High School category, Page 126
Belle Vernon holds off Farrell to keep dream season going in PIAA Class 4A 1st round
If there’s one phrase that best describes the 2024-25 Belle Vernon boys basketball team, it’s “battle-tested.” The Leopards rode all the emotions in their PIAA Class 4A first-round contest against Farrell at home Friday night, but, at the end of the day, their poise pulled them through. Belle Vernon tightened...
Wrestlers return from scary scene; Central Valley’s Boni only WPIAL 2A wrestler to reach finals
HERSHEY — It is never a good sight to see an athlete taken from an event on a stretcher. That’s what happened Friday during the early sessions of the PIAA Class 2A boys and PIAA girls wrestling tournaments when two athletes, Derry sophomore Brady Brown and Northeast Bradford junior Anaiah...
3 WPIAL wrestlers to go for gold in PIAA girls finals
HERSHEY — Three WPIAL wrestlers will be in gold medal matches at the PIAA girls wrestling championships Saturday afternoon at Giant Center. Marlee Solomon of Canon-McMillan (112 pounds), Alaina Claassen of Plum (190) and Zoey Murphy of Southmoreland (235) will battle for state titles. Though their victorious results in Friday...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls pull away from Cambria Heights after tight 1st half
Ask them about the slow start. They’ll tell you how they finished. Fresh off back-to-back championships, Greensburg Central Catholic avoided the proverbial WPIAL hangover by knocking off eight days worth of rust, relying on its star power and finally accelerating past Cambria Heights, 61-31, in a PIAA Class 3A first-round...
Latrobe’s Willochell back in the PIAA 3A wrestling finals after 2-year hiatus
HERSHEY — Latrobe senior Luke Willochell does not have to worry about wrestling Indiana senior Nico Fanella in the finals for a third consecutive week in the postseason. Willochell will be there, but Fanella will not. Willochell defeated Canon-McMillan junior Collier Hartman for the third time in the past two...
WPIAL champion Chartiers Valley keeps foot on the gas in PIAA 1st round
The WPIAL Class 5A champion Chartiers Valley Colts throttled the Cocalico Eagles, 62-29, in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Friday night. Chartiers Valley continued its momentum and did not have a championship hangover, running its winning streak to nine games. “We just want to kill every team and...
WPIAL sends 14 wrestlers to PIAA Class 3A semifinals, including all 4 at 215 pounds
HERSHEY – The 215-pound weight class from the WPIAL lived up to its reputation Friday afternoon as all four quarterfinalists were winners. That guarantees the WPIAL a champion Saturday at the Giant Center. The four wrestlers from the WPIAL were No. 1 through No. 4 in PaPowerWrestling rankings. Belle Vernon...
Brashear’s Tamara Humphries steps into semifinal spotlight at PIAA girls wrestling
HERSHEY – Brashear senior Tamara Humphries has been the talk of the PIAA Girls Wrestling Championship. A day after defeating the No. 2 ranked wrestler in the state, she pinned her next opponent, Nanticoke freshman Emily Kivler, to reach Friday night’s semifinals at the Giant Center. She’ll face Canon-McMillan sophomore...
Four WPIAL wrestlers advance to Class 2A semifinals in Hershey
HERSHEY – Derry sophomore Mason Horwat placed sixth in the PIAA 2A Championships in 2024. With his win in the 152-pound quarterfinals Friday morning, Horwat is guaranteed another medal. This year, he wants to be higher on the podium. Horwat is one of only four wrestlers from the WPIAL to...
Nationally ranked West Mifflin running back Armand Hill commits to West Virginia
West Mifflin’s Armand Hill, a nationally ranked running back recruit, committed Friday to West Virginia. The 5-foot-10, 178-pounder rushed for 1,693 yards on 188 carries and scored 23 touchdowns as a sophomore last fall. Hill listed a dozen college offers, including Pitt, Penn State and Michigan. He announced his decision...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys have unfinished business in state playoffs
Greensburg Central Catholic might always wonder what if, but, for now, the boys basketball team is dialed in to what still could be. The Centurions (23-3) were the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs but were upset by No. 8 Union, 44-42, in the quarterfinals. GCC already...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff capsules for March 8, 2025
Boys Class 2A First round Mercyhurst Prep (19-7) at Jeannette (23-2) 1 p.m. Saturday District seeds: Jeannette 7-1; Mercyhurst Prep 10-3 Winner plays: Winner of 9-3 Clarion Limestone (16-10)/6-2 Northern Cambria (14-12) on Wednesday in second round Players to watch: Tanner Ashton, Mercyhurst Prep; Kymon’e Brown, Jeannette Layup lines: Mercyhurst...
