Chris Harlan stories, Page 98
All-state girls basketball: 8 WPIAL players, coach Tim McConnell earn statewide honors in 5A
Chartiers Valley teammates Aislin Malcolm and Megan McConnell earned first-team all-state honors along with Gateway’s Lexi Jackson as WPIAL girls basketball players dominated the statewide Class 5A vote Monday. In all, eight of the 18 all-state roster spots went to WPIAL players, and Chartiers Valley’s Tim McConnell was named Coach...
All-state girls basketball: NA’s Lizzy Groetsch, Spencer Stefko lead WPIAL’s 6A selections
North Allegheny junior Lizzy Groetsch and coach Spencer Stefko saw their PIAA girls basketball title hopes dashed by the coronavirus outbreak, but both earned statewide recognition Monday. Groetsch, a Penn commit, earned first-team all-state honors in Class 6A, and Stefko was named Coach of the Year in Pennsylvania’s largest classification....
100 years ago, Pa. held its 1st state basketball tournament, but anniversary celebration on hold
Two thousand fans came to the Armory in State College to watch the first state basketball tournament in Pennsylvania high school history, a historic event from exactly 100 years ago. Harrisburg Tech won a silver cup and gold medals as the first state tournament champions after defeating WPIAL champion Bellevue,...
Coronavirus outbreak could leave 6-figure dent in WPIAL budgetVideo
The coronavirus outbreak already has spring sports on hold indefinitely, but the WPIAL is bracing for off-the-field impacts as well from the unfolding pandemic. The virus could leave a six-figure hole in the WPIAL budget, cancel the annual meeting and delay the election of board members for next school year....
Union lineman Aaron Gunn commits to LouisvilleVideo
Union junior Aaron Gunn, one of the WPIAL’s top linemen, committed Tuesday to Louisville. He announced his decision on Twitter. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound offensive lineman also listed Power 5 offers from West Virginia, Kentucky and Michigan State, along with Cincinnati, Buffalo, Western Michigan and others. Gunn earned first-team all-conference honors...
PIAA suspends chapter meetings for game officials until state reopens schoolsVideo
The PIAA Officials Council has suspended all chapter meetings until Gov. Tom Wolf reopens schools, the PIAA announced in an email to Pennsylvania high school sports officials. Officials are required to attend six meetings to maintain their PIAA registration, but that number could be relaxed, PIAA assistant executive director Patrick...
Former Baldwin AD Vince Sortino joining WPIAL administration as assistant to executive director
Former Baldwin athletic director Vince Sortino is returning to the WPIAL. The WPIAL board voted unanimously Monday to hire Sortino as assistant to the executive director, a position vacant since last summer. Sortino, who joins the staff July 1, spent the past two school years as athletic director at Dallastown...
No guarantee spring sports are played, but WPIAL discusses ‘what if’ scenariosVideo
The WPIAL board discussed contingency plans for spring sports season behind closed doors Monday, but “anything at this point is uncertain,” associate executive director Amy Scheuneman said. She called them “what-if” scenarios. All of Pennsylvania’s schools were closed Monday to start a two-week shutdown ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf, so...
Future of spring sports season will be considered Monday by WPIAL board
The PIAA already postponed the end of winter sports season, but now spring sports might also be in danger. Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday ordered all schools closed for two weeks in response to the coronavirus outbreak, meaning baseball, softball, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis and track athletes won’t practice next week...
Caught in limbo, WPIAL basketball teams wonder if delay turns into cancellation
Along with coaching basketball, Spencer Stefko teaches world cultures at North Allegheny, a job that has him studying the effects of a viral pandemic. “Coronavirus is all that we’ve talked for the last four days because my kids are fascinated by it,” Stefko said. “They’re asking great questions and it’s...
PIAA suspends basketball tournament, swimming championships for 2 weeksVideo
The PIAA will reassess the coronavirus situation in two weeks, said executive director Bob Lombardi, and decide then whether to resume the winter sports championships. The state basketball tournaments and the Class AA swimming championship were suspended Thursday as the PIAA joined a growing list of sports organizations impacted by...
Butler completes another crazy comeback, defeats Upper St. Clair in PIAA 2nd roundVideo
The question on everybody’s mind this week in Butler was: How is Ethan Morton’s injured ankle? “I thought it was kind of humorous,” coach Matt Clement said. “That was the question of the day the whole three days in Butler. People asked: Does someone need to drive him somewhere? Did...
North Allegheny bans spectators from athletics events as coronavirus precaution
In response to coronavirus concerns, North Allegheny will ban spectators from attending all home sporting events until April 13, the school district decided Wednesday. The ban includes outdoor spring sports events and impacts all spectators, NA athletic director Bob Bozzuto said, including parents. It takes effect Thursday. The school district...
