Shawn Annarelli stories, Page 3

The players are mostly the same, which is what coach Allan Bilinsky is counting on for change. Entering his second season at the head of Mt. Pleasant’s boys basketball program, he feels the Vikings are ready to put five consecutive losing seasons behind them with their most experienced, longest lineup...

Scott Giacobbi has experienced a lot in 15 years at the helm of Mt. Pleasant’s girls basketball team, and he’s gearing up for another rebuild with a youthful roster. The Vikings lost five players to graduation, and they won’t have a senior on this season’s roster to lead the team....

Dom Reiter will replay the final moments from the PIAA Class AA championship game in his head over and over like a viral video. He’ll recall goaltender Rees Edwards darting across the penalty box to field a free kick in the last second, hugging the first person he saw, forward...

The fifth- and sixth-grade Norwin youth football team’s season was filled with big moments. It won the league’s offseason Lineman Challenge after finishing last in the competition last season, played at halftime at Heinz Field during a Steelers preseason game and ended its season in the Washington/Greene Football League Championship...

Avonworth turned to its workhorse running back, Jax Miller, to try to advance in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs. Miller delivered, rushing for 216 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Antelopes defeated New Brighton, 38-13, on Friday night. Avonworth scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to...

Football highlights often feature pinpoint passes, dazzling runs and spectacular catches, but not when senior Jordan Stancovich is on the field. A three-year starter at middle linebacker, Stancovich recently etched his name into Gateway’s record books with 346 career tackles, breaking Dorian Bell’s mark of 341. “My oldest brother (Jason...

The record doesn’t tell the whole story. It rarely does. That’s what Quaker Valley football coach Ron Balog told his seniors after their last game against South Park. “The effort our seniors gave (that night) was emblematic of what they did all year,” Balog said. “That will never ever be...

The WPIAL Class AA girls soccer championship game needed a hero, and North Catholic sophomore Jayden Sharpless stepped up in double overtime on an indirect free kick. Her first attempt sailed wide, but she was granted a second chance because of a pre-kick violation against Yough for encroachment. Cougars defender...

Canon-McMillan’s football team looked like it was in a horror movie, and it didn’t have much in the way of answers against nemesis North Allegheny. The Tigers were relentless Friday night in their 48-7 win over the Big Macs to advance to the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals. It was a...

Gateway’s cross country team couldn’t check off the top item on its list of goals this season — having a runner qualify for the PIAA meet. The Gators also aren’t about to let the results of the WPIAL meet get them down. “It’s unfortunate we didn’t run as well as...

It’s hard to stay on top, but Penn-Trafford’s field hockey dynasty showed again that it can’t be toppled. The Warriors won their fourth consecutive WPIAL Class AA championship with a 4-0 victory over Greater Latrobe on Tuesday night. “We did amazing with the way we played tonight,” junior Allyson Doran...

There are many Western Pennsylvania fall sports traditions, not the least of which is 15 consecutive years of Ellis School or Shady Side Academy winning a WPIAL championship in field hockey. The two teams met Tuesday in a title game for the sixth straight season. Shady Side won, 1-0, in...

Greensburg Salem quarterback Trent Patrick had a senior night to remember, accounting for six touchdowns and leading the Golden Lions to a 48-7 win over Indiana and a third-place finish in the Class 4A Big 8 Conference. “A big team win like this is definitely going to put us in...

The bond between two brothers was enough to send Springdale’s boys soccer team into the semifinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs. Senior Michael Mitchell collected the ball in the box about seven minutes into overtime, turned to his left and passed it to freshman Chris Mitchell. “I knew my...

The Kenneth Blake Show hit the road to Mars, and he turned in a winning performance with his offensive line’s help to keep Kiski Area’s playoff hopes alive. Blake had 45 carries for 196 yards and the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes left to secure the Cavaliers’ 10-7...

Gateway’s cross country team was picking up steam at the midpoint of the season until a car crash injured three runners. Sophomore Emma Sandor and junior Joseph Storey returned in time for the Division I, Section 4 championship meet, and sophomore Ryleigh Geraci was ruled out for the season. The...

History was on Quaker Valley’s side at the start of the boys soccer playoffs. The Quakers scored 141 goals this season — the most for the program since 1996 — and Quaker Valley won a WPIAL Championship all four times it has found the net that much. They were three...

Callie Davis, Melissa Riggins and Gabby Hill-Junke are a nightmare to make saves against, Shady Side Academy goaltender Molly Skvorak said. Luckily, they’re on the same team. No. 1 Shady Side Academy’s 11-game win streak will be the second longest in Class A heading into the playoffs, though Indians coach...

Hempfield showed that North Allegheny’s defense can be vulnerable, but it couldn’t keep up with the Tigers playmakers. The teams combined for 97 points on a night when nearly everyone found the end zone. No. 1 North Allegheny came away with a 62-35 victory. “It was a crazy, crazy game...

Juniors Mackenzie Taranto and Morgan Shansky sat together six years ago in West Allegheny’s high school gymnasium and scanned the rafters for every section, WPIAL and PIAA banner. The football team was fresh off its second consecutive WPIAL Championship, and the boys soccer team had just won a title. The...

Fox Chapel’s offense took its time bending Connellsville’s defense until broke. The Foxes were held scoreless through the first 21 minutes of the game and then methodically picked the Falcons apart in a 35-20 victory Friday night. “It’s great to win a game like this,” Fox Chapel running back Sam...

Ryan Mickey will be one of Penn-Trafford’s top scorers this season, but the only goal that really matters to him is making the playoffs. After three years of close calls, the senior doesn’t want to be on the outside looking in during the postseason. For as good as the Warriors...

Rebuilding Gateway’s hockey program will continue to be a slow, difficult process. The Gators will play at the junior varsity level for the third consecutive season with a roster of 12 skaters and three goaltenders, and most of them have a year or two of experience. “We want to work...

The latest installment of the Shady Side Academy versus Greensburg Central Catholic rivalry had a little bit of everything. Each goaltender made terrific saves to keep it scoreless through halftime, an improbable goal broke open the scoring, and a coach was ejected late in the game. No. 2 Shady Side...

Down four points with 54 seconds left, Hampton turned to running back Luke Lindgren in a fourth-and-3 situation at Kiski Area’s 9-yard line. The Talbots running back, who wears number 36 as a nod to Jerome Bettis, had grinded out tough yards all game. Lindgren took the handoff, collided with...