Chris Harlan stories, Page 119
Winning 300 hurdles at WCCA meet a breeze for Burrell’s Sharrow
As Burrell’s Kaylen Sharrow stood at the starting line, the hurdlers in the other lanes weren’t what concerned her most. “The first thing that came to my head was, ‘Oh my god, the wind!’ ” said Sharrow, who starred down 20-mph gusts Saturday at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association championship...
PBC Roundball welcomes several elite players for pair of games Saturday
The public address announcer gave Moses Malone a Roundball Classic introduction of Biblical proportions. “Thou shall not enter the lane, thou shall not block my shot, and the place roared,” said John Giammarco, once a ball boy for the original Roundball Classic and now owner of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club....
Pirates notebook: JB Shuck’s homer-stealing catch one of few highlights
JB Shuck rubbed his sore shoulder in the clubhouse Thursday, the shoulder that crashed into the PNC Park wall while stealing a home run. It is a price he was willing to pay. The Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder made a running, twisting, leaping catch that should rank among this season’s...
Pirates’ bats quiet again as skid reaches 5 with loss to Greinke, D’backs
Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke sliced a line drive into the right-field corner Thursday and legged out a triple as the ball rolled to the Clemente Wall. That one extra-base hit, his first career triple, was more than he allowed all afternoon. The Pittsburgh Pirates managed two singles in seven...
West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson announces Pitt, West Virginia offers hours apart
West Mifflin sophomore Nahki Johnson could watch the recruiting version of the Backyard Brawl. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end/outside linebacker announced scholarship offers about two hours apart Wednesday from Pitt and West Virginia, the latest Division 1 schools to joins his growing list. He now lists five FBS offers. Johnson...
Central Catholic hires college assistant as boys basketball coach
Central Catholic dipped into the college ranks Wednesday and hired Brian Urso as boys basketball coach. Urso is director of basketball administration at Robert Morris, a position he will maintain in a limited role. Previously, the Fox Chapel graduate was an assistant at Chatham in 2015, when the school first...
100 or 105? Confusion over pitch-count rule forces WPIAL baseball team to forfeit
When the PIAA increased the baseball pitch count from 100 to 105 last summer, that change affected only the playoffs. That discrepancy between regular-season and postseason rules has caused confusion and already cost one WPIAL team a win. Laurel notified Neshannock on Wednesday that it would forfeit their game from...
Senior season in question for Moon basketball star Donovan Johnson
Moon junior Donovan Johnson won a state basketball title this winter as one of the best players in the WPIAL, but his eligibility for next season is in question. High school athletes are allowed only six seasons of interscholastic basketball after sixth grade under PIAA rules, and the WPIAL board...
Nick Burdi leaves with arm injury, Pirates lose to Diamondbacks
After hurling a 97-mph fastball, reliever Nick Burdi clutched his pitching arm just above the right elbow, fell to his knees and stared down at the PNC Park mound. At that awful moment, which forced Burdi to walk off in tears, an ugly night for the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen became...
Pirates notebook: Rookie Bryan Reynolds proves his worth
Bryan Reynolds’ major league debut didn’t draw as much fanfare as teammate Cole Tucker’s, a former first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he quickly has shown his worth. “One of them is like chasing a roadrunner,” manager Clint Hurdle said of Tucker. “The other guy is the sheepdog...
Pirates activate Gregory Polanco from IL, ready for season debut
Seven months removed from surgery, Gregory Polanco insisted his recovery isn’t just a little ahead of schedule. “A lot,” said Polanco, who was activated Monday from the injured list, clearing the way for the Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder to make his much-anticipated season debut. “I can’t describe how happy I...
Woodland Hills TE Josh Rawlings names Pitt among his ‘Elite 8’
Woodland Hills junior Josh Rawlings, a football recruit with more than two dozen offers, announced Sunday a Top 8 list of favorites that included Pitt. Also among his favorites were East Carolina, Indiana, Iowa State, Minnesota, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and Virginia. However, Rawlings added: “This list is not final. Recruitment still...
Butler’s Ethan Morton draws recognition from USA Today, MaxPreps
Butler basketball star Ethan Morton was named to USA Today’s All-Pennsylvania team — one of two honors the junior received this week. Morton also was recognized by MaxPreps as one of the nation’s top juniors. Joining Morton on the All-Pennsylvania team were Abington’s Eric Dixon, Roman Catholic’s Hakim Hart, Kennedy...
