Chris Harlan stories, Page 72
Like rivals, Upper St. Clair turns to new nucleus
Upper St. Clair’s conference was among the WPIAL’s deepest in recent years with senior-heavy rosters full of experience becoming the norm in the South Hills. This year, that’s not always the case. “Our league is turning over big time,” said USC coach Mike Junko, who returns only five full-time starters....
Peters Township seniors hungry for bigger roles
When Peters Township snaps the football on opening night, returning center Anthony Brunette will be the lineman over the ball. The Indians know that for sure. Who will be the four blockers next to him? Coaches must answer that question and quite a few others if they want to return...
2021 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the quarterbacks
Starting today, TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top quarterbacks for the 2021 season. 1. Brad Birch Gateway Sophomore, 6-2, 190 Birch already holds a college offer from Pac-12 school Oregon after a title-winning freshman...
North Allegheny flying under Class 6A radar
Editor’s note: Starting today, Trib HSSN will preview at least one WPIAL conference per day until the start of high school football season Aug. 27. The preseason buzz in WPIAL Class 6A usually has North Allegheny among the early favorites. This year, that’s maybe not the case. “I think everybody’s...
T.J. Watt’s absence from team drills tied to contract, Steelers defensive coach says
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt’s decision to sit out team drills is tied to his current contract situation, defensive coordinator Keith Butler confirmed Saturday, after Watt’s teammates again worked out without the reigning NFL sack leader. Asked when Watt might ramp up activity, Butler said: “That’s none of my business. I...
Mike Tomlin refutes report saying Steelers receiver James Washington wants trade
Despite a report saying James Washington was unhappy with his role and wanted to be traded, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he hasn’t heard those words from the fourth-year receiver. “Those unnamed sources, we don’t react to or respond to,” Tomlin said after practice Saturday at Heinz Field. “James has...
With camps, college visits back, TribLive HSSN Preseason All-Stars are busy this summer
As Josh Jenkins walked into Kennywood Park, passing the merry-go-round and the Sky Rocket, the Sto-Rox quarterback marveled at just how much life has improved in a year. At this time last summer, Western Pennsylvania’s high school football players were mostly staying close to home and wondering whether there’d be...
WPIAL adds board of directors seat exclusively for private schools
Private schools in the WPIAL soon will have their own seat on the board. As the WPIAL entered a new school year, the board voted Monday to add a 20th seat earmarked exclusively for private schools. Those schools were left without a representative when longtime WPIAL board member Bill Cleary...
WPIAL football championships will return to Heinz Field this fall — maybe over 2 days
The WPIAL football championships are returning to Heinz Field this fall, maybe for a two-day affair Thanksgiving weekend at the North Shore stadium. The football finals were held at high school venues last season because of the pandemic, but the WPIAL board voted Monday to take four or five of...
State champion wrestler, City League great Godwin Nyama Cutler dies at 27
Former state wrestling champion Godwin Nyama Cutler, an all-time City League great who won the league its first PIAA title less than a decade ago, has died. He was 27. Nyama Cutler went 132-19 in four seasons at Brashear in a standout high school career highlighted by a 120-pound state...
Miller, Meister headline North Allegheny Hall of Fame class
Championship-winning coaches Heidi Miller and Rick Meister were among 18 inductees chosen to enter the North Allegheny Hall of Fame this year. Both coached at the school for more than two decades as a head coach or assistant. Meister won WPIAL softball titles in 2002, ’03 and ’06, along with...
PIAA makes change to state basketball tournament, anticipates ‘normal’ fall
The state basketball tournament will start a little earlier this winter under a schedule change that makes cross-state travel easier for the semifinals and finals. The PIAA board unanimously approved the new postseason schedule Wednesday when it met at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College. The...
Trib HSSN boys athlete of the year: Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer wins titles in 2 sports
Early in the winter, Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer called his future college wrestling coach with some bad news. He’d injured his left shoulder and would eventually need surgery to repair a torn labrum. Should he sit out his senior year? Weeks removed from quarterbacking Pine-Richland’s football team to a PIAA championship,...
