High School category, Page 567
Thomas Jefferson peaks in time for playoffs, gives coach Bill Cherpak his 300th win
The list of awards and honors bestowed upon Thomas Jefferson football coach Bill Cherpak over the years is a long one. Cherpak has won five state championships, nine WPIAL titles and 22 conference crowns. He has been named conference coach of the year eight times, AP Pennsylvania Class AAA Coach...
Sewickley Academy tennis players wrap up strong season by placing at states
Sewickley Academy tennis standout Ashley Close closed out her junior season Nov. 5 in Hershey as the PIAA Class 2A runner-up. Wyoming Seminary’s Ilana Rosenthal won the Class 2A state championship, with South Park senior Nicole Kempton placing third and Knoch junior Emily Greb taking fourth. Kempton captured the WPIAL...
Quaker Valley football out to raise program’s expectations after trying season
The exit interviews have been taking place within the Quaker Valley football program. Recordwise, it proved to be a disappointing 2022 season for the Quakers. After starting out 2-1 under first-year coach Jason Cappa, QV lost its last six games all by wide margins. “The team’s first order of business...
HIgh school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 19, 2022
High schools Field hockey PIAA playoffs Championships Saturday’s results At Cumberland Valley Class 3A Lower Dauphin 3, Wilson 2 (OT) Class 2A Mechanicsburg 1, Palmyra 0 (OT) Class A Boiling Springs 1, Wyoming Area 0 Football WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Saturday’s result North Allegheny 35, Central Catholic 21 Class...
Balanced attack leads Seneca Valley to blowout win over Lower Merion in PIAA boys soccer final
MECHANICSBURG — If there were any memories of last year’s 1-0 loss to Conestoga in the state finals, Seneca Valley’s boys soccer team used them for motivational purposes only. The Raiders were never in danger of being shut out again Saturday, and quickly made it clear their team would be...
North Allegheny captures 6th straight PIAA girls volleyball championship
MECHANICSBURG — North Allegheny girls volleyball has won a lot of matches over the past six years, especially on the biggest stage. On Saturday night, the Tigers maintained their position atop Pennsylvania’s highest classification by claiming their sixth straight PIAA Class 4A title with a 3-0 win over District 1...
North Allegheny shuts out rival Central Catholic in 2nd half to claim 5th WPIAL football title
These teams combined for one touchdown when they met eight weeks ago in a low-scoring, field-position battle between WPIAL rivals who leaned mostly on their defenses. This wasn’t that kind of game. Instead, North Allegheny quarterback Logan Kushner threw touchdown passes of 51 and 68 yards, rushed for 184 yards...
North Catholic falls to Pope John Paul II in PIAA Class 3A finals
MECHANICSBURG — The last two times North Catholic played volleyball at Cumberland Valley, the Trojans won a state championship. Pope John Paul II ruined their hopes for a third state title with a five-set victory by scores of 15-25, 25-12, 18-25, 25-18, and 19-17 in the PIAA Class 3A final...
Freeport sweeps York Catholic to claim PIAA Class 2A girls volleyball crown
MECHANICSBURG — Josie Russo celebrated her 17th birthday Saturday, and she couldn’t have asked for a better gift. The Freeport junior middle hitter’s block at match point against District 3 champion York Catholic closed out a 3-0 sweep of the Fighting Irish at Cumberland Valley High School and gave the...
George Guido: Aliquippa continues historic run of WPIAL championship appearances
While two WPIAL football finals were played Saturday, four more are slated for Acrisure Stadium on Friday. In the Class 4A game, Aliquippa is in the finals for the 15th consecutive season and will face neighboring Central Valley. The last time Aliquippa didn’t make the finals was in 2007, when...
Pine-Richland rolls past Upper St. Clair to win 8th WPIAL football championship
Pine-Richland was sitting at 1-3 at mid-season, and the thought of a postseason berth seemed distant. But the Rams have reeled off nine straight victories, including a convincing, 34-3 win over Upper St. Clair on Saturday afternoon to capture the school’s eighth WPIAL football title at Norwin Stadium. Part of...
Chelsea Hartman sets pace for Shady Side Academy cross country team’s special season
If you’re a cross country athlete, the last thing you need are stress fractures in your feet and shin splints. But Shady Side Academy’s Chelsea Hartman has overcome those injuries and finished second among Class A female runners at the PIAA meet recently in Hershey. Hartman came in with a...
Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel field hockey standouts pick up all-star honors
Even though Shady Side Academy’s streak of four consecutive WPIAL field hockey titles came to an end, the Bulldogs, along with neighboring Fox Chapel, were well represented on the coaches association’s all-star teams. Shady Side (4-12, 2-4) placed five on the Class A all-star team. The Foxes (10-8-1, 4-3-1) had...
Senior duo sparks Bethel Park volleyball team to successful season
Best friends Grace Lejeck and Sophie Puzausky proved to be a dynamic force for the Bethel Park girls volleyball team. Lejeck, a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter, and Puzausky, a 5-11 senior right-side hitter, were chosen second-team all-WPIAL and first-team all-section. “Sophie and Grace both started since their freshman year. They...
Stung by injuries, Bethel Park ends remarkable season with WPIAL semifinal loss
Bethel Park’s banner football season came to an end in the rain Nov. 11 at Canon-McMillan in the semifinal round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. The Allegheny Six Conference champion Black Hawks lost to rival Upper St. Clair, 17-7, on a dreary night to finish 10-2 overall. “Although the...
Freeport girls basketball looks to follow in footsteps of volleyball team
Freeport girls basketball coach Fred Soilis has had a front row seat for the Yellowjackets’ volleyball team’s run to the PIAA championship game while watching his daughter Ava play libero. One of the biggest impressions the volleyball team made on him was their teamwork. It’s a trait he wants his...
Deep, experienced roster has Freeport boys ready to build on last year’s success
The Freeport boys basketball team has plenty to build on after getting a playoff win and achieving a winning record for the first time in three years. And they have an experienced roster to lean on. The Yellowjackets have 10 seniors and four juniors, making for competitive practices for starting...
Hempfield girls look to keep offseason momentum rolling
Some offseason success and a taste of victory has the Hempfield girls basketball team beaming with confidence and believing it can win more games than it loses. The Spartans won a summer league at the Greensburg YMCA, went undefeated at the Seton Hill Shootout, finished 5-1 at the Cal (Pa.)...
With young roster, Hempfield boys embark on rebuilding year
It is a harsh reality in sports. Teams rebuild. Fans can’t believe it’s true. Players don’t want to acknowledge it. Coaches hope it never happens to them. Even good programs that compete hard every year, like Hempfield, have to start over. “Yeah, this is the first time we’ve had to,”...
Strong defensive duo leading way for North Hills hockey
Cole Wanner is an avid golfer who looks for any opportunity he can to hit the links. But right now, he’s hoping that may not be for a while. Wanner, the goalie for the North Hills hockey team, is off to an impressive start in the 2022-23 season. Through their...
After up-and-down season, young talent ready to lead North Hills football into future
The overall record for the North Hills football team in 2022 comes nowhere close to telling its full story. A young team coming off a seven-win campaign a year earlier, the Indians finished 3-8 overall this season. But the group still made the postseason thanks to a strong performance in...
North Allegheny basketball teams adjust to early start to season
Starting basketball season a week earlier than usual probably doesn’t excite WPIAL coaches, but the idea of a less-compact regular season maybe does. Their 22 games will be stretched over 10 weeks this winter instead of nine. “There are gaps in the schedule and I’m looking forward to those,” North...
Plenty of highlights for Hampton volleyball despite quick WPIAL playoff exit
The Hampton girls volleyball team made history during a season that turned into the past sooner than anyone expected. Hampton rolled to its first undefeated regular season and brought home its first outright section title before suffering a deflating 3-1 upset loss to No. 10 seed South Fayette in the...
Hampton football team racks up postseason accolades
Hampton senior defensive lineman Gabe Harris was surprised to earn all-Greater Allegheny Conference honors, but maybe he shouldn’t have been startled at all. “There were a lot of nights where my friends were going out to eat or hang out,” he said, “and I just decided to keep lifting.” The...
Beaver Falls finishes off Sto-Rox, gets back to WPIAL championship game
With a big first half on defense, an offensive ability to take advantage of short fields and a second half that saw the Tigers run away from third-seeded Sto-Rox, second-seeded Beaver Falls earned a trip to Acrisure Stadium to play for the Class 2A championship on Black Friday. It’s the...
