Chris Harlan stories, Page 97

Chris Harlan
Chris Harlan
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Gateway wins field-position battle with Peters Township for 7th WPIAL title 
Gateway didn’t score a point in the final 20 minutes Saturday night, but ultimately they didn’t need any. Senior quarterback Bryson Venanzio built a lead with two first-half touchdowns and then watched his Gators play championship-caliber defense to defeat Peters Township, 21-20, in a rain-drenched WPIAL Class 5A final at...
Gateway, Peters Township big-play offenses will test 5A’s stingiest defenses
Gateway’s Derrick Davis can take a screen pass to the end zone at any time, and Peters Township’s Josh Casilli is just as dangerous with the football in his hands. Combined, they have 50 touchdowns. Their big-play offenses will share the field at 6 p.m. Saturday for what could be...
Thomas Jefferson finally clears Cathedral Prep hurdle
The referee held his hands only a few inches apart. Facing fourth and inches at its own 40, that was the distance Thomas Jefferson needed for a first down late in Friday night’s fourth quarter. It also represented just how close the Jaguars were to finally defeating three-time defending state...
WPIAL Class 5A football final primer: Gateway vs. Peters Township
WPIAL Class 5A championship No. 2 Gateway (11-2) vs. No. 5 Peters Township (12-1) 6 p.m. Saturday, Norwin Knights Stadium On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 95.3 FM Coaches: Don Holl, Gateway; T.J. Plack, Peters Township Winner plays: The winner of District 12 champion Archbishop Wood (9-3) in the PIAA semifinals Nov....
WPIAL survey asks: Should every football team make the playoffs?
Would you be interested in every WPIAL football team making the playoffs? That’s one of nine questions the WPIAL asked member schools in a survey that will shape schedules, conferences and playoff formats for the 2020 and 2021 football seasons. Today was the deadline to respond. The WPIAL would need...
Central Catholic keeps focus on State College with possible St. Joseph’s matchup looming
Central Catholic could have a showdown with defending state champion St. Joseph’s Prep on the horizon, an East vs. West clash with the nationally ranked Philadelphia power. But if so, that’s still two weeks away. Nobody in Central Catholic’s locker room should be thinking that far ahead, coach Terry Totten...
Ineligible Avonworth football player drops lawsuit against WPIAL, PIAA
Attorneys for ineligible Avonworth football player Kyros Thorpe withdrew his lawsuit against the WPIAL and PIAA on Thursday, ending his legal battle to play in the WPIAL football championship. Thorpe and his mother Anna Hollis had asked the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court to issue a preliminary injunction that would’ve...
Wyatt Henson returns to Waynesburg after winning Missouri state wrestling title
Missouri state wrestling champion Wyatt Henson has transferred back to Waynesburg, but the junior isn’t eligible for the WPIAL or PIAA postseason tournaments this winter. Henson was among nearly two dozen transfers that the WPIAL reviewed Monday. The WPIAL board ruled Henson eligible for the regular season but ineligible for...
Avonworth’s Kyros Thorpe seeks court injunction to play in WPIAL Class 2A football final
Turned away by both the WPIAL and PIAA, Avonworth senior Kyros Thorpe is taking his eligibility battle to court. Thorpe and his mother Anna Hollis filed a lawsuit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court seeking an injunction that would let Thorpe play Saturday in the WPIAL Class 2A football championship....
Basketball star Isiah Warfield remains ineligible for postseason after WPIAL denies waiver
WPIAL basketball star Isiah Warfield remains ineligible to play in the playoffs this winter. The senior who transferred from Sewickley Academy to Central Valley can participate in the regular season but won’t be able to play in the postseason under a PIAA rule that targets all transfers after the start...
West Mifflin possibly used ineligible football player all season, WPIAL says
The WPIAL wants to hear from West Mifflin’s football coach and school administrators to determine whether the Titans used an ineligible football player all season. If so, the team would be forced to forfeit wins. The WPIAL board voted Monday to call West Mifflin in for a hearing. The question...
WPIAL board unanimously approves Ligonier Valley request to join District 7
The WPIAL board voted unanimously Monday to accept Ligonier Valley as a member. The District 6 school has asked to leave its PIAA district and join the WPIAL (District 7) for all sports starting in the 2020-21 school year. The WPIAL vote leaves one final administrative hurdle before that can...
Opalko’s late field goal lifts Central Catholic past Pine-Richland in WPIAL Class 6A final 
This was a kick that might make NFL kickers nervous. A 40-yarder on the notorious Heinz Field grass, yet Central Catholic’s Johnathan Opalko tucked the ball inside the left upright Saturday night to defeat Pine-Richland, 10-7, in a slow-moving WPIAL Class 6A championship that turned into a defensive grind. Opalko...
