283 - Max Rocco, Serra Catholic (18 of 31) 281 - Austin Jones, Sto-Rox (18 of 24) 262 - Cadin Olsen, Armstrong (13 of 18) 218 - Jake Pugh, Thomas Jefferson (14 of 15) 171 - Cole Beck,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Oct. 30, 2020
Football WPIAL Playoffs Friday’s results Class 6A Semifinals Central Catholic 35, Mt. Lebanon 0 North Allegheny 21, Seneca Valley 7 Class 5A First round Gateway 14, Penn Hills 0 Penn-Trafford 35, Upper St. Clair 7 Peters Township 39, Woodland Hills 6 Pine-Richland 47, South Fayette 7 Class 4A First round...
WPIAL playoffs roundup: No. 1 Aliquippa blanks Hampton in opening round
Top-seeded Aliquippa forced four first-half turnovers, including a fumble on the opening kickoff, and sprinted past No. 8 Hampton, 31-0, in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs Friday night at The Pit. Aliquippa (8-0) took a 7-0 lead 81 seconds into the game on Vernon Redd’s 14-yard...
North Allegheny tops Seneca Valley, reaches WPIAL Class 6A championship
It was by no means easy, but top-seeded North Allegheny showcased its versatile offense in a 21-7 victory over fourth-seeded Seneca Valley in the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals Friday night at Newman Stadium in Wexford A barrage of runners led the way for the Tigers (6-0), who reached the WPIAL...
Clairton’s Dontae Sanders racks up 428 rushing yards in Class A win over OLSH
“Prime Time” was the nickname of NFL great Deion Sanders, but Clairton senior Dontae Sanders might need to repurpose the nickname, looking more like Barry Sanders in prime time in Clairton’s playoff win Friday night. Sanders rushed for 428 yards and six touchdowns, leading Clairton to a 54-20 victory over...
Gateway defense stands strong, defeats Penn Hills in Class 5A opening round
Gateway couldn’t score many points Friday night on its home turf, but the Gators didn’t need to. Their defense took matters personally and stonewalled a determined Penn Hills bunch in a physical WPIAL football playoff victory at Antimarino Stadium. Carsen Engleka passed for 147 yards, and the Gateway defense backed...
