High School category, Page 1108
No. 1 Fox Chapel handles Hempfield, clinches playoff berth
Fox Chapel made it official Friday night. The Foxes clinched the school’s 29th WPIAL playoff berth with a 70-46 victory over visiting Hempfield. The No. 1 Foxes (17-0, 7-0) were led by sophomore Eli Yofan who had 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals. “That’s another box we’re...
Mars uses ‘Max Effort’ to get past section foe Franklin Regional
It was Military Appreciation Night at Franklin Regional, and players from both teams, the Panthers and Mars, wore T-shirts in pregame warm-ups emblazoned with the words, “Max Effort,” across the chest. That’s what fourth-ranked Mars needed to finally push past the Panthers, 53-42, and earn a Section 3-5A victory Friday...
Uniontown survives scare from Belle Vernon
After a 27-point beating at the hands of Uniontown Jan. 3, the Belle Vernon Area boys basketball team wanted nothing more than another shot at the Red Raiders. They got it Friday and gave No. 2 Uniontown all it could handle. A pair of free throws by Keondre DeShields with...
Latrobe’s Jordyn Miller, Ligonier Valley’s Nick Roddy claim WCCA diving titles
In three of the last four years heading into this year’s diving competition, the Westmoreland County Coaches Association diving title resided with Latrobe’s Taylor Miller. After a year away from the Miller household, the gold medal returns as senior Jordyn Miller claimed her first county title Friday night at Derry,...
Latrobe knocks off Penn-Trafford again
It hasn’t been a great season for the Latrobe boys basketball team. The Wildcats, who generally battle for the section title, find themselves in last place in the WPIAL Section 3-6A standings. But Latrobe didn’t look like a last-place team Friday at Penn-Trafford, and the teams ahead of them in...
Trib HSSN girls swimmer of the week: Upper St. Clair’s Taylor Connors
Longtime followers of swimming at Upper St. Clair and throughout the WPIAL will remember the exploits of freestyler Merel Hommen. The multi-time WPIAL and PIAA champion graduated from USC in 1994, and in addition to her gold medals, she also left the program with a trio of school records —...
Trib HSSN boys swimmer of the week: Montour’s Alex May
Alex May was on a mission Monday as he set out to break the Montour school record in the boys 100-yard breaststroke. The versatile Spartans junior had the established mark of 1 minute, 2.99 seconds in his sights. When he touched the wall against Central Valley and Beaver Falls, he...
Herald spotlight athlete: Fox Chapel’s Ed Farrell
Ed Farrell, a senior on the Fox Chapel wrestling team, took first place at 220 pounds at the Allegheny County wrestling tournament Jan. 18. “I was confident but not overconfident,” he said. “I had beaten the No. 1 seed before, so I felt good about my chances.” He also played...
Gateway swimmers in good position for post-Livingston era
For the last couple of years, the standard bearer of the Gateway swimming program has been Olivia Livingston. The senior Louisville recruit has won PIAA and WPIAL gold medals and set state records in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, keeping the Gators relevant in the regional and state swimming...
Brendan Finnerty leads successful TJ contingent at county mat tournament
Brendan Finnerty didn’t just win the 160-pound weight class while representing Thomas Jefferson at the recent Allegheny County wrestling championships. He dominated. Seeded No. 1, Finnerty breezed to the county title by recording two falls followed by three consecutive major-decision victories. “My goal was to win the tournament, just like...
Thomas Jefferson, Baldwin gymnasts working toward WPIAL goals
One team is the defending WPIAL and state champion, and has emerged as a powerhouse in girls gymnastics in just three years. Thomas Jefferson’s gymnasts won their first WPIAL title in 2018-19, capping off three straight seasons of section championships. The Jaguars, who also captured the state title in the...
Quaker Valley freshman swimmer Alex Wagner having breakthrough season
Quaker Valley freshman swimmer Alex Wagner favors the breaststroke but found he is good at other strokes, too. The 14-year-old qualified for the WPIAL Class AA championship meet in late February in the boys 200-yard individual medley. His time — 2 minutes, 16.05 seconds — is on the list of...
