Chris Harlan stories, Page 67
Moon headed to 1st WPIAL final since 1998 after topping Penn Hills in semis
Heinz Field hadn’t been built the last time Moon made the WPIAL football finals, but the Tigers are headed there now. No. 1 seed Moon used a familiar combination of gritty defense, a physical running game and one long touchdown run to defeat No. 5 Penn Hills, 14-9, in a...
Covid-19 cases force Carnegie Mellon to withdraw from NCAA football playoffs
Carnegie Mellon’s journey in the NCAA football playoffs is over before it started. The university announced Friday that several football players tested positive for covid-19, so the team will withdraw from the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Tartans (8-2) were scheduled to play a first-round game Saturday against North Central...
Seeking 1st WPIAL finals trip since 1998, No. 1 Moon faces Penn Hills in semifinals
A sign hanging inside Moon’s football stadium chronicles the milestone years in team history. One look at that board reminds the current Tigers that their team hasn’t reached the WPIAL finals in more than two decades. Yet this year’s roster, with a strong senior class, wants desperately to write 2021...
North Allegheny swimming brings back retired coach to replace Patrick Wenzel
Citing personal reasons, title-winning North Allegheny swimming coach Patrick Wenzel resigned this fall after leading the WPIAL’s top program for eight years. The Tigers swept the WPIAL boys and girls titles in each of Wenzel’s eight seasons as coach, and the girls enter this winter as reigning state champions. To...
WPIAL Sportsmanship Summit to be live streamed Wednesday on TribLive HSSN
Athletes from dozens of Western Pennsylvania high schools will gather Wednesday morning at the Heinz History Center for the annual WPIAL Sportsmanship Summit, which will be streamed live on TribLive HSSN. This is the 12th year for the event, scheduled from 9:30 a.m. until noon. Former Steelers defensive lineman Brett...
North Allegheny tops Shaler, earns 5th consecutive trip to state volleyball finals
North Allegheny will try for No. 5. Already a four-time defending state champion, the NA girls earned a trip to the volleyball state finals for the fifth year in a row after defeating rival Shaler, 3-1, in a PIAA Class 4A semifinal Tuesday night at Fox Chapel. The Tigers rallied...
Hampton girls volleyball rallies past Freeport, reaches PIAA Class 3A final for 1st time
Two sets away from a trip to the state volleyball finals, perhaps the Freeport girls showed their age for the first time all season. Hampton showed its poise. With two freshman starters on the court, Freeport won Game 1 in Tuesday’s PIAA Class 3A semifinal, but the WPIAL champion Yellow...
WPIAL investigates allegations of ‘racial bigotry, unsportsmanlike play’ by South Side football team
The WPIAL is investigating accusations of “racial bigotry and unsportsmanlike play” levied against the South Side football team. The allegations involve actions and derogatory comments made during last week’s WPIAL playoff loss to Steel Valley, which brought the concerns to the WPIAL’s attention. “Steel Valley and South Side played a...
Slippery Rock, Carnegie Mellon earn bids into NCAA football playoffs
Slippery Rock received an at-large bid from the NCAA on Sunday, joining Carnegie Mellon as the only Western Pennsylvania college football teams qualified for the Division II or III playoffs. Carnegie Mellon already was assured a spot in the 32-team Division III playoffs as an automatic qualifier from the PAC,...
Fox Chapel to host semifinal doubleheader in PIAA girls volleyball tournament
Fox Chapel will host a semifinal doubleheader Tuesday night in the girls volleyball state tournament. The PIAA on Saturday announced sites and times. Freeport and Hampton will play at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, with Shaler and North Allegheny following at 7:30 p.m. North Catholic and Bishop Canevin also have games Tuesday....
PIAA announces sites, times for state soccer semifinals
The WPIAL will have at least seven soccer teams in the state finals, and the league could have a finalist in all eight championship games. The PIAA on Sunday announced sites and times for the state semifinals with seven all-WPIAL matchups among them. All games are Tuesday. Boys semifinals Class...
5 things we learned: Big Seven keeps WPIAL Class A unpredictable
The WPIAL’s smallest classification was also its most unpredictable this fall, but Our Lady of the Sacred Heart coach Dan Bradley says he isn’t surprised by who is still standing. The final four in Class A has three teams from the Big Seven, including his ninth-seeded Chargers, who upset No....
