High School category, Page 203
A star on the court, classroom and community, Quaker Valley’s Molly MacDonald chooses college
Two important facets of Quaker Valley senior Molly MacDonald’s life are academics and athletics, specifically volleyball. MacDonald, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter on the QV girls volleyball team, has verbally committed to the admissions process at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt. She will get the official word from the admissions office...
Penn-Trafford notebook: WVU’s Nick Turowski wins Red Flash Invitational
Nick Turowski wasn’t picked by his golf coach at West Virginia University to compete in the Big 12 Match Play event. Instead, the freshman was sent to Johnstown to play in the Red Flash Invitational at Sunnehanna Golf Club on Oct. 8. The Penn-Trafford graduate used the event to prove...
‘Steady improvement’: Penn-Trafford boys soccer headed to WPIAL playoffs
When Ryan Hankey took over as coach of the Penn-Trafford boys soccer program, his main goal was getting his team back into the WPIAL playoffs. And with two games left in the season, the Warriors secured third place in Section 3-A. Now Hankey wants to see his team win playoff...
Penn Hills notebook: Basketball grad to play professionally in Ireland
Penn Hills graduate Adia Brisker recently signed to play professional basketball in Ireland. The news was shared on X by the Penn Hills Lady Indians basketball account. Brisker recently wrapped up her collegiate career at Queens (N.C.) University. Brisker’s best year in college was during the 2022-23 season. She finished...
Penn Hills boys soccer keeps battling
The Penn Hills boys soccer team didn’t have the benefit of a deep bench when the season started. As the Indians have gone through the rigors of Section 1-4A play, they have been battling against their opponents and a war with attrition. Penn Hills is on a five-match losing streak...
Amari Gans’ breakout season helps Gateway remain in playoff hunt
Amari Gans wasn’t about to let Gateway’s first victory of the season slip through its fingers. The Gators had suffered tough losses to State College and North Allegheny, and their backs were against the wall in Week 2 at Plum. Gans, a senior tailback and outside linebacker, made an impact...
Sewickley sports notebook: Severin Harmon, Ethan Dai shine at WPIAL 2A golf championships
Sewickley Academy’s Severin Harmon and Quaker Valley’s Ethan Dai tied for second and fourth place, respectively, at this year’s WPIAL Class 2A boys golf championships. Harmon shot a 6-over par (150) while Dai, the WPIAL runner-up last season, was right behind at 7-over (151). The first round took place at...
Focused on playing fast, Quaker Valley hockey gets off to quick start
Skate fast and win fast. The Quaker Valley hockey team got off to a fast start to the 2024-25 PIHL season. The Quakers defeated McDowell, 6-1, on Sept. 30 at Baierl Ice Complex. “We played fast and hard,” QV coach Kevin Quinn said. “We ran into a hot goalie but...
Quaker Valley duo overcomes all obstacles en route to WPIAL doubles title
Two down, one to go. Kirsten Close and Avery Allan, Quaker Valley’s leading singles players, joined forces as doubles partners for the postseason. Close, a senior, and Allan, a freshman, advanced to the WPIAL Class 2A doubles tournament by easily winning the Section 5-2A title as the tandem did not...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Oct. 12, 2024
High schools Football Saturday’s results WPIAL Class 2A Midwestern Western Beaver 47, Mohawk 20 Class A Big 7 Northgate 49, Summit Academy 12 Eastern Riverview 55, Frazier 20 Monday’s schedule Class A Tri-County South Beth-Center at Mapletown, 7 p.m. Saturday’s summaries Northgate 49, Summit Academy 12 Northgate 28 7 7...
High school roundup for Oct. 12, 2024: Western Beaver beats Mohawk in MAC showdown
Jaivin Peel threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns and added a 35-yard touchdown run to lead Western Beaver to a 47-20 win over Mohawk in the Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference on Saturday. Wyatt Sparbanie had touchdown runs of 69 and 76 yards and Chris Kirkland scored on an...
