High School category, Page 63
Hempfield, Jeannette, Penn-Trafford honoring late coach T.J Detruf with jersey number, fundraisers, decals
The number 18 — and the man who wore it — will hold significant meaning for three local football programs who are carrying on the memory of T.J. Detruf and providing support for his family. Hempfield senior quarterback Dom Detruf will switch to jersey No. 18 to honor his late...
WPIAL girls golf preview: Defending champs Peters Township, Shady Side Academy still brimming with talent
The WPIAL golf season begins Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and individuals to watch this fall. Class 3A Team 2024 WPIAL champion: Peters Township (317) 2024 PIAA champion: Peters Township (227) Favorite: North Allegheny will chase its 11th WPIAL title, first since 2018, with its full...
Plethora of skill could help Pine-Richland defend WPIAL Class 5A title
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Pine-Richland will embrace the old football adage that the best defense is a good offense as an early season strategy. Especially since the Rams have a...
Depth on offensive line puts Penn Hills in position to contend in Northeast Conference
Tristan Davis took in plenty of information about how to lead and pass information to the next generation of the Penn Hills football program. The Indians’ 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior center has eagerly taken on the challenge to pass the baton. Davis learned from former Indians standout linemen Carter Lance and...
With interim coach leading the way, North Hills looks for next step
North Hills’ promising 2024 football season came to a screeching and tumultuous finish last fall. Following an 8-2 record in the regular season, the Indians secured a home playoff game at Martorelli Stadium. But, on Tuesday of that playoff game week, North Hills head coach Pat Carey was rushed to...
Fox Chapel ready to move into next tier in Class 5A
Dave Leasure knows starting sophomores typically means grim things for a football program. But the Fox Chapel coach didn’t have many options when it came to playing young players last season. The Foxes had 15 players go out in three weeks with injuries. Fox Chapel had to improvise, which meant...
Shaler looking to improve on offense, contend for playoff spot
The Shaler football program desires a steadier level of production from its offense. The Titans scored 10 or fewer points in all seven of their losses last season. Shaler coach Jim Ryan believes the work put in over the past few seasons should benefit the program. “With the consistency of...
Feeling ‘light years ahead from last season,’ Plum seeks playoff return
For Plum coach Matt Morgan, the 2024 season didn’t end the way he or the team wanted. The Mustangs finished with a 2-8 record and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. “All the juniors that are now going to be seniors this year were upset with how last...
After capturing conference title, it’s win or bust for Woodland Hills
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Woodland Hills football coach Brian Tarrant would have been happy to hear how senior wide receiver Scoop Smith answered the question about the Wolverines’ expectations for...
WPIAL boys golf preview: North Allegheny, North Catholic set to defend titles
WPIAL boys golf season begins Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and individuals to watch this fall. Class 3A Team 2024 WPIAL champion: North Allegheny (386) 2024 PIAA champion: North Allegheny (286) Favorite: North Allegheny, which won its first WPIAL title since 1971 and doubled down with...
Seneca Valley turns to one of its own to take reins of football program
There is a mix of old and new at Seneca Valley, where the hope is that experienced players and a new coaching staff will put the Raiders in perfect harmony for a return to the WPIAL 6A football playoffs. Ron Butschle stepped down as coach after last season, ending his...
Healthier Norwin boasts size, depth, confidence
To appreciate the level of excitement at Norwin heading into a new season, one must first understand what the team endured last year. Injuries gnawed the Knights to the bone. It was painful and grueling. “We only had one game where everybody was healthy,” third-year coach Mike Brown said. “And...
Mt. Lebanon looks to improve in 2nd year under Greg Perry
The first year for Greg Perry as head coach at Mt. Lebanon turned into a tale of two seasons. Through the first five weeks, the Blue Devils lost their first five games, including their first two games of Class 6A conference play. They were shutout once and averaged only 10...
Hempfield puts focus on offseason work in effort to climb standings
Hempfield is doing all the right things off the field in the hopes to capture more wins on it. The Spartans have been conditioning since the winter. So has every other team, yes. But Hempfield makes the offseason an event. They have a weight room goal-board with increasingly larger goal...
Central Catholic has experience, firepower to repeat in Class 6A
In only his second season as head coach at Central Catholic, Ryan Lehmeier etched his name in the record books next to John Fischetti, Art Walker and Terry Totten — Vikings football coaches who have won WPIAL or PIAA championships. Central Catholic ended a three-year golden drought by knocking off...
Coaching inspiration, experience spark Canon-McMillan in 2025
One of the big WPIAL football stories this offseason involved the coaching situation at Canon-McMillan. Ten-year veteran Big Macs coach Mike Evans is battling cancer for a second time. While he remains optimistic for his long term health following surgery to remove his tumor in July, he realized he would...
North Allegheny has questions to answer in quest to return to top of Class 6A
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. North Allegheny was trying to make history last year and become only the second team to win three straight outright WPIAL championship games in the highest...
A-K Valley legend Joe Stone, who helped Kiski Area, Pitt to championships, dies at age 70
When it comes to telling the story of the 1976 Pitt Panthers national championship football team, the tales usually begin and end with the kid from Hopewell Township, Tony Dorsett. The story that doesn’t get told is that a lanky, talented offensive lineman from the Alle-Kiski Valley named Joe Stone...
WPIAL denies eligibility to 2 Central Catholic football transfers, approves 4 others
The WPIAL denied eligibility to two Central Catholic football players, leaving Xavier Harding and Ma’Noah Wright sidelined for the upcoming season. The sophomore transfers had eligibility hearings Monday. WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said the board found both transfers were motivated, at least partially, by athletics. The decision came on...
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: West Mifflin’s Armand Hill
Armand Hill broke out in a big way for West Mifflin as a freshman two years ago. Already a starter at defensive back, Hill got his shot at running back as an injury replacement, and he shined as the Titans finished runner-up in their conference and earned a spot in...
Dorian Goosby-Dean set to take place among Quaker Valley athletics greats
Dorian Goosby-Dean is considered one of the greatest athletes ever to compete at Quaker Valley. It’s quite a tribute. And thanks to his athletic achievements in a record-breaking career, Goosby-Dean has been selected for the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. He...
Quaker Valley prepares to defend WPIAL girls volleyball title
The WPIAL season ended for the 2024 Quaker Valley girls volleyball team with a police-escorted parade with firetrucks traveling through the town of Sewickley on the way back to the high school. The Quakers were celebrating their first appearance in the WPIAL finals and winning their first district title in...
Summer turnout benefits Gateway soccer teams ahead of 2025 season
The Gateway boys soccer team has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs five years in a row. Gators coach Mike Rugh said with the returning talent and a crop of newcomers, this year’s group can make it six straight. He is encouraged by the work the team has put in over...
Jeannette announces 6th Hall of Fame class
The sixth Jeannette Jayhawk Athletic Hall of Fame class was announced Saturday, presented by the Jeannette Educational Foundation. The 2025 class includes nine athletes, one team and one coach. Inductees are: Athletes • Julian Batts, Class of 2015, basketball • A.J. Graves, Class of 2005, wrestling • Ciara Gregory, Class...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Heat is on as WPIAL football players prepare for camp
The heat is on for WPIAL football players. The customary heat acclimatization week begins Monday around the league, with the start of full-contact training camp fast on its tail the following Monday. Players will wear helmets and shoulder pads this week but can’t have contact with teammates. They must attend...
