High School category, Page 1031
Westmoreland County teams turn to freshman quarterbacks
Two freshmen are expected to start at quarterback for Westmoreland County football teams on opening night. Jeannette plans to open with Brad Birch, while Monessen will look to Shane Swope Jr. to lead the offense Friday. Jeannette, ranked fourth in Class A, hosts rival and top-ranked Clairton, while Monessen is...
Jeannette to honor late Tre Cunningham at season opener
Jeannette will honor former standout Tre Cunningham at its football season opener Friday night against Clairton. The Jayhawks will wear “TC 6” stickers on the back of their helmets in memory of Cunningham, a three-sport athlete who was killed in a motorcycle accident in July along Route 130 near Jeannette....
Waynesburg adds Ariz. wrestling champion as WPIAL sorts out-of-state transfers
For the second year in a row, Waynesburg’s wrestling team has added a state champion from another part of the country. The team’s newest transfer is junior Zander Phaturos, who won the 113-pound state title in Arizona last winter. The WPIAL processed his transfer paperwork Wednesday and granted him full...
Gov. Wolf says schools shouldn’t decide spectator limits for sportsVideo
Advocates for House Bill 2787 are ignoring reality, said Gov. Tom Wolf, who insisted Thursday that individual schools shouldn’t set their own attendance policies for athletics. Wolf plans to veto the bill. The state House and Senate each approved the legislation by a two-third majority, but Wolf said Thursday he...
Serra Catholic postpones football team’s season opener
Serra Catholic, which closed its school building for a couple of days this week, has also postponed its football team’s season opener. The Eagles were scheduled to host Steel Valley on Friday. Athletic director Bill Cleary announced the postponement Thursday. Serra moved all students to online learning after two students...
WPIAL football teams ready to embark on season like no other
After an evening of continuous collisions, two of the WPIAL’s top football teams wanted to show their respect for one another, but they weren’t exactly sure how. Players typically line up after a scrimmage, meet at midfield and shake hands. But as teams have learned, simple elements of football season...
Chick’s Picks ready for normalcy of Friday night lights
Welcome to Week 1 of the high school football season. As we approach kickoff Friday night, we can all safely say what we have endured thus far in 2020 has been one of the most trying, unsettling, uncertain times in our lives. The Friday night lights will certainly be a...
Trib HSSN preseason state football rankings
The 2020 high school football season kicks off Friday around Pennsylvania with words such as finally, normalcy, excitement and tradition being used to describe games that were up in the air as recently as two weeks ago. Add another word when it comes to state rankings — chaos. First the...
Central Catholic leads preseason Trib 10 football power rankings
Here is the first edition of the Trib 10 high school football power rankings for the 2020 season. These are the weekly rankings where you throw classifications out the window. We allow for some wiggle room for the smaller schools to participate. I mean, is Clairton or Beaver Falls going...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 1
Here’s a look at some don’t-miss matchups in Westmoreland County for Week 1: Class 6A Hempfield vs. Norwin 7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Stadium, North Huntingdon A rivalry between neighboring schools that have struggled in Class 6A. Both teams will feature new quarterbacks and numerous other starters. … Christian Zilli returns...
Westmoreland County Week 1 matchups have Birdie grinning from ear to ear
The Birdie went to the dentist earlier this week for his six-month checkup, and, aside from getting his gums poked and prodded, accidentally swallowing some fluoride treatment and pocketing a free toothbrush, he received a boost of confidence. “The nice dental assistant noticed I still have my wisdom choppers. See,”...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for Week 1
Dylan Cook Leechburg, sr., QB The veteran quarterback hopes for many opportunities in the Blue Devils’ new “air raid” offense. Cook returns after throwing for 949 yards and eight touchdowns last season as Leechburg went 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the Eastern Conference. Sophomore wideout Braylon Lovelace and senior tight...
