High School category, Page 448
New Woodland Hills coach expects big, athletic line to pave way to success
Woodland Hills football is well known for the wide receivers, running backs and defense backs who migrated from Friday nights to Saturdays and eventually Sunday afternoons. There’s an occasional tight end, fullback or defensive end too, but when it comes to skill-position talent, the Wolverines are always among the best...
With big-play weapons back, Shaler enters season with confidence
Keegan Smetanka feels comfortable that he can make the right read when he scans defenses. The senior quarterback demonstrated the Shaler offense is capable of producing plenty of big plays last year. Smetanka completed 54.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,151 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. While the...
Armed with championship lessons, Pine-Richland ready for another run
It was a storybook ending for Pine-Richland football in Jon LeDonne’s first year at the helm. The Rams rebounded from a 1-3 start to rattle off a dozen wins in a row en route to the Class 5A state championship. There will be some key spots to fill this season,...
Penn Hills driven to return to playoffs after near miss last season
Penn Hills wide receiver/defensive back Cam Thomas doesn’t want to miss any opportunities. For the Indians’ football program to get back on track — and back in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs — Thomas believes wins will need to come through better execution. In Thomas’ case, he wants to create...
Young but experienced North Hills embracing new offense
Facing one of the more daunting schedules in the WPIAL, North Hills heads into the 2023 season with some significant changes both on the field and on the sideline. The Indians finished last season 3-8 but went 3-2 in Class 5A’s Northeast Conference. The season was a roller coaster, featuring...
Fox Chapel gets fresh start with new coach
There’s no reason for the Fox Chapel football program to carry forward last season’s frustrations. Following an 0-10 season, there was significant turnover in the program. Longtime coach Tom Loughran stepped down, and Fox Chapel brought in former Springdale coach and Foxes assistant Dave Leasure to lead the program. Leasure,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 10, 2023
High schools Golf Thursday’s results Nonsection Boys Derry 239, Valley 261 Medalists: Hayden Smolleck (D) 40, Maddox DeAntonio (V) 45 Freeport 201, Armstrong 244 Medalists: Aiden Bauman (F) 37, Adam Hooks (A) 44 Keystone Oaks 215, East Allegheny 273 Medalist: Ethan Shartle (KO) Mars 197, Blackhawk 207 Medalist: Matt Mueller...
Belle Vernon’s large senior class focused on going out with more championship hardware
Belle Vernon football coach Matt Humbert often has one eye on the players coming up through the junior high ranks. After all, they are the future of his hugely successful program. The Class of 2024 was one that stood out, and they haven’t disappointed, capturing the WPIAL Class 3A championship...
Awards roll in for Belle Vernon grad Viva Kreis
Like a pair of new socks, two more honors rolled in for Belle Vernon alum Viva Kreis. And they are a perfect fit. The 2023 graduate, who bagged the $10,000 Heisman High School Scholarship Award last December and was an honorable mention for the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award...
Plum carries experienced roster into 2nd season in Class 5A Big East Conference
Plum had one of the youngest teams in Class 5A last season with only a handful of seniors, but showed plenty of promise. The Mustangs moved up from Class 4A and challenged Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford and Gateway in the Big East Conference, but ultimately fell short and narrowly missed the...
Penn-Trafford to rely on returning linemen in search for consistent play
Things didn’t go as planned for the Penn-Trafford football team in 2022. Expectations were high coming off the school’s first PIAA and WPIAL titles. The Warriors returned numerous key starters from the championship team and were hoping for a repeat. But various injuries and inconsistent play hampered the team all...
With new coach at helm, Norwin hungry to return to playoffs
If there is a difference between a Norwin kid and a Hempfield kid, Mike Brown is out to find it. After two years at Hempfield, Brown left to become the coach at Norwin. Some saw it as a lateral move — one 5A school to another, one toiling program for...
With new big-play offense, Gateway looks to return to playoff win column
Most visitors return from Florida with theme park souvenirs, a suntan and maybe some oranges, but Gateway coach Don Holl brought home a new offense. When Holl took a trip to the Sunshine State a couple of months ago, he visited with one of his former players, now a college...
