Joe Sager stories

No nametags are needed this year for Quaker Valley’s baseball team. Quakers coach Dean Owrey and his assistants enter their second season leading the program, and they’re pleased with the progress they’ve seen. “Things are going well. These guys have been working hard through the summer and fall. We’re very,...

Sewickley Academy’s baseball team continues to grow. After several underclassmen were thrust into key roles last year, the Panthers struggled to a 4-9 finish. However, they’re eager to build on that experience this season. “Things have been going great. The turnout has been very good so far. I think we...

Just like the PIAA, the PIHL is suspending its postseason for at least two weeks because of concerns over the coronavirus. While high school hockey does not fall under the PIAA jurisdiction, the PIHL serves as the sport’s governing body for a majority of Western Pennsylvania programs. “Even though we’re...

Baldwin boasted one the PIHL’s top offenses during the regular season. The Highlanders racked up 103 goals and earned the top seed for the Penguins Cup Class AA playoffs. In the postseason, though, they’ve proven they can pull out close games, too. Baldwin beat Mars, 3-2, in overtime in a...

Latrobe is heading back to the PIHL Penguins Cup Class AA championship. The Wildcats scored early in the third and held on for a 3-2 win over Hempfield on Wednesday night at RMU Island Sports Center. “It feels unbelievable just to pull this one out,” Latrobe’s Alex Walker said. “Once...

Latrobe’s 5-2 loss to Pine-Richland in last season’s PIHL Penguins Cup Class AA semifinals stung the Wildcats. While the Rams went on to win the Penguins Cup and state championship, the Wildcats tried to process the defeat. They hope the semifinals go better this postseason when they take on rival...

Expect to hear the crack of the bat a lot when watching Apollo-Ridge’s softball team. The Vikings bring back seven starters from last season and are eager to put up some runs. “We’re returning a lot of girls and we have a decent grasp of what we need to do,”...

Apollo-Ridge’s baseball team got off to a positive start last spring when the Vikings won their season opener at Leechburg, 6-4. However, that turned out to be the only time the team got in the win column. The Vikings finished 1-13 overall and 0-10 in Section 3-2A. “We’re definitely looking...

Latrobe’s 10 seniors have seen a lot in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 2A playoffs the past three years, except for a championship. Some were part of the team’s run to the Penguins Cup final in 2017 as a wild card. The next season, the Wildcats earned the top seed...

Hempfield’s hockey team needed to reset. A 2-0 loss to South Fayette on Feb. 10 left the team frustrated, especially after outshooting the Lions, 42-21. A 6-3 setback to Latrobe followed three days later, and the Spartans’ postseason hopes became cloudier. However, the Spartans (11-7-0) rebounded to win their final...

It was a WPIAL title repeat for OLSH. But, other than the uniforms, not much looked the same for the Chargers. The team graduated eight seniors from last year’s Class 2A title squad. Nevertheless, holdovers Jake DiMichele and Dante Spadafora helped guide the squad to another championship Friday night in...

Coaches can spend hours watching videos on opponents, trying to find an edge or some tendencies to exploit. For Beaver and Mohawk’s coaching staffs, they don’t have to spend too much time staring at screens preparing for Saturday’s WPIAL Class 3A championship game. The Section 1 rivals clash at 11...

OLSH must go through a familiar foe to defend its WPIAL Class 2A championship. The Chargers (23-1) meet former section rival Sto-Rox (18-6) at 5 p.m. Friday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. The squads competed in Section 3 before reclassification split them up after the 2017-18 season. “We thought we...

Extend the lead – somehow, some way. That was the emphasis for Beaver coming out of halftime of Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 3A semifinal. The Bobcats were able to do it, and they held on for a 46-37 win over Avonworth. “When you get behind them, it’s tough,” Beaver coach Greg...

Mohawk entered Wednesday night’s WPIAL Class 3A semifinal with one of the area’s best offenses. The Warriors showed they can play some high-level defense too in a 64-58 win over Carlynton at West Allegheny. Mohawk advances to the program’s first WPIAL title game at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Petersen...

On paper, Tuesday’s WPIAL Class 2A semifinal between OLSH and Winchester Thurston looked like a mismatch. It played out like one on the court, too. The top-seeded Chargers cruised past the 12th-seeded Bears, 73-19, at North Hills Middle School. “I didn’t see that coming,” OLSH coach Mike Rodriguez said. “I...

The losing skid is over for Robert Morris. The Colonials rallied in the second half to top Mount St. Mary’s, 68-60, Friday night in a Northeast Conference battle at UPMC Events Center. “It was a good win for our guys,” RMU coach Andy Toole said. “That was a little more...

Going through the grind of a PIHL season can be a challenge. The six-plus months of practices and games is taxing, especially for younger players. Franklin Regional is not immune to the grind. However, the Panthers persevered and remained in the hunt for a Penguins Cup Class AA playoff berth...

Springdale’s 57-49 win over Sewickley Academy on Saturday may not be featured prominently in the Dynamos’ season highlight tape. But they don’t care. They’re just happy to move on in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. “At this point, it’s survive and advance,” Springdale coach Aaron Epps said. “It got a...

The race for PIHL Penguins Cup Class AA playoff spots is finishing in a frenzy. Quaker Valley is just happy to have some control in what could become an ultra-tight Northwest Division. Only two teams from each division earn playoff spots. The Quakers (7-7-3, 17 points) lead the division with...

Norwin’s wrestling team wants to keep establishing program records this year. The Knights picked up a program-best 18 dual meet wins and advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA team tournament. Norwin beat West Mifflin, 51-18, in a preliminary match, but fell to Canon-McMillan, 55-17, in the first round. Though team...

Greensburg Salem’s hockey team has four games remaining in the regular season, but the Lions are acting as if they are in the midst of the playoffs already. Five points behind Southeast Division co-leaders Bishop McCort (13-2-0-1) and Norwin (13-3-1), Greensburg Salem (10-4-2) is in the hunt for one of...

A year after finishing fourth in the WPIAL Class AA team tournament, the Quakers finished one place better this season and earned the program’s first PIAA tournament berth. “It was a great run,” Quaker Valley sophomore Patrick Cutchember said. “From the beginning of the year, one of our goals was...

There was a celebration of women’s sports Thursday night. Pittsburgh’s women’s sports teams gathered at the Thelma Lovette YMCA in the Hill District for the second annual Girls and Women Sports Event. The event’s aim was to celebrate women in sports and inspire female athletes in Pittsburgh to realize the...

Connor Hudson found a place to continue his education and play soccer next fall. He just never thought it’d be in South Carolina. The Franklin Regional senior committed to Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., on Sunday. “It’s been stressful,” he said. “I just can’t wait to get started and get...