Chris Harlan stories, Page 68
North Hills, Peters Township hope to out-perform their seeds in ‘wide open’ 5A
The No. 11 is listed next to Peters Township’s name on the WPIAL football brackets, but the Indians sure don’t feel like a double-digit seed. “If you look at the No. 1 seed, we went toe to toe with them,” coach T.J. Plack said. “And the No. 2 seed, we...
WPIAL football likely down to 7 teams in 6A as PIAA releases 2022-23 parameters
The WPIAL’s largest football classification — 6A — is likely getting smaller again. The PIAA released updated classification parameters Tuesday for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, and the numbers indicate the WPIAL will have only seven football teams in 6A next season. The PIAA parameters list the top and...
Breaking down the 2021 WPIAL football playoffs
Class 6A Favorite: Mt. Lebanon hasn’t won a WPIAL title or reached the finals since 2000, but the Blue Devils seem ready to end that drought. The senior trio of QB Joey Daniels, WR Eli Heidenreich and RB Alex Tecza lead an offense that averages 37.6 points — best in...
WPIAL reveals football playoff brackets, surprises with No. 1 seed in 2A
In the span of a year, Steel Valley went from a one-win season to the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL football playoffs. The Ironmen rebounded from a 1-5 record a year ago to win the Allegheny Conference title this fall with an undefeated record. That comeback story earned Steel...
Unsung line coach has helped North Allegheny win battles in trenches for 3 decades
Who decided that the running backs and wide receivers are called skill-position players? North Allegheny line coach Mike Buchert strongly disagrees. “When we divide up, they’ll say, ‘Skill guys over here and linemen over there.’ I get my guys together and say, ‘There are no if, ands or buts about...
2021 WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan predict football playoffs
For the second year in a row, football coaches won’t crowd into a Green Tree ballroom to see the WPIAL playoff brackets announced. Instead, the brackets will be revealed in a video livestream at 6 p.m. Saturday on TribLive HSSN. While we wait for the official brackets to be released,...
Nijhay Burt carries No. 5 Steel Valley past Serra Catholic to clinch Allegheny Conference title
WPIAL rushing leader Nijhay Burt was averaging 2 yards a carry on his first 10 tries Friday night, yet nobody this season has frustrated the Steel Valley star for an entire game. Serra Catholic tried to be the first. “I know a lot of people on the team look up...
5 things to watch in Week 9: Winner-takes-all matchups in 2 WPIAL conferences
Serra Catholic hasn’t celebrated a conference title since 2007, and the 14 seasons since included some lean years for the Eagles. The team went winless in 2012 and endured one-win seasons in 2013 and ’14. Yet, with the program turned around in coach Jose Regus’ fifth season, Serra Catholic is...
5 things we learned in Week 8: Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher delivers again in must-win game
Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher has delivered many times before in must-win situations, but those often had him holding a basketball in his hands. Friday’s challenge was a little different for the star junior. If Laurel Highlands intended to make the WPIAL football playoffs, the Mustangs had to win at Trinity....
Trib HSSN high school football rankings: Oct. 23, 2021
Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Mt. Lebanon, 9-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 7-2, 2 3. North Allegheny, 6-3, 3 4. Seneca Valley, 6-3, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 4-5, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Moon, 9-0, 1 2. Penn-Trafford, 7-2, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 5-4, 3...
Brownsville leaving WPIAL football for independent schedule
Leaving WPIAL football was an idea Brownsville athletic director Scott Roebuck once was adamantly against, but now he agrees that drastic move is the best chance to save the program. With the team mired in a 21-game losing streak, the Brownsville school board voted Thursday to follow the lead of...
Rare defeat helped North Allegheny girls volleyball players refocus
The winning streak had stood at 57 section victories when the North Allegheny girls volleyball team saw its unbeaten run stunningly end this season. Yet, that 3-0 loss to Shaler in late September might be exactly what the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Tigers really needed, said their first-year coach,...
No. 1 Moon shuts out Bethel Park, clinches Allegheny Six title
Moon has a fondness for physical football, clock-consuming drives and 225-pound running backs. It’s a combination that worked again Friday night. But with their usual big-bodied back limited by an injury, tight end/defensive end Ben Bladel became the team’s battering ram and scored the first points in a 30-0 victory...
5 things to watch in Week 8: Home field at stake for WPIAL 1st round and quarterfinals
There’s no place like home, especially in the playoffs. This fall that home-field advantage is a bigger factor than usual since the WPIAL decided to extend that perk to higher-seeded teams for both first-round and quarterfinal games. The WPIAL informed schools this week. So, a matchup like Friday’s between Fox...
Winless a year ago, Bethel Park challenges Moon for conference title in Allegheny Six
A year after going winless, the Bethel Park football players have a chance this week to call themselves champions of the Allegheny Six. This, without question, is the team’s biggest game in quite a while when No. 1-ranked Moon (8-0, 3-0) hosts Bethel Park (5-3, 3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday,...
Allderdice wins rematch with Brashear, returns to City League championship
Using Jaerone Parker as a wildcat quarterback was a new wrinkle Allderdice added to its game plan this week while preparing to face Brashear for the second time in eight days. Last time, Parker largely played only defense. “They didn’t know what they were going to get this week,” said...
4 WPIAL coaches earn statewide honor from PIAA
Four WPIAL coaches earned state coach of the year honors from the PIAA for the 2020-21 school year. The four were New Castle baseball coach Bill Cook, Central Valley football coach Mark Lyons, Seneca Valley boys soccer coach George Williams and North Hills softball coach Libby Gasior. The PIAA revealed...
WPIAL says Plum football used ineligible player, must forfeit game
The Plum football team used an ineligible player in some games this season, the WPIAL decided Monday, meaning the Mustangs must forfeit those contests. Once made official, the mistake will cost Plum one conference win against Mars, said athletic director Josh Shoop. Plum self-reported the violation to the WPIAL after...
Gateway hopes for strong finish after season full of growing pains
Gateway football players receive a video scouting report every Sunday from coach Don Holl that starts with an update on the state of the season. “Here’s where we’re at. Here are the standings. Here’s the deal. We talk about it every week,” said Holl, who provides the voiceover for the...
Five things we learned in Week 7: City League star, state’s top junior sidelined for season
One of Pennsylvania’s top football players may miss the rest of his junior season with a knee injury. Brashear’s Ta’Mere Robinson, a four-star college prospect with a bevy of major Division I offers, revealed Saturday on Twitter that he’s sidelined with a “possible ACL/MCL tear.” Rivals has him ranked as...
Trib HSSN high school football rankings: Oct. 16, 2021
Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Mt. Lebanon, 8-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 6-2, 2 3. North Allegheny, 5-3, 3 4. Seneca Valley, 6-2, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 4-4, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Moon, 7-0, 1 2. Penn-Trafford, 5-2, 3 3. Pine-Richland, 4-3, 2...
Dylan Sleva drives dominant 4th quarter as No. 1 Moon outlasts Upper St. Clair
There wasn’t much surprise whenever Dylan Sleva got the football in the fourth quarter, yet Moon kept feeding their 225-pound battering ram. Twenty-nine times Sleva carried the ball Friday. “We ran like the same play five times in a row,” Moon lineman Trent Fraley said. “They know it’s coming and...
5 things to watch in Week 7: North Catholic leads WPIAL defenses chasing zeroes
Zero has become North Catholic’s favorite number. That’s because the Trojans have shut out five of their first seven opponents, by far the most shutouts by any defense in the WPIAL this season. Take that dominance a step farther and they’ve held offenses scoreless in 25 of their 28 quarters....
Upper St. Clair revamps offense mid-season, readies ‘wildcat’ for No. 1 Moon
An old football adage says if you’re playing two quarterbacks, you actually have none. “What if you’re using six?” Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko asks with a laugh. So far, USC has found strength in numbers. Just before the start of conference play, the Panthers overhauled their offense, transforming...
PIAA eases preseason practice requirements for most sports, not football
The PIAA says it’s OK to skip practice. Starting next fall, most high school sports teams will need to complete only 10 days of preseason practice rather than the current 15, the PIAA board voted Wednesday. However, football was not one of the sports included in the reduction. Football teams...