Joe Ionta remembered for inspiring athletes, love of Plum track, cross country programs
Dan Casarcia was eager to help coach. When Casarcia joined the Plum track and field coaching staff in 1997, he was given a clipboard and told by Mustangs head coach Joe Ionta to write down each runner’s splits at the 1-mile mark. But when Casarcia reached the mile marker, he...
Belle Vernon boys ready to get back to business against Farrell
Going back a number of years, there have been plenty of battles between Joe Salvino and Farrell’s boys basketball team. The two old foes will meet again Friday night at Belle Vernon as Salvino leads the WPIAL champion Leopards against the Steelers, the fifth-place team out of District 10. It’s...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for March 6, 2025
High schools Basketball PIAA playoffs Boys Class 6A First round Saturday’s schedule Mechanicsburg (20-3) at Conestoga (21-5), 3 p.m.; Hazleton (12-12) at Northampton (19-9), 1 p.m.; Spring-Ford (20-7) at Central Dauphin (20-5), 7 p.m.; Garnet Valley (19-7) at Father Judge (19-7), 2:30 p.m.; Imhotep (23-5) vs. CB East (15-11) at...
215-pound bracket packed with WPIAL stars at PIAA Class 3A wrestling
HERSHEY — Are Belle Vernon junior Elijah Brown and Kiski Area junior Cooper Roscosky on a collision course for a third consecutive week? They think so, but they are not looking that far ahead. In fact, the top four ranked WPIAL wrestlers at 215 pounds — Brown, Roscosky, Ringgold senior...
PIAA faces criticism from all sides after changing transgender athlete policy
The PIAA is drawing criticism from all sides for changes made to its transgender athlete policy. The changes didn’t go far enough, says one Western Pennsylvania superintendent, who wanted to see the state high school athletic association adopt the NCAA’s stricter policy. Yet LGBTQ+ advocacy groups say the PIAA and...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 7, 2025: Moon boys look to make another state playoff run
A year ago, the Moon boys basketball team had just captured the program’s fifth WPIAL championship with a victory over Franklin Regional in the district finals. The Tigers hosted Obama Academy in the first round of the PIAA playoffs and won convincingly, 52-34. They followed that up with wins over...
WPIAL wrestlers find tough sledding on 1st day of PIAA Class 2A tournament
HERSHEY — There is no hiding at the PIAA wrestling championships. No matter where a wrestler turns, he is going to face someone good. Three Westmoreland County wrestlers survived the first round Thursday and advanced to the quarterfinals Friday at Giant Center with solid wins. The competition for Derry senior...
Kiski Area title hopeful Ava Golding leads WPIAL contingent at PIAA girls wrestling
HERSHEY — A year ago, Ava Golding came home from Hershey’s Giant Center with a bronze medal from the inaugural PIAA girls wrestling championships. It’s no surprise the Kiski Area junior’s expectations are high this weekend during her second visit to the states. “My goal is to make it to...
Penn-Trafford basketball teams looking to make runs in PIAA playoffs
As a 15th seed in the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs, Penn-Trafford surprised some people with a first-round win against No. 2 seed Baldwin. The Warriors hope to repeat that same magic in the PIAA first round as they take on District 3 champion Hershey (21-3). “It’s going to take an...
Knoch aims to knock off District 10 champion Cathedral Prep in PIAA 1st round
The reward for a good season from the Knoch boys basketball team was more work for coach Alan Bauman. It’s time he’s happy to invest. The Knights, who earned the fifth seed out of the WPIAL, will attempt to knock off District 10 champion Cathedral Prep in a PIAA Class...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff capsules for March 7, 2025
PIAA basketball playoffs Boys Class 5A First round Latrobe (20-6) at Exeter Township (14-11) 7 p.m. Friday District seeds: Latrobe 7-6; Exeter Township 3-2 Winner plays: Winner of 7-7 Moon (19-7)/6-1 Greater Johnstown (24-1) Tuesday in second round Players to watch: Ian DeCerb, Latrobe; Jayden Ware, Exeter Township Layup lines:...
High school sports schedules for March 6, 2025
High schools Basketball PIAA playoffs Boys Class 6A First round Saturday’s schedule Mechanicsburg (20-3) at Conestoga (21-5), 3 p.m.; Hazleton (12-12) at Northampton (19-9), 1 p.m.; Spring-Ford (20-7) at Central Dauphin (20-5), 7 p.m.; Garnet Valley (19-7) at Father Judge (19-7), 2:30 p.m.; Imhotep (23-5) vs. CB East (15-11) at...
Latrobe boys seek milestone win for coach Brad Wetzel
Set to travel more than 400 miles round-trip Friday for its PIAA Class 5A boys basketball playoff opener, Latrobe has another number on its mind. The number 300 is more significant to the Wildcats, the sixth-place team from the WPIAL who will play their first state playoff game since 2017....
