High School category, Page 467
Unconventional coaching career leads former Fox Chapel soccer standout to hall of fame
Mike Babst made peace with being done with soccer more than once in his life. But circumstances kept the Davidson men’s soccer coach circling back to the game. When Babst took his first assistant coaching position at Washington & Lee in Lexington, Va., it was something he hardly scheduled. Babst,...
Penn Hills notebook: PH grad breaks school triple jump record
Penn Hills graduate Kemi Balogun was one of three Frostburg State athletes to earn all-region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Balogun set the school record in the triple jump and went on to win the Mountain East Conference title. Balogun also had a...
PIAA notebook: Injury knocks highly seeded WPIAL champion out of 100 meters
SHIPPENSBURG — An injury cut short New Castle sprinter Kaevon Gardner’s debut at the state track championships Friday, forcing one of the top athletes in the 100-meter dash to make an early exit. Gardner entered the meet with the second-fastest time in Class 3A, but the sophomore injured a hip...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 26, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Wednesday’s schedule Mt. Lebanon (12-10) vs. North Allegheny (16-6) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Class 5A Championship Tuesday’s schedule Shaler (18-4) vs. Bethel Park (17-4) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Third place Wednesday’s schedule Plum (14-8) vs. Penn-Trafford (14-6)...
Pair of singles players, doubles team from WPIAL remain in PIAA tennis title hunt
Two singles players and a doubles team from the WPIAL remain in contention for a championship after the first day of the PIAA boys tennis championships in Hershey. Winchester Thurston freshman Austin He, Sewickley Academy sophomore Severin Harmon and the Gateway doubles team of Adam Memije and Zidaan Hassan advanced...
Freeport senior shakes off rough start, claims PIAA discus medal
SHIPPENSBURG — After her first couple of discus throws produced a foul and a 104-footer, Reese Skiba’s state championship was off to a lackluster start. She could’ve panicked, but she didn’t. “They give us three throws for a reason,” said Skiba, a Freeport senior. “I always tell myself, ‘It’s not...
Hampton junior pulls off dramatic, shocking win in PIAA 1,600 meters
If it had been a horse race, the PIAA Class 3A boys 1,600-meter run would have needed a photo finish to decide the winner. It was that close. Hampton junior Dale Hall nudged out Butler junior Drew Griffith by seven hundredths of a second. Hall’s time was 4:08.52 and Griffith...
Hempfield’s Liz Tapper looking to make history after defending PIAA shot put title
SHIPPENSBURG — In the history of great throwers at Hempfield, only Rachel Serafin (2011-13) was a multiple state champion in an event, winning three discus titles. Senior Liz Tapper became the second multiple winner Friday at the PIAA Class 3A track and field championships at Shippensburg when she defended her...
Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo defends 1,600-meter title at PIAA track championships
SHIPPENSBURG — Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo decided to skip more races than usual in her senior year, but this wasn’t a case of senioritis. She was just focused on states. “I said, ‘I don’t want to do too much, get myself tired, burnt out or even get hurt,’” she said. “So...
Mt. Lebanon finishes strong to defeat Shady Side Academy for WPIAL Class 3A championship
In last year’s championship game between Mt. Lebanon and Shady Side Academy, J.P. Henry was the hero in overtime for the Bulldogs. For a while in this year’s rematch, it looked like another fantastic finish was in the offing, but the Blue Devils had other ideas, finishing strong in regulation...
Pine-Richland gets past Mt. Lebanon in dramatic WPIAL Class 3A girls lacrosse title game
In the regular season finale, Pine-Richland defeated Mt. Lebanon, 13-12, a win that most likely gave the Rams the top seed in the WPIAL Class 3A girls lacrosse tournament. The stakes were higher Thursday at Robert Morris as the teams squared off for the WPIAL championship. The Rams again emerged...
Shaler wins 1st WPIAL boys volleyball championship, ending North Allegheny’s title run
The Shaler boys volleyball team arrived at Peters Township High School as Thursday’s Class 2A championship game was taking shape. The players sat in the bleachers and watched North Catholic capture its first WPIAL title with a sweep of 10-time champion Ambridge. Shaler then went out and achieved a similar...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 25, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Wednesday’s schedule Mt. Lebanon (12-10) vs. North Allegheny (16-6) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Class 5A Championship Tuesday’s schedule Shaler (18-4) vs. Bethel Park (17-4) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Third place Wednesday’s schedule Plum (14-8) vs. Penn-Trafford (14-6)...
