High School category, Page 155
Allderdice girls top Obama Academy to defend City League title
Bailey White sported a wide smile as she grabbed the City League championship trophy Sunday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. With the win, White and the Allderdice girls basketball team left no doubt to their spot in the district’s hierarchy. The Dragons’ 52-45 win over Obama Academy was their second straight...
Shaler swimmers set big goals for postseason meets
Grace Melocchi has been swimming year-round since she was little. One of the long-term goals of the Shaler senior swimmer surfaced when she made it to middle school. With Melocchi’s form in the pool, a coach mentioned that she would have a realistic shot at setting the school’s record in...
Shaler girls ‘play for each other’ en route to section championship
Tony Grenek was ready with the justification before his wife, Megan, approached him about the promise he made before taking the job as Shaler girls basketball coach. Grenek, who coached collegiately at Seton Hill and Point Park before spending the previous two years as North Hills’ varsity coach, said he...
Sewickley Academy girls wrap up playoff spot in last game on section schedule
Sewickley Academy’s playoff chances in girls basketball hinged on two things. The Panthers needed to win Feb. 6 and have Eden Christian lose its final section game. They got both. The Sewickley girls won a nailbiter against Leechburg, 36-35, and the Warriors dropped a 75-12 decision to Union, the Section...
Sewickley Academy boys exceed expectations with flawless section record
The Sewickley Academy boys basketball team rolled through Section 2-2A this season with a 12-0 record, two games ahead of runner-up Northgate at 10-2. Winchester Thurston finished third at 8-4, while Brentwood and Eden Christian tied for fourth with 5-7 records. As a reward, Sewickley Academy (17-4) landed the No....
Retired teacher continues to make mark on Quaker Valley sports as photographer, coach
John Doucette has been the man behind the camera at Quaker Valley since 1994. “I started taking photos after spending two months traveling Europe prior to my student teaching experience in London,” Doucette said. “I moved to the Pittsburgh area in 1993 with a teaching and coaching position in the...
Quaker Valley girls heat up in 2nd half of season to finish 2nd in section
Quaker Valley finished as the runner-up in Section 1-3A in girls basketball with a 10-4 record. As a result, the Quakers, seeded No. 7, drew No. 10 McGuffey on Feb. 14 in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A tournament. McGuffey finished third behind co-champions Keystone Oaks and Seton...
Quaker Valley boys overcome adversity to claim 21st straight playoff berth
The postseason is a familiar neighborhood for the Quaker Valley boys basketball team. The Quakers have advanced to the playoffs for 21 consecutive years. QV qualified for the WPIAL playoffs this season via a fourth-place finish in Section 2-4A. “As all teams face during a season, we really had our...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Wrestler Dylan Barrett in hunt for WPIAL title
Penn-Trafford junior wrestler Dylan Barrett is a two-time WPIAL placewinner and PIAA qualifier. If things go as planned Feb. 15, Barrett should enter the WPIAL Class 3A championship Feb. 21-22 at Canon-McMillan as the favorite at 114 pounds. Peters Township sophomore Nicholas McGarrity, who defeated Barrett in overtime for the...
Penn-Trafford hockey looking for strong finish
After Hempfield spoiled the Penn-Trafford hockey team’s senior night Feb. 3, the Warriors needed a bounce back game, especially with the start of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Penguins Cup playoffs starting in a few weeks. And what better way to get ready for the playoffs than play the two...
Redeemer Lutheran basketball teams savor playoff experience
The Redeemer Lutheran girls basketball team is conditioned to play all 32 minutes if necessary. But the Rams are happy the program has grown enough so they can all get a rest. Redeemer opened the Southwestern Pennsylvania Athletic Association playoffs Feb. 10 by beating Neighborhood Academy, 51-25, on the road...
1st-year Penn Hills diver qualifies for WPIAL meet
Mikael Epperson had to retrain his thought process if he was going to become an effective diver for the Penn Hills swim team. The Indians sophomore chose to come out for swimming for the first time this year after previously competing in track and field. “About halfway through the season...
Gateway swimmers prepare for WPIAL championship meet
Gateway swimming and diving coach Glenn Raymer took a step back last Wednesday at the start of his team’s afternoon practice and marveled at how fast the season has gone from the start of preseason workouts in late November. Now that all the regular season meets and invitationals have concluded,...
