High School category, Page 947
Trib HSSN football team of the week for Week 7
After the result came in Friday and fans throughout the WPIAL raised a collective eyebrow, one had to wonder what McKeesport coach Matt Miller said to motivate his Tigers prior to their big Class 4A Big Eight Conference showdown at Thomas Jefferson. “Nothing different than any other game,” Miller said....
Fearless Franklin Regional edges South Fayette in WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first round
South Fayette pressed Franklin Regional from the start Monday night, but the Panthers tried to overcome the Lions’ push-back speed with patience, waiting for quality scoring opportunities. Panthers first-year coach Scott Arnold said he kept using the same word over and again as his team tried to flip the pace...
Plum girls soccer team routs Gateway in playoff opener
Plum needed penalty kicks in last season’s WPIAL Class AAA first-round girls soccer matchup to get by neighboring Gateway on its way to an eventual championship-game appearance. There was no overtime drama in Monday’s WPIAL rematch. The undefeated and No. 2 Mustangs scored three times in the first half and...
Lucas Toohey strikes twice to lead Mt. Pleasant past Burrell in WPIAL soccer playoffs
For about a two-minute stretch in the first half, the WPIAL Class 2A first-round matchup between No. 6 Mt. Pleasant and No. 11 Burrell turned into the Lucas Toohey show. The senior midfielder scored a pair of goals two minutes apart late in the first half to put his Vikings...
WPIAL golfers settle for silver at state team championships
Sometimes your best just isn’t enough. The Greensburg Central Catholic girls golf team found that out Monday at the PIAA team championships at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York. The Centurions shot their best score ever in the tournament, a 31-over par 247, but District 10 champion North East was...
Freeport faces challenging road in quest for another WPIAL volleyball title
The Freeport girls volleyball team finished in a four-way tie for the Section 5-3A title with Mars, Armstrong and Hampton. Each team went 9-3 in section play. Yellowjackets coach Tom Phillips said he was surprised Monday when he found out where his team and the other three from Section 5...
WPIAL soccer playoff capsules for games of Tuesday, Oct. 27
Here are WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules for Tuesday’s games involving teams from Westmoreland County and the A-K Valley: Boys Class 4A First round 12-Latrobe (6-2-1) at 5-Upper St. Clair (7-5-1) 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Upper St. Clair Stadium, Upper St. Clair Winner plays: At 4-Fox Chapel (10-3), noon Saturday Hat...
North Allegheny, Beaver, North Catholic, Bishop Canevin earn top seeds for WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs
North Allegheny, Beaver, North Catholic and Bishop Canevin were selected as top seeds as the WPIAL girls volleyball committee finalized and released the playoff brackets Monday afternoon. The playoff tournaments begin Tuesday with four preliminary-round matches in both Class 3A and Class 2A. First-round matches Wednesday kick off the tournaments...
North Allegheny, Beaver, North Catholic, Bishop Canevin top final girls volleyball rankings
With the regular season in the books, hopes turn to WPIAL gold as the playoffs begin this week. The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday morning released its final rankings for the 2020 season. North Allegheny (Class 4A), Beaver (Class 3A), North Catholic (Class 2A) and Bishop Canevin (Class...
Trib HSSN unveils WPIAL girls volleyball playoff pairings
Sixty-eight high school girls volleyball teams learn their path to the WPIAL finals today. The TribLive High School Sports Network is revealing the opening-round matchups at 1 p.m. Monday on the WPIAL Girls Volleyball Playoff Pairings Show. Click here to watch the broadcast. Host Don Rebel and broadcaster Sam Hall...
Trib HSSN Football Player of the Week for Week 6
The victory in Week 7 for Clairton to seal the deal on another outright Eastern Conference championship came against a playoff-bound team and was historically significant. But it was just another day at the office for senior running back Dontae Sanders. For the fifth time in six games, Sanders rushed...
Battle-tested Penn-Trafford girls soccer grows into playoff contender
It has been decades since Penn-Trafford missed the WPIAL girls soccer playoffs. This was not going to be the year the run ended. While the Warriors had to grind a little more than usual to lock down a postseason spot, the team looks to have grown along the way. Tight...
WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Oct. 26
Boys Class 2A First round 11-Burrell (7-4) at 6-Mt. Pleasant (11-1) 6:30 p.m., Monday, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant Winner plays: Winner of 14-Leechburg (7-6) at 3-North Catholic (12-1-1), 6 p.m., Monday, Mars Athletic Complex, Mars Hat tricks: Mt. Pleasant has allowed two goals all season and has 11 shutouts. Charleroi...
Fox Chapel boys cross country putting team mentality to use after winning section
When the 2020 track season got canceled because of coronavirus, the Fox Chapel boys cross country team put all its effort toward the fall sports season. The foxes followed a maintenance-type of training schedule throughout May, ramped it up in June and by July, coach Tom Moul said the boys...
New coach brings structured approach to Shaler hockey team
Creating structure for the Shaler hockey program was important for first-year coach Cory Sakolsky. It’s something Sakolsky had in mind while assembling his coaching staff. Sakolsky, who previously coached at Butler, brought in two former head coaches to help him out with the Titans. Matt Ranallo, who coached at Shaler...
Learning from losses leads Sewickley Academy to 8th straight WPIAL boys golf title
Throughout the 2020 golf season, the Sewickley Academy boys golf team went through adversity. For the first time in a long time, the Panthers were beaten twice in section play during the season, with both losses coming to Quaker Valley. The Quakers won the section, which was the first time...
Quaker Valley cross country builds strong program with youth, experience
First-year Quaker Valley Cross Country coach Ryan Kelly had the opportunity to see his runners make improvements from afar in recent years. Now, Kelly gets to see it first-hand. After spending time as the middle school cross country coach, Kelly took over the program, and it has fared well behind...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Denny Little named PIAA softball coach of the year
The PIAA announced Oct. 21 the National Federation of High Schools 2019-20 state coaches of the year. There were seven coaches from the WPIAL honored, including Penn-Trafford softball coach Denny Little. While there was no season in 2020, Little did coach Penn-Trafford to a PIAA Class 5A title in 2019....
Pine-Richland volleyball shows promise, character in playoff season
Pine-Richland’s volleyball season has been a series of glimpses into the team’s potential. Two wins over No. 7 Seneca Valley and taking one set each from North Allegheny and Shaler, the top-ranked teams in WPIAL, showed early in the season the Rams were at least a good team. To be...
Plum girls volleyball claims 16th section title in program history
The Plum girls volleyball team returned to the top last week as they clinched the program’s first section championship since 2011. The Mustangs’ 3-1 victory at Kiski Area on Oct. 20 wrapped up their 16th section crown overall. “That was really exciting for the girls, especially the (eight) seniors,” Plum...
Plum football writes championship chapter in program’s history books
With its 35-7 victory over Knoch on Oct. 16, the Plum football team achieved something the program hadn’t experienced in nearly four decades. The Mustangs captured their first conference championship since 1983, the year of their only WPIAL title. “It feels amazing to represent Plum as a whole team,” senior...
Norwin notebook: Krevokuch earns walk-on offer from Pitt
Norwin senior tight end and defensive end Tanner Krevokuch has been in contact with Pitt coach Tim Salem of late and the conversation sparked greater interest. After sending some highlights, Krevokuch (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) received a preferred walk-on opportunity with the Panthers. Central Michigan had offered him last year, but...
Norwin golfers relish 1st trip to WPIAL championship
As Sal Cerilli walked up the 18th fairway on the Gold course at Cedarbrook, he felt a sense of finality kick in. The Norwin senior, while enjoying the sights and sounds of the Knights’ maiden trip to the WPIAL Class AAA boys golf championship, knew this was the end of...
North Journal notebook: North Allegheny water polo teams look to reach states
It’s the best time of the year for members of the North Allegheny water polo teams. After battling through the regular season, the Tigers are competing this week at the Western Conference Round Robin Tournament at the Hagerty Family Events Center in Erie with hopes of advancing to the state...
Team effort helped Franklin Regional secure 1st WPIAL golf title
A statistics teacher who doubles as the boys golf coach at Franklin Regional, Jeff Traphagen often looks at life through numbers. At the WPIAL Class AAA team golf championship, he threw around the term “standard deviation” a lot. “We were between 78 and 85; Our standard deviation was better than...
