Dave Mackall stories, Page 19
Ellis School captures WPIAL Class A field hockey championship
So much excitement surged through Ellis School junior Rita Gianakis as she raced to meet her teammates moments after the Tigers secured their third WPIAL Class A field hockey championship on Saturday at Washington & Jefferson College. Gianakis almost single-handedly provided the spark, scoring three fourth-quarter goals to lead Ellis...
Gino Caesar passes 1,000-yard mark, leads Hempfield past Norwin
Their football playoff aspirations dashed, Hempfield and Norwin entered their 2022 season finales having been reduced to playing for the latest bragging rights in this storied Route 30 rivalry. Norwin came into Hempfield’s Spartan Stadium on Friday night carrying the torch after a decisive victory last season, but the nod...
Latrobe hockey team ready to rebound after missing playoffs a year ago
After their first playoff miss in 17 years, the Latrobe IceCats high school hockey team came to camp this season with one thing in mind. “They were embarrassed not making the playoffs last year,” coach Josh Werner said, smiling. What else could the veteran coach do, but laugh it off?...
Hempfield hockey team has high expectations under new head coach
During the buildup to Hempfield’s season-opening high school hockey game — a 5-1 loss to Latrobe last Thursday at Nevin Arena in Greensburg — Spartans players were weighing the idea of a new season with a new coach. One, they say, with a changing approach. Cory Myers, a former American...
Mt. Pleasant rolls past South Allegheny
Mt. Pleasant attempted to build momentum as the WPIAL football playoffs inched closer, taking advantage of a depleted and reeling South Allegheny squad and rolling to a 42-0 victory Friday night. The Vikings, who play at Southmoreland in the regular-season finale next Friday, qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for a...
Serra Catholic fends off Ligonier Valley to win 7th in a row
Serra Catholic coach Jose Regus might have witnessed a better season a year ago when the Eagles won a WPIAL championship and advanced to the PIAA title game, but he appears to be enjoying 2022 just the same. Maybe more. “I don’t know if last year was the best year...
With seniors leading way, Latrobe gaining respect in WPIAL field hockey circles
Not long ago, elite WPIAL field hockey teams almost certainly would mark down a victory against Latrobe before the games actually were played. Now, not so much. The Wildcats lately have been playing like anything but a pushover. They reached the WPIAL Class 2A championship game in back-to-back seasons in...
Leechburg cruises past Jeannette
Randy Walters gazed around McKee Stadium — a storied venue in Jeannette — and he was proud in the moment. Walters, Leechburg’s proud football coach — especially on this night — witnessed his team again dismantle a Jeannette squad that represents the school with the most victories all-time in the...
Mix of veterans, young players providing spark for Ligonier Valley volleyball
With just one senior on its roster, the Ligonier Valley girls volleyball team has been looking to its younger veterans for a spark this year. And there are many. On a team with 21 girls, a total of 14 are either sophomores or freshmen, many with prior varsity experience. Outside...
Penn-Trafford bounces back for shutout of Norwin
Penn-Trafford shrugged off last week’s disappointing loss to one of its arch-rivals and took out its frustrations this week on another. Conlan Greene passed for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Daniel Tarabrella scored twice as the Warriors overcame a slow start to blank visiting Norwin, 28-0, Friday night in...
Familiar face guides Greensburg Central Catholic volleyball to strong start
Erin Salas, with a long history of coaching in the Greensburg Central Catholic system, has taken over the Centurions varsity girls volleyball team this year, becoming the program’s third head coach in as many seasons. She succeeds Angela Grabb. “I did it because I love to coach,” said Salas, a...
Steel Valley stomps Ligonier Valley to stay undefeated
Top-ranked Steel Valley kept rolling in Class 2A on Friday night, earning its first shutout of the high school football season and scoring another mercy-rule victory, its third in a row. Cruce Brookins passed for 122 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two more scores — all in the...
Drop in classification doesn’t change underdog mentality for Latrobe volleyball
In volleyball at Latrobe — no matter the classification, the ranking, the opponent — longtime coach Drew Vosefski has continued to preach a singular theme: “Go into every match as if you’re the underdog.” There’s something to prove against other teams with similar pride, Vosefski maintains. “Your opponent isn’t just...
