High School category, Page 1137
Final member of 1939 undefeated Avonmore team Catania dies
The last remaining member of Avonmore High School’s undefeated 1939 football team has died. Charles Catania, a key linebacker who made a number of plays to keep the dream season alive, died Dec. 2 at Beacon Ridge, Indiana (Pa.), six days before his 97th birthday. Avonmore, one of the WPIAL’s...
High school roundup for Dec. 7, 2019: Jake Hoffman carries Mt. Lebanon to tournament title
Jake Hoffman scored 30 points for the second straight game, hit five 3-pointers and won tournament MVP honors as Mt. Lebanon routed Altoona 73-36 in the championship game of the Mt. Lebanon tournament Saturday night. Blaine Gartley added 13 points and Andy Sapp scored 11 for Mt. Lebanon (2-0). K.J....
Springdale boys top Greensburg CC for tournament title
Springdale boys basketball coach Aaron Epps was looking for contributions throughout the lineup Saturday night, and he got it. The Dynamos won their tip-off tournament final over Greensburg Central Catholic, 68-54, at Donald McGhee Fieldhouse. Tournament MVP Demitri Fritch scored 24 and pulled down 12 rebounds, and Ben Myford and...
High school scores for Dec. 7, 2019
High schools Basketball Boys Saturday’s results WPIAL Aquinas Academy tournament Championship Aquinas Academy 84, Neighborhood Academy 65 Consolation First Baptist Christian vs. Cornerstone Prep (n) Baldwin/Peters Township tournament At Baldwin Baldwin 49, Seton LaSalle 48 At Peters Township Central Catholic 57, Plum 45 Thomas Jefferson 53, Peters Township 42 Brentwood...
Highlands boys basketball storms past GatewayVideo
For the second time in as many nights, the Highlands boys basketball team defended its home court in dominating fashion. On Friday, the Golden Rams raced past Armstrong for a 21-point victory. It was more of the same Saturday as Highlands built a 15-point lead early in the second quarter...
Franklin Regional wrestler Dibert ready to defend state titleVideo
Franklin Regional junior Carter Dibert knows winning another PIAA wrestling title won’t be easy, but he’s ready to tackle the challenge. He got off to a good start Saturday at the Eastern Area Wrestling Invitational at Gateway by easily winning the 126-pound weight class. He won the state title at...
Gutsy Greensburg Salem rallies to beat Franklin Regional
Knocked around but never rattled, Greensburg Salem rallied from a scratchy start and evened its record after the first weekend of the boys basketball season. All it took was for Franklin Regional to back it into a corner. “We took two separate roundhouses — two 10-0 runs — but kept...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Hempfield’s Graham gets 3 more Division I offers
Hempfield senior football player Cole Graham added three Division I college opportunities to his suddenly growing list. He announced scholarship offers last week from FCS programs Lehigh, Duquesne and Monmouth. Graham, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound two-way lineman, also has a FBS offer from Connecticut. Graham helped Hempfield rush for 2,039 yards,...
Wyoming Area’s late rally stuns Central Valley in PIAA championship
HERSHEY — Momentum might be a myth to some, but Central Valley believes in it wholeheartedly. “One hundred percent, yes,” senior Reed FitzSimmons said with no hesitation. “You saw it right out there.” Wyoming Area’s offense was stagnant and scoreless for three quarters but scored touchdowns on three consecutive fourth-quarter...
Logan Danielson of Thomas Jefferson wins inaugural Bill Fralic AwardVideo
After a pancake breakfast that paid homage to the man of the hour — the hulking yet gentle man who invented the “pancake block” — the first recipient of the Bill Fralic Memorial Award was announced Saturday morning at Oakmont Country Club. Thomas Jefferson senior Logan Danielson was selected as...
Citrano brothers give Plum wrestling strong foundation
With a roster full of youth, talent and potential, the Plum wrestling team is looking forward to a season in which development and learning experiences are expected. “This season should be one that will be exciting to see growth and to build on the experiences of last year,” coach Mike...
Senior Evan Whiteside, Gateway wrestlers set sights on WPIAL success
Nine wrestlers are on the roster for Gateway coach Ryan Sula, entering his fourth season at the helm. In his 10th season overall at Gateway, Sula is not letting a small roster deter him from having championship hopes for his athletes. A couple of Gators came close to achieving goal...
Gateway boys shooting for turnaround season
Despite a tough season last year, the Gateway boys basketball team’s aspirations for this season are unfettered. Last season, the Gators finished with a 5-17 overall record, 3-9 in WPIAL Section 1-5A. It was the first time the program missed the playoffs in 10 seasons. That does not stop coach...
Thomas Jefferson volleyball team proud of section title, playoff run
Chalk up yet another successful season for the Thomas Jefferson girls volleyball program. In 2019, the Jaguars: • Won their eighth consecutive section championship and 10th in 11 years. • Earned tournament titles at Derry and South Fayette. • Advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA finals for a second year...
Thomas Jefferson notebook: Seniors lead Jaguars on both sides of ball
The Thomas Jefferson football program keeps reloading. There were eight senior starters on offense and seven on defense in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game Nov. 16 at Heinz Field. Shane Stump (QB/S), Dan Deabner (WR/CB), James Martinis (TE/DE), Nathan Werderber (FB/ILB), Logan Danielson (RG/DT) and Mike Huber (LT/DT) started...
Sewickley Academy girls want to continue momentum under new coach
Last season, Sewickley Academy’s girls basketball team reached the PIAA Class A quarterfinals. The Panthers want to top that. This group has two years to achieve it as well. With no seniors on its roster, Sewickley Academy is thrilled to keep its squad together for this season and next. “We’re...
Confidence running high for Quaker Valley girls after strong finish to last season
The maturation process sped up for Quaker Valley’s girls basketball team toward the end of last season. The young Quakers, who did not have a senior on their roster, used a strong surge to qualify for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. They made it to the WPIAL quarterfinals and earned...
Quaker Valley’s Besterman returns to swim team
Thinking about her future, Quaker Valley senior Sophie Besterman returned to the girls swimming team after playing basketball last season. Besterman earned gold and silver medals on the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams at the 2017 WPIAL Class AA championship meet. Both qualified for the PIAA championship. The Quakers...
Penn-Trafford wrestlers hope to restore program’s prestige
A.J. Brentzel knows what the Penn-Trafford wrestling team can be. During his high school career, he was a standout wrestler with the Warriors. As a junior, he helped the team win the WPIAL Class AAA title. The team finished in second place the following year. Entering his first season as...
Deep roster should help keep Fox Chapel swimmers in contention
Last season, the Fox Chapel boys and girls swim teams each posted 9-2 overall and 5-1 Section 3-AAA records, finishing second to Franklin Regional. The girls finished sixth at WPIALs and 15th at PIAAs with the girls 200 medley team taking fourth at WPIALs and 10th at PIAAs. Leia Ross...
Plum swim teams adopt different approaches at start of season
The Plum swimming teams go into the season Dec. 9 at home against Penn-Trafford from opposite directions. The boys field one of their smallest squads, and the girls enjoyed a boost in numbers, Mustangs coach Shawn Haupt said. Among the losses on the boys side was Justin