High School category, Page 1062
Senior Spotlight: Latrobe’s Wetzel grits teeth through shutdown
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Sadie Wetzel wasn’t in a good mood Tuesday. The Latrobe senior just wasn’t feeling it until she went and did a track workout for college. Having a stay-at-home order...
WPIAL approves new basketball sections; won’t reveal them yet
Basketball sections for next season are almost ready, but WPIAL players, coaches and fans must wait a little longer to see them. The WPIAL board approved updated section alignments at its April meeting, said associate executive director Amy Scheuneman, but those included multiple contingencies in case the PIAA competitive-balance rule...
Senior Spotlight: WPIAL singles champion hoped to build on success
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Zach Palko wasn’t satisfied. The Indiana senior had the 2019 WPIAL Class AA boys singles title and a trip to the PIAA semifinals in his growing portfolio, but he...
All-state boys basketball: OLSH’s DiMichele, Spadafora, Rodriguez lead Class 2A team
OLSH junior Dante Spadafora and sophomore Jake DiMichele earned first-team all-state honors Tuesday, and the Chargers’ Mike Rodriguez was named the state’s top coach in Class 2A. In all, four WPIAL players were selected in a vote of Pennsylvania sports writers. Sto-Rox’s Malik Smith and California’s Malik Ramsey earned second-team...
PIAA shouldn’t enforce competitive-balance rule, Lincoln Park basketball coach says
If the PIAA competitive-balance rule forces the Lincoln Park boys basketball team into a higher classification next season, coach Mike Bariski thinks that’s unfair. “We’re not averse to going up,” he said. “I just totally disagree with the process.” Two months ago, Bariski would have accepted the promotion without objection....
Senior Spotlight: Painful exit from the family business for Alderson at Chartiers-HoustonVideo
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Since she was born, Kaci Alderson had spent a good amount of time every spring at Allison Elementary School Field, home of the Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers. Until this...
Senior Spotlight: Plum lacrosse player spending spring as ‘essential worker’
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Most of the world might be shut down, but Carli Chini has never been busier. The Plum senior might not be able to take the field with...
All-state boys basketball: Cornell’s Kaden DiVito named Player of the Year in Class A
Cornell’s Kaden DiVito, who saw his senior season cut short two wins away from the PIAA finals, earned statewide recognition Monday as the Class A boys basketball player of the year. A 5-foot-11 guard committed to Washington & Jefferson, DiVito averaged 20.8 points for the WPIAL runner-up. In the state...
Hempfield senior Lukas Kissell vaults into new sport: Skeleton
Lukas Kissell was helping Hempfield win a WPIAL Class AAA team track title a year ago. And if things were normal today, the senior would be trying to help the Spartans win another title. “I was looking forward to the outdoor season,” Kissell said. “I had a good indoor season,...
Moon sophomore Reilly Sunday adds 5 Division I offers since late MarchVideo
Social distancing hasn’t kept basketball scholarship offers away from Moon’s Reilly Sunday. Gyms are closed, but the all-state sophomore added five more Division I offers in recent weeks. Her most recent came Saturday from Kent State. Since March 26, she’s also added offers from American, Penn, Princeton and George Washington....
Quaker Valley’s Corinne Washington adds Duquesne scholarship offerVideo
Quaker Valley’s Corinne Washington, one of the WPIAL’s top juniors, added a scholarship offer Saturday from Duquesne women’s basketball coach Dan Burt. It’s the second offer this month for the 5-foot-11 guard, who added Boston University on April 20. The 18-point scorer earned all-section honors this season and was named...
Senior Spotlight: Artistry expands beyond the volleyball court for Ambridge’s Liam Buck
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Liam Buck fashioned himself an on-court artist for the Ambridge boys volleyball team as the outside hitter turned his talents into a trio of Class AA all-section and All-WPIAL...
