Antonio RossettI stories, Page 3

Hopewell is no stranger to elite football. Tony Dorsett, Paul Posluszny and WPIAL all-time leading rusher Rushel Shell all roamed the halls of the high school. Senior Hank Berner understands the tradition of Hopewell football, and he can’t wait to run out of the tunnel with his teammates one last...

Fred Mozzocio played for New Castle in the 1980s, so the team’s new head coach understands the tradition of Red Hurricanes football. Growing up, he and his friends would be in the classroom gazing out onto the field, wishing that someday they could play for the Red Hurricanes. “There’s an...

For the third summer in a row, Sanctuary Boxing Club in New Kensington took boxers to USA Boxing’s national competition in Wichita, Kan. This time around, the group returned with gold and bronze medals. Makya Wade, 10, joined Sanctuary Boxing Club one year ago and quickly became a national champion...

Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson came, saw and conquered in the Pan-Am trials from June 11-16 in El Salvador, winning gold in the 75-kilogram (165-pound) weight class. His victory came a month-and-a-half after taking home the 15-under 75-kilogram U.S. Open title in Las Vegas, which was his second in a row....

North Allegheny dethroned defending champion Gateway, 3-2, on Wednesday, winning its first WPIAL Class 3A boys tennis team title since 2009. The doubles teams got things going early as North Allegheny’s Shi Telang and Sri Thirumala landed the first punch, defeating Gateway’s Matthew Bonds and Zane Almoukamal. The brother tandem...

Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson, 15, is headed to El Salvador to compete for Team USA at the Pan-American Wrestling Championships on June 11-16. Hutcherson earned his spot on the team by winning the U.S. Open in the 15U 75 kg division April 28 in Las Vegas. Hutcherson put on a...

The Cheswick Christian Academy boys basketball team defeated Pittsburgh Christian Academy, 42-39, on Saturday at a packed Steve Warden Gymnasium to take home its first SWCAC title since 2015. Grant Rochkind, the league MVP, finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for Cheswick Christian. The game featured eight...

The Blackhawk girls defended their home court and mauled Greensburg Salem, 49-25, in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal Friday. The Cougars faced the Golden Lions earlier in the season, and Greensburg Salem took the 20-2 Cougars into overtime. Blackhawk came out on top 40-35, but going into the rematch, Blackhawk...

The Deer Lakes girls bowling team won a second straight section title and captured the WPIBL crown last season, earning a spot in the state championships. “They were 100% committed, and they put in the time and everything worked out,” Lancers coach George Germanich said. “We got to where we...

The Freeport girls bowling team swarmed out of the gate, looking to make it back to the state tournament. The Yellowjackets finished third in the state last year and aim to finish even higher this year. Freeport won its first four matches behind some noteworthy efforts. Kylie McConahy bowled a...

There is a lot to look forward to with Freeport hockey. The young Yellow Jackets started the season with a 1-5 record, but Freeport has racked up five points with two overtime losses and a shootout loss. Freeport remained competitive in November, especially during a shootout loss to Moon, which...

Westinghouse is headed back to the PIAA championship game for the second year in a row. Behind a relentless defense, the Bulldogs defeated WPIAL Class 2A champion Beaver Falls, 28-8, in the state semifinals Friday night at West Allegheny. The Bulldogs forced Beaver Falls (9-6) to turn the ball over...

WPIAL champion North Allegheny defended its home turf Friday, defeating McDowell, 41-7, in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs. Last season, the Tigers had an early exit in the first round of the state playoffs, but with a talented core of seniors, they wouldn’t let that happen...

The Steel Valley Ironmen, propelled by a monstrous performance by Donald Barksdale, defeated Mohawk, 34-21, to return to Acrisure Stadium for the second straight year. Barksdale, the WPIAL Class 2A leader in rushing yards, made a statement, carrying for 254 yards and two scores on 26 carries. Barksdale, who surpassed...

Sahara Robinson found herself riding her dirt bike with a purpose, looking for her first Grand National Cross Country Series national championship. It was the 11th of 12 rounds of the series in Newburg, W.Va., and the Ligonier youth was determined, no matter the circumstances nor the condition of the...

Montour threw the first punch, controlled the game throughout and rolled to a 51-21 victory over Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals Friday night. Montour was spearheaded by Jake Wolfe, who threw five touchdown passes and tallied 213 passing yards, completing 13 of 27 attempts. He also ran...

Central Valley’s defense was up to the task in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs Friday night. The No. 4-seeded Warriors held No. 13 Highlands to just 115 yards and didn’t allow a first down for the first 15 minutes en route to a 28-7 victory at...

Kiski Area’s hockey team put together a nine-game winning streak last season before losing two of its final three regular-season games. The Cavaliers were the underdogs heading into the Penguins Cup playoffs. Matt Behrik said no one expected them to win, but the Cavaliers continued to battle. “Fox Chapel said...

The Montour Spartans, led by Jake Wolfe and a talented crew of skill-position players, capped off their season defeating their rival West Allegheny Indians, 49-17, at Thomas J. Birko Memorial Stadium. The Spartans (9-1, 6-1 Parkway Conference) were down 10-7 but tallied 28 unanswered points to go up 35-10. Montour’s...

The Upper St. Clair Panthers keep their playoff hopes alive Friday night, using a brother-to-brother connection to defeat division rival Moon, 43-42, in two overtimes. In the second overtime, the Panthers trailed 42-35. Ethan Hellman connected with Charlie Bywalski to make it 42-41, and USC decided to put it all...

Tasso Whipple and Ben Grabowski spearheaded the Warriors rushing attack as Penn-Trafford ran its way to victory over Plum, 21-6, on Friday night. Grabowski and Whipple combined for 281 rushing yards. The win put the Warriors one step closer to a playoff birth. Grabowski scored all three P-T touchdowns while...

Tasso Whipple and Ben Grabowski spearheaded the Warriors rushing attack as Penn-Trafford ran its way to victory over Plum, 21-6, on Friday night. Grabowski and Whipple combined for 281 rushing yards. The win put the Warriors one step closer to a playoff birth. Grabowski scored all three P-T touchdowns while...

Bethel Park’s David Dennison and Ryan Petras spearheaded a relentless rushing attack, leading the host Black Hawks past rival Upper St. Clair, 22-10, on Friday. The Black Hawks won the battle in the trenches and didn’t trail once in a pivotal conference matchup, making them 2-0 in the Class 5A...