High School category, Page 453
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Dozen softball standouts earn all-state honors
Belle Vernon won a WPIAL Class 4A softball championship, and the Leopards did so with a potent lineup that produced extra-base hits by the boatloads. Three of the team’s top hitters were recognized with all-state recognition. Maren Metikosh (first team, outfield), Alexa Daniels (second team, outfield) and Lauren VanDivner (second...
Penn Hills flag football teams learn lessons on road to nationals
The Penn Hills Youth Football and Cheer Association football program is happy to have several flag football teams headed to nationals. What Larry Fielder, who coaches the 10U team that recently won the NFL Flag Pittsburgh Steelers Regional Tournament regional competition and will represent the Steelers at the Pro Bowl...
Hall of Fame induction ‘means a lot’ to Pine-Richland swimming standout
Kristen Murslack kept a busy schedule in her high school years at Pine-Richland. Her day typically started with swim practice in the morning prior to going to school. After school, there was a soccer practice or game or another swim practice before carving out time to do some homework. It...
Hampton wrestler Isabella McNutt takes another shot at nationals
Making the 1,100-mile trek from Pittsburgh to Fargo, N.D., is becoming an annual summer trip for Hampton’s Isabella McNutt. McNutt placed fourth at the USA Wrestling Northeast Regional Championships in mid-May in Atlantic City, N.J., to punch a return ticket to the Junior Nationals on July 15-23, in Fargo, ND....
Fox Chapel softball standout meets new challenges in 2nd season with Israeli national team
Izzy Zober will be playing in several international softball tournaments this summer. The 12-year-old Fox Chapel resident’s newest challenge will be trying to hang with the older age group. Zober will be a part of Israel’s 18U national team for the women’s softball European championship in Prague, Czech Republic. The...
Norwin playmaker Jackson Pons prepares for future with new focus on defense
If there is a web video on how to be a better defensive back, Jackson Pons has probably watched it, rewound it and watched it again. He has seen them all. The Norwin senior’s attention has shifted strongly to the defensive side of the football as he gets set for...
Franklin Regional soccer standouts honored with scholarships
A pair of recent graduates who will have the same major in college left a lasting mark on the Franklin Regional soccer programs. They were recognized with a note of thanks. Jake Kimmich and Mauriana Dorsch were the recipients of this year’s $500 scholarships given annually to graduating senior soccer...
Sewickley Academy rising seniors Libby Eannarino, Ashley Close look forward to promising ’24 lacrosse season
They are key midfielders on the Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse team. Both are 17; both stand 5-foot-8. In 2024, Libby Eannarino and Ashley Close will share another role as senior co-captains. “First and foremost,” Eannarino said, “I want to build upon the tradition of female success in athletics that’s such...
Senior all-section honorees helped lead Quaker Valley to boys lacrosse playoffs
A trio of seniors wrapped up their Quaker Valley boys lacrosse careers by being named all-section in Class 2A. The Section 2 all-stars for QV in 2023 were attacker Ben Thomas, midfielder Christian Brown and defender Ben Carlson. Thomas and Carlson served as co-captains this season. “They had an intense...
Big summer for Monroeville Marlins youth swimming program
The Monroeville Marlins summer swim program’s opportunity to utilize Gateway’s facilities has paid off as the organization will be well represented at a local long course championship meet later this month. The Marlins, who used to be based at the Haymaker Swim Club, have utilized the Gateway natatorium for the...
North Allegheny’s Kellie McConnell follows familiar path, commits to Duquesne basketball
Kellie McConnell’s family is already linked with Duquesne basketball’s past and present, so she decided to help shape the program’s future as well. The rising senior point guard at North Allegheny has committed to the Dukes, which is somewhat of a family tradition. Her mother Sherri (Hannan) McConnell played basketball...
Trib Cup celebrates 20 years of honoring all-around high school sports excellence
Happy Anniversary, Sports Cup! Over the next few weeks, we will be unveiling the winners and final standings of the annual Trib Cup competition. This marks the 20th year that The Network has been recognizing the best sports programs in each WPIAL class over the entire school year. Points are...
