Greg Macafee stories, Page 40

Class AAAA Team, record, previous 1. Seneca Valley, 11-1, 2 2. Plum, 11-0-1, 3 3. Norwin, 11-1-1, 1 4. Mt. Lebanon, 10-1-1, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 10-2-1, 5 Out: None Class AAA 1. Franklin Regional, 9-0-1, 1 2. Mars, 10-1-1, 5 3. South Fayette, 9-2, 3 4. Moon, 11-2, 2 5....

Just like they have in years past, the waters are getting murky in the Class 3A Big East Conference playoff picture. After Friday night, No. 2 North Catholic (4-1, 4-0) is the only undefeated team remaining in league play. Four teams have three wins in the conference, and after Freeport...

Burrell coach Shawn Liotta is known for his creative offensive mind. On Friday night, Liotta dug into his bag of tricks, but not in an exciting, pass-the-ball-all-over-the-field way. He trusted his offensive linemen and went old school as the Bucs ran the ball 50 times. He leaned on senior running...

The Sewickley Academy boys golf team has a storied history. Since 1994, the team has won 21 section titles, nine WPIAL Class AA team titles, including six straight since 2013, and two PIAA Class AA titles in 2015 and 2017. In 2015, Jason Li captured the only boys individual title...

Riverside’s Skyler Fox was gunning to become the first golfer in WPIAL history to win four straight individual boys championships. If it wasn’t for Sewickley Academy’s J.F. Aber, Fox would’ve done it. With an even-par score of 70, Aber held off Fox by one stroke to capture his first WPIAL...

Friday night’s matchup between Deer Lakes and Burrell has the makings to be special. The Class 3A Big East Conference opponents are led by two of the top quarterbacks in the WPIAL. Deer Lakes senior quarterback Aris Hasley has thrust himself into the spotlight this season, completing 89 of his...

Freeport got in the win column for the first time Friday night and did so in a dominating way, scoring touchdowns in all three phases of the game. On the way to a 56-14 win over Uniontown, the Yellowjackets scored three touchdowns on punt returns, two on the ground, two...

The Freeport and the Armstrong hockey teams will be without a home arena for the next month. On Monday, the Belmont Ice Complex in Kittanning announced that an issue with the rink’s ice refrigeration system forced a closure until the problem can be fixed. After determining that the problem was...

Before the 2019 soccer season started, Springdale boys soccer coach Cesareo Sanchez had a big hole to fill at the goalkeeper position. Mike Zolnierczyk, the 2018 Valley News Dispatch boys athlete of the year who only allowed eight goals all season, had graduated and Sanchez was in need of a...

WPIAL Boys Soccer Rankings Class AAAA Team, record, previous 1. Norwin, 10-0-1, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 9-1, 2 3. Plum, 9-0-1, 5 4. Mt. Lebanon, 7-1-1, — 5. Canon-McMillan, 8-2-1, 4 Out: Fox Chapel, 7-2, 3 Class AAA 1. Franklin Regional, 7-0-1, 1 2. Moon, 9-1, 2 3. South Fayette,...

The first win of the season can be a pretty nice feeling, but Fox Chapel delivered an even bigger win for coach Tom Loughran on Friday. Zakaria’s Essaouab’s 23-yard field goal pushed the Foxes out to a 16-7 lead over Hampton, and that’s all they would need as they gave...

So far this season, Deer Lakes has had trouble finishing football games. The Lancers lost a close one to Springdale in Week Zero, 29-27. Then, in Week 1, they lost to Big East Conference opponent Elizabeth Forward, 15-7. On Friday, with the game on the line and a strong Mount...

Earlier this week, golfers from around the WPIAL took to the links for an opportunity to qualify for the individual WPIAL tournament next week. In Class AAA, golfers will compete in two semifinal qualifiers Monday for a chance to earn a spot in the WPIAL championship Oct. 1 at Fox...

Sometimes, a year of rebuilding and blending a group of players is all it takes. At least that’s the case for the Plum boys soccer team. Just a year ago, the Mustangs finished 11-8 and lost to Pine-Richland, 5-2, in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAAA tournament after...

Throughout the 2018 boys soccer season, Deer Lakes and Shady Side Academy established a rivalry that produced some pretty good soccer. There was the 2-2 tie at the beginning of the year and then the 3-1 Deer Lakes victory at home during the regular season. Then, Shady Side got the...

For the third year in a row, Knoch’s Laura Greb went home with the WPIAL Class AA singles tennis crown, but this one had a different feel. “It feels amazing,” Greb said. “But I have mixed emotions right now, but I’m super happy about it.” For the second time in...

For the past three games, Plum sophomore Jake Miller has stepped into the position with a level of confidence every coach looks for in a quarterback. “He hasn’t really made too many mistakes the past three weeks and has played some pretty good competition,” Plum coach Matt Morgan said. “The...

Ever since Zane Ingram joined the Fox Chapel boys soccer program as a freshman, he’s always put the team first. “Where the team needs him, he goes,” said Fox Chapel coach Erik Ingram, who also doubles as Zane’s dad. That journey has taken Zane from playing as an outside back...

After delaying his decision in early August, Aliquippa’s Zuriah Fisher has made his college choice. On Monday, Fisher announced via Twitter that he will be committing to Penn State, becoming the 25th member of James Franklin’s 2020 recruiting class. #WeAre? pic.twitter.com/5MQdlAGXt3— Zuriah Fisher (@Zfish84) September 16, 2019 The three-star defensive...

WPIAL boys soccer rankings Class AAAA Team, record, previous 1. Norwin, 7-0-1, 2 2. Seneca Valley, 6-1, 3 3. Fox Chapel, 5-1, 5 4. Canon-McMillan, 6-1-1, 1 5. Plum, 6-0-1, — Out: North Allegheny, 4-3, 4 Class AAA 1. Franklin Regional, 5-0-1, 1 2. Moon, 6-1, 2 3. South Fayette,...

At the center of any successful team is a core group of players that allows the squad to reach new heights on the field and off of it. As sophomores last year, Michael Sullivan, Devin Murray and Colton Spence established themselves as that core for the Deer Lakes boys soccer...

With an undefeated start, two defensive shutouts and a stout running game, Knoch is having one of its best seasons in recent memory under first-year coach Brandon Mowry. But it didn’t just come out of nowhere. Last year, the Knights lost their first three games of the season. They went...

On Friday nights across the country, thousands of high school football players sprint onto fields to the cheers of students, relatives and — often — entire communities. Under the lights, the ball is booted high into the air, followed by the sound of cracking pads that echoes throughout the stadium....