Westmoreland high school notebook: WPIAL names dot Outlaws roster
Travel softball has turnover, just like the high school level. But some teams, like the Ohio Outlaws 18U squad, have managed to sew together the same group for an extended time. It is a valued trait in the current circumstances. “I have coached these same girls for four seasons,” said...
Jeannette to pay sports officials despite cancellation of spring sports season
The PIAA canceled spring sports across the state, but Jeannette School District still will pay the officials scheduled to work its games. It is a gesture of appreciation, said Paul Sroka, the district’s business manager. Officials will receive $37.50 for each Jeannette game on their schedule, half of the typical...
Westmoreland Scholar/Athlete committee announces excellent group; banquet on holdVideo
Will the 64th annual Westmoreland Scholar/Athlete banquet be held this year? Westmoreland Judge John J. Driscoll sure hopes so. The annual banquet was supposed to be April 28 but has been postponed. “We’re hoping we can hold something in June or July,” Driscoll said. “Right now, we’re in the process...
Freeport’s Isiah Bauman overcoming knee injury to play basketball at Point Park
Playing college football always was the goal for Freeport senior Isiah Bauman. After a junior season in which he was second on the Yellowjackets in tackles (73) and had two interceptions and seven deflected passes, his goal seemed like it was within reach. He said he was talking to a...
Stock continues to rise for Penn-Trafford do-it-all junior Ethan CarrVideo
Ethan Carr put together quite a highlight reel last football season at Penn-Trafford, and it’s a good thing. With the future of summer showcases and camps in question because of coronavirus, top prospects such as Carr might have to use their 2019 film as leverage to score scholarship offers. Restrictions...
WPIAL football has NFL draft streak that’s more than 2 decades long
The WPIAL has had at least one former player picked each year in the NFL draft since 1994, a remarkable streak that could be extended again this week. New Castle’s Geno Stone (Iowa), Cornell’s Dane Jackson (Pitt), Imani Christian’s Kenny Robinson (West Virginia) and McKeesport’s Khaleke Hudson (Michigan) are the...
Senior Spotlight: Penn-Trafford ace exits as program’s winningest pitcher
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Morgan Hilty works at a Dairy Queen but the ace softball pitcher from Penn-Trafford wasn’t able to put the curl on top of her high school career. With the...
Big 26 Baseball Classic canceled
The Big 26 Baseball Classic, the annual summer all-star competition between rising high school juniors and seniors from Pennsylvania and Maryland, will not take place this year in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority made the announcement Thursday morning. The event, which includes...
Upper St. Clair football coach Jim Render among 12 selected for Pa. Sports Hall of Fame
Former Upper St. Clair football coach Jim Render, who retired last summer with the most wins in WPIAL history, was among 12 individuals chosen for induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame this fall. The 2020 class also includes professional hockey player R.J. Umberger of Plum, Steelers assistant coach...
Hempfield softball coaches get pick-me-up from former players
When he finished watching a personalized YouTube video from his former players, Bob Kalp felt a range of emotions. In what has been a bummer of a high school softball season, one that never happened because of the coronavirus lockdown and the PIAA’s cancellation of spring sports, the veteran Hempfield...
Latrobe searching for wrestling coach after Ciotti resigns
Mike Ciotti knew early in the season this was going to be his last as Latrobe’s wrestling coach. Ciotti was newly married and lived in Fox Chapel. The trip to Latrobe during the winter was draining. “I was basically away from my wife for six months,” Ciotti said. “I didn’t...
Senior Spotlight: Valley tennis standout Odrey knocking off the rust
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Michael Odrey enjoyed getting out in the sun and fresh air a couple of days ago as he hit a few tennis balls with his father. “It was the...
Senior Spotlight: Southmoreland multi-sport standout continues to stay upbeat during pandemic
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. With a player as spirited and happy-go-lucky as Charity Henderson on the roster, the Southmoreland softball and girls basketball teams had no choice but to feed off her vibe....
