High School category, Page 1020
Shaler football battling through one of WPIAL’s toughest schedules
Don’t waste time looking for a spot where the Shaler Area football program can take a breath. The Titans schedule doesn’t allow for it. All seven of Shaler’s opponents qualified for the WPIAL playoffs last season in various classes. In the first two weeks, North Hills and West Allegheny beat...
Bishop Canevin volleyball eyes up 4th straight WPIAL title; Carlynton seeks playoff return
The season may have started a couple of weeks later than scheduled, but both the Bishop Canevin and Carlynton programs are well underway in the 2020 WPIAL girls volleyball season. Bishop Canevin is trying for a fourth consecutive WPIAL championship this fall. Only three other current district schools have won...
New locker room, workout facility energizes Bishop Canevin football program
The Bishop Canevin football program had hit a wall. The Crusaders were a combined 7-23 the last three years, including a 1-9 record in 2019. With the hiring of Richard Johnson in the offseason, Bishop Canevin had its fourth coach in four years. But the school is hoping to build...
Thomas Jefferson football notebook: Dynamic seniors lead receiving corps
Seniors Preston Zandier, a Youngstown State commit, and Ian Hansen, along with Rex Miller and Shultz Reinhart and junior McClain Flinn, lead the Thomas Jefferson receiving corps this season. The 5-foot-7, 163-pound Hansen reeled in eight receptions for 195 yards and two scores against Trinity in Week 2 in a...
Baldwin girls soccer looks to improve in season unlike any other
Baldwin second-year coach Tom Dongilli is looking for continued growth by the girls soccer team. The Highlanders finished 3-12-1 overall and 3-11 in Section 2-AAAA last season. Dongilli is seeking improvement in 2020 “We are still evolving,” he said. “I am encouraged at what we are doing, our work efforts...
Sewickley Academy boys soccer looking to capitalize on team-first mentality
For the past two years, the Riverside boys soccer team has had Sewickley Academy’s number. The Panthers of Beaver County have won three of their four matchups with Sewickley Academy since entering Section 1-A play in the 2018 season. Sewickley’s only win came in their first meeting, a 4-0 victory...
Quaker Valley’s Patrick Cutchember getting settled in as new Quakers quarterback
One thing every football coach looks for in his quarterback is an ability to move from one play to the next. Most coaches want their signal-callers to be able to forget mistakes and handle the next play with a clear head. Though he hadn’t played varsity quarterback before this season,...
Penn-Trafford girls volleyball adjusts to condensed schedule
The Penn-Trafford girls volleyball has quickly moved into the heart of its section schedule. The Warriors opened the season 2-1 before taking on Hempfield, Oakland Catholic and Norwin in Section 3-4A. They are set to play the Eagles again Thursday. Penn-Trafford rebounded to defeat Connellsville after dropping a hard-fought 3-2...
Penn-Trafford’s Barber advances to WPIAL girls golf championship
Lauren Barber took top honors at the WPIAL Class AAA Section 3 girls golf qualifier at Murrysville Golf Club on Sept. 23. Barber shot a 7-over 81 to breeze to the title. She was among seven girls from the section to advance to the WPIAL individual championship set for Oct....
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Sept. 26, 2020
Field hockey Saturday’s result WPIAL Class 3A Pine-Richland 11, Hempfield 1 Football Saturday’s results WPIAL Class 5A Northeast Penn Hills 31, Kiski Area 13 Nonconference Beaver 29, Seton LaSalle 20 West Allegheny 63, Connellsville 24 Western Beaver 14, Ligonier Valley 3 District 10 Erie 35, Butler 25 District 8 City...
Beaver brings in Ringer to beat Seton LaSalle
At 0-2 and in need of a wake-up call, Beaver cranked the volume up on its Ringer. Junior running back Wyatt Ringer answered every time his number was called as he gained 148 yards on 31 carries to lead the Bobcats to a 29-20 win over Seton LaSalle in a...
High school roundup for Sept. 26, 2020: West Allegheny rewrites record book
West Allegheny is a storied program that once boasted Tyler Palko under center. It’s not easy to break a school record for offensive production. But the Indians didn’t just set a record or two Saturday night. They practically rewrote the record book in a 63-24 victory over Connellsville. Gavin Miller’s...
