Chris Harlan stories, Page 111
Even without LeDonne in attendance, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland excited for clash of champions
Jon LeDonne won’t take a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains or listen to some Smokey Robinson on his free Friday night. He probably will stay at home and watch his Penn Hills football team play Pine-Richland online or on his television. It’s a marquee matchup between the defending WPIAL...
WPIAL position by position breakdown: Scouting the safeties
Versatile safeties are crucial in today’s WPIAL. With more teams turning to no-huddle, spread offenses, defenses need defensive backs who can cover receivers and also attack the run. The safeties on this year’s list — topped by Blackhawk’s Marques Watson-Trent — are just what coaches want. Combined, they forced nearly...
Moon basketball star Donovan Johnson joining brother Cameron in Arizona
Moon basketball star Donovan “Puff” Johnson is joining older brother Cameron in Arizona. Johnson, whose senior season here was in question, has enrolled at powerhouse Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, his father said. The decision to transfer was made Monday, he said. “It’s a very, very good school,” Gil Johnson said....
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the cornerbacks
There’s no major college recruit on this list like last year when Aliquippa’s M.J. Devonshire, North Allegheny’s Joey Porter Jr. and Penn Hills’ Daequan Hardy topped the cornerback rankings. That was one of the WPIAL’s best classes in years. Devonshire is now at Kentucky while Porter and Hardy are at...
Coach Rod Steele makes West Mifflin roster battle for jobs in 1st season
A few days of heat acclimation and a week of camp wasn’t enough time for Rod Steele to pick starters. As West Mifflin approaches its season opener, there are at least four running backs in his rotation for carries and a handful of wide receivers still vying to start. That’s...
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the linebackers
The top linebackers in the WPIAL and City League always include some of the area’s best all-around athletes. They often are two-way players who are standout stars on defense and also make an impact on offense. For instance, Aliquippa’s Zuriah Fisher caught a touchdown and a pair of 2-point conversions...
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the defensive linemen
Some years it’s at cornerback. Sometimes it’s the linebackers. This year, the largest collection of WPIAL and City League star power could be at defensive line. Westinghouse’s Dayon Hayes, Central Catholic’s A.J. Beatty and Elliot Donald and West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson have major-college offers from across the country. Among Pennsylvania...
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the offensive linemen
The offensive line is always strong spot for the WPIAL, and it is among the deepest positions again this season. This year’s group of offensive linemen is led by Mars senior Michael Carmody, a two-sport standout who drew Power 5 scholarship offers from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC...
Bethel Park might be going to no-huddle offense, but toughness remains
There won’t be a fullback in the backfield, the tight end is optional and running backs might play wide receiver, but Bethel Park’s offense isn’t completely new. “To the lay person, it will look a lot different,” first-year coach Brian Delallo said. “It’s no huddle. We’re in more spread sets....
Upper St. Clair, Junko start with ‘blank slate’
Upper St. Clair returns only three players who started last season, a seemingly tough spot for a first-year coach. Mike Junko sees things differently. “We’re kind of excited about that,” said Junko, who was promoted to replace coach Jim Render. “In a lot of ways, with these kids it’s a...
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the tight ends
The traditional hand-on-the-ground tight end has disappeared from some offenses around Western Pennsylvania. As high school offenses have evolved, so too has the position. But it’s clear the tight end position isn’t going extinct. In fact, the WPIAL has sent quite a few tight ends to Division I colleges in...
Central Catholic turns the page after frustrating ’18 season
Last season was a difficult one for Central Catholic, hampered at times by turnovers and other self-inflicted mistakes. In a September matchup with Pine-Richland, the Vikings lost the football seven times to their rival, one of the low points in a season that they’re eager to put behind them. The...
Large, veteran offensive line to pave way for Mt. Lebanon
If there’s a difference between Class 5A and 6A football, maybe it’s the size of the linemen. At least, that’s what Bob Palko has seen since taking over Mt. Lebanon’s program in February. Palko coached West Allegheny for 24 seasons and won eight WPIAL titles, but this Blue Devils’ offensive...
