High School category, Page 1046
2019-20 Trib Cup: Victory Bell rings loud as North Catholic runs away with title in Class 3A
North Catholic has a tradition that players ring the school’s Victory Bell when their teams win a district or state championship. When it comes to the 2019-20 Class 3A Trib Cup, the bell tolls for the Trojans. The chase for the Cup in 3A wasn’t even close thanks to a...
Latrobe rallies for ninth straight victory in Westmoreland County baseball summer league
Sometimes you win games. Sometimes you get a gift. The latter is what happened to Latrobe on Thursday night at Legion Keener Field in a first-place showdown in the Westmoreland County American Baseball League. Christmas came in July for the Jethawks. Latrobe (11-1) took advantage of 11 walks and a...
Hempfield state wrestling champ Ethan Berginc commits to Army
A PIAA wrestling championship scene-stealer has committed to an NCAA Division I program. Hempfield 113-pounder Ethan Berginc, the Class AAA state champion this past season, announced Thursday he will continue his mat career at Army. Berginc, an incoming senior who attends Jeannette but benefits from a co-op with Hempfield, defeated...
So far, so good as Westmoreland County summer baseball league hits season’s midpoint
It’s the halfway mark for most teams in the Westmoreland County American Baseball League, and things are going as smooth as league director Jason Bush could expect. “We haven’t had any covid-19 cases that I know of in all three leagues,” Bush said. “Bedford/Cambria and the Central Penn leagues are...
Carlynton’s Nathan Milsom honored by Athletic Administrator’s Association
Nathan Milsom loves to challenge himself. The athletic director in the Carlynton School District for more than a decade fills his plate with his duties with the Cougars athletic program, work as the president of several conferences, his involvement with the WPIAL basketball committee and as the veteran head coach...
Belle Vernon state champ Ian Shahan to swim at Army
Wanting to be part of something bigger, Belle Vernon rising senior Ian Shahan committed to join the Army men’s swimming team for the 2021-22 season. “I’ve always been interested in the service academies,” said Shahan, who turned 18 in June. “I had a great visit at West Point and really...
Penn-Trafford sports workouts resume with safety modifications
Penn-Trafford resumed athletic workouts Tuesday but with new provisions to its health and safety guidelines. The school’s voluntary summer conditioning for fall sports teams was paused Friday after Gov. Tom Wolf gave clarification on mask-wearing for indoor and outdoor workouts and discussed the importance of self-quarantining after out-of-state trips. Penn-Trafford’s...
Sewickley’s Fitzgerald wins Hurricane Junior Golf event again
The last time the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour was in Western Pennsylvania, the players played in light snow and cold temperature. That was May 9-10 at Glengarry Golf Links. It was more than 50 degrees warmer Sunday and Monday at Hannastown Golf Club. While the temperatures were different, the winner...
WPIAL, PIAA football gold pave way for Thomas Jefferson to take Trib Cup 5A title
The Thomas Jefferson football team did more than bring WPIAL and PIAA gold back to Jefferson Hills. The Jaguars also led the way to a Trib HSSN Sports Cup championship in Class 5A. The Jaguars football team claimed its fourth WPIAL title in the last five years and captured PIAA...
Derry’s Bushey, Norwin’s Federovich overcame personal challenges to excel
Aidan Bushey and Matt Federovich do not know each other, but they have more than a few things in common. Both were star athletes at their respective high schools, Bushey at Derry and Federovich at Norwin. They were playmakers and lead-by-example teammates. Each will play a sport in college and...
Coronavirus pandemic could worsen WPIAL shortage of football officials
The WPIAL doesn’t have enough football officials, and the coronavirus pandemic could make the shortage worse this fall. At his final WPIAL meeting before retirement, longtime officials representative Bill Sinning warned the board last month there aren’t enough officials for every football team to play Friday nights. At least one...
Athletes not required to wear face masks during workouts, state says
Pennsylvania’s athletes are not required to wear a face mask during workouts or competition, according to guidance provided Friday by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration. However, those athletes must wear a mask when not engaged in activity, according to state Heath Secretary Rachel Levine. The PIAA shared information from Levine to...
Return-to-football workouts expose those ‘slacking’ when schools closedVideo
Central Catholic’s campus was closed for three months, cutting off access to the football team’s weight room, but most players found ways to stay in shape. With this week’s temperature in the 90s, their fitness was tested. “There are people who were working out and people who were slacking,” said...
