Chris Harlan stories, Page 100

The WPIAL hearing for Connellsville and Allderdice to address accusations of racial and anti-gay slurs was rescheduled for Oct. 21. The WPIAL board voted unanimously last month to investigate allegations that the boys soccer teams from the two schools used slurs in a Sept. 1 game. The hearing was initially...

For the second week in a row, Moon faces a big-play offense with one of the WPIAL’s top wide receivers. A week ago, Moon used a strong pass-rush and cornerback Dawson Snyder’s coverage skills to upset Peters Township, holding Penn recruit Josh Casilli to one catch for nine yards. This...

One conference loss is manageable, but two might doom someone’s season in WPIAL Class A. A handful of one-loss teams face the dire situation this week including Cornell, Greensburg Central Catholic and Laurel. In the WPIAL’s smallest classification, only the top two finishers from each conference and two wild cards...

A scheduling conflict at Robert Morris has forced the WPIAL to move its Class 2A football championship to Norwin. The WPIAL also changed the date of the Class 5A final, rescheduling both for Nov. 23 at Norwin. The Class 2A final will be at noon with the Class 5A game...

Southmoreland coach Dave Keefer saw no reason to hide the team’s 40-year playoff drought from his players. “I said, ‘You weren’t part of the past,’ ” said Keefer, who’s in his second season. “We can’t be embarrassed by what’s happened, but we can change it.” Consider it changed. The WPIAL’s...

WPIAL Football Class 6A 1. North Allegheny, 7-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 6-1, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 6-1, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 5-2, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 3-4, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Penn-Trafford, 6-1, 1 2. Gateway, 6-1, 3 3. Bethel Park, 5-1, 5 4. Penn Hills, 6-1, 4...

Adding one transfer could force a basketball team into a higher PIAA classification. The PIAA board this week voted to tighten its competitive balance formula by reducing the number of transfers required to trigger an increase in classification. The threshold in football was reduced from five transfers to three, and...

With many small districts struggling to fill rosters, the PIAA might make it easier for two schools to form a combined sports team. Currently, for schools to create a shared team, the districts must be “contiguous,” meaning they share a border. But the PIAA board waived that rule this week...

Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak likes this week’s matchup but not necessarily the timing. The Jaguars take a break from their Big Eight schedule to visit undefeated Central Valley, the second-ranked team in WPIAL Class 3A. With the playoffs fast approaching, how should a team tackle a tough nonconference matchup...

It wasn’t long ago that Thomas Jefferson and Central Valley were linked in a budding rivalry. The WPIAL contenders met three times in the Class AAA playoffs between 2010 and 2015. Central Valley won the first two and Thomas Jefferson won the third. That short-lived rivalry included two semifinals and...

Mt. Lebanon senior Patrick Anderson, the defending state cross country champion, committed to North Carolina. He announced his decision Wednesday on Twitter. Anderson, a contender to defend his title this fall, recently won the PIAA Foundation XC Invitational meet Sept. 21 at Hersheypark. He won the Red, White & Blue...

Baseball coach Steve Bucci, who owns both WPIAL and state titles, is leaving South Park for Baldwin, his alma mater. Bucci coached South Park for 16 seasons over two stints, the most recent beginning in 2011. He also coached at Bethel Park and Canon-McMillan, and celebrated a state title with...

Avonworth football standout Kyros Thorpe was among three transfers left ineligible for the postseason after the PIAA upheld earlier WPIAL decisions Wednesday. Carmichaels transfers Sydney Kuis (volleyball) and Jackson Machesky (basketball, baseball) also had their appeals denied Wednesday when the PIAA board met in Mechanicsburg, WPIAL president Scott Seltzer said....

Sixteen years later, high school football fans still marvel over Darrelle Revis’ performance in the 2003 state championship. If you missed it the first time, the Pennsylvania Cable Network will revist the game at 7 p.m. Saturday. The future NFL star scored five touchdowns as Aliquippa defeated Northern Lehigh, 32-27,...

All-section center Lexi Jackson, who averaged a double-double for Gateway’s girls basketball team, committed Saturday to Kent State. The 6-foot-3 senior averaged 16 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks last season for the Gators, who went 19-4 and reached the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals. Her best performance last winter was...

Not many WPIAL football teams have worked overtime this season, but regulation wasn’t enough for three games Friday night. That equals the number of WPIAL overtime games in the previous five weeks combined. In maybe the most dramatic, West Allegheny defeated Woodland Hills, 21-20, in an Allegheny Eight matchup decided...

WPIAL Football Class 6A Rk., Team, Rec., Last 1. North Allegheny, 6-0, 2 2. Central Catholic, 5-1, 3 3. Pine-Richland, 5-1, 1 4. Mt. Lebanon, 4-2, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 2-4, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Penn-Trafford, 5-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 6-0, 2 3. Gateway, 5-1, 3 4....

Central Catholic and Pine-Richland have a shared history that few recent rivalries can match. In each of the past six seasons, the team that won their regular-season matchup went on to win the WPIAL title. It’s served as a midseason championship barometer for the WPIAL’s largest classification. Pine-Richland won the...