Chris Harlan stories, Page 66
5 things to watch: How many WPIAL teams will reach PIAA football finals?
Could the WPIAL send five or six teams to Hershey? The brackets say it’s possible, but that’s never happened before. Since football expanded to six classifications in 2016, the WPIAL hasn’t qualified more than four teams for the state championships in one season. The WPIAL had four qualify in 2020,...
Only 14, freshman Tiqwai Hayes shoulders leading role in Aliquippa’s playoff run
When he’s avoiding tacklers and scoring touchdowns at a place like Heinz Field, it’s easy to forget Tiqwai Hayes is only 14 years old. The Aliquippa running back is just a freshman, yet he’s already making folks wonder whether he’ll become the next great football player from Aliquippa, a school...
Central Catholic’s Donovan Hinish stays committed to Notre Dame as coach Brian Kelly exits
Central Catholic senior Donovan Hinish had just eaten dinner with a Notre Dame assistant shortly before he heard Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly was leaving for LSU. Hinish was stunned, to say the least, but remains committed to the Irish. “I was lost for a second,” said Hinish, a 6-foot-2,...
Northwestern Six: Central Valley tops all-conference picks with 13 spots on 1st team
Central Valley earned 13 first-team spots on the Northwestern Six all-conference team with Sean FitzSimmons, Jack Bible and Jayvin Thompson honored on both sides of the football. The Warriors, who won the WPIAL Class 3A title with an undefeated record, also swept the conference’s individual player awards. Running back Landon...
Allegheny Seven: North Catholic wins 4 individual awards in all-conference voting
North Catholic’s Kyle Tipinski, Tyler Primrose and Andrew Stephens, who led the Trojans to the WPIAL finals, all earned individual player awards in all-conference voting for the Allegheny Seven. North Catholic’s Pat O’Shea was voted the conference’s top coach. The Trojans (12-1) went undefeated in the regular season with six...
Interstate: Elizabeth Forward’s Brownfield, Southmoreland’s Govern top all-conference team
Elizabeth Forward’s defense allowed only 28 points combined in six conference games, a dominance that led Interstate coaches to name senior DaVontay Brownfield as the conference’s top defensive player. In all, 10 Elizabeth Forward players earned first-team all-conference honors. The Warriors finished 6-0 in the WPIAL Class 3A conference. Southmoreland...
Big Eight: Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock, McKeesport’s Bobbie Boyd lead all-conference team
Thomas Jefferson was dethroned from its familiar spot atop the Big Eight this season, and two of the players most responsible received individual honors in all-conference voting. Belle Vernon senior Devin Whitlock was named offensive player of the year, and McKeesport junior Bobbie Boyd was named as the conference’s top...
Greater Allegheny: Hampton rewarded for conference title with 9 spots on 1st team
Hampton celebrated its first conference title since 2014, an achievement recognized in all-conference voting. The Talbots had nine players earn first-team honors, including leading rusher Christian Liberto, a senior who scored 17 times and topped 1,100 rushing yards. Liberto was joined by teammates Benny Haselrig, Mike Witherup, Logan Rutledge, John...
Parkway: Aliquippa leads all-conference voting with 14 players on 1st team
Aliquippa outscored Parkway opponents 237-40 this fall, a regular-season dominance that was reflected in voting for the all-conference team. Fourteen Aliquippa players earned first-team honors in the Class 4A conference, including lineman Jason McBride, who was recognized on both sides of the ball. McBride was joined by teammates Jon Tracy,...
Big East: Penn-Trafford lands 12 players, coach on all-conference football team
A dozen Penn-Trafford football players earned first-team all-conference honors from a Warriors team that went unbeaten in the Big East and won a WPIAL title Saturday. Their coach, John Ruane, was name the conference’s top coach. The first-team all-conference list included Penn-Trafford running back Cade Yacamelli, who starred in the...
Northeast: Dugger brothers among 7 Penn Hills players named all-conference
Penn Hills brothers Julian and Jaden Dugger, a dynamic quarterback-receiver combination for the Indians, each earned first-team all-conference honors in the Class 5A Northeast. They were among seven Penn Hills players who earned first-team honors in a vote of conference coaches. Kiski Area also had seven first-team selections, Pine-Richland had...
Allegheny Six: Moon’s senior class well represented on all-conference team
Moon’s deep and talented senior class, which led the Tigers to the WPIAL finals for the first time since 1998, was well represented on the Allegheny 6 all-conference team. Eight Moon players — all seniors — earned first-team honors, and Ryan Linn was named the conference’s top coach after the...
Class 6A: Mt. Lebanon leads WPIAL all-conference honors with 9 players, coach
Mt. Lebanon won its first WPIAL title in 21 years, and the undefeated Blue Devils were recognized for their season-long success with nine first-team spots on the all-conference team for Class 6A. Their coach, Bob Palko, also was honored. The all-conference list included Mt. Lebanon quarterback Joey Daniels, running back...
