Chris Harlan stories, Page 69

After winning a section singles title earlier this month, North Allegheny’s Chase Davidson doubled his medal haul April 21 when he teamed up with Shomik Telang to win a Section 2-AAA doubles crown. The duo defeated Anthony Lounder and Rohan Maheshwari of Moon, 6-2, 6-2, at North Allegheny. Davidson had...

Seton LaSalle has appealed to the PIAA to overturn discipline handed down by the WPIAL for recruiting violations. Head coach Mauro Monz and assistant Jason Pinkston were suspended from coaching any PIAA-affiliated team for one year following a WPIAL hearing March 30. Four school districts had raised allegations against Seton...

Ousted football coach Eric Kasperowicz “expressed minimal concern for hazing or empathy for the students” during a 2½-hour interview with Pine-Richland administrators in late-March, according to a letter the school district sent him cutting ties. The three-page letter dated April 14 notified Kasperowicz his contract wouldn’t be renewed and detailed...

Retiring pro baseball player Neil Walker, one of Pine-Richland’s most famous alums, hopes the controversial ouster of the school’s football coach doesn’t become “a huge black eye” for the community. The 2004 Pine-Richland graduate spoke Wednesday with reporters and discussed plans to retire after 12 MLB seasons with the Pirates,...

The WPIAL granted eligibility to Central Catholic’s Jayden Thrift and McKeesport’s Jake Miller, two football players who switched schools this winter. Each took part in separate eligibility hearings Monday at the WPIAL office in Green Tree. Thrift, a freshman, transferred from Norwin. Miller, a junior, came from Plum. Thrift was...

With students, parents and community members demanding Pine-Richland rehire Eric Kasperowicz, the ousted football coach has asked school administrators to meet with him and “come to a resolution quickly.” The Pine-Richland football coach and his assistants were fired last Wednesday. Kasperowicz re-applied for the school’s head coach position Friday and...

Dozens of high school football coaches statewide have used social media to announce their support for coach Eric Kasperowicz and his assistants, who were fired at Pine-Richland on Wednesday. Many of the tweets were in response to an email sent by Gateway athletic director/football coach Don Holl, who urged his...

Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Bethel Park, 7-0, 1 2. Norwin, 6-1, NR 3. North Allegheny, 3-4, 4 4. Mt. Lebanon, 6-3, NR 5. Pine-Richland, 4-3, NR Out: Canon-McMillan (2-4, 2), Hempfield (5-3, 3), Seneca Valley (5-3, 5) Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Penn-Trafford, 5-3, 2...

Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 6-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 7-1, 2 3. Seneca Valley, 6-2, 5 4. Hempfield, 5-4, NR 5. Upper St. Clair, 5-3, 3 Out: Pine-Richland (3-5, 4) Class 5A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Franklin Regional, 6-0, 2 2. West Allegheny, 5-2, 1...

Pine-Richland already has at least one applicant to coach the football team next fall, and it’s someone who knows the program very well. It’s Eric Kasperowicz. Two days after losing his job, Kasperowicz confirmed Friday that he has reapplied. The Pine-Richland administration stirred controversy Wednesday when it declined to renew...

Ben DiNucci lives 1,200 miles from Pine-Richland but was stunned when word reached him in Texas that his high school football coach had been fired. “At first, like anybody else, I was wondering what the heck was the reasoning or logic behind it?” he said. Now an NFL quarterback with...

A day after being fired, former Pine-Richland football coach Eric Kasperowicz pushed back against any allegation of hazing or bullying in his program, while his assistants described a toxic relationship with the school’s administration. The school district informed Kasperowicz on Wednesday his contract wouldn’t be renewed for a ninth season...

The WPIAL/James Collins Scholar-Athlete Program luncheon was canceled again this spring because of the pandemic, but the $1,000 scholarships will be awarded as planned. The WPIAL announced 10 boys and 10 girls scholarship recipients Wednesday during the league’s annual meeting with school administrators. This is the second year in a...

In the span of eight years, Pine-Richland football coach Eric Kasperowicz built the Rams into one of the WPIAL’s best programs with four WPIAL championships and two state titles. Stunningly, that run ended Wednesday. Only five months removed from their latest state championship celebration, the team’s coaches received an email...

The WPIAL individual track and field championships will be run midweek this spring and have a split schedule, with Class 2A starting first and 3A later in the day. Those were among the changes approved Wednesday when the WPIAL board finalized championship sites for spring sports, a list that features...

Two high-profile transfers now are in limbo. The WPIAL board voted Wednesday to deny athletic eligibility to brothers Brett and Brad Birch, football standouts who transferred last month from Jeannette to Gateway. The WPIAL’s decision was based solely on paperwork, executive director Amy Scheuneman said, after Jeannette administrators flagged the...

If Butler’s Devin Carney wants to stay home for college, he now has another Division I option. The 6-foot-1 junior announced an offer Monday from the Duquesne men’s basketball team. The Dukes are the fourth offer he has shared on Twitter. Carney announced an offer from Robert Morris coach Andy...

On one side of the field, Chartiers Valley had a senior three-year starter at cornerback. On the other side was sophomore Lamont Payne. So, Payne knew he’d be tested. “Starting as a sophomore is kind of a big deal,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure on you.” In that...

The WPIAL will finalize its championship sites for spring sports when the board meets Wednesday. High school venues were used for fall and winter championships as the pandemic forced tight limits on gathering sizes, but spring sports are expected to return to many familiar sites including Wild Things Park in...

The state basketball tournament might begin a few days earlier next winter, if the PIAA basketball committee gets its wish. The committee met March 31 and unanimously recommended starting the 2022 tournament on a Tuesday and Wednesday rather than a Friday and Saturday. The intended benefit was to have the...

In a way, pitcher Kyle Demi personifies North Allegheny’s mindset this season. He’s a big right-hander with a fastball that can reach 90 mph, but most folks around the WPIAL haven’t seen him throw it. On paper, he’s an ace. Yet, before this season, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior never had...

Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Bethel Park, 5-0, 2 2. Canon-McMillan, 2-2, 3 3. Hempfield, 3-2, 1 4. North Allegheny, 3-4, 5 5. Seneca Valley, 4-1, 4 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Connellsville, 4-1, 5 2. Penn-Trafford, 2-3, 1 3. South Fayette, 5-0, NR...

Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 4-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 4-1, 3 3. Upper St. Clair, 4-1, NR 4. Pine-Richland, 3-2, 2 5. Seneca Valley, 3-2, 5 Out: Central Catholic (5-2, 4) Class 5A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. West Allegheny, 3-1, 1 2. Franklin Regional, 4-0,...

The PIAA won’t offer an opinion on proposed legislation barring transgender athletes from girls sports before reading the bill, executive director Bob Lombardi said. Under current PIAA bylaws, the association will accept any gender indicated by a student’s principal. The proposed legislation, unveiled Monday by five Republican state lawmakers, was...