Girls basketball sites, times: North Allegheny, Bethel Park travel to Bellefonte for PIAA quarterfinals
WPIAL finalists North Allegheny and Bethel Park will play on the same floor Friday night, one after the other as part of a PIAA girls basketball doubleheader at Bald Eagle in Bellefonte. Bethel Park plays Plymouth-Whitemarsh at 5:30 p.m. in one PIAA quarterfinal, and North Allegheny faces Nazareth at 7...
Boys basketball sites, times: PIAA schedules quarterfinal doubleheader at Hempfield
The PIAA scheduled a boys basketball quarterfinal doubleheader Friday night at Hempfield involving two WPIAL Class A teams. Bishop Canevin plays District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley at 6 p.m., and Cornell faces District 6 champion Bishop Carroll at 7:30 p.m. Sites and times for Saturday’s quarterfinals for Class 6A, 3A...
Mt. Lebanon says it won’t play PIAA tournament game vs. Eastern Pa. team because of coronavirus
Mt. Lebanon School District administrators, concerned about coronavirus, informed the PIAA that its boys basketball team wouldn’t participate in Wednesday night’s playoff game against Eastern Pa. opponent Cheltenham. As a result, the PIAA postponed the second-round game until 7 p.m. Thursday at Chambersburg to give the PIAA “some time to...
Scheduled to close, Vincentian Academy ends basketball season with emotional PIAA lossVideo
This was the teary-eyed postgame talk that coach Tim Tyree dreaded, one that he and his Vincentian Academy players tried to delay for as long as possible. Season-ending speeches are tough. Program-ending speeches are tougher. “I didn’t want to deliver that one,” Tyree said. “The look in front of those...
‘Most spectators’ barred from Ohio high school events over coronavirus concerns; Conn. cancels tournamentsVideo
Facing concerns about coronavirus, state high school associations across the country are deciding whether to alter their postseason plans. The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced Tuesday that “most spectators” would be prohibited from attending state basketball, wrestling and hockey events, while the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference decided to cancel...
PIAA moves Butler-Upper St. Clair boys basketball game to Robert Morris
The PIAA has relocated the boys basketball playoff game between Butler and Upper St. Clair to Robert Morris’s UPMC Events Center. Tipoff is 8 p.m. Wednesday. The second-round game was initially scheduled for North Allegheny. It’s the second time in two weeks that Butler and Upper St. Clair will meet...
PIAA says skip handshakes, but championships still on schedule despite coronavirus concerns
Elbow bumps could replace handshakes. Otherwise, the PIAA plans to conduct its state basketball playoffs and swimming championships as scheduled after consulting with the Pa. Department of Health regarding coronavirus concerns. Health officials aren’t calling for public events or community gatherings to be cancelled, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said...
3 WPIAL indoor track athletes earn 1st-team PTFCA all-state honors
Indiana’s Kendall Branan, North Allegheny’s Casey Burton and Shaler’s Cam Mbalo earned first-team all-state indoor track honors from the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association. All three WPIAL athletes won state titles last weekend at the PTFCA indoor championships. Mbalo won the boys triple jump, Branan won the boys 800...
PIAA announces sites, times for 2nd-round girls basketball games
The PIAA announced sites and times for second-round basketball playoff games Sunday. Here’s a list of games involving WPIAL and City League girls teams. Class 6A Tuesday’s games 7-1 North Allegheny (23-3) vs. 6-2 State College (19-6) at Indiana, 7 p.m. 7-2 Bethel Park (22-3) vs. 1-6 Upper Dublin (20-7)...
PIAA announces sites, times for 2nd-round boys basketball games
The PIAA announced sites and times for second-round basketball playoff games Sunday. Here’s a list of games involving WPIAL and City League boys teams. Class 6A Wednesday’s games 7-1 Butler (21-4) vs. 7-3 Upper St. Clair (21-4) at North Allegheny, 7 p.m. 7-2 Mt. Lebanon (19-7) vs. 1-2 Cheltenham (24-3)...
Lincoln Park’s Andre Wilder delays knee surgery with PIAA 1st-round win
Andre Wilder is trying to postpone knee surgery one win at a time. The Lincoln Park senior will have the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee repaired once his season ends, whenever that might be, but he’s optimistic it won’t be for another couple of weeks. With just...
Back from injury, Josh Russell’s 3-pointers lift USC over Allderdice in PIAA 1st roundVideo
Upper St. Clair’s unofficial team motto was: “Let’s get Russ in uniform one more time.” After senior Josh Russell broke his foot in January, his USC teammates wanted their basketball season to last long enough so he could return to the court. On Saturday, he repaid the favor and earned...