Kiski Area lineman Brandon Lawhorn Moore commits to Miami (Ohio)
Kiski Area’s Brandon Lawhorn Moore, one of the WPIAL’s top offensive line recruits, committed Saturday to Miami (Ohio). The 6-foot-5, 290-pound senior tackle announced on Twitter his commitment to the RedHawks. He also had listed Division I offers from Duquesne, Bowling Green, Bucknell, Buffalo, Fordham, Kent State, Maine, New Hampshire,...
WPIAL announces sites for football semifinals
The WPIAL on Saturday revealed host sites for next weekend’s 10 football semifinals. Among them, West Mifflin will host conference rivals Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson next Friday in Class 4A. The game is a rematch from Week 4, when Belle Vernon won, 28-21, at home. All semifinal games are...
Thomas Jefferson returns to WPIAL semifinals with dominant win over HamptonVideo
Hampton’s offense had posted extraordinary rushing numbers all season, but Thomas Jefferson knows a little about running the football, too. The Jaguars proved it Friday night. Thomas Jefferson rushed for more than 300 yards, quarterback Joe Lekse scored five times and the Jaguars defeated host Hampton, 42-14, in a run-heavy...
5 things to watch: Class 6A football teams 1 win away from WPIAL finals
No player on Mt. Lebanon’s football roster was yet born the last time the Blue Devils reached the WPIAL finals. That was 21 years ago. But top-seeded Mt. Lebanon, along with the three other Class 6A semifinalists, is only one win away from a trip to the WPIAL championship game....
Hampton hopes to make noise vs. defending WPIAL champ Thomas Jefferson
The sound of a train horn punctuates Hampton home games, thanks to an ardent Talbots fan at a nearby home. It’s one of the WPIAL’s loudest touchdown traditions. “I didn’t know about it my first year and it scared the hell out of me,” said coach Jacque DeMatteo, who’s in...
Coaches announce 2021 WPIAL field hockey all-stars
Days after winning WPIAL titles, the Pine-Richland, Penn-Trafford and Shady Side Academy field hockey teams had another reason to celebrate Wednesday. Combined, the three WPIAL champions had 15 players honored as WPIAL all-stars. The all-stars were chosen by a vote of coaches, who also identified an All-WPIAL team. Class 3A...
3 WPIAL field hockey champions to host PIAA openers Tuesday
No Western Pennsylvania field hockey team has reached the PIAA finals in the sport’s 47-year history, but three WPIAL squads will try as they start their state tournament quest Tuesday. The PIAA on Sunday announced sites and times for first-round games in the three classifications. All first-round games are Tuesday....
Sites, times announced for PIAA girls volleyball tournament
The North Allegheny girls volleyball team will begin its quest for a fifth consecutive state title at home Tuesday. The PIAA on Sunday revealed brackets for the upcoming state tournament, which includes a dozen WPIAL teams in the four classifications. All first-round games are Tuesday. North Allegheny, a four-time defending...
PIAA announces sites, times for state soccer playoff openers
The PIAA revealed sites and times for first-round matchups in the state soccer playoffs and all eight WPIAL champions have home games. All first-round games are Tuesday. Among the boys matchups, Seneca Valley will host Hempfield of District 3 at 5 p.m., Hampton hosts Hollidaysburg at 6:30 p.m., Grove City...
5 things we learned: Home-field advantage didn’t guarantee wins in WPIAL 1st round
There are high school football stadiums in Western Pennsylvania where visiting teams rarely win. New Brighton walked into one of those daunting places Friday night and confidently won. The Lions, seeded 13th in the WPIAL Class 2A bracket, celebrated a dramatic victory over No. 4 Washington, 21-20, in overtime. As...
Freshmen runners help North Allegheny boys, girls again sweep WPIAL titles
The starting line at a cross country championship can be a stressful scene for first-timers, yet North Allegheny’s freshmen clearly weren’t fazed. With five ninth-graders making their WPIAL championship debuts, the NA boys and girls swept the Class 3A team titles Oct. 28 at Cal (Pa.). In fact, two of...
Long passes let No. 11 Peters Township upset North Hills in WPIAL playoffsVideo
In many ways, Peters Township quarterback Sam Miller epitomizes his football team. Like others on the Indians roster, Miller entered his senior season as a starter with limited experience, missed some time with an injury and wasn’t nearly the impact player in August that he is right now. As he’s...
5 things to watch: First-round byes create new twist for WPIAL football playoffs
Byes, byes, byes. The WPIAL football playoff brackets have a different look this season with the addition of 15 first-round byes. Which begs the question: Do coaches want a week off at this time of year? With a laugh, Clairton coach Wayne Wade said he’d answer that question after next...
