Chris Harlan stories, Page 89
WPIAL football rankings for Week 1
WPIAL football Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 1-0, 1 2. North Allegheny, 1-0, 2 3. Seneca Valley, 0-0, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 0-0, 4 5. Baldwin, 1-0, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 1-0, 1 2. Gateway, 1-0, 2 3. Peters Township, 0-0, 3 4....
Upper St. Clair stays grounded, defeats rival Bethel Park with 5 rushing TDs
Dual-threat quarterback Ethan Dahlem scored twice Friday night, yet Upper St. Clair didn’t need him to carry the load alone anymore. Dahlem was the team’s leading rusher a season ago, but running backs Jaden Keating and Ethan Hiester also reached the end zone in USC’s 34-7 victory over Bethel Park....
Sto-Rox cancels football game 3 hours before kickoff
A few hours before kickoff, Sto-Rox canceled its season-opening football game. Vikings coach and athletic director LaRoi Johnson wrote on Twitter shortly after 4 p.m. Friday that their game at Carlynton was canceled but provided no other details. Around that same time, Carlynton athletic director Nate Milsom received an email...
Controlling tempo key for Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park in Allegheny 6 opener
Mike Junko doesn’t make his team run gassers, suicide sprints or whatever other name the exhausting workouts are called. He prefers to wear out opponents. With the second-year coach calling plays, Upper St. Clair’s offense has maybe the quickest no-huddle tempo in the WPIAL. So, rather than run sprints all...
North Allegheny boys soccer focused on finishing chances
In soccer coach Bobby Vosmaer’s view, his North Allegheny boys need to finish their scoring chances to keep their season from ending early again. That’s an added emphasis. “Just capitalize on our chances,” he said. “We always can create chances. But we’re not always putting them away. That’s the one...
Waynesburg adds Ariz. wrestling champion as WPIAL sorts out-of-state transfers
For the second year in a row, Waynesburg’s wrestling team has added a state champion from another part of the country. The team’s newest transfer is junior Zander Phaturos, who won the 113-pound state title in Arizona last winter. The WPIAL processed his transfer paperwork Wednesday and granted him full...
Gov. Wolf says schools shouldn’t decide spectator limits for sportsVideo
Advocates for House Bill 2787 are ignoring reality, said Gov. Tom Wolf, who insisted Thursday that individual schools shouldn’t set their own attendance policies for athletics. Wolf plans to veto the bill. The state House and Senate each approved the legislation by a two-third majority, but Wolf said Thursday he...
Serra Catholic postpones football team’s season opener
Serra Catholic, which closed its school building for a couple of days this week, has also postponed its football team’s season opener. The Eagles were scheduled to host Steel Valley on Friday. Athletic director Bill Cleary announced the postponement Thursday. Serra moved all students to online learning after two students...
WPIAL football teams ready to embark on season like no other
After an evening of continuous collisions, two of the WPIAL’s top football teams wanted to show their respect for one another, but they weren’t exactly sure how. Players typically line up after a scrimmage, meet at midfield and shake hands. But as teams have learned, simple elements of football season...
Central Catholic transfer Langston Moses wins appeal, eligible for basketball playoffsVideo
If Central Catholic qualifies for the WPIAL basketball playoffs, junior Langston Moses is eligible to take part this winter, the WPIAL decided Wednesday. The 6-foot-3 standout transferred this summer from Winchester Thurston, where he averaged 22 points per game. The WPIAL initially made Moses eligible for the regular season but...
Pa. Senate passes bill letting school districts decide who attends sporting events
If House Bill 2787 becomes law, state Rep. Mike Reese plans to watch some high school football games and see his niece play volleyball at Hempfield. But that’s now in the governor’s hands. The bill, sponsored by the Westmoreland County Republican, would let individual school districts determine attendance limits for...
Veteran QB Cole Spencer leads Pine-Richland into new Class 5A schedule
Pine-Richland quarterback Cole Spencer threw for nearly 3,000 yards last season, but that isn’t the number his coach likes most. “The best thing you can say about a quarterback is, ‘What’s his record?’” coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “Stats lie. You can have a really bad football team and have great...
