High School category, Page 66
Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson captures title at Fargo Junior Nationals
Kiski Area wrestler Mario Hutcherson entered the 16U Freestyle U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals last week in Fargo, N.D., wanting to add more hardware to an already impressive collection. Hutcherson won gold last summer in the Pan-Am championships, and he also is a four-time youth state champion, a two-time U.S....
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Hempfield’s Brock Heisler
Though he is young for his grade, Brock Heisler has an old-school side to him. The Hempfield senior lineman, who just turned 17, wears vintage T-shirts to practice with pro athletes of the past on them, like Ken Griffey Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Sr. He listens to classic bands like...
Latrobe, Hempfield East Legion teams stay unbeaten at regions
Latrobe and Hempfield East finished 1-2 during the District 31 American regular season. Now they will square off in the winners’ bracket of the Region 7 tournament Monday at Forest Hills High School in Sidman. Game time is set for 5 p.m. Mason Hrubes had three hits (single, double and...
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Peters Township’s Reston Lehman
It takes a special player to be a four-year starter on a Class 5A football team, especially for a program like Peters Township. Senior defensive end Reston Lehman is that special player. Lehman has started at defensive end/outside linebacker for the Indians on defense and at tight end on offense...
All-state honors pour in for Shaler spring athletes
Adam Hoffman was floating in the pool in South Carolina when he found out that his efforts with the Shaler boys volleyball team had earned him all-state honors. Hoffman was one of many Titan athletes across all spring sports who drew recognition in the postseason. Hoffman was named an honorable...
Butler Invitational success gave taste of things to come for Quaker Valley track team
Quaker Valley’s track and field program announced to WPIAL opponents that it would be a powerful postseason force in mid-April at the 60th annual Butler Invitational. The Quakers turned in an unforgettable performance at Butler to cap off an incredible regular season. It proved to be a historic performance by...
Decorated runner LJ Westwood joins Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame
Make no mistake, LJ Westwood can run. Then, and now. With aplomb. As stated in his Hall of Fame bio, the 2012 Quaker Valley graduate left a legacy as one of the most accomplished runners in the history of the school’s track and field and cross country programs. Westwood, who...
Fisher’s Files: Adou Thiero develops basketball IQ into ‘it’ factor
One of the many things in Quaker Valley product Adou Thiero’s favor as he begins his NBA journey is his five-star intelligence for the game of basketball. “At a young age, Adou demonstrated a high basketball IQ, and we always felt he carried the ‘it’ factor,” QV coach Mike Mastroianni...
Named state 6A player of the year, Pine-Richland’s Calle Henne leaves mark on program
Calle Henne was working on sharpening her craft, taking some swings at the local cages, when she received a text from her dad. The message she read contained outstanding news. Henne had been selected on July 8 as the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association’s player of the year in...
Recruiting process ramps up for Gateway’s Mykel Bruce-McCrommon
Mykel Bruce-McCrommon scored 22 points a game as a junior this past season as the Gateway boys basketball team finished 13-9 overall, tied Latrobe for second in Section 1-5A at 10-4 and again took part in the WPIAL playoffs. It wasn’t just putting the ball in the basket that made...
District 31 Legion teams sweep at Region 7 tournament
All four District 31 American Legion baseball teams earned wins during the first day the Region 7 tournament Saturday. Hempfield East, Bushy Run, Latrobe and Lower Burrell will square off Sunday in the winner’s bracket at Forest Hills. Latrobe battles Lower Burrell at 2 p.m., and Hempfield East and Bushy...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Pecora joins Hoffer’s football staff at Yough
They used to cook up pizzas — and 100-yard games — together, but Ben Hoffer and Dom Pecora will be coaching comrades this season at Yough. Pecora, the former head coach at Southmoreland and East Allegheny who most recently worked as an assistant at Penn-Trafford, is joining Hoffer’s staff. Hoffer...
