Southmoreland

Kaleb Tkacs was 5-foot-10 and weighed 160 pounds when he joined the Southmoreland football team as a freshman. Not small, but not exactly the roster specs of an aspiring lineman, either. Tkacs was not judged on his height and weight, though. Then-line coach Ron Frederick saw a player he could...

Tasked with taking over a program that initially was going to be in his friend and fellow assistant’s hands, Tim Bukowski is adjusting to his new role as head football coach at Southmoreland as a new season draws near. Bukowski was hired in March after Ron Frederick died suddenly from...

The North Catholic victory tradition continued to ring loud and clear this past school year. Steady contributions across all three seasons, along with a couple of championship runs, helped the Trojans win a third straight Trib HSSN Cup for Class 3A in 2021-22. “North Catholic has a long standing tradition...

Maren Metikosh has a name that rolls off the tongue. It is pure alliteration for broadcasters and announcers at Belle Vernon softball games. Her swing is even smoother. The rising senior had a memorable season for the Leopards as she launched home runs off the Dairy Queen sign in left...

MILESBURG — Southmoreland was hoping its two hour-plus bus ride into the heart of District 6 wouldn’t be its only road trip in the PIAA playoffs. With the PIAA softball championships at Penn State, the Scotties were planning a few rides on Route 22 and Interstate 99 to State College...

Class 5A First round Penn-Trafford (18-3) vs. Twin Valley (17-8) 4 p.m. Monday at Twin Valley Winner plays: Winner of Southern Lehigh (15-4)/Shippensburg (19-5) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Extra bases: Penn-Trafford is the WPIAL runner-up after falling to Armstrong, 6-5, in the championship game. The Warriors rallied...

Using two pitchers wasn’t always in the cards for Southmoreland softball, especially come playoff time. But when sophomore Maddie Brown began to experience tightness in her back, coach Todd Bunner turned to senior Maddy Cyphert. Both girls saw time in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinal loss to Avonworth (3-0), then...

The 2022 PIAA softball playoffs start Monday with 19 WPIAL teams searching for state gold, including recently crowned district winners Seneca Valley, Armstrong, Beaver, Avonworth, Neshannock and Union on the hunt for more treasures. The state playoffs are made up of four rounds with the championships to be played at...

The PIAA softball playoff field is set and three local teams will begin play Monday. All three will have lengthy road trips. WPIAL Class 5A runner-up Penn-Trafford (18-3) will play at Twin Valley (17-8), the District 3 runner-up, at 4 p.m. In Class 3A, Southmoreland (14-4) visits Bald Eagle (10-5),...

They say it is hard to beat a team three times in a season. The way Southmoreland saw it, it was even harder to lose to one that many times. The Scotties built an early lead and then fended off several comeback attempts by section foe South Allegheny on Tuesday...

It had been 14 years since the Southmoreland baseball team earned a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Though the Scotties’ long-awaited return this season was short-lived, they were hoping the desire to remain relevant would live on. “That’s 100% what we’re hoping,” senior catcher Brok Potoka said. With 12 of...

Today’s game Third-place consolation Class 3A Southmoreland (13-4) vs. South Allegheny (13-4) 3 p.m. at Norwin Players to watch: Amarah McCutcheon, Southmoreland; Breena Komarnisky, South Allegheny On the air: Broadcast | Trib HSSN (triblive.com) Extra bases: It’s simple: The winner advances to the state tournament, and the loser turns in...

Westmoreland County was well-represented at last weekend’s Roundball Classic senior all-star games, an event that wraps a bow around another high school basketball season in Western Pa. Maybe “most valuable” would be a better way to frame their overall showing at Geneva College. Ligonier Valley’s Matthew Marinchak was named his...

SHIPPENSBURG – On the wall in the lobby of the Hempfield field house are pictures of all the school’s PIAA champions. Hempfield athletic director Brandon Rapp now has to find room for Liz Tapper. The junior became the ninth thrower in school history to win a PIAA title when she...

Scoreless during another pitching gem, Avonworth’s Alivia Lantzy decided to take matters into her own hands. The sophomore blasted a triple to deep right-center field that barely stayed in Boyce-Mayview Field. The big fifth-inning hit scored Layne Shinsky and Syd Savatt, and Leah Kuban added a home run in the...

Class 5A semifinals 11-Chartiers Valley (15-4) vs. 2-Penn-Trafford (17-2) 5 p.m. at West Mifflin Winner plays: Winner of 4-North Hills (16-3) vs. 1-Armstrong (18-4) on June 2 (time TBD) in championship at Cal (Pa.) Players to watch: Marie Kinchington, Chartiers Valley; Cam Ponko, Penn-Trafford Extra bases: Chartiers Valley stunned No....

Tre Cunningham’s name and legacy carries on at Jeannette. The late three-sport star, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in the summer of 2020, was honored through a high school boys’ basketball tournament last year at Jeannette. Last week, the Jeannette Educational Foundation presented the Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball...

Facing an early deficit against Ellwood City in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal Thursday at North Allegheny, the Southmoreland softball team responded in a big way. The No. 5 Scotties scored nine runs in the top of the fourth to surge into the lead. They added on the rest of...

WPIAL softball playoffs Capsule previews Class 5A Quarterfinals 10-Shaler (16-3) vs. 2-Penn-Trafford (16-2) 5 p.m. Thursday at Plum Winner plays: Winner of 11-Chartiers Valley (14-4) vs. 3-Trinity (16-2) on Tuesday in the semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Mallor Moran, Shaler; Kylee Picconi, Penn-Trafford Extra bases: Shaler was a...

Southmoreland softball players jumped up and stood on the team bench during Tuesday’s playoff opener at Norwin. They were afraid to sit down because a small snake emerged from under the turf and slithered along the bench area before finally disappearing into the woods behind the dugout. Scotties freshman Makayla...

WPIAL softball playoffs Capsule previews Class 5A First round 12-Latrobe (9-4) vs. 5-West Allegheny (12-4) 6 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Winner plays: Winner of 13-Upper St. Clair (6-14) vs. 4-North Hills (14-3) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Jenna Tallman, Sr., Latrobe; Elly Vicari-Baker, So.,...

WPIAL baseball playoffs Capsule previews Class 5A First round 12-Thomas Jefferson (13-6) vs. 5-Latrobe (12-7) 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hempfield Winner plays: Winner of 13-Chartiers Valley (9-11) vs. 4-Mars (14-5) on Thursday in quarterfinals Players to watch: T.J. Bucy, Sr., Thomas Jefferson; Logan Short, Sr., Latrobe Last year’s finish: Thomas...

Basketball season ended months ago, but the Roundball Classic will bring together some of the top talent from the WPIAL this week. The nine senior all-star games will be Thursday through Saturday at Geneva College in Beaver Falls. Area boys selected are Nick Crum and Noah Wright of Penn-Trafford, Michael...

When two second-place section teams received better seeds than his section-winning one, Yough baseball coach Craig Spisak didn’t kick up dust. After winning its second section title in four years, Yough was branded with a No. 5 seed in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A baseball playoffs, which...

Franklin Regional won’t get the No. 1 seed like it did last year, but the Panthers have something most of the other teams in the WPIAL Class 5A playoff field don’t have: championship experience. The defending champions, who ran their winning streak to six with a 10-3 win over Kiski...