Aliquippa celebrates ‘incredible, shameful’ victory over Belle Vernon in WPIAL Class 4A final
Small-school Aliquippa might be short on students, but nobody has more WPIAL football titles than the Quips. Despite playing three levels above its Class A enrollment, Aliquippa added an 18th title Saturday night by winning the Class 4A championship, an achievement the Quips called both “incredible and shameful.” Freshman running...
Central Valley seeks 3rd straight WPIAL title, unbeaten North Catholic could spoil plans
When Central Valley takes the field Saturday, this will be the third WPIAL championship appearance in a row for some of the team’s starters. So, they expected to be here. “It’s just another game,” said senior linebacker Matt Merritt, who’s already a two-time WPIAL champion. “It’s another game to prove...
Serra Catholic forces 9 turnovers, wins for coach in WPIAL Class 2A finals
Serra Catholic coach Jose Regus wore a hat at Heinz Field that said “battle,” a brand name of sportswear, but also one word that captures both his determination to coach and his defense’s relentlessness to win. Those battles are intertwined. Motivated by their coach’s health struggles, Serra Catholic forced nine...
WPIAL Class 3A football championship breakdown: Central Valley vs. North Catholic
WPIAL Class 3A football championship No. 1 Central Valley vs. No. 2 North Catholic Noon Saturday, Heinz Field On the air: TV: WPCW; Audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com, WBVP-AM Winner plays: Winner of District 10 champion Grove City (10-2) vs. District 6 champion Martinsburg Central (13-0) in a PIAA semifinal Dec. 3 or...
Mt. Lebanon’s latest title gives youngest Harvey brother equal bragging rights at Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving means family, food and football in the Harvey household, and as the youngest of eight kids, William Harvey grew up hearing stories from the time his oldest brother won a WPIAL title. This year, when the siblings gather in Mt. Lebanon for dinner and their annual turkey bowl, he...
PIAA releases sites, times for state football quarterfinal round
PIAA football playoffs Quarterfinals Class 6A District 1 final: Coatesville at Garnett Valley, 7 p.m. Friday 12-1 St. Joseph’s Prep vs. 11-1 Freedom at Bishop O’Hara, 6 p.m. Friday 6-1 State College at 3-1 Harrisburg, 1 p.m. Saturday 10-1 McDowell at 7-1 Mt. Lebanon, 7 p.m. Friday Class 5A 10-1...
5 things we learned: Some WPIAL finalists wait decades for championship chance
Welcome to Heinz Field. When Bishop Canevin and Moon last reached the WPIAL finals, Three Rivers Stadium still was standing on the North Short, but those teams’ will end their decades-long waits next weekend. Moon is returning to the WPIAL finals for the first time in 23 years, and Bishop...
If forced to Class 5A, Aliquippa might consider leaving WPIAL football for independent schedule
Forcing the Aliquippa football team to play schools two, three or four times its size isn’t safe or fair, regardless of whether the Quips are winning those games, says the school district’s top administrator. Superintendent Phillip Woods wants the PIAA competitive-balance rule to be rewritten. Aliquippa will compete next weekend...
Alex Tecza’s 4 TDs help lift Mt. Lebanon to 1st WPIAL football title in 21 years
Central Catholic had about six weeks to devise a new strategy for stopping Alex Tecza, Eli Heidenreich and Joey Daniels, yet the three seniors and their Mt. Lebanon teammates proved undeniable. So, too, was the Blue Devils’ desire for a WPIAL title. Tecza alone rolled up more than 200 yards...
WPIAL 6A football championship breakdown: Mt. Lebanon vs. Central Catholic
WPIAL Class 6A football championship No. 1 Mt. Lebanon vs. No. 2 Central Catholic 7 p.m. Saturday, Norwin On the air: TV: WPCW; Audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com, 95.3 FM, 1020 AM Winner plays: McDowell in the PIAA quarterfinals Nov. 26 or 27 WPIAL titles: Mt. Lebanon 7 (1966, ’70, ’80, ’81, ’83,...
North Allegheny’s Mlecko steps into PIAA cross country history books as 4-time team champion
There was a time when Maura Mlecko was the freshman on North Allegheny’s cross country team, running at the state championship meet in Hershey for the first time. But like runners on that course, four years can go by fast. As a senior surrounded by freshmen, Mlecko was back in...
Mt. Lebanon seeks 1st WPIAL title in decades vs. Central Catholic team familiar with finals
On one sideline will be Mt. Lebanon, the undefeated No. 1 seed in the WPIAL playoffs that is making its first championship appearance since 2000. On the other side is Central Catholic, a two-time defending WPIAL champion that reached the finals more often than not in the past decade. Which...