WPIAL football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the wide receivers
Western Pennsylvania was known historically for producing hall of fame quarterbacks, a trend that shifted in recent decades to superstar defensive backs. But nowadays, the WPIAL seems to be producing quite a few Division I wide receivers. Last season, the WPIAL sent wideouts to Pitt, Ball State, Kent State, Maryland,...
WPIAL Class 6A football breakdown: Coaches expect competitive year, wide-open field
There was a worry the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs might be boring because every game is a rematch from the regular season. After last year, that’s no longer a concern. Not after watching fifth-seeded Seneca Valley celebrate a couple of postseason upsets, including a 17-point win over No. 1 North...
Mars’ Khori Fusco headed to prep powerhouse for post-graduate season
Mars basketball standout Khori Fusco, who was a senior last season, announced Tuesday he’s headed to a powerhouse prep school near Shippensburg. Fusco will attend Scotland Campus, he announced on Twitter. The Franklin County school has produced a number of Division I recruits under coach Chris Chaney, who just finished...
WPIAL football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the running backs
High school football has become a pass-oriented game, but that doesn’t mean teams across Western Pennsylvania have abandoned running the football. Eight of the 12 teams that reached WPIAL championships last year had at least one 1,000-yard rusher. Three of the finalists — Rochester, Steel Valley and Derry — had...
Bob Palko brings ‘tough love’ to Mt. Lebanon as football teams open camp
Bob Palko compared the first day of football camp to planning a beach vacation, even though the only deep blue in sight Monday was Mt. Lebanon’s helmets and his new Blue Devils shorts. “You dream all year about getting to the beach,” he said. “What’s it going to look like?”...
Mars’ Carmody picked for All-American Bowl, 4th WPIAL player in 4 years
For the fourth year in a row, the WPIAL had a high school football player chosen for the All-American Bowl. Mars senior Michael Carmody announced Monday that he’d accepted an invitation to the all-star game in San Antonio. The game, which features players from across the country, will be Jan....
WPIAL football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the quarterbacksVideo
WPIAL passing records have fallen one after another over the past five years, a sign high school football in Western Pennsylvania has changed. South Fayette’s Brett Brumbaugh set the WPIAL career yardage record in 2014. Gateway’s Brady Walker broke the WPIAL single-season yardage record in 2017. And last year, Sto-Rox’s...
Brewers pounce on Trevor Williams early, defeat Pirates againVideo
Trevor Williams’ Milwaukee magic couldn’t make a losing streak disappear. Williams won all off his three scoreless starts against Milwaukee last season, but the Brewers scored six times and homered twice off him Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates lost 8-3 at PNC Park. The loss was the fifth in...
Pirates notebook: Jose Osuna gets start again as role expands
Jose Osuna’s key for being a good pinch hitter is to always be ready. “Be ready in every inning,” said Osuna, who has excelled in that role this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I think that’s the most important, be ready for the first pitch.” Now, he seems more than...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle discusses grinding through giant slump
The past two dozen games, with 20 losses and only four wins, were the worst stretch Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle could remember. That’s mostly because his team still was mired in this slide. “Last year it seemed like the worst stretch I’d ever been in,” said Hurdle, whose team...
WPIAL rules Isiah Warfield eligible for senior season, ineligible for playoffs
The WPIAL approved Isiah Warfield to play basketball in the regular season, but the Central Valley transfer remains ineligible for the playoffs. The 6-foot-5 rising senior and Liberty recruit was a 25-point scorer at Sewickley Academy. The WPIAL board decided his eligibility Monday based on transfer paperwork submitted by the...
Former West Mifflin coach Lance Maha returns to WPIAL basketball
Lance Maha, who coached boys basketball at West Mifflin for two decades, is returning to the WPIAL after one season away. Maha was announced Tuesday as coach at Propel Braddock Hills, a charter school team that made its WPIAL debut last season. Maha’s teams reached the playoffs 17 times in...
