High School category, Page 180
Greensburg Salem girls facing new challenges head on
Greensburg Salem girls basketball coach Rick Klimchock never backs away from a challenge. After finishing third in Section 1-4A and winning a WPIAL playoff game last season, the Golden Lions were elevated to Class 5A and graduated four players who are playing basketball in college: Kaitlyn Mankins (D’Youville), Ashlan Price...
Fox Chapel girls focus on camaraderie in bid to clear playoff hurdle
Several ill-timed injuries over the last two seasons have hindered the Fox Chapel girls basketball team in their pursuit of making the playoffs. The Foxes have been narrowly on the outside looking in, missing by one game in 2022-23 and two games in 2023-24, but the hope is they possess...
Fox Chapel boys looking for right combination to compete in Class 6A
Last year, Fox Chapel put several different combinations on the court. That has led to six players returning with starting experience this year. Mixing and matching worked for the Foxes as they made the state playoffs and pulled a first-round upset over District 10 champion Cathedral Prep. With a few...
2024 PIAA Class 4A girls volleyball championship preview: North Allegheny vs. Spring-Ford
Spring-Ford (21-7) vs. North Allegheny (20-1) 6 p.m. Saturday, Cumberland Valley High School, Mechanicsburg On the air: Streaming on PCN Select; audio on Trib HSSN Seeds: Spring-Ford 1-5; North Allegheny 7-1 How they got here: Spring-Ford defeated Unionville, 3-2, in the first round; Parkland, 3-0, in the quarterfinals; and Central...
2024 PIAA Class 3A girls volleyball championship preview: Mars vs. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (23-0) vs. Mars (21-4) 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Cumberland Valley High School, Mechanicsburg On the air: Streaming on PCN Select Seeds: Pope John Paul II 1-1; Mars 7-1 How they got here: Pope John Paul II defeated Carver E&S, 3-0, in the first round; Southern Lehigh, 3-1,...
Finals factoids ahead of 2024 WPIAL Class 6A, 4A football championships
On Saturday, the WPIAL will crown two football champions with the playing of the district Class 4A and 6A title games. This will be the fourth straight year and the sixth time in the last seven years that the 6A championship game will be played at Norwin Knights Stadium in...
Quarterback’s quick return boosts No. 1 Pine-Richland for WPIAL semifinal vs. high-scoring Bethel Park
There were concerns Aaron “Oobi” Strader had broken his collarbone late in the regular season, an injury that would’ve cost top-seeded Pine-Richland its quarterback. The injury was painful but proved less severe than first feared, letting the dual-threat sophomore return for a limited role in last week’s quarterfinal win. Strader...
5 things to watch in H.S. football: Will coaches Cherpak, Walker add to WPIAL trophy collections?
McKeesport’s Matt Miller and Central Catholic’s Ryan Lehmeier will try to win their first WPIAL titles as head coaches this week. It won’t come easy, since their coaching counterparts in Saturday’s finals already have big trophy collections. Among active coaches, Thomas Jefferson’s Bill Cherpak and North Allegheny’s Art Walker rank...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 14, 2024
High school Field hockey PIAA tournament Championship At Cumberland Valley Saturday’s schedule Class 3A Villa Maria Academy (24-1) vs. Conestoga (21-3), 3 p.m. Class 2A Northern York (22-3) vs. Warwick (22-1), 1 p.m. Class A Boiling Springs (20-5) vs. West Perry (23-0), 11 a.m. Football WPIAL Class 6A Championship Saturday’s...
High school roundup for Nov. 14, 2024: Latrobe hands 1st loss to Penn-Trafford
Joey Crimboli scored a pair of goals to lead Latrobe to a 3-1 victory in PIHL Class 2A hockey Thursday night, handing Penn-Trafford its first loss of the season. Dylan Morris added a goal and an assist for Latrobe (4-2). Roman Catello scored for Penn-Trafford (6-1). Carrick 3, Ringgold 2...
Springdale girls soccer team faces final hurdle in bid for 1st state championship
Springdale girls soccer players began practice Thursday evening just as they had dozens of times before, laughing, chatting, stretching and warming up ahead of their workout. It just happened to be the final practice of the season on a cold, rainy November night at No Offseason Sports in Russellton as...
Greensburg CC girls volleyball looking to complete goal with state championship
When the Greensburg Central Catholic girls volleyball set goals for the 2024 season, winning a PIAA title was not one of them. “They wanted to reach the WPIAL championship game and win,” GCC coach Erin Salas said. “Now they have reset those goals. They want to win the PIAA title.”...
