High School category, Page 566
New coach sets lofty goal for Highlands girls basketball
Finding a way to adjust to a new coach can be difficult. But in the case of some players on the Highlands girls basketball team, they have a bit of a history with first-year coach Shawn Bennis. He has coached at the AAU level with the PK Flash AAU program....
This week on Trib HSSN for week of Nov. 21, 2022
Enjoy a hearty Thanksgiving meal with family and friends Thursday, but plan to spend all day and night Friday glued to the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN is the only place to watch the four WPIAL football championship games live from Acrisure Stadium. We will have free video...
PIHL standings through Nov. 20, 2022
Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings through Sunday: Team – Wins – Losses – Overtime/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class 3A Seneca Valley, 6-1-1 = 13 North Allegheny, 6-2-0 = 12 Peters Township, 5-1-0 = 10 Central Catholic, 5-2-0 = 10 Cathedral Prep, 5-3-0 = 10 Baldwin,...
PIAA announces quarterfinal sites, times for state football playoffs
WPIAL Class 5A champion Pine-Richland will host a state quarterfinal in the PIAA football playoffs this week while 6A winner North Allegheny starts on the road. City League champion Westinghouse also drew a home game when the PIAA announced sites and times for the next round of the state playoffs....
Jeannette boys basketball looking to measure up to competition
Jeannette has featured strong guard play in recent years, but its strength this boys basketball season looks like the frontcourt. The team has length and should be able to pull down rebounds, alter shots and finish breaks because of it. “We do have some decent size,” coach Adrian Batts said....
New coach keeps positive outlook as Jeannette girls basketball eyes rebound
The climb back to respectability is steep for Anna Leonard, the new girls basketball coach at Jeannette. But she is ready to scale the challenge and doesn’t plan to look down. “I’m not nervous. I’m excited,” Leonard said. “It’s not just a challenge for the girls, it’s a challenge for...
Experienced Highlands boys counting on defense to lead them on another playoff run
Jimmy Kunst takes defense personally. The senior point guard for the Highlands basketball team knows his teammates feel the same way. Expect Kunst and his teammates to hit the floor, either to draw charges or grab loose balls. Entering a season with high expectations means the Golden Rams will need...
Moon’s Hailey Longwell wins Moe Rosensteel Award
Her team did not lose a single game and celebrated a pair of championships. But a postseason award really seemed to cap a perfect season for Hailey Longwell. She was the engine that made the Tigers go. The senior midfielder from Moon was named the recipient of the fourth Moe...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Norwin’s Sophia Alvarez
Coming into the season, it was unclear how Norwin’s girls volleyball team would fare. Nine of the 12 returning players for the team were seniors, but according to senior setter Sophia Alvarez, a large number of those girls do not play volleyball as their main sport. The Knights started off...
From 2 wins to reaching the state playoffs, Latrobe girls soccer team reflects on success
The Latrobe girls soccer team had a historic season, winning the first two WPIAL playoff games in program history and qualifying for the state tournament for the first time. It was a year of major accomplishments, but the feeling around the program is that they are just getting started. “We...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Deer Lakes’ Ben Korol
The winter’s first snow hasn’t even fallen, and the Deer Lakes hockey team has won its first four games while outscoring opponents 27-5. Among the talented players on the roster is senior goalie Ben Korol. Ben actively coaches the Deer Lakes middle school hockey team as a part of his...
After 2nd straight playoff trip, Burrell coaches, players continue to push program forward
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta isn’t going to try and cram any square pegs into round holes. Twenty-four years of coaching experience has shown Liotta the way to properly structure a program requires coaches and cultures evolving to their environments. For the 13 seniors on this year’s team, they’ve seen...
Penn-Trafford seniors sign on with college programs
Three baseball players and a bowler from Penn-Trafford took advantage of the NCAA early signing period to ink their letters of intent Nov. 9. Senior bowler Alyssa Balest, who took home the girls individual honor at last year’s Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association competition, signed with Mount St. Mary’s from the...