Franklin Regional out to defend Big East Conference title
Franklin Regional surprised many by winning the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference title in 2022. The biggest stunner came in the third game when the Panthers upset Gateway, 16-7. But the season didn’t end on a good note. The Panthers lost to Penn-Trafford, 28-21, in the regular-season finale in...
Freeport softball standout Sydney Selker headed to Akron after recruiting plans change
St. Francis’ loss is Akron’s gain. Freeport senior Sydney Selker verbally committed to the Red Flash softball team in January, but a coaching change in June restarted the recruiting process for the Yellowjackets standout. After a whirlwind three-week process to find a new collegiate home, Selker settled in with the...
2023 WPIAL golf preview: Graduation losses leave boys, girls titles up for grabs
The WPIAL boys and girls golf season opens Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and players to follow this fall. Boys Defending champions Class 3A team: Central Catholic Class 2A team: Sewickley Academy Class 3A individual: Rocco Salvitti, Central Catholic Class 2A individual: Hunter Jurica, Derry Top...
Latrobe’s Maddy Petruzzi commits to Valparaiso
Another Latrobe athlete is set to continue her career at college soccer’s highest level. Junior Maddy Petruzzi announced a verbal commitment to play at Valparaiso of the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. “Valparaiso has a variety of majors that I’m interested in pursuing, which was my No. 1 focus...
With key players back, South Fayette poised for big year
Over the last two seasons, the South Fayette football program has dealt with a lot of roster turnover. This fall, coming off a .500 season, the Lions bring back a majority of starters who have played valuable varsity snaps. And the Lions (5-5, 2-3) will be led by an important...
Baldwin’s new coach Dana Brown seeks out multi-sport athletes
Dana Brown knows the task he and his staff face. Baldwin’s first-year head coach takes over a program that’s coming off a 1-9 season and was 0-5 in the Allegheny Six Conference. The Highlanders were outscored 420-148 last year and haven’t reached the playoffs since 2019. Brown replaced Tim Sweeney,...
Experienced Peters Township ready to challenge for Allegheny Six title
There’s one giant benefit when a high school football team has a small senior class — experience for the underclassmen. Peters Township’s youngsters got plenty of it last season, and the Indians’ coaching staff is hoping those reps pay dividends this season. “We’re a lot more experienced than we were...
After rebuilding year, Moon ready to take step forward
Heading into last season, the Moon football program was looking to replace a majority of starters who reached the 2021 WPIAL Class 5A championship game. The roster turnover proved to be too much to overcome as the Tigers finished 1-9 overall and 1-4 in Allegheny Six Conference play. This season,...
Heinz Field makes comeback at ‘The Pit’ as Kraft Heinz donates $1.3M to Aliquippa School District
Members of the Aliquippa football team played more games at Heinz Field than just about anyone not wearing a Pitt or Steelers uniform over past decade-plus. Now, that tradition will continue closer to home. Kraft Heinz donated $1.3 million to Aliquippa School District and will have naming rights for Aliquippa’s...
New head coach vows to maintain standard at Bethel Park
Continuity. That’s what former Bethel Park coach Brian DeLallo wanted to see in the Black Hawks’ football program. DeLallo resigned in November after four seasons. Bethel Park went 10-2 in 2022, won the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference title and reached the WPIAL semifinals. As a going-away present, DeLallo was...
Upper St. Clair has a new cast but same expectations
The Upper St. Clair football program is no stranger to the WPIAL playoffs, holding a 23-year streak of qualifying for the postseason. Last year’s appearance was a special one. The Panthers came into the playoffs as a No. 5 seed and ended up with their first appearance in the WPIAL...
Hempfield hopes to regain buzz under 1st-year head coach
For the first time in years, there was a buzz surrounding the Hempfield football program in 2022. The Spartans opened the season with five consecutive wins, including a 28-17 victory against defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A champion Penn-Trafford. But the next week, that momentum came to a crashing halt....