Alle-Kiski Valley Hall of Famer Harry Crytzer remembered as a ‘staple of Freeport athletics’
Harry Crytzer loved Freeport athletics. Whether it was basketball, volleyball or football, he was there rooting on Yellowjackets athletes. “From when I played on teams at Freeport, to when I was coaching, to being the AD and went to a lot of games with Harry and our athletic trainer, Bill...
New coach excited to take reins of tradition-rich Hampton cross country program
New Hampton boys cross country coach Kim Masarik knows all about running fast and clearing obstacles. Masarik, the most decorated female hurdler in North Allegheny history and a two-time NCAA Division I championship qualifier, was hired last month to replace longtime coach Dean Longwell, who stepped down following the 2024...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Fox Chapel hockey hosts program for young players
The Fox Chapel hockey club will introduce a new program to spark interest in younger age groups. The Foxes will host a free skate with the varsity team July 27 at the Alpha Ice Complex. The program is available to students in Fox Chapel school district who are entering first...
Plum, Riverview basketball teams benefit from summer league games
When Dave Pucka wrapped up his first year as Plum’s boys basketball coach in February, he looked to the offseason for opportunities for his team to build for the upcoming season and the goal of returning to the WPIAL playoffs after a several-year hiatus. Open gyms in May flowed into...
With easy decision made, Norwin pitcher Caden Sivrich sets goal to help Pitt win
Pitt already was firmly on Caden Sivrich’s radar as a possible college landing spot. His mom, Fran Sivrich, is a university employee, meaning he can get a free education there. That was half the battle for the Norwin baseball pitcher, who had Division I college aspirations since he was a...
With Pat Carey taking a sabbatical, Brody Zangaro set to lead North Hills football
Pat Carey could sense that something wasn’t right with his health throughout the 2024 football season. The North Hills coach, who has been on the sidelines for the Indians for the past 12 years — and much longer as an assistant — knew it was time to get checked out....
New coach aims to help strong North Allegheny hockey program back to championship form
After spending the past 10 years as the head hockey coach at Baldwin, Justin Glock is transitioning to the North Hills, taking over the North Allegheny program for this upcoming season. He replaces Andrew Seiss, who was the bench boss for three years. Glock brings 15 years of coaching experience...
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Central Catholic’s Jimmy Kalis
Jimmy Kalis is the 6-foot-7 son of a former NFL lineman. Recruiting websites rank him among the best tackles in the country, and he has college offers from most of the national championship favorites. So, naturally, Kalis’ opponents might try to test whether he’s legit or just hype. “I definitely...
Bushy Run Legion team looking to repeat at regions
The Bushy Run American Legion baseball team was not expected to win the District 31 title. But no one told the players, especially veterans Brody Hoffman. Brandon Roher, Jon Lovre, Carmen Metcalfe and Robbie Andrews. They helped lead Bushy Run to a 9-3 victory against Lower Burrell in the championship...
New Southmoreland girls basketball coach has history with program
As the general manager of Aumer’s Sports Bar & Grille in Mt. Pleasant, Barry Collins wears a lot of hats. He handles supply orders and billing, keeps tabs on customer satisfaction and even brings out food orders and tends bar when needed. But mostly, he supervises. “It’s a lot like...
PIAA taking final steps in flag football journey
Eighty yards long. Forty yards wide. Those measurements are now the official dimensions of a high school flag football field in Pennsylvania. Choosing the layout was among the biggest decisions adopted this week as the PIAA added structure to its newest girls sport. Also approved Wednesday by the PIAA board...
North Catholic’s Lauren Reitz snags 1st Division I offer
At 6-foot-2, Lauren Reitz has the size to play basketball at the NCAA Division I level. But her game is about more than height. A rising junior forward from Murrysville who attends North Catholic, Reitz received her first Division I scholarship offer this week from Maryland Baltimore County of the...
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Thomas Jefferson’s Tyler Eber
The one constant in more than three decades of excellence for Thomas Jefferson football is having stud players on the line, where longtime coach Bill Cherpak shined in his playing days at Steel Valley and Pitt, and a bell cow running back to carry the load of the running game....