Norwin notebook: Group of standout seniors make college commitments
Norwin athletes put pen to paper on college signing day Nov. 9. Eight Knights signed letters of intent to play at the next level, in four sports. Signees were: Madie Kessler (softball, St. Francis, Pa.); Emma Novotnak (softball, Gannon); Alyssa Aquilio (soccer, Clarion); Faith Steen (soccer, Saint Vincent); Grace Ketter...
Penn Hills athletes participate in WPIAL Sportsmanship Summit
Getting a chance to look at the past while keeping an eye on the near future provided Penn Hills junior Hannah Pugliese with an opportunity for reflection. Pugliese was one of six Penn Hills athletes who represented the school at the WPIAL’s 13th annual Summit on Sportsmanship on Nov. 16...
New coach knows progress Penn Hills swim team could make
Taking over as the Penn Hills varsity swimming coach is a fun challenge for Morgan Bush. Bush, a 30-year-old Oakland Catholic graduate, has spent much of her post-college life coaching swimming for clubs and in the summer. One challenge she hasn’t tackled is leading a high school program. After serving...
Pine-Richland’s Natalie McLean follows PIAA title with Georgetown commitment
A few weeks ago Natalie McLean realized a dream that was four years in the making and made Pine-Richland history. McLean became the first Rams runner to win a PIAA cross country championship Nov. 5 in Hershey. “Ever since I went to states my freshman year, I told myself that...
After 4 years of success, Plum senior soccer players cap careers in PIAA playoffs
Only one team had scored a goal against the Moon girls soccer team before the Tigers faced Plum in a PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal Nov. 12 at Peters Township’s Confluence Financial Partners Stadium. The Mustangs were up for the challenge and put the first goal on the board within the...
Gateway hockey selects trio for 2022 Honor Roll
The 50th anniversary year of the inaugural season of Gateway hockey will culminate Dec. 26 with the program’s annual alumni event at Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont. Alumni president Stefan Biancaniello said the organization is proud to welcome three former Gators players to the Gateway Honor Roll in 2022. The...
Gateway football players earn postseason honors
The Upper St. Clair football team was to take on Pine-Richland at Norwin on Saturday for the WPIAL Class 5A title. In its journey to the championship game, the No. 5 Panthers survived a razor-thin quarterfinal game against No. 4 Gateway on Nov. 4 at Gateway’s Antimarino Stadium. The Gators...
Shaler boys basketball intent on breaking through playoff barrier
Brandon London was forced to sit out last basketball season when a football injury relegated him to the sidelines. As London’s shoulder healed, he and his Shaler boys basketball teammates were all focused on a common goal: getting past the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals. Last season, the Titans didn’t meet...
Oakland Catholic senior commits to college volleyball, signs with Stony Brook
Maddy Cigna didn’t have a clear-cut path laid out in front of her when it came to planning for college. The Oakland Catholic senior and Shaler Township resident knew she liked volleyball, but did she love it? “When I was in eighth grade, I wasn’t sure I wanted to play...
Young doubles duo makes impact for Chartiers Valley tennis
The sky’s the limit for the dynamic duo of the Chartiers Valley girls tennis team after a breakout 2022 season. Sophomore Kaitlyn Kuczinski and freshman Delaney Fox helped the Colts team reach the WPIAL team playoffs and advance to the quarterfinals with a first-round win over North Catholic. It was...
Season of change brings challenges to Chartiers Valley football team
This was a season of change for the Chartiers Valley football program. Following district realignment, an already tough Class 4A Parkway Conference became incredibly deep with the additions of defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Central Valley moving up and traditional 5A power West Allegheny moving down. This added to a...
Thomas Jefferson girls volleyball caps season in PIAA semifinals
Thomas Jefferson’s girls volleyball team placed third in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs, earning a berth in the PIAA tournament. The TJ netters, seeded No. 4 in the WPIAL, defeated No. 13 Indiana and No. 5 Montour by 3-1 scores before losing to top-seeded North Catholic, 3-0, in the semifinal...