5 things we learned in Week 3: Drop in classification lifts WPIAL teams to 3-0 starts
After years battling as one of the smallest WPIAL schools in Class 5A football, Chartiers Valley this season became one of the largest in 4A — a move that’s had an immediate impact. The proof is in the standings. Coach Dan Knause’s team is 3-0 this year after going 3-7...
Penn Hills gets into win column at Kiski Area’s expense
Seeking to avoid its first 0-3 start in nine seasons, Penn Hills used some big plays and a staunch defense to get into the win column. Freshman quarterback Julian Dugger threw for 193 yards, senior running back Dontae Pollard rushed for 127 yards and Akron recruit Noel Roach caught six...
WPIAL Football Rankings for Week 3
Class 6A 1. North Allegheny, 2-0, 2 2. Central Catholic, 2-1, 1 3. Seneca Valley, 2-0, 3 4. Canon-McMillan, 1-1, 4 5. Baldwin, 1-0, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 2-0, 1 2. Gateway, 2-0, 2 3. Peters Township, 2-0, 3 4. Woodland Hills, 3-0, 4 5. Upper St....
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Latrobe holds its own
It was a nonconference game that probably won’t get much attention, but it had plenty of fireworks, nonetheless. The bold-faced headline? Underdog Latrobe went score-for-score with a ranked opponent in a Class 5A shootout. The Wildcats fell to No. 5 Upper St. Clair on Friday at Memorial Stadium, 52-45. They...
New technology makes for efficient high school football practices
All football teams have a “go route” — a deep pass — in their playbook. But not all high school teams are using a new teaching tool called “Go Rout” in their practices. Only six teams across Pennsylvania are using the new technology, including Pine-Richland and Ligonier Valley in the...
North Allegheny golfers earn trip to semifinals
North Allegheny seniors Adam Steinmetz and Portland Canovali enjoyed their home course advantage last week, securing a place in the WPIAL Class AAA boys golf semifinals at the Section 3 qualifier at North Park Golf Course. Steinmetz shot a 6-over-par 78, and Canovali shot 79 to finish in third and...
Pine-Richland field hockey growing into dominant program
A new dynasty in WPIAL field hockey could be on the horizon. Pine-Richland has won two of the last three WPIAL Class AAA championships, and this season’s team may be the best yet with seven returning starters, a junior transfer committed to Louisville and a goalie who is replacing her...
Franklin Regional girls volleyball embraces No. 1 ranking
When the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its first set of rankings for the new season, Franklin Regional players and coaches were surprised, thrilled and honored to see their team No. 1 in Class AAA. “We were very excited,” senior outside hitter Nicole Currens said. “We were saying how...
Franklin Regional girls golf program reaching new heightsVideo
It’s been a memorable season for the Franklin Regional girls golf team. And the way things are going, after winning their first section title since 2003, they have the WPIAL Class AAA finals in their sights. After stringing together consecutive victories over Penn-Trafford, Indiana and Connellsville in the third week...
Hamption golfer Ruzomberka on quest for redemption
Hampton senior Matt Ruzomberka has played thousands of holes of golf since his father introduced him to the sport growing up in England a decade ago. One hole, one shot, is scalded into his memory. “The tee shot on No. 18 at (last year’s) WPIAL finals,” he said. “I went...
Hampton upbeat after rare shutout win
A 3-by-3-foot white board hangs on the wall inside the clubhouse at Hampton’s Fridley Field to commemorate “Football Shutouts.” Every shutout since 2010 is memorialized with the date, score and opponent in one-inch adhesive black letters. For five years, it had stood untouched and unchanged, a stark, daily reminder of...
Shady Side Academy boys soccer attacking season with championship aspirations
Just like every year, the Shady Side Academy boys soccer team is considered one of the top teams in WPIAL Class 2A this season and rightfully so. For the past four years, Shady Side has become a fixture in the WPIAL Class 2A finals at Highmark Stadium. The team won...
Fox Chapel’s Carissa Shepard captures first section singles title
As a sophomore last season, Fox Chapel junior Carissa Shepard played her way into the quarterfinals of the Section 3-AAA singles tournament by defeating Jenna Chernicky from Bethel Park, 10-4. Although Shepard lost in the quarters to Elle Santora from Shady Side Academy, she went on to play in championship...