2023 Pennsylvania All-State Softball Team
Avonworth’s Alivia Lantzy, Seneca Valley’s Lexie Hames and Serra Catholic’s Caroline Malandra earned individual honors Thursday when the all-state softball team was announced. Lantzy was named Pitcher of the Year in PIAA Class 3A, and Hames earned top pitcher honors in 6A. Malandra, a third baseman, was named Player of...
Former pro player in Florida takes over Leechburg boys soccer program
Justin Grubb recently moved back to Western Pennsylvania after wrapping up a five-year career playing professional soccer in Florida. He wants to give his kids the chance to grow up in the same environment he did and at the same time stay involved in the game. So he searched for...
9 athletes to join Kiski Area Sports Hall of Fame in Class of 2023
Sean Arnold graduated from Kiski Area in 1998 after a decorated varsity career with the Cavaliers that included nine varsity letters in soccer, football, basketball and track and field. The All-WPIAL performer continued to play in college, enjoying a four-year soccer career at Robert Morris. Arnold gave back to his...
Trib HSSN Parade of Champions: Athletes celebrate WPIAL, PIAA individual titles in 2022-23
While most of the high school sports played in the fall, winter and spring put the emphasis on teams, there are some sports that are individually oriented. This championship parade took a lot of great individual efforts. Trib HSSN is proud to salute the WPIAL and PIAA individual champions from...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore shines at summer events
With his brother, Dwight Moore Jr., standing pat and clenching his teeth about 30 feet away under the basket, Zion Moore took three casual dribbles toward him, jump-hopped and went straight up. Fully extended, he soared over his brother and threw down a one-handed slam dunk that sent the spotty...
Quaker Valley girls volleyball looks ahead to promising ’23 season
Quaker Valley’s girls volleyball team ended up 15-3 in the 2022 regular season and won 12 times by 3-0 scores. The QV netters landed the fifth seed in Class 2A for the WPIAL playoffs and advanced to the semifinal round. Quaker Valley defeated No. 12 Burrell and No. 4 Central...
Gartley siblings find success with Quaker Valley track and field
Mia Gartley of Quaker Valley is a 5-foot-2 dynamo of an athlete. As a freshman this spring, Gartley won the WPIAL girls high jump event in Class 2A at the championship meet at Slippery Rock. She also placed fifth in the high jump at the PIAA finals at Shippensburg. QV...
Julian Dugger, Penn Hills teammates shine at Pitt passing camp
This offseason has left many people around the Penn Hills football program itching for the 2023 season to start. The Indians will get that opportunity when they host Seneca Valley in Week Zero action Aug. 25 at home. After missing the playoffs last season, second-year coach Charles Morris was excited...
5 athletes, 1960 football team selected for Pine-Richland Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of ’23
The Pine-Richland Athletic Hall of Fame announced its 2023 class last week. Michael Buterbaugh, Bill Colpo, Matthew Crummy, Kevin McCabe, Kristen Murslack and the 1960 Richland football team are the new members that will be inducted this fall. They are the Hall’s fifth class. The class was approved by the...
Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher named 2022-23 TribLive HSSN Boys Athlete of the YearVideo
Rodney Gallagher was so good at both basketball and football that the Laurel Highlands star considered for a while trying to play both in college. However, his mindset changed a couple of years ago, and he remembers exactly when. While riding home from watching a Steelers game at Heinz Field,...
Freedom’s Shaye Bailey named 2022-23 TribLive HSSN Girls Athlete of the Year
In an era where specialization is trendy in high school sports, Freedom’s Shaye Bailey doesn’t like that idea. “I’ve always played more than one sport,” said Bailey, who’ll be a senior in the fall. “I did gymnastics and softball, and I switched to basketball when I quit gymnastics. Then I...
2023 Trib HSSN Baseball Player of the Year: Shaler’s Miguel Hugas
The Strath Haven students behind the third base dugout decided to taunt Miguel Hugas with chants of “overrated.” The Shaler senior responded with two blasts over the fence at Penn State’s ballpark, home runs that helped the Titans ultimately win the PIAA Class 5A championship game in extra innings. On...
Looking back: The WPIAL’s top storylines from 2022-23
Nov. 11, 2022 Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak became the fourth coach in WPIAL history with 300 career wins, joining an exclusive list with Jim Render (406 wins), Joe Hamilton (342) and George Novak (306). Cherpak has coached the Jaguars for 28 seasons. Nov. 19, 2022 Two remarkable state title...
