High School category, Page 179
After down year, classification change, North Hills hockey ready to win again
Jeremy Swegman admits that his team went through a bit of a culture shock in the 2023-24 season. A year after posting the most regular season points in the PIHL’s Class A with an 18-1 record, North Hills got bumped up to Class 2A. The team went on to, essentially,...
North Allegheny boys water polo wins state title in wild, 4OT classic
The North Allegheny boys water polo team traveled to the sport’s hotbed in Pennsylvania and threw a pool party for the ages. The Tigers defeated three Eastern Pa. powerhouses in three days to bring home the state championship, capped by a 10-9 four-overtime victory against Upper Dublin on Nov. 9...
Hampton runners reflect on WPIAL championship season
The Hampton girls cross country team this season had a ritual of eating at Olive Garden after each big race. One meal was especially tasty. The Talbots put together a historic 2024 season that included the first WPIAL Class 2A cross country championship in program history. “It was just overwhelming,”...
1st-year Hampton tight end Ryan Scully earns all-conference recognition
Whenever Hampton football coach Steve Sciullo saw Ryan Scully in the high school hallways last year, the former NFL lineman tried to convince the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder to play football. Scully finally agreed, and earlier this month Sciullo called the junior tight end into those same hallways to tell him something....
Bethel Park girls tennis, top player Cami Fisher celebrate strong season
It was a whirlwind of a season for Cami Fisher, Bethel Park’s sophomore tennis whiz. “I was really happy with my performance this season,” Fisher said. “I had a few goals that I wanted to accomplish at the beginning of the year, and I was able to achieve those.” Fisher...
Bethel Park boys cement place among WPIAL’s top teams with section title, playoff run
Bethel Park’s boys soccer team almost ran the table in the WPIAL playoffs this season. The section-winning Black Hawks finished as semifinalists in the Class 3A tournament as the final four consisted of No. 1 Moon, No. 5 Bethel Park, No. 6 Mars and No. 7 Franklin Regional. “I was...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Moe Rosensteel Award winner to be revealed Monday
The winner of the sixth Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player of the Year for the top girls soccer player in the WPIAL will be announced at 5 p.m. Monday via social media. The finalists are Morgan Gesinski (Jr., F, Mt. Pleasant), Molly Kubistek (Jr., GK, Peters Township), Emily McKee (So.,...
With new mix of players, Hempfield girls up for challenge in tough 6A section
In the first season under Bob Madison, the Hempfield girls basketball program started 7-2 but only won one game the rest of the season. The Spartans look to improve in Madison’s second season in a tough Section 2-6A. Hempfield (8-14, 1-9) returns five players who started at various points last...
Central Catholic hopes to finally solve North Allegheny as teams clash again in WPIAL 6A final
Xxavier Thomas is about to play in his fourth WPIAL championship game, a rather rare feat accomplished by the Central Catholic senior. But he admits he expects more out of this one after three runner-up finishes. “Hopefully, we can come out victorious,” said Thomas, a Penn State-bound cornerback and wide...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 15, 2024
High school Football WPIAL Class 6A Championship Saturday’s schedule Central Catholic (9-2) vs. North Allegheny (10-1) at Norwin, 6:05 p.m. Class 5A Semifinals Friday’s results Pine-Richland 28, Bethel Park 7 Peters Township 7, Upper St. Clair 3 Championship Nov. 23 schedule Pine-Richland (11-1) vs. Peters Township (11-1) at Acrisure Stadium,...
Top-seeded Seton LaSalle starts fast, handles Steel Valley in Class 2A semifinals
Fresh off the victory, it still hadn’t set in for Seton LaSalle coach Tim Storino. “I haven’t had time to process it yet,” he said as his players celebrated with friends and family. “It’s a beautiful thing,” Storino added. “We’re excited. The whole school is excited. It’s been a great...
Clairton shuts out Bishop Canevin to reach WPIAL Class A final
In a season defined by dominance, the Clairton Bears added another chapter to their storied history Friday, shutting out Bishop Canevin, 24-0, in a WPIAL Class A semifinal at Peters Township. With the victory, Clairton secured a berth to the WPIAL championship game against No. 1 seed Fort Cherry on...
Trib HSSN’s 2024 Week 12 top performers for passing, rushing, receiving
Top performers for Week 12 of high school football in Western Pennsylvania. Passing 273 - Ryan Messina, Elizabeth Forward (23 of 38) 245 - Khalil Green, Westinghouse (13 of 20) 168 - Kymon’e Brown, Jeannette (9 of 25) 159 - Chris Smiley, Ellwood City (15 of 31) 150 - Steve...