Trib HSSN game-by-game playoff previews for 2024 Week 12
The third weekend of the WPIAL football playoffs brings more clarity than confusion. Semifinal Friday consists of eight final four matchups to determine the finalists in Class 5A, 3A, 2A and A next week. Championship Saturday consists of two district title games that will crown winners in Class 6A and...
Through the Years: 87-yard run sparked Freeport to playoff win in ’84
Each week throughout the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch will take a look at the players, coaches and events that shaped our scholastic history. Freeport scored a pair of second-half touchdowns, including Jim Charlton’s decisive 87-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, to defeat Serra Catholic, 14-6,...
2024 PIAA Class 3A boys soccer championship preview: Moon vs. Radnor
Radnor (20-3) vs. Moon (25-0) 10 a.m. Friday at Eagle View MS, Mechanicsburg On the air: PCN-TV Seeds: Radnor 1-1; Moon 7-1 How they got here: Radnor defeated Kennard Dale, 3-0, in the first round; Archbishop Ryan, 4-1, in the quarterfinals; and Dallas, 3-0, in the semifinals. Moon beat Lampeter...
2024 PIAA Class A boys soccer championship preview: Bentworth vs. Lancaster Mennonite
PIAA Class A boys soccer championship Lancaster Mennonite (16-3-3) vs. Bentworth (22-0) 4 p.m. Friday at Eagle View MS, Mechanicsburg On the air: PCN-TV Seeds: Lancaster Mennonite 3-2; Bentworth 7-1 How they got here: Lancaster Mennonite defeated Calvary Christian, 2-0, in the first round; Wyoming Seminary, 2-1, in the quarterfinals;...
Veteran coach aims to get most out of Deer Lakes girls
Dana Petruska feels back at home for a couple of reasons. Being in a high school gym working with high school basketball players is a natural environment for Petruska, who’s amassed more than 500 wins in her 35-year career, and she’s doing so in a familiar spot. After taking some...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Colleges taking note of Penn-Trafford running back Tasso Whipple
Penn-Trafford senior Tasso Whipple is beginning to experience the college recruiting process. Some in his circle might say it’s about time. Whipple, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound running back and outside linebacker raked in two college offers this week, from a Division I and II program. His first D-I offer came in...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls move up in class while hunting for another WPIAL title
Greensburg Central Catholic won’t get to defend its WPIAL 2A girls basketball championship. In view of the fact it was bumped up in classification, it will be ring-chasing in Class 3A. The Centurions were subject to the PIAA’s competitive balance formula — based on two consecutive PIAA semifinal appearances and...
With deep roster, Greensburg Central Catholic boys have WPIAL title hopes
With the most seniors he’s had and what could be his deepest rotation, Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball coach Christian Hyland expects his team to make another postseason run. Another championship run could lie ahead. “We want to get back to the finals and get another shot,” Hyland said. “There...
Coaches from variety of backgrounds come together to lead Jeannette on playoff run
Jeannette first-year assistant football coach Dustin Shoaf is a school teacher at Yough, his alma mater and a place where he is the all-time leader in rushing yards. He also works on his family’s farm, so he knows an interesting crop when he sees one. Like the crop of coaches...
2-time defending WPIAL champion Deer Lakes hopes to keep train rolling
Winning consecutive WPIAL championships not only adds to the trophy case at the high school, but it also creates the potential for a self-sustaining foundation. Deer Lakes boys basketball coach Albie Fletcher has seen that come to fruition after the Lancers won WPIAL titles each of the last two years,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 13, 2024
High school Field hockey PIAA tournament Championship At Cumberland Valley Saturday’s schedule Class 3A Villa Maria Academy (24-1) vs. Conestoga (21-3), 3 p.m. Class 2A Northern York (22-3) vs. Warwick (22-1), 1 p.m. Class A Boiling Springs (20-5) vs. West Perry (23-0), 11 a.m. Football WPIAL Class 6A Championship Saturday’s...
4 Mt. Pleasant swimmers sign with Division I programs
Mt. Pleasant swimming coach Sandy Felice has had swimmers sign NCAA Division I scholarships before. But not four in one year. On the first day of the early signing period Wednesday, seniors Lily King (N.C. State), Joseph Gardner (Pitt), Kierstin O’Connor (Connecticut) and David Mutter (Alabama) inked their scholarships. “This...
Despite graduation losses, Cheswick Christian boys set goals high
It was mission accomplished last season for the Cheswick Christian Academy boys basketball team. After losing in the Southwest Christian Conference title game at the end of the 2022-23 season, last year’s seniors made it their sole objective to get back and win. “It was a great experience for everyone...