North Catholic tops Ambridge for WPIAL boys volleyball title in clash of Class 2A rivals
There were no secrets when section rivals Ambridge and North Catholic met Thursday evening at Peters Township to decide the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball championship. The Bridgers and Trojans split their season series, each winning in five sets. With the title on the line, North Catholic won the latest...
Trib 10: Plenty of changes in power rankings heading into WPIAL championship week
With championship week on the horizon, there were big changes to the Trib 10 in baseball and softball. Five baseball teams and three softball squads were bounced from the district playoffs and thus also fell out of the power rankings. Some could return if the can reach the state playoffs...
Coaches wish PIAA team track title could be decided in playoff format like WPIAL
It takes a team effort to win a WPIAL team track title, but that’s not necessarily true for winning a state title. A school with one superstar athlete can sometimes take home a PIAA team trophy. So some WPIAL coaches wish the state might someday adopt the WPIAL team tournament...
Latrobe’s Sofia DeCerb named Kaitlyn ‘Moe’ Rosensteel Scholarship award winner
Latrobe senior Sofia DeCerb, one of the WPIAL’s top goalkeepers the past few years, was the recipient of the Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Scholarship, presented to a WPIAL female soccer player “who will be advancing into college to further her academic excellence while still playing the game she loves.” DeCerb, a...
Field set for 2023 WPIAL softball championships
From 2003-17, the WPIAL held its softball championships at Lilley Field at Cal (Pa.). After a three-year hiatus for renovations, the district returned to Cal for all six title games in 2021. Now known as PennWest University, California, Lilley Field will once again host the six district softball championship games...
‘Tremendous issue’ with foot hasn’t slowed Upper St. Clair sprinter Dani Prunzik entering states
Nobody who saw Dani Prunzik sprint across the finish line at the WPIAL track championships could’ve guessed the Upper St. Clair senior has battled a painful foot injury for almost a year. Once she removed her shoes, only the tape on her right ankle gave it away. “It has been...
Mars surges past South Fayette to claim 7th straight WPIAL boys lacrosse championship
Undefeated and second-seeded South Fayette was the latest team to step up to try to end the Mars title run, which dates to 2016. The Lions gave the Fightin’ Planets everything they could handle in the first half, trailing by only three goals at the break. But Mars used a...
Mars tops Blackhawk for WPIAL girls lacrosse title in OT thriller
Mya Cote’s fourth goal of the game 1 minute, 42 seconds into overtime sent Mars to a 10-9 victory over Blackhawk and gave the Fightin’ Planets their second WPIAL Class 2A girls lacrosse title in three seasons. The lead for Mars was the first of the game in a contest...
Harry Jenkins, longtime Fox Chapel basketball coach, dies
Harry Jenkins’ time with Fox Chapel didn’t end when he stepped down as the boys varsity basketball coach in 2005. Jenkins wanted to find a way to keep the program moving forward and bring together players from different communities. Working with the school, Jenkins formed a four-team league for alumni...
Montour punishes Chartiers Valley for mistakes, reaches Class 4A championship game
The weather at West Mifflin on Wednesday for the Class 4A softball semifinals game between Montour and Chartiers Valley was sunny with temps near 80 degrees. Yet somehow for the Colts, there was a snowball that turned into an avalanche of self-inflicted wounds. Chartiers Valley walks, errors, wild pitches and...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on May 25, 2023: Volleyball, lacrosse powers vie for titles
Welcome to Championship Thursday in the WPIAL with gold to be had in boys volleyball and Class 3A boys and girls lacrosse. Over the last 15 years, the two dominant programs in WPIAL boys volleyball have been North Allegheny in 3A and Ambridge in 2A. Since 2007, North Allegheny has...
High school, scores, summaries and schedules for May 24, 2023
High schools WPIAL Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship May 31 schedule Mt. Lebanon (12-10) vs. North Allegheny (16-6) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Class 5A Championship Tuesday’s schedule Shaler (18-4) vs. Bethel Park (17-4) at Wild Things Park, 7 p.m. Third place May 31 schedule Plum (14-8) vs....
