High School category, Page 625
2022 Western Pa. high school football schedule for Week Zero
Friday Chambersburg Peach Bowl Showcase Bishop Canevin vs. Steelton-Highspire at Chambersburg, 5:30 p.m. Freedom Bowl at Hall of Fame Stadium, Ohio Central Catholic vs. St. Edward, Ohio, 8:30 p.m. Nonconference Allderdice at North Allegheny, 7:30 p.m. (HSSN) Armstrong at Valley, 7 p.m. Beaver Falls at Blackhawk, 7 p.m. (HSSN*, 1230...
Trib HSSN 2022 preseason WPIAL football rankings
WPIAL football rankings Preseason Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L 1. Central Catholic, 9-3 2. Seneca Valley, 7-4 3. North Allegheny, 7-5 4. Mt. Lebanon, 15-0 5. Canon-McMillan, 4-7 Class 5A 1. Gateway, 7-4 2. Penn-Trafford, 13-2 3. Penn Hills, 8-4 4. Pine-Richland, 7-5 5. Upper St. Clair, 6-5 Class 4A...
Westmoreland County football players to watch in 2022 Week Zero
Here are Westmoreland County’s high school football players to watch for Week Zero. Jackson Hutter Mt. Pleasant, Jr., RB/MLB The junior is expected to be more of an offensive threat in 2022 after averaging 7.1 yards per carry as a sophomore. He scored one touchdown and had a catch for...
Rivals Hempfield, Greensburg Salem to square off for 57th time
It’s only one game on the schedule, the first of the season. And in the grand scheme of things, it won’t impact conference standings for either team. But bragging rights will again be on the line between the football players, students and communities from Hempfield and Greensburg Salem. The 2022...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week Zero
Nonconference Burrell at Jeannette 7 p.m. Friday, McKee Stadium, Jeannette Burrell has dropped from Class 3A to 2A for the next two-year enrollment cycle. The Bucs return six starters on each side of the ball. Typically a pass-first team under coach Shawn Liotta, the Bucs will concentrate more on the...
Check out The Birdie’s hodgepodge of Week Zero picks in Westmoreland County
The Birdie has been called a lot of things (never late for dinner), but when he heard a coach refer to him as a “hodgepodge of nothingness” at a recent media day, his ears perked up. “You stole that from Dennis Eckersley! You’re caught, coach!” the Birdie told the culprit,...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the specialists
A remarkable WPIAL record is about to turn 20. It was two decades ago — Oct. 4, 2002 — when East Allegheny’s Josh Miller kicked a 55-yard field goal, a feat that still stands as the longest known in WPIAL history. Miller, a 6-foot, 170-pound soccer star who later played...
Springdale sophomore tight end poised for breakout season
Garrett Myers attended Redeemer Lutheran school in Penn Hills through eighth grade. The school doesn’t offer a football program. Basketball was Myers’ main sport. Football wasn’t in the picture for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Springdale tight end and linebacker. “We moved into the area, and I saw a photo of the...
Junior receiver could be Southmoreland’s secret weapon this season
The “X” receiver could be Southmoreland’s X-factor this football season. Ty Keffer is out for football again for the first time since elementary school and the 6-foot-4, 190-pound junior could be a difference maker on both sides of the ball for the Scotties. “I have always been a big fan...
OLSH driven to return to WPIAL championship game with new coach
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart needed one more stop to make the WPIAL championship game. After losing to Rochester earlier in the season, the Chargers wanted vengeance on their conference foes. On fourth down, with the Chargers leading the semifinal contest 14-13, the Rams went in the shotgun formation....
Fort Cherry making strides in upholding program’s tradition
Three years removed from a winless season, coach Tanner Garry and the Fort Cherry Rangers are turning the ship around. Last season, the Rangers fell short of the playoffs but went 5-5 with a 3-4 conference record. When Garry, a former Fort Cherry quarterback, took over coaching duties in 2020,...
Cornell continues to earn place among WPIAL Class A elite
Cornell’s 50th anniversary season last year was a successful one. The Raiders finished 9-3 with a 6-1 conference record in the Class A Big Seven. Cornell’s success didn’t happen overnight. The program disbanded in 2012 returned in 2016. After a few seasons of struggles, the Raiders made the playoffs, winning...