Albert Gallatin continues to build as independent program
Before the Albert Gallatin School District decided to merge the district’s three high schools in 1987, its football teams were competitive. Albert Gallatin won two WPIAL titles and German Township one. Fairchance-Georges was also competitive but didn’t win titles or conference championships. It’s been a struggle for the southern Fayette...
Butler football ready to test waters in District 10
When Butler Area School Board members voted to leave the WPIAL for District 10 in football, they did it with a plan. Give third-year coach Eric Christy an opportunity to build up a program that has made the WPIAL playoffs once since Christy graduated from Butler in 1999. “Butler football...
Uniontown ready to right the ship after return to football field
When the Uniontown Area School District voted to cancel football and soccer seasons this fall back on Aug. 4 because of the fear of the coronavirus, football coach Cedric Lloyd accepted the decision. But athletes and parents did not and they wanted the district to reconsider. The district did last...
High school roundup for Sept. 9, 2020: Fox Chapel wins golf showdown
Aidan Oehrle and Zach Paper each fired an even-par 35 to lead Fox Chapel to a 183-189 nonsection win over Sewickley Academy in a battle of defending WPIAL boys golf team champions at Allegheny CC on Wednesday. Sewickley Academy’s Tim Fitzgerald was match medalist with a 3-under 32. Pine-Richland 202,...
Central Catholic transfer Langston Moses wins appeal, eligible for basketball playoffsVideo
If Central Catholic qualifies for the WPIAL basketball playoffs, junior Langston Moses is eligible to take part this winter, the WPIAL decided Wednesday. The 6-foot-3 standout transferred this summer from Winchester Thurston, where he averaged 22 points per game. The WPIAL initially made Moses eligible for the regular season but...
Alle-Kiski Valley girls soccer preview: Burrell back for more
The Burrell girls soccer team made program history last year with an undefeated regular season and its first section title since 2005. The Bucs, who bowed out of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs in the quarterfinals, saw a large group of seniors move on, including Valley News Dispatch Player of...
West Mifflin shortstop Lauren Yuhas makes D-1 commitment
Lauren Yuhas led West Mifflin in just about every offensive category in 2019. She likely would have done the same in 2020, but the spring softball season was canceled because of the virus outbreak and she could not play her junior season. But the stoppage of play did not keep...
Pa. Senate passes bill letting school districts decide who attends sporting events
If House Bill 2787 becomes law, state Rep. Mike Reese plans to watch some high school football games and see his niece play volleyball at Hempfield. But that’s now in the governor’s hands. The bill, sponsored by the Westmoreland County Republican, would let individual school districts determine attendance limits for...
Led by a staff of former Lancers, Deer Lakes ready to turn the corner
Deer Lakes football coach Tim Burk found himself in an interesting situation earlier this year. After last season, all of his assistant coaches went in different directions. Two decided to chase opportunities elsewhere, one moved to take over a family business, and the last received a teaching job at another...
Under new leadership, Derry looks to maintain run of success
A change in leadership does not signal a change in style. At Derry, the concept of grinding the opponent down with basic blocking and running the football will continue, albeit with several potential ball carriers who possess varying styles. But a new 4-3 stack defensive scheme initiated by first-year coach...
Led by talented sophomore, junior classes, East Allegheny set to take next step
During his seven years as the football coach at East Allegheny, Dom Pecora has been trying to create a winning tradition. Over the past four years, he’s done just that. The Wildcats have reached the playoffs the last four years and earned a first-round playoff victory over Mohawk in 2017....
Young Freeport hopes to make impression in revamped conference
Youth will be served on the Freeport football team as underclassmen will be featured at several key positions. “There is a lot of good competition, including some younger players, freshmen and sophomores who got some good playing time last year,” said veteran coach John Gaillot, who welcomes back just five...
North Catholic motivated after falling short in WPIAL postseason
The North Catholic football players are motivated by how their 2019 season ended. The Trojans had great expectations last season, and through the regular season, they fulfilled those expectations. They won eight of nine games with their only loss coming against WPIAL Class 3A champion Central Valley. They captured the...