Quaker Valley wrestlers defend Section 2 team championship
Last year, Quaker Valley’s wrestling team learned how to win a championship when it captured the Section 2 title. This winter, the Quakers figured out what it took to stay on top as they defended their Section 2 team crown. “It was such a nice feeling,” Quaker Valley sophomore Patrick...
Plum’s Kvortek looks forward to WPIAL gymnastics championships
Sarah Kvortek fell in love with gymnastics after being introduced to the sport during a friend’s birthday party at Gymkhana in Plum while in first grade. “It was a lot of fun,” she said. “I loved swinging on the bars and the feeling of just flying through the air.” In...
Surging Norwin girls basketball team finds right balance
The Norwin girls basketball team was the top scoring offense in WPIAL Class 6A through 14 games, and the Knights ranked second in scoring average against. For coach Brian Brozeski, attitude is the reason for Norwin’s success. Sets and strategy are important, too, but what has stood out to Brozeski...
WPIAL playoff spot remains in reach for Franklin Regional girls basketball team
“Young” is the word encircling the Franklin Regional girls basketball program this season. The Panthers ended the first half of section play the way they started the season — with back-to-back wins. With 13 underclassmen on the roster, Franklin Regional defeated Hampton, 47-36, and Kiski Area, 45-27, to climb to...
Shady Side Academy swimmers set for challenging stretch drive
The Shady Side Academy swim teams are hoping to parlay a strong finish to the regular season into a successful foray into the WPIAL playoffs. As of Jan. 20, the girls were 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the section while the boys were 5-1 and also 2-0 in section meets....
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta leads national team to International Bowl win
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta is known around the WPIAL for his creative offensive mind. But over the past few years, Liotta has started to gain attention at the national level. Aaron Ingram, the director of the U.S. national team, has been trying to get Liotta involved with the USA...
College floor, atmosphere attract teams for ‘Shootout at Seton Hill’
Each March for the past few years, when teams get their section schedules for the following WPIAL season, Allen Deep begins to plan out his list of high school basketball showcase events. The event director with Hoops for a Cure often gets numerous requests from teams to play in the...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 23, 2020
Basketball Boys Thursday’s results WPIAL Class A Section 3 Greensburg Central Catholic 86, Aquinas Academy 65 Nonsection Gateway 74, Norwin 46 Knoch 78, Deer Lakes 58 Obama Academy 63, Imani Christian 60 District 6 Heritage Ligonier Valley 81, Homer-Center 60 United 72, Saltsburg 62 West Shamokin 53, Purchase Line 50...
High school roundup for Jan. 23, 2020: Mohawk’s Karly McCutcheon sets school 3-point record for second straight game
In a span of a few days this week, Mohawk senior Karly McCutcheon left no doubt that she’s one of the top long-range shooters in WPIAL girls basketball. On Thursday night, McCutcheon made a school record nine 3-pointers to lead No. 1 Mohawk (16-1, 10-0) to a 85-36 victory over...
Busy night of WPIAL boys basketball littered with key games on Friday
It has been six years since the Thomas Jefferson boys basketball team finished with a winning record. Barring a collapse, the Jaguars will finish this season with a winning record and possibly a lot more. In 2014, the Jaguars finished 23-4 and reached the district semifinals, where they lost to...
Gateway girls grind out win over Armstrong
Armstrong girls basketball coach Kirk Lorigan joked that he started looking in the stands for James Naismith, because it felt like the cylinder hoops at Gateway’s gymnasium were replaced with peach baskets. Gateway coach Curtis Williams summed up the way the offense went for either team succinctly by saying it...
Last second shot by Mt. Lebanon’s Ashleigh Connor hands No. 1 Bethel Park its first loss
In Mt. Lebanon’s two-point loss to Imhotep Charter on Saturday in the MLK Showcase at Woodland Hills, Blue Devils sophomore Ashleigh Connor hit the front rim on a 3-pointer that would have won the game at the buzzer. After the game, Blue Devils coach Dori Oldaker told Connor it wouldn’t...
Perri Page beats buzzer as Chartiers Valley fends off Thomas Jefferson upset bid
Every possession was bound to matter when Thomas Jefferson and Chartiers Valley met Thursday night. TJ head coach Lisa Fairman and Char Valley coach Tim McConnell were both aware of that. It came down to the final seconds of a Section 1-5A showdown, and the Colts found a way to...