Father-son coach-quarterback duo out to earn elusive playoff win for Chartiers-Houston
Terry Fetsko Jr. started in Chartiers-Houston’s program as a ballboy. Often Fetsko would travel with the team coached by his dad, who is in his 18th year as coach, to see away games. Playing quarterback for the program, as Fetsko did last season, was a nice honor. “I was always...
Carlynton working to end playoff drought
Twenty-one years. After finishing tied for third place in the 2001 Class AA Interstate Conference, Carlynton traveled to Reeves Field at Geneva College to battle heavy favorite Beaver Falls in the first round of the district playoffs. The Tigers, who eventually lost in the finals to Washington, had more than...
Burgettstown brings momentum into new Black Hills Conference
Burgettstown returned to the playoffs in 2021 for the sixth time in seven years thanks to a strong finish with three straight regular season must-wins. The Blue Devils finished 5-5 overall after falling to eventual champion Bishop Canevin in the Class A first round, but second-year coach Greg Marshall won’t...
Championship roster almost entirely intact as Bishop Canevin aims to defend WPIAL title
Two years removed from a one-win season, Bishop Canevin quickly built a solid foundation for the football program that led to the school’s first WPIAL championship since 1990 last fall. “It was a great year for the Bishop Canevin school, alumni, community and our program,” second-year coach Richard Johnson said....
After competitive offseason, Avella aims to return to playoff contention
Avella owns one of the smallest rosters in WPIAL football. Nonetheless, the Eagles are ready to face the challenges that are coming their way with a never-quit mentality. Over the offseason, Ryan Cecchini, head coach since 2011, saw the players putting in a lot of hard work, getting ready for...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the new coaches
Nearly three dozen WPIAL and City League football teams changed coaches since last season, some involving head coaches who’d spent a decade or more in one place. Among them, Hampton assistant coach Steve Sciullo was promoted to replace Jacque DeMatteo, who resigned after 14 seasons with the Talbots. Others were...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the safeties
Safety is often the last line of defense, but having a good one can be a weapon for any team. Look at the WPIAL teams that won last year. State champions Aliquippa, Central Valley, Mt. Lebanon and Penn-Trafford all had at least one difference-maker at safety. Some of those standouts...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 23, 2022
High schools WPIAL Golf Tuesday’s results Boys Class 3A Section 1 Norwin 200, Hempfield 213 Medalists: Dom Cerelli (N) 36, Owen Dzurko (H) 40 Latrobe 204, Penn-Trafford 211 Medalists: Jake Pavlik (L) 37, Nick Turowski (PT) 34 Section 3 Pine-Richland 188, North Allegheny 199 Medalists: Mason Peterson (PR) 35, Ravi...
Senior Kevin Tomlinson driven to restore Riverview pride
Riverview senior Kevin Tomlinson has grown 5 inches in height since his freshman football season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver/free safety also has grown significantly through all of the ups and downs experienced during his varsity career with the Raiders. Those experiences fuel the team co-captain, and he said that...
Senior Daniel Tarabrella pushes Penn-Trafford to ‘keep climbing the ladder’
It was not a surprise to Penn-Trafford football coach John Ruane that Daniel Tarabrella had a fantastic junior season, helping the Warriors win their first WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A titles. “His desire is through the roof,” Ruane said. “He wants to be great, he wants to be on a...
Gary Gaines, coach of ‘Friday Night Lights’ fame, dead at 73
LUBBOCK, Texas — Gary Gaines, coach of the Texas high school football team made famous in the book and movie “Friday Night Lights,” has died. He was 73. Gaines’ family said in a statement the former coach died Monday in Lubbock after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Gaines made...
Belle Vernon softball standout Maren Metikosh makes Division I college choice
One of the top softball players in the WPIAL has found her new home. Belle Vernon’s Maren Metikosh made a verbal commitment Tuesday to continue her academic and softball careers at Division I Central Connecticut State University. Metikosh, who is entering her senior year at Belle Vernon, will play for...
Mohawk football season on hold amidst hazing allegation
As 117 WPIAL football teams prepare to begin their new season this weekend with a Week Zero game or a second scrimmage, one district team’s season is on hold after allegations surfaced of a possible hazing incident within the team. Lawrence County and Mohawk School District officials are investigating possible...
