John Grupp stories, Page 2

Becca Melanson looked out the window of her apartment near the UCLA campus, gasped and grabbed her cellphone. “It was insane,” said Melanson, the top girls water polo player in North Allegheny history. “I have a few photos from my apartment, and I see flames. … I was scared. We...

An upcoming road trip for the North Allegheny hockey team could pave the path for another long playoff journey. The Tigers (6-6-2-0) are returning to the prestigious Hoosier Cup on Feb. 8-10 in South Bend, Ind., where they will face a rugged schedule that last season helped catapult them into...

North Allegheny boys bowling coach Bill Jorden welcomed many new faces this season. But a lot of the same smiles. “We are starting with a brand new team, so considering that, I think we are doing a great job,” Jorden said. “The fact that we are putting five new guys...

A gymnastics trip to Las Vegas prevented North Allegheny junior Sarah Patterson from competing at last season’s WPIAL individual championships. This season she left nothing to chance. Patterson, a Level 9 gymnast and one of the program’s top all-around performers, will take part in the WPIAL individuals this season after...

During North Allegheny’s undefeated run to the 2012 PIAA Class 4A football championship, the players often visited a local pizzeria the day after games. “We’d go to eat at Cenci’s,” all-state quarterback Mack Leftwich said. “We’d be 40 deep in there on Saturday mornings after we watched film.” Now those...

Former North Allegheny wrestler Leyna Rumpler’s first year in college is starting to look a lot like her last year in high school. The three-time Pennsylvania state finalist is off to a sizzling debut for the Baldwin Wallace women’s wrestling team, going 16-4 for the first-year Division III program with...

As a 5-foot fifth-grader, North Allegheny’s Leah Skweres never even considered playing basketball. Then it kind of grew on her. “I really just didn’t pay attention to it as a sport,” she said. “In sixth grade, I shot up height-wise. I went from being 5-foot in fifth grade to 5-6...

Hampton wrestling has no seniors on its 17-man roster, but the Talbots are aging well. During a season in which they moved up to Class 3A and lost nine seniors from a WPIAL playoff team, the youthful Talbots have witnessed a group of wrestlers take big strides this season. “We...

The Hampton girls swimming team is counting on quality over quantity this season. With a shorthanded but gifted roster of only a dozen swimmers, the Talbots are looking to move up at the WPIAL Class 2A championships after last season’s seventh-place finish. “We are a high-quality team in terms of...

The North Allegheny competitive spirit team has a lot to cheer about. Having already clinched a berth to the national championships, the Tigers won the WPIAL Class 3A Large Squad title for the first time in nine years Jan. 4 at Hempfield. “We’re not done yet,” said senior Aly Corna,...

North Allegheny senior Carter Melzer learned at an early age how to defend himself on the basketball court. The youngest of five brothers, he grew up in an athletic environment in which “nothing came easy.” “Being the youngest one, I always got bullied and picked on,” he said. “In basketball,...

The North Allegheny gymnastics team hopes to prove good things come in small packages. The Tigers’ roster has dropped from 22 gymnasts last season — by far the biggest team in coach Nicole Bova’s 12 years — to just 11 this winter. The departures included a class of 11 seniors...

The North Allegheny swimming team ordered T-shirts for this season that paraphrase a famous Vince Lombardi quote. “If you chase perfection, you can land among the stars of excellence,” said Tori Tieppo, part of a loaded junior class at NA. “You strive for the most you can, and you will...

The Hampton girls basketball team graduated its all-time leading scorer, but that’s only part of the change. From the roster to the schedule, just about everything is different. The Talbots must replace five starters, including all-state guard and all-time scoring leader Meghan Murray, and have moved from Class 5A into...

Someone forgot the memo for Hampton boys basketball that this is supposed to be a down season. Despite losing a legendary coach, an all-state guard and a 1,000-point scorer from last year’s 25-5 WPIAL finalist and now facing a tougher Class 5A schedule with five new starters, the Talbots are...

In the bowels of North Allegheny High School a few days before Thanksgiving, the NA wrestlers ran end-of-practice wind sprints to the loud encouragement of coaches and classic rock. The Tigers plan to make even more noise this season. “I don’t see any issues with their work ethic, and that’s...

Replacing a coaching legend is never easy. But the North Allegheny girls basketball team is helping new coach Gabby Baldasare feel right at home. “I can confidently say this is the best group of kids I’ve ever coached and ever been around,” Baldasare said. “The culture that (former coach Spencer)...

North Allegheny boys basketball coach Dave DeGregorio is turning back the clock this season. Coming off the program’s first back-to-back losing seasons in 25 years, North Allegheny is implementing a more fast-paced attack to take advantage of its new-look starting lineup. “We’re getting back to the way we played when...

The North Allegheny girls volleyball team often uses motivational sayings such as “pressure is a privilege” or “success is never owned, it’s rented, and rent is due every day.” They may need to adopt some more slogans next year. The Tigers next season will try to become the first team...

The North Allegheny football seniors walked under the lights at Newman Stadium one last time Nov. 16. The night-time stands were empty and silent, but their achievements were as bright as day. “We have accomplished so much and we’ve done it together over the years,” senior all-conference offensive lineman Jack...

The wait was worth it for North Allegheny graduate Luke Colella. After biding his time for two seasons at Princeton behind a group of talented pass-catchers, Colella has become the Tigers’ top wide receiver. Colella, a senior, moved into the starting lineup last season and earned honorable mention all-Ivy League...

The North Allegheny boys water polo team traveled to the sport’s hotbed in Pennsylvania and threw a pool party for the ages. The Tigers defeated three Eastern Pa. powerhouses in three days to bring home the state championship, capped by a 10-9 four-overtime victory against Upper Dublin on Nov. 9...

The Hampton girls cross country team this season had a ritual of eating at Olive Garden after each big race. One meal was especially tasty. The Talbots put together a historic 2024 season that included the first WPIAL Class 2A cross country championship in program history. “It was just overwhelming,”...

Whenever Hampton football coach Steve Sciullo saw Ryan Scully in the high school hallways last year, the former NFL lineman tried to convince the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder to play football. Scully finally agreed, and earlier this month Sciullo called the junior tight end into those same hallways to tell him something....

For the first time since 2017, North Allegheny cross country returned from Hershey without a state championship. But they didn’t come back empty-handed. “If you get as good as you can, and you fight the whole way and never give up, I’m going to be proud of you,” longtime coach...