5 things we learned in high school football Week 7: Class 2A has new look
In some WPIAL football classifications, the names near the top of the conference standings don’t change too much from year to year. But take a look at Class 2A. With two weeks left in the regular season, the three conference leaders are Ellwood City (7-0), Seton LaSalle (7-0) and South...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Latrobe’s Emerson Skatell and Greensburg CC’s Braden Riley
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. Emerson Skatell School: Latrobe Class: Senior Sport: Cross country Claim to fame: Skatell ran to victory at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championship, completing...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 13, 2024
Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 6-2, 1 2. North Allegheny, 7-1, 2 3. Seneca Valley, 3-4, 4 4. Hempfield, 3-5, 3 5. Canon-McMillan, 2-6, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 7-0, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 8-0, 2 3. Peters Township, 7-1, 4 4. Bethel...
Knoch’s Mullen is 1-man wrecking crew in remarkable game
Tim Burchett has been a high school football coach for 14 years including the past two-plus seasons at Knoch, and he said he can’t remember many single-game performances like the one senior quarterback and defensive back Codi Mullen put on Friday in a 38-14 victory over Hampton on homecoming at...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Greensburg Salem honors Rich Bowen
Greensburg Salem wore special helmet decals Friday night to honor late assistant coach Rich Bowen, who died Tuesday after a battle with cancer. It wasn’t the standard initials on the crowns, either. No, the Golden Lions made sure the name was loud and proud. The decals stretched down the back...
Riverview gets back on track with rout of Frazier
Prince Govan saw a celebration on TikTok he liked and planned to employ it when he scored. The Riverview junior defensive back had his opportunity Saturday afternoon at Riverside Park against Frazier. Teammate Dom Williams reminded Govan, and the pair ran across the field holding one arm above their shoulder,...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Freeport’s Samantha Liput, Fox Chapel’s Aidan Stein
Samantha Liput School: Freeport Class: Senior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: On Oct. 5, Liput scored a goal in Freeport’s 4-2 win against North Catholic. On Monday, she scored the winning goal in double overtime to defeat Burrell, 2-1. The win put Freeport (11-1-1, 8-1-1) in the driver’s seat heading...
Behind experienced roster, Plum hockey eyes return trip to playoffs
Plum hockey coach Jon Gratton said his team remained positive despite tough losses to Chartiers Valley and Quaker Valley to start its PIHL Class A season. “Everybody had a good understanding of what we were up against with two really tough opponents right off the bat,” said Gratton, who leads...
Behind stingy defense, North Allegheny girls eye return to WPIAL finals
North Allegheny’s 0-0 double-overtime tie at top-ranked Seneca Valley on Oct. 7 was emblematic of the Tigers’ season. The defense was again outstanding, while the attack remains a work in progress. “We feel very good about the style of soccer that we play, and we can compete with the other...
New coach Gabby Baldasare excited to fill big shoes with North Allegheny girls basketball
Gabby Baldasare found herself in coaching limbo this spring when she resigned after two seasons with Pine-Richland girls basketball. But one phone call from Spencer Stefko changed all that. Stefko, the highly successful North Allegheny coach who stepped down unexpectedly after the 2023-24 season, recommended Baldasare pursue the job opening...
Franklin Regional hockey has new coach, new classification but same goals
The Franklin Regional hockey team not only has a new coach for the 2024-25 season, the Panthers also are in a higher classification. The Panthers are now under the direction of Bryan Bearly, who was assistant coach for former coach John Winebrenner, who was fired after the season. The team...
Freshman WPIAL champ, improving veteran players form backbone of Shady Side Academy girls golf team
There were many proud moments this year for Shady Side Academy girls golf coach Betsy Thompson. Watching a young freshman like Alyssa Zhang build the confidence to become a WPIAL champion was certainly on the list. But seeing juniors Nora Bryan and Ariyah Nahata step up to become leaders and...
Senior leaders set Shady Side Academy boys golf on right course for big season
It has been a season of success, both individually and as a team, for Shady Side Academy boys golf. The Bulldogs won a section title, advanced to the WPIAL Class 2A team final and sent two individuals, Landon Mauser and Alex Avi, to states. For Bulldogs coach David Lieberman, all...
Fox Chapel’s Carson Kittsley shakes off early hiccup at Oakmont to make states
There had to be some creeping doubt from Fox Chapel sophomore Carson Kittsley about his chances of reaching the PIAA Class 3A boys golf championships. But you couldn’t see it in his face or body language. Kittsley simply kept playing his style of golf. After opening the WPIAL Class 3A...
