Imani Christian

The battle for the HSSN Trib Cup in Class A in 2021-2022 turned into one of the closest and most unique battles where overall success won out. In the end, it was Greensburg Central Catholic hoisting the cup aloft again, this despite the school only winning one district championship all...

The WPIAL is guaranteed to have a boys team in the Class 5A state championship with Laurel Highlands, New Castle, Gateway and Penn Hills all reaching the quarterfinals. They’ll pair off Tuesday in two matchups in a doubleheader at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center. New Castle plays Penn Hills at...

Union boys basketball coach Mark Stanley likes to tell his team to “enjoy the process.” And the process has become enjoyable enough to earn a spot in the WPIAL Class A finals. The Scotties held a sometimes-slim lead for over three quarters and finished with a 66-54 victory over Imani...

Class 6A Favorite: North Hills went undefeated and ran away with the Section 1 title, putting the Indians in position to maybe win their first WPIAL title. They’re led by a trio of double-digit scorers, including 6-foot-7 sophomore Royce Parham (20.9 ppg) and 6-3 senior guards Alex Smith (18.6) and...

Imani Christian’s bus was late to the Leechburg gym with a misunderstanding of the start time. The Saints all but debussed and walked on to the floor to build a huge lead, only to see Leechburg stage an amazing comeback. The Blue Devils cut a 25-point deficit to five early...

Football coach LaRoi Johnson is returning to his roots. The former Homewood resident was hired to coach at Imani Christian Academy, which is less than a mile from his old home. The private school in East Hills is a place Johnson already knows well, having coached there as Imani’s offensive...

The MLK Day basketball showcase that recently called Woodland Hills home has shifted about 150 miles east, but this weekend’s event still has some WPIAL teams taking part. Former Woodland Hills athletic director Ron Coursey, now AD at Chambersburg, organized a three-day event at his new school and will welcome...

Imani Christian was down to seven players in uniform Tuesday night because of an injury and non-covid illnesses. But seven was enough as the Saints controlled the boards and rolled past Leechburg, 65-44, in the Section 3-A opener for both teams. Alier Maluk, a 6-foot-10 freshman, scored 24 points and...

Leechburg quarterback Thomas Burke finished fifth among all WPIAL passers this season, earning the senior Offensive Player of the Year honors in the Eastern Conference. Burke finished with 2,232 passing yards and 18 touchdowns for the Blue Devils, who also had senior Eli Rich named the conference’s top lineman. Both...

Nehemiah Azeem ran for two touchdowns as OLSH slipped past No. 3 Cornell, 13-12. for a Class A Big Seven Conference win Friday night. OLSH (6-3, 4-3) clinched a playoff berth with the victory. Sincere Kimbrough threw for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (7-2, 6-1), who had...

Leechburg clinched its first playoff appearance since 1988 by earning a 66-6 victory over Imani Christian (2-6, 1-5) in the WPIAL Class A Eastern Conference on Friday night. Braylan Lovelace ran 32 times for 183 yards and six touchdowns for Leechburg. The Blue Devils (7-2, 4-2) have scored 137 points...

There’s no place like home, especially in the playoffs. This fall that home-field advantage is a bigger factor than usual since the WPIAL decided to extend that perk to higher-seeded teams for both first-round and quarterfinal games. The WPIAL informed schools this week. So, a matchup like Friday’s between Fox...

Last week: 9-1 (90%) Overall: 58-25 (69.9%) The Birdie doesn’t want to alarm anyone, but there’s a potential doozy of a playoff tiebreaker brewing that involves local teams. “I’m not entirely sure,” Birdie said, rifling through his dog-eared copy of WPIAL football tiebreaking procedures. “but I think it might come...

Class 5A Northeast Fox Chapel (4-3, 2-1) at North Hills (5-3, 2-1) 7 p.m. Friday, Martorelli Stadium, Ross Township Both teams are locked in a four-way tie for the top spot in the conference with Pine-Richland and Penn Hills. … The Foxes saw a two-game win streak snapped with a...

Tim Henderson scored on an 80-yard kickoff return and a 53-yard run to lead No. 3 Cornell to a 14-7 victory over No. 5 Rochester in a battle of top teams in the Class A Big Seven Conference on Friday night. Henderson’s TD run for the Raiders (6-1, 5-0) broke...

Class 5A Northeast Kiski Area (5-2, 0-2) at Shaler (2-5, 0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Lou Rettig Stadium, Shaler Township Kiski Area will attempt to bounce back from a pair of losses after an 5-0 start. The Cavaliers came up short last Friday in a 35-21 setback to Fox Chapel. Cavaliers...

Last week: 5-6 (45.5%) Overall: 49-24 (67.1%) Sitting through a lightning delay last Friday night, many around The Birdie were getting fidgety. But not our fine feathered prognosticator. “There’s never enough time to fully explore the concession stand menu during a regular Friday night game,” Birdie said. “This one was...

Imani Christian is a small school in East Hills, yet Saints basketball coach Khayree Wilson welcomed one of college basketball’s biggest names Tuesday. Kentucky coach John Calipari was there to see Alier Maluk, a 6-foot-10 freshman who already has offers from Pitt, LSU, Seton Hall and Texas A&M. The 15-year-old...

Serra Catholic is picking up its second forfeit victory of the season after Ligonier Valley announced Wednesday it will be unable to field a team for Friday’s scheduled WPIAL Class 2A Allegheny Conference football game. The Eagles (8-0, 2-0) received a nonconference forfeit win against Carlynton on Sept. 24. Serra...

Maddox Truschel hit Anthony D’Alessandro with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 5 minutes, 16 seconds left in the game to put Fort Cherry ahead for good in a 29-28 Class A Big Seven Conference win against Northgate (2-4, 1-2) on Friday night. Truschel threw for 177 yards and ran for...

Last week: 8-2 (80%) Overall: 39-12 (76.5%) ^ The Birdie doesn’t want to alarm anyone, but the high school football season is already half over. “Before you know it, I’ll be heading south for the winter faster than the Steelers are heading south in the AFC North standings,” the crestfallen...

Last week: 9-5 (64.3 %) Season: 32-16 (66.7%) The Birdie visited his heart doctor the other day and had to go through a stress test. A couple of hours later, he needed an ice bath and a massage. “They had me running like Hempfield in the second half against Franklin...

Class 6A Hempfield (2-2, 0-1) at 2-Mt. Lebanon (4-0, 1-0) 7 p.m. Friday, Mt. Lebanon Stadium Mt. Lebanon continued its sound defensive play as it held back Canon-McMillan for a 37-7 victory. The Blue Devils have three shutouts — also against Bethel Park and Peters Township — and have allowed...

Down to 12 healthy players after a stomach virus hit the Imani Christian football team this week, the Saints called Greensburg Central Catholic to cancel tonight’s football game at GCC. Imani Christian coach Cliff Simon said the situation is not related to covid-19. The team already is dealing with low...