Aliquippa quarterback plays in WPIAL championship hours after mother’s death 
On the eve of the WPIAL championships, Aliquippa football coach Mike Warfield received a desperate text message from his quarterback. Coach Mike. Please call. It’s an emergency. “I called him and he told me he thought his mom had passed,” Warfield said Saturday, speaking quietly as he fought back tears...
WPIAL Class 6A football finals primer: Central Catholic vs. Pine-Richland
WPIAL Class 6A championship No. 1 Central Catholic (10-1) vs. No. 2 Pine-Richland (10-1) 8 p.m. Saturday, Heinz Field On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 1020 AM, 107.1 FM Coaches: Terry Totten, Central Catholic; Eric Kasperowicz, Pine-Richland Winner plays: District 6 champion State College (11-1) in PIAA quarterfinals Nov. 22-23 WPIAL titles:...
Gateway’s defense uses 4th-down stands to edge McKeesport in WPIAL semifinals 
McKeesport’s Devari Robinson sprinted forward on fourth-and-4, colliding with Gateway linebacker Jay Johnson, who dragged him to the Offutt Field turf. First down? Over on downs? “I was unsure,” Johnson said, “but I knew I had him when I looked to the left and he was short of the sticks.”...
5 things to watch in Week 12 of high school football: TJ’s Cherpak draws Belichick comparisons
Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak chuckles at the comparison, but maybe it’s too not farfetched? Could Cherpak be the Bill Belichick of the WPIAL? While visiting home last weekend, New England Patriots rookie Chase Winovich made that comparison, likening his high school coach with his current NFL coach. “He said...
WPIAL Class 4A football finals primer: Thomas Jefferson vs. Belle Vernon
WPIAL Class 4A championship No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (12-0) vs. No. 3 Belle Vernon (10-1) 5 p.m. Saturday, Heinz Field On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 1020 AM, 107.1 FM, 95.3 FM Coaches: Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson; Matt Humbert, Belle Vernon Winner plays: Winner of Cathedral Prep (10-2) and Bellefonte (9-2) in...
WPIAL championship rematch with fearsome Central Catholic line awaits Pine-Richland
One lineman is the talented nephew of an NFL superstar. One is 6-foot-5 and committed to North Carolina. The two others are gigantic twin brothers with more than 20 scholarship offers. Combined, the Central Catholic defensive linemen have formed a fearsome front four. “This group is special because of their...
Familiar foes Belle Vernon, Thomas Jefferson to meet for WPIAL Class 4A title
Belle Vernon knocked loudly on the WPIAL championship door two years in a row without an answer, each time losing in the semifinals. This year, for the first time in team history, the Leopards are headed to Heinz Field. “We were finally able to kick in that door and get...
PIAA postpones Tuesday’s state soccer semifinals at Hampton, Slippery Rock
Snow-covered fields forced the PIAA to postpone Tuesday’s soccer semifinals at Hampton and Slippery Rock. The two doubleheaders were rescheduled for Wednesday at the same sites. In Class A, the Shady Side Academy girls play Greensburg Central Catholic at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hampton. The Greensburg Central Catholic boys follow...
Midwestern: New Brighton’s Francona, Western Beaver’s Altenbaugh lead all-conference team
New Brighton receiver Jake Francona and Western Beaver linebacker Zach Altenbaugh earned MVP honors this season in the Midwestern Athletic Conference. The two seniors lead a coaches’ all-conference team announced Monday. Riverside senior Nate Sciarro appeared four times, earning all-conference honors as a wide receiver, defensive back, kicker and punter....
Northern: Penn Hills lands 9 players, coach on 1st-team, all-conference list
Penn Hills had nine players voted first-team all-conference by coaches including eight on the defensive side of the football. The Indians swept the defensive back spots with Dylan Bennett, Dontae Pollard, Aakeem Snell, Noel Roach and Anthony Grimes all making the list. Penn Hills’ Jon LeDonne repeated as conference coach...
Big East: 9 from Penn-Trafford voted 1st-team all-conference, Ruane top coach
bPenn-Trafford went undefeated in the regular season and dominated the Big East once again Monday in the all-conference voting. The Warriors had nine players earn first-team honors and John Ruane was named as the coach of the year. Conference coaches vote on the awards. The results were announced Monday. FIRST-TEAM...
Allegheny 8: Peters Township leads all-conference voting with 8 on 1st team
Moon went from one conference win to a share of the Allegheny Eight title, a turnaround that earned Ryan Linn conference coach of the year honors. Co-champion Peters Township led with eight first-team players in voting conducted by conference coaches. The results were announced Monday. Bethel Park was second with...


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