North Hills to rely on senior class to navigate new-look conference slate
North Hills enters the fall with a football team that’s senior-heavy but light on experience. The way to fix that problem is to let them play. “We need to get this rolling a little bit and see what we have, because we do have to mature over the season,” coach...
WPIAL sets football playoffs for 2021, but this year’s format clouded by covid-19
Covid-19 uncertainty clouds this year’s playoff picture, but the WPIAL did make a recent decision about the 2021 football postseason. The WPIAL board approved a new formula for determining the number of football teams that qualify. The formula, revealed during its late-August meeting, was overshadowed at the time by covid-19...
WPIAL Class 5A football breakdown: South Fayette, Pine-Richland face new challenges
How long has it been since South Fayette wasn’t a clear conference favorite? That was probably nine years ago, back when the Lions’ senior quarterback would’ve been in third grade. They’ve gone undefeated in the conference every season since, running off a streak of 64 consecutive wins. This year, there...
Gateway junior Patrick Body Jr. becomes 2nd Gators safety with Pitt offerVideo
There’s already a four-star safety in Gateway’s senior class, but now there’s a Power 5 defensive back in the junior class as well. Gateway junior Patrick Body Jr. announced his first Power 5 offer from Pitt on Wednesday, joining senior Derrick Davis as sought-after teammates for the defending WPIAL Class...
One WPIAL football team expects hundreds of fans at its opener: South Fayette
South Fayette’s football team will travel two hours for its season opener, but there is an obvious silver lining. By playing a game out of state, the Lions can have a couple of hundred of their fans in the stands. “It worked out perfect,” coach Joe Rossi said. South Fayette...
Legislation that gives schools say on spectators moves closer to Gov. Wolf’s desk
Before WPIAL football teams kick off next week, state lawmakers may send a bill to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk that would let more spectators attend interscholastic events. “I absolutely think that’s a real possibility,” said state Rep. Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland, the primary sponsor of House Bill 2787. “I think that’s...
Gov. Wolf lifts ban on spectators at interscholastic sportsVideo
Spectators can watch football, soccer and all other high school sports this fall after Gov. Tom Wolf lifted his ban on fans at interscholastic athletics. But Wolf kept strict limits on gathering sizes, meaning many stadium seats and gym bleachers might stay empty. Outdoor events are limited to 250 individuals,...
Almost every member school will play fall sports, WPIAL survey says
The results of the WPIAL survey are clear: Almost everyone is playing fall sports. Only two schools told the WPIAL they are shutting down fall sports entirely: Summit Academy and Neighborhood Academy, according to WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman. Summit Academy sponsors football and boys golf. Neighborhood Academy has only...
PIAA rejects Thursday kickoff request for WPIAL football season
High school football season won’t start on a Thursday night. The WPIAL had hoped to let some teams kickoff one day early — on Sept. 10 — but the PIAA denied that request, WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman said Tuesday. The first date football teams can play a regular-season game...
Central Catholic returns 2,000-yard rusher but QB job remains 5-way battle
Central Catholic has five guys competing to play quarterback, and whoever wins the job will practice handing the football to Eddy Tillman. The senior is coming off a 2,000-yard, 26-touchdown season. The 5-foot-8 running back has increased his strength since last season and started drawing Division I interest this summer....
Strong junior class has Mt. Lebanon coach Bob Palko optimistic in Year 2
Mt. Lebanon coach Bob Palko had 14 sophomores earn a varsity letter in his first season with the Blue Devils. That has him excited because those sophomores are now juniors, so he expects to see a discernible jump in their performances. For football players, that transition from 10th grade to...
North Allegheny replaces top rusher, passer, receiver from last year’s lineup
North Allegheny coach Art Walker has always had a go-to guy in the backfield, one running back who’d shoulder the bulk of the carries. Not so, this season. “We’re going to be running back by committee until somebody steps up and takes it,” Walker said. “We could’ve done more evaluation...
Central Catholic football star, Pitt recruit Elliot Donald skipping senior season
The possibility he’d infect his granddad or any other family member with covid-19 was too much risk, said Central Catholic football star Elliot Donald, who decided to skip his senior season. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive tackle is a Pitt commit, one of the WPIAL’s elite players and the nephew of...
