Steel Valley

The North Catholic victory tradition continued to ring loud and clear this past school year. Steady contributions across all three seasons, along with a couple of championship runs, helped the Trojans win a third straight Trib HSSN Cup for Class 3A in 2021-22. “North Catholic has a long standing tradition...

Editor’s note: The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 15 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. During the 2022 Steel Valley football season, running back Nijhay Burt garnered...

Steel Valley junior Makhai Valentine, who ranked among the WPIAL’s top scorers this winter, earned first-team all-state honors Thursday when the Class 3A awards were announced. The 30-point scorer was one of four WPIAL players recognized in a statewide vote of sportswriters. Earning third-team honors were South Allegheny’s Bryce Epps,...

There were a lot of players and coaches who put in plenty of time on the basketball court this season to be the best they could be. While we salute all of those who participated in a memorable 2022 high school boys basketball campaign, we have a special seat in...

Last spring was a celebration as district athletes returned to the diamonds after the 2020 season was canceled because of the covid-19 shutdowns. Softball was a success throughout as the WPIAL crowned four new champions while Laurel and West Greene remained on top in 2A and A. District softball squads...

The WPIAL’s leading rusher was among 11 WPIAL and City League players chosen Thursday for the Small School East-West Game this spring. Central Valley’s Landon Alexander, who topped 2,000 rushing yards last season for the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champion Warriors, was one of the running backs selected for...

Steel Valley’s Makhai Valentine wears No. 1 and teammate Cruce Brookins is No. 2, fitting for a combination that delivered a knockout punch Monday night. Fourth-seeded Seton LaSalle was the heavyweight that fell. Brookins scored 30 points, Valentine had 23 and No. 13 seed Steel Valley pulled off a first-round...

The South Side and Steel Valley football teams must complete educational training organized by the WPIAL to “further develop cultural competency” after their playoff game in November ended with accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct and racial slurs. If not completed, the WPIAL board can impose a variety of additional disciplinary options,...

This was a historic football season for the WPIAL, which had four teams celebrate state titles in Hershey. The WPIAL never before had won more than three in a year, but Mt. Lebanon, Penn-Trafford, Aliquippa and Central Valley all made history this fall. Each team had a unique story. The...

Back in the day, when students did well in the classroom, they were moved to the front of the class. With the return to school from virtual classrooms the year before, Trib HSSN is once again moving those prized students to the head of the class. There were plenty of...

A rare neurological disorder confined Serra Catholic coach Jose Regus to a wheelchair at times this season, yet Regus remained on the sideline and led the Eagles to a WPIAL football title and a state runner-up finish. His determination was recognized Tuesday when Regus was named the state’s Coach of...

Steel Valley’s Nijhay Burt rushed for more than 2,000 yards and scored 35 touchdowns, but Allegheny Conference coaches recognized the senior wasn’t only an offensive star. Burt earned both offensive and defensive player of the year honors in the WPIAL Class 2A conference along with first-team all-conference honors on both...

The WPIAL has scheduled a hearing Dec. 21 to address racial allegations stemming from a football playoff game last month between South Side and Steel Valley. The WPIAL board voted to bring in school administrators and football coaches along with athletes and other individuals identified in written reports submitted by...

TribHSSN Fab 15 Player of the Year Kelsey Salopek Sr., F, Steel Valley As a Kent State commit, Kelsey Salopek already was on the WPIAL radar, but she took her individual talents a step farther as she led Steel Valley to its first WPIAL championship in its first try. The...

Franklin Regional senior Anthony DiFalco was hoping to cap his brilliant high school soccer career with another WPIAL championship and a PIAA title. While he fell short of his expectations, he was lauded just the same with his third All-American nod. DiFalco was named a United States Soccer Coaches Region...

With the district and state playoffs complete, the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association announced its boys and girls all-state teams. The WPIAL had a number of representatives with 14 boys selections and 10 players picked for the girls list. The girls are Penn-Trafford senior forward Malia Kearns, Plum junior forward Kaitlyn...

Kelsey Salopek led Steel Valley to its first WPIAL girls soccer championship this season. The Ironmen midfielder was one of the league’s top goal scorers. Now, the senior has distinguished herself even more as one of the premier players in District 7 and the PIAA. Salopek on Sunday was named...

For a team with a 2,000-yard passer, Beaver Falls opted for a ground game Friday night. It worked out as the Tigers are headed back to Heinz Field for the WPIAL Class 2A title game. Beaver Falls scored twice before Steel Valley ran an offensive play en route to a...

Welcome to championship weekend in Class 6A and the final stop on the Highway to Heinz in the other five classifications. Ten teams on Friday, from Class A to 5A, will punch their ticket to ride to the North Shore on Thanksgiving weekend to play for a WPIAL championship. Speaking...

Welcome to Week 12. As Chick’s Picks continued her cruise on the Highway to Heinz this week, she ran into a bit of a detour along the way. After programming her crystal ball’s GPS, Chick’s Picks noticed that an unexpected stop had been added to her route. Then, Chick’s Picks...

It’s back to Hershey for Greensburg Central Catholic. But it didn’t look promising for a while Tuesday night when standout junior Sara Felder left in the first half with a knee injury during a PIAA girls soccer semifinal against Steel Valley. Felder returned after halftime and needed some time to...

PIAA soccer preview Girls Class A Semifinals Greensburg Central Catholic (17-2) vs. Steel Valley (20-3) 7 p.m. Tuesday, Warrior Stadium, Elizabeth Forward, Elizabeth Road to the semis: GCC — Defeated Mercer, 3-2; and Freedom, 1-0. Steel Valley — Defeated Northern Bedford, 6-1; and West Branch, 5-0. Winner plays: Winner of...

Greensburg Central Catholic went into the WPIAL championship with energy and bravado. The Lady Centurions left Highmark Stadium 10 days ago humbled and heartbroken. Senior Tatum Gretz thinks a good way to erase the bad memories of a 2-1 overtime loss to Steel Valley is to play for a PIAA...

Clairton knocked Our Lady of the Sacred Heart out of the WPIAL Class A playoffs the past two seasons in the quarterfinals. On Friday night, the Chargers got their revenge. Nehemiah Azeem threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as No. 9 OLSH upset top-seeded Clairton, 29-15, in the...

The simple math tells the story. Twenty-nine WPIAL football teams saw their dreams of a championship end on opening night. Twenty-nine others advanced to join 15 teams that enjoyed a bye week, leaving 44 teams still alive for district gold. The postseason continues Friday with two games on the Road...