Kiski Area’s Ava Golding 1 of 5 to win 2nd WPIAL girls wrestling titlesVideo
Kiski Area junior Ava Golding knew she’d be in for a battle in the 136-pound final against Connellsville senior Janayah Nobles. And it took overtime to defeat Nobles and claim her second WPIAL girls wrestling championship title Saturday at North Allegheny. Golding (27-0) used an escape and takedown during the...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Mt. Pleasant’s Olivia Kovach and Jeannette’s Markus McGowan
The Westmoreland County Athletes of the Week is presented by Smail Kia. Look for the tags and look for the savings at Smail Kia in Greensburg. Olivia Kovach School: Mt. Pleasant Class: Junior Sport: Gymnastics Claim to fame: Kovach narrowly won the all-around title at the WPIAL gymnastics championships, outscoring...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 15, 2025
High schools Basketball WPIAL playoffs Boys Class 6A First round Monday’s schedule Woodland Hills (11-11) at Seneca Valley (11-11), 7 p.m.; North Hills (7-15) at Butler (15-6), 7 p.m.; Norwin (10-11) at Mt. Lebanon (15-7), 7 p.m. Quarterfinals Wednesday’s schedule Woodland Hills/Seneca Valley winner at Upper. St. Clair (20-2), TBA;...
High school roundup for Feb. 15, 2025: Derry crowns WPIAL-best 5 champs at section tournament
Derry and Burrell led the way at the WPIAL Class 2A Eastern Sectional tournament Saturday at Greensburg Salem. The Trojans had five champions and 10 WPIAL qualifiers. Giovanni Beatrice (127), Anthony Mucci (133), Mason Horwat (152), Ewan Olson (160) and Brady Brown (189) took titles. The Bucs had four champions...
Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 17, 2025
WPIAL basketball playoffs Monday’s games Girls Class 4A First round 10-Belle Vernon (11-11) at 7-Central Valley (14-7) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 15-Hampton (10-11)/2-Oakland Catholic (19-3) on Thursday (time, date TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Saylor Lee, Belle Vernon; Nyah Hayes, Central Valley Layup lines: Belle Vernon...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Big 5/6 dotted with county players
The Big 5/6 Conference, which recognizes accomplishments of the two largest classifications in the WPIAL, announced its all-section basketball teams. The undefeated Penn-Trafford girls were rewarded with John Giannikas earning coach-of-the-year honors in Section 2-5A and junior Torrie DeStefano earning the section’s player of the year. DeStefano joined seniors Kamryn...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 17, 2025
WPIAL basketball playoffs Monday’s games Boys Class 2A First round 21-Springdale (14-8) at Northgate (13-8) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 4-Neshannock (19-2)/13-Winchester Thurston (16-7) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, date TBD) Players to watch: Pat Wylly, Springdale; Kadeen Kemp, Northgate Layup lines: Springdale advanced into the first round...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Addison Then, Springdale’s Patrick Wylly
Addison Then School: Plum Class: Junior Sport: Bowling Claim to fame: Then bowled a team-high 618 series to help Plum (10-0) repeat as WPIBL champion by defeating Hempfield in the team championships Thursday. Then was also named to the all-tournament team. She led the East division in pin average (196),...
Elizabeth Forward holds off pesky Highlands to end playoff drought
Elizabeth Forward coach Nolan Larry couldn’t have asked for a better birthday or Valentine’s Day gift from his team Friday. The No. 8-seeded Warriors picked up their first WPIAL playoff win since 2014 and gave Larry his first playoff victory as a head coach with a 61-56 triumph over No....
Hampton boys rebound from slow start to earn 21st straight playoff berth
The Hampton boys basketball team is sticking to its New Year’s resolution. After opening the season with a 3-6 mark, the calendar turned to 2025 and the Talbots started winning, putting together an impressive run that vaulted them into the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. “I always kept a realistic grasp...
Ferraro brothers, Pine-Richland teammates out to make waves in wrestling postseason
After going 39-7, winning the section tournament and placing second at the WPIAL tournament last year, Dominic Ferraro had only one goal in mind for his senior year. He wanted to finish his high school wrestling career with an undefeated season. “I’ve been thinking about that since last season,” Ferraro...
Pieces in place for Shady Side Academy girls as postseason run begins
The Shady Side Academy girls basketball team is in a strong position to defend its WPIAL Class 3A crown. The Bulldogs turned in an impressive regular season, compiling a 22-0 record with an average margin of victory of 31.6 points per game. While Shady Side Academy players settled comfortably into...