Matt Sieg’s 6 touchdowns guide Fort Cherry past Jeannette in WPIAL Class A semifinals
Fort Cherry junior quarterback Matt Sieg put on quite a show Friday against Jeannette in the WPIAL Class A semifinals at Canon-McMillan’s AHN Field. The Penn State commit scored six touchdowns and rushed for 232 yards to lead Fort Cherry to a 49-14 victory. The win puts the top-seeded and...
Westinghouse fires on all cylinders in PIAA win over Windber
Westinghouse forced Windber to punt on the opening drive Friday night, but the Bulldogs muffed the punt and the Ramblers recovered in Westinghouse territory.A few plays later, Windber scored a touchdown. The rest of the game belonged to Westinghouse. The Bulldogs (9-1) put on a dominant performance, defeating Windber, 61-6,...
Resurgent Central Valley rolls past Elizabeth Forward to reach 3A championship game
This deep in the playoffs, when the matchups are tightly contested and the momentum swings are momentous, just a couple of plays can dictate an outcome of a game. On Friday in a Class 3A semifinal showdown between No. 3 Elizabeth Forward and No. 2 Central Valley, a couple of...
Avonworth stops Imani Christian to make 3rd straight trip to Acrisure Stadium
The Avonworth Antelopes galloped their way to Acrisure Stadium for the third straight year, defeating the Imani Christian Saints, 14-6, in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals Friday night. After a first half dominated by defense, Avonworth broke the scoreless tie late in the third quarter. After forcing Imani Christian to...
Behind Troy Cunningham’s 6 sacks, South Park takes down undefeated Ellwood City in 2A semifinals
South Park defensive lineman Troy Cunningham looked like he had all the answers to the test Friday night at Newman Stadium. Ellwood City quarterback Chris Smiley likely wished Cunningham wouldn’t have studied so hard before they met in a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal playoff game. Cunningham set a school record...
After wild 2nd half, Dock Mennonite gets past Springdale to repeat as Class A state champs
MECHANICSBURG — There was a mix of tears in the eyes and pride in the hearts of the members of the Springdale girls soccer team in the moments following a 4-3 loss to District 1 champion Dock Mennonite in Friday’s PIAA Class A title game in Mechanicsburg. Dynamos coach Marc...
Nick McCullough’s 97-yard kick return touchdown sends Peters Township back to WPIAL finals
Nick McCullough knew he needed to make amends. He had a ball hit off him that led to an interception late in the second quarter and subsequently a field goal for Upper St. Clair. Well, he made up for it in a huge way a few seconds after that kick...
Bentworth tastes 1st loss in Class A state finals, falling to Lancaster Mennonite
Msafiri Amisi has been the main attraction for Lancaster Mennonite’s boys soccer team this year, bagging 20 goals and pushing the Blazers to the PIAA Class A championship game against Bentworth on Friday evening. The Bearcats did well to quiet him for most of the match, but with one swing...
Nearby rivals Thomas Jefferson, McKeesport set to battle for WPIAL Class 4A title
It is somewhat surprising that Thomas Jefferson and McKeesport, despite their proximity to one other, have only met five times on the football field. The schools, located in the South Hills’ Mon Valley area, are separated by just 11 miles. They didn’t start playing one another until 2020; McKeesport owns...
Finalists announced for 6th annual Bill Fralic Memorial Award for WPIAL’s top 2-way lineman
The six finalists for the sixth annual Bill Fralic Memorial Award are competing to be named the best two-way senior football lineman in the WPIAL, and they still have work to do. All of them still are competing in the WPIAL playoffs. There is a finalist from each of the...
Returning coach Paul Sapotichne eager to rebuild Greensburg Salem boys program
Paul Sapotichne wasn’t ready to quit coaching when he decided to step down as Riverview coach in 2020 during the covid-19 pandemic. At the time, Sapotichne was battling cancer and understood he had to take care of himself. Now cancer free, Sapotichne wanted to return to coaching. After Sapotichne missed...
Moon falls short to Radnor in PIAA Class 3A boys soccer final
MECHANICSBURG — Sometimes an entire game changes in the opening moments. That happened to Moon on Friday morning in the PIAA Class 3A boys soccer championship game, as Radnor scored just 2 minutes, 2 seconds into the contest and defeated the Tigers, 1-0. Falling behind any team that quickly is...
