High School category, Page 236
Carmichaels seeks more toughness in bounce-back season
Coach Ryan Krull returned to coach Carmichaels football last year after a four-year hiatus. He brought with him an intensity he’s known for and expects from his players. “We’re very demanding of our players here, but from an intensity standpoint,” he said. “If we want to accomplish the goals we...
Beth-Center working to get young players up to varsity speed
Tony Ruscitto knew that Jonah Sussan only became a quarterback due to default. When Beth-Center needed the now-senior and three-year returning starter to play under center, Sussan was happy to oblige his 84-year-old veteran coach. Ruscitto chose to create a program to help develop signal callers. For the past few...
Larger roster, new conference have Avella excited for season
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Friday. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Bentworth and California previews will be published later in the week. Sawyer Kramer is always working toward pursuing the football. Avella’s...
2024 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the cornerbacks
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top cornerbacks for the 2024 season. 1. Xxavier Thomas Central Catholic Senior, 5-10, 160 Thomas has shown a knack for big plays. He took the opening kickoff 99...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 19, 2024
High schools Golf Monday’s results Boys Morgantown Invitational At The Pines CC Team scores: 1. Peters Township 288; 2. Cabell Midland 300; 3. Morgantown 318; 4. George Washington 338 Individual scores: 1. Colton Lusk, Peters Township 66; 2. Jack Michael, Cabell Midland 69; 3. Griffin Hansberry, Peters Township 74; 3....
This week on Trib HSSN for the week of Aug. 19, 2024
Let the games begin! We kick off another scholastic sports season with the start of high school football this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN has video and audio coverage of Week Zero, with over 20 WPIAL and District 6 football games. We also have the...
Southmoreland’s Tim Bukowski to coach opener with late father in mind
Third-year Southmoreland football coach Tim Bukowski will lead the Scotties in their season opener Friday night with a heavy heart after the death of his father. Ron Bukowski, 81, died Monday morning in hospice at his home in Fayette County after an extended bout with cancer. Nicknamed “Arch,” the late...
WPIAL boys soccer preview: Norwin, South Fayette, South Park, Bentworth out to defend titles
WPIAL boys soccer preview Class 4A Defending champion: Norwin Runner-up: North Allegheny PIAA champion: Conestoga Team to beat: Norwin won its first WPIAL title in dramatic fashion, posting three shootout wins in six playoff games. Senior Daniel Maddock will be a key scorer with the graduation of all-state leader Owen...
Shorthanded Springdale, Perry forced to cancel Week Zero games; Burrell, Avonworth to play
With the high school football season set to commence Friday night, there’s been a couple changes to the schedule in Western Pennsylvania after two teams were left too shorthanded to play. Both Springdale and Perry Traditional Academy will not play their Week Zero games Friday. Because of low numbers before...
Plum’s Darian Nelson offers all-around talent, leadership in senior season
At the beginning of Plum’s football practices, Darian Nelson is one of the vocal leaders, counting out with a booming voice while everyone stretches. Nelson has been playing on both sides of the ball since he was a freshman and has learned from the older guys along the way. Now...
Lineman Colin Bruno wants to put signature on final season at Norwin
His football card collection means a lot to him, as does his assortment of professional sports autographs. But what Norwin’s Colin Bruno might value more is the opportunity to give an autograph seeker, an admirer of his blocking and tackling, his own personal inscription. He can smell the Sharpie pen...
Notable changes to the 2024-25, 2025-26 WPIAL gymnastics alignment
The WPIAL released new section alignments for the next two-year cycle in all sports, and changes will be implemented starting this fall. This summer, the Tribune-Review will break down changes for each of the WPIAL sports. Here’s a look at the upcoming WPIAL gymnastics season: 2023-24 WPIAL championships WPIAL team...
Springdale faces major challenges in rebuilding efforts
A change at the top could be a piece of the puzzle for a Springdale football program working to get back on track after a pair of tough seasons in and out of conference play. Springdale went a combined 1-19 in 2023 and 2022, and new coach Chad Walsh seeks...
Excitement builds as Riverview continues quest to return to playoffs
In Class A football, large rosters are mostly uncommon. But this year, Riverview is bucking that trend. Fifth-year coach Trevor George was excited to welcome more than 50 players to preseason camp. “We have to get some new uniforms,” George said. “We’ve seen growth every year. Winning helps, and I...
Leechburg continues to build on trips to WPIAL playoffs
Leechburg football made history last year becoming the first Blue Devils team to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs three years in a row. The postseason streak came about after Leechburg had not made the WPIAL playoffs since 1988. Jake Cummings and his senior teammates want to add on to their...
Jeannette a program on the rise, but ‘work is far from done’
There is an old saying that suggests “it’s tough to keep a good man down.” In the case of Jeannette, that applies to the football program. After a shocking 2021 season, a year after winning a WPIAL Class A title and losing a heartbreaker to Steelton-Highspire in the PIAA championship...
Greensburg Central Catholic primed to follow Samir Crosby’s lead
Reaching the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs was a highlight for Greensburg Central Catholic coach JT Thompson in his first season. The experience his team gained from a first-round win over West Greene and a loss to South Side could yield benefits this fall. GCC had not made...
With roster loaded with experience, Clairton eyes return to WPIAL dominance
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Friday. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Frazier preview will be published later in the week. Expectations at Clairton are always high. The program’s rich tradition and dominant...
Brentwood hopes to compete for playoff spot in coach’s 2nd season
It was a somewhat inauspicious debut for Brentwood coach Nick Caponi. His Spartans football team didn’t win its first game last year until mid-October and finished 2-8 overall. “Our motto this year is ‘Win in the Dark.’ It’s something our defensive coordinator, Jake Thomas, brought up at a staff meeting....
2024 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the linebackers
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top linebackers for the 2024 season. 1. Alex Tatsch Latrobe Senior, 6-3, 222 Around this time last summer, Tatsch had received only a couple of college offers from...
Undersized defensive end Gamble ready to push Leechburg back into WPIAL playoffs
Lucas Gamble isn’t the biggest defensive end in the WPIAL, but Leechburg coach Randy Walters said the Blue Devils senior makes up for it with dogged determination to get the quarterback and cause havoc in the backfield for opposing offenses. “All the things he does off the field contributes to...
Mt. Pleasant’s Garn is a flyer on the football field, track and in a plane
Mt. Pleasant’s Jarett Garn loves challenges. The young man can flat out fly, literally. Whether it’s on the track as one of the premier sprinters in the state, on the football and soccer fields using his quickness and kicking abilities or, yes, in the air as a pilot, the 6-foot-3...
WPIAL Class 5A preview: Increased playoff field a welcomed changeVideo
Upper St. Clair and Woodland Hills felt the disappointment last season, and Penn Hills experienced it two years ago. They all had winning records and narrowly missed the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs in what was unquestionably the toughest classification to qualify. But there is added hope for 5A teams this...
WPIAL Class 4A preview: Teams again chasing defending champion AliquippaVideo
No team in the WPIAL or throughout the state could come up with a game plan to stop Aliquippa from claiming all the gold last season. The WPIAL top-seeded Quips defeated No. 2 McKeesport, 35-21, at Acrisure Stadium, then marched to Cumberland Valley where they overwhelmed District 2 champion Dallas,...
WPIAL Class 3A preview: Moving down from 4A, Central Valley has Acrisure aspirationsVideo
Avonworth had to play second fiddle to Belle Vernon the past two seasons in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game. And with seven starters on offense and defense returning, all-conference quarterback Carson Bellinger among them, the Antelopes (12-1) look to take another trip to Acrisure Stadium. But it’s not that...