2019-20 Trib Cup: Basketball success lifts OLSH to repeat in Class 2A
Though the school did not sweep gold in football along with both boys and girls basketball like it did the previous year, one championship out of three was enough to give Our Lady of the Sacred Heart another Class 2A Trib Cup. The honors continue with the announcement of the...
Face mask ‘gray area,’ county restrictions cause schools to cancel workouts
Must high school athletes wear face masks during workouts? Masks weren’t required earlier in the week, but some coaches and school administrators aren’t so sure after Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration made wearing them mandatory “when outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of six feet from individuals who are...
From Sidney Crosby to Jim Brown, ranking the greatest high school athletes of all time
Pro football legend Jim Brown was good at lacrosse. Jackie Robinson, long before he broke the color barrier in baseball, was a two-time tennis singles champion. Hockey suited pitcher Tom Glavine well, home run hitter Alex Rodriguez was a terrific quarterback, and NBA guard Danny Ainge, they say, could have...
A-K Valley football teams return to field with protocols in place
Knoch football coach Brandon Mowry couldn’t sleep Tuesday night. He was a like a little kid on Christmas morning. He couldn’t stand the anticipation anymore. “I was up at like 6 a.m. (Wednesday) morning, made my coffee and I told my wife I was leaving,” Mowry said with a laugh....
Adam Kaufman resigns as Moon boys basketball coach ‘to be a dad’
The coronavirus pandemic forced Adam Kaufman to slow down, stay home and spend more time with his family. In his 14 years as a boys basketball coach at Bishop Canevin, Montour and Moon, Kaufman was always on the go, winning three WPIAL titles and a state championship. But while spending...
PIAA optimistic football season starts on time as some states delay their kickoffs
High school football season won’t start on time in neighboring New Jersey, but Pennsylvania has no plans to delay kickoff. “We’re not discussing pushing it back,” PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said Wednesday. “We’re still cautiously optimistic about starting practice on time. We’re just going to take it day by...
Chartiers Valley hoops star Aislin Malcolm adds Penn State offer
Fast-rising basketball talent Aislin Malcolm welcomed another scholarship offer Wednesday as Penn State came calling. Malcolm, a 5-foot-10 guard and two-time WPIAL champion who has not lost a game in her high school career at Chartiers Valley, adds the Nittany Lions to an expanding list of offers. She has others...
Murrysville’s Shilling captures medalist honors at Isaly’s junior event
Murrysville’s Nolan Shilling shot a 1-under par 70 to capture the 15-16 age division at the Tri-State PGA Isaly’s Junior Tour on the Cedarbrook Golf Course Red Course on Wednesday. He finished two shots ahead of Gavin Goodrich of Wheeling, W.Va., who shot a 72. Moon’s Justin Scally won the...
Woodland Hills halts sports workouts to re-evaluate covid-19 guidelines
Woodland Hills was the first WPIAL school to resume summer workouts, but the Wolverines halted those sessions this week to re-evaluate their covid-19 guidelines. The shutdown is temporary, said athletic director Ron Coursey, who expected teams to resume workouts within a week or two. He wanted to dispel rumors that...
Shaler uses caution, sends football players home over covid-19 concerns
Choosing to take a cautious approach, Shaler coach Jim Ryan sent his football team home early from workouts Tuesday after learning a family friend of a player could have contracted covid-19. The unidentified player wasn’t believed to have had any direct contact with the person, Ryan and athletic director Clint...
Central Catholic’s Rocco Salvitti finishes 2nd at state junior championship
John Peters shot a 4-under par 67 during the second round Tuesday to capture the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s Junior Boys Championship at the Hershey Country Club. Peters, of Carlisle, shot a 2-over par 73 Monday. First-round leaders Rocco Salvitti of Oakmont and Carson Bacha tied for second with a 1-under...
Derry, South Park standouts win UPMC Comeback Athlete of the Year awards
A pair of determined athletes are the WPIAL’s latest comeback kids. Multi-sport standout Aidan Bushey of Derry and tennis player Haley Spitznagel of South Park were named recipients of the UPMC Comeback Athlete of the Year awards. Bushey is a recent graduate who will continue his golf career at Cal...