Senior-heavy lineup helps Hempfield volleyball build on playoff appearance
As the season got underway, Hempfield was looking to build on last season’s WPIAL playoff appearance in girls volleyball, but the current lineup remained a work in progress. Through four matches, second-year coach Ashten Flynn was beginning to get a better understanding of her team’s tendencies following the defections of...
Jeannette has reason to celebrate after rout of Frazier
The WPIAL’s winningest football program hasn’t had much to celebrate since claiming its 10th WPIAL championship and reaching the PIAA final in 2020. The Jeannette Jayhawks have won twice since falling to Steelton-Highspire in Hershey in the Class A final that year. On Friday night, Jeannette notched its second victory...
Greensburg Salem holds on for win over Ligonier Valley
Greensburg Salem made a rare venture into the mountains Friday night and escaped with a narrow high school football victory over relative WPIAL newcomer Ligonier Valley. The teams hadn’t played in more than 90 years. Cody Rubrecht passed for 118 yards and rushed for 116 to lead Class 3A Greensburg...
Hempfield shows off for program’s 1st playoff team, routs Connellsville
Hempfield honored its first playoff team on Friday night then took the field and played like a postseason squad of its own. Gino Caesar rushed for 167 yards and four touchdowns, and Jake Phillips passed for 131 yards and ran for another score as Hempfield outclassed visiting Connellsville, 49-0. It...
Experienced roster returns to lead Saint Vincent football into 2022 campaign
For Saint Vincent football fans, there’s a lot to like about the Bearcats this year. For starters, they return 17 of them from a team that made just its third all-time postseason appearance, a 38-19 loss to FDU-Florham at the ECAC James Lynah Bowl in Madison, N.J. But it ended...
Seton Hill football aims to build on last season’s 5-6 finish
Jaylen McDuffie remembers the first time he and his Seton Hill teammates met with football coach Dan Day. The previous staff had been fired. A number of players were ready to move on, many were “pretty good,” McDuffie said. They were planning to either transfer or just quit. It was...
Greensburg Central Catholic runs away from Mt. Pleasant
A late-August dogfight became a rout in a hurry. Did lightning provide Greensburg Central Catholic a spark? Da’sjon Craggette rushed for 114 yards and scored two touchdowns during a crucial second-half rally, Tyree Turner passed for 109 yards and two scores and Greensburg Central Catholic tallied 28 third-quarter points after...
Brownsville embarks on independent schedule following another coaching change
After years of despair in the WPIAL, Brownsville’s football program is on the move. The Falcons, who’ve won just 26 games in 21 seasons since their last non-losing record (5-5) in 2000, are set to begin play this year as a PIAA Class 3A independent program after a long affiliation...
McGuffey looks to get swagger back after up-and-down year
Ed Dalton hasn’t lost his swagger. Or, so it seems. The veteran McGuffey coach appears as enthusiastic as ever as he enters his 34th season as a high school football coach. But, coming off his first losing season in 10 years at McGuffey, Dalton minces no words. “We are embarassed...
Interest level high at Derry following 2 subpar seasons
With a new coach on board, Derry has been repositioned in Class 2A, drastically altering recent schedules. No disrespect to the current opponents, but dropping down just might suit the Trojans better after several fruitless seasons in Class 3A. Among last year’s opponents, only Burrell, Class 4A Latrobe and Class...
New coach likes South Allegheny’s chances: ‘The talent level is outstanding’
He earned his chops in “The First State,” but Darwin Manges says he’s back where he belongs. “I cut my teeth in Delaware. I’m not ashamed of that,” he said. But Manges insists his foundation in football lies in Western Pennsylvania. “It’s always going to be here,” said the product...
East Allegheny hoping to deliver 7th straight playoff berth
Want a pizza? Dom can make it for you. How about a winning football team? Well, you’ve come to the right place. More times than not, East Allegheny has come away a winner since coach Dominic Pecora’s arrival in 2013. Pecora and his Wildcats are angling for the WPIAL playoffs...