A year like no other: The top stories of the 2020-21 school year in WPIAL sports
8.21.20 The PIAA board of directors ignored a “strong recommendation” from Gov. Tom Wolf to postpone sports until January and voted 25-5 to start fall sports as scheduled, ending weeks of worry for athletes, coaches and families. “We know there are no guarantees, but we’re at least making the attempt...
Record-setting quarterback Johnny DiNapoli leaving East Allegheny
Johnny DiNapoli, who set a WPIAL passing record two years ago, has transferred this summer from East Allegheny to Elizabeth Forward. As a freshman in 2019, DiNapoli passed for 1,728 yards, setting what is believed to be a WPIAL freshman record. He attended East Allegheny the past two school years,...
Seton LaSalle baseball standout, coach’s son Brett Wagner transferring to IMG Academy
Seton LaSalle baseball coach Mike Wagner is losing his favorite player to IMG Academy in Florida, but he’s 100% on board with the kid’s decision. That player is his son. A rising senior, Brett Wagner is transferring to the private sports-oriented high school in Bradenton, Fla. with hopes that his...
North Allegheny’s Cole Young picked for all-star baseball game at Coors Field
North Allegheny shortstop Cole Young, who could be a future MLB Draft pick, is headed to the site of this year’s baseball all-star game. Young was among 39 high school baseball players from the 2022 graduating class chosen to play in an All-American game at Coors Field in Denver. The...
Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Sean FitzSimmons
The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 22 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. While visiting with Pitt’s coaches, Panthers recruit Sean FitzSimmons watched videos of Aaron Donald’s...
Trib HSSN Head of the Class: Baseball Player and Coach of the Year for each classification
Whether their school had students in the classroom or virtually this spring, there is a special seat up front reserved for these standout performers and coaches in the return to the baseball field. Trib HSSN salutes all players and coaches for their great work in the return of spring sports...
Kathy McConnell-Miller leaves Trinity bench for college basketball job
Kathy McConnell-Miller is returning to the college coaching ranks after two seasons with the Trinity girls basketball team. Gulf Coast State, a junior college in Panama City, Fla., announced Thursday it had hired McConnell-Miller as women’s basketball coach. She couldn’t be reached but Trinity athletic director Ricci Rich confirmed McConnell-Miller...
Central Valley’s Mark Lyons nominated for NFL high school coach of the year
Central Valley’s Mark Lyons was among 32 nominees announced Thursday for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year award. Each NFL team can recommend one candidate and Lyons’ was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ nominee. Lyons, who’s entering his 12th season at Central Valley, won WPIAL and PIAA Class...
2021 Trib HSSN Baseball Player of the Year: Eric Chalus, Bethel Park
2021 HSSN Baseball Player of the Year Eric Chalus School: Bethel Park Class: Senior Bethel Park’s Eric Chalus is rather stoic on the mound, rarely showing emotion after a batter strikes out or walks. But after throwing the final pitch of his high school career, an inning-ending strike in the...
Week Zero football showcase returns to Wolvarena in August
Week Zero is back on the football schedule this fall, and with it returns the Western Pa. vs. Everyone football showcase hosted by Woodland Hills. The multi-game event Aug. 27-28 matches a WPIAL or City League team against an opponent from either Eastern Pa. or a neighboring state. The six...
Butler basketball’s Devin Carney commits to Elon
One of college basketball’s stingiest defenses added some scoring power Thursday when Butler’s Devin Carney committed to Elon. The 6-foot-1 combo guard averaged 30 points per game last winter and led Butler to the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals. He ranks among the WPIAL’s top players in the 2022 graduating class....
TribHSSN Preseason WPIAL Football All-Star team: Patrick Body, Gateway
The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 22 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. A year ago, Gateway’s Patrick Body and Derrick Davis formed one of the most...