WPIAL baseball rankings for week of April 21, 2019
Baseball rankings Class 6A 1. Pine-Richland, 10-3, 1 2. Penn-Trafford, 11-1, 4 3. Seneca Valley, 8-3, 2 4. Bethel Park, 8-2, — 5. North Allegheny, 7-5, 5 Out: Norwin (6-4, 3) Class 5A 1. West Allegheny, 9-1, 1 2. Franklin Regional, 9-1, 2 3. Hampton, 7-4, — 4. Shaler, 8-3,...
In issue of separating public, private schools, PIAA wants time
The PIAA administration is watching closely as a state legislator wades into the public vs. private debate, but it would rather see its own competitive-balance efforts given time to work. “If you asked us as a staff, we don’t have any interest in segregating the membership,” PIAA associate executive director...
Westinghouse’s Dayon Hayes adds Penn State offer, drawing recruiters to City League
Westinghouse junior Dayon Hayes is becoming the hottest City League football recruit in years. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound defensive lineman announced a scholarship offer Friday from Penn State, a few weeks after visiting State College. Hayes, who received a Pitt offer in February, now lists a dozen FBS or FCS offers....
Greensburg Salem’s Malia Anderson runs state’s fastest 800 meters at Butler Invitational
Greensburg Salem senior Malia Anderson ran the fastest time in the state this season to win the girls 800 meters Thursday at the Butler Invitational. The Georgetown recruit won in 2:13.36, which puts her atop the early-season Pennsylvania rankings, according to Milesplit stats. The state’s previous best was a 2:14.97...
Seneca Valley AD Heather Lewis joining WPIAL board of directors
Seneca Valley athletic director Heather Lewis is the only newcomer voted onto the WPIAL board of directors this year in election results revealed Wednesday. Nine of the 10 incumbents seeking at-large seats won reelection, each for another one-year term. The results were announced during the WPIAL annual meeting at the...
Aliquippa’s Zuriah Fisher gains popularity with ACC, Big 10 football coaches
Aliquippa junior Zuriah Fisher is popular with ACC and Big 10 football coaches. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker announced scholarship offers this week from Michigan State, Virginia and Purdue — giving him six from the Big 10 and four from the ACC. Both Pitt and Penn State already have offered him....
WPIAL requests eligibility hearing for West Mifflin transfer Nahki Johnson
The WPIAL board voted Wednesday to hold an eligibility hearing for West Mifflin sophomore Nahki Johnson. The football standout transferred from Steel Valley in December and his former school’s administration didn’t approve the transfer paperwork, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said. Johnson’s football coach at Steel Valley, Rod Steele, was...
Decline in ticket sales hurts WPIAL budget, limits money shared back to schools
Penn Hills, Pine-Richland and Butler will receive more than $5,000 apiece from the WPIAL as part of its annual share-back program from playoff gate ticket revenues. In all, more than 100 schools have a check in the mail. But the WPIAL won’t be sharing as much as hoped because attendance...
WPIAL softball championships headed to Peterswood Park for 2019
The WPIAL softball championships are headed to Peterswood Park in Peters Township next month. The WPIAL planned to return to Cal (Pa.), but Lilley Field remains under renovation and unavailable. So the WPIAL board voted Wednesday to pick Peterswood over bids from Pitt, Seton Hill and Upper St. Clair’s Boyce...
WPIAL awards $1,000 scholarships to 20 scholar-athletes
The WPIAL announced the 20 winners of its annual scholar-athlete scholarship contest. Each receives $1,000 and will be honored at a banquet May 13 at the DoubleTree in Green Tree. The 10 girls winners are Blackhawk’s Mady Aulbach, Freeport’s Allison DeJidas, Fox Chapel’s Marisa Hardiman, West Greene’s Madison Lampe, Shady...
Peterswood Park chosen to host WPIAL softball championships
Peterswood Park in Peters Township will host the WPIAL softball championships next month. The WPIAL planned originally to use Cal (Pa.), but Lilley Field remains under renovation and unavailable. So, the WPIAL board voted unanimously Wednesday to choose Peterswood over bids from Pitt, Seton Hill and Upper St. Clair’s Boyce...
Bill Sinning retiring after 14 years overseeing WPIAL playoff officials
Bill Sinning has overseen WPIAL officials since 2006, but the retired basketball referee will leave that task to someone else next year. Sinning informed the PIAA that he won’t seek an eighth term as the Male Officials Representative for District 7. His current two-year term ends June 30, 2020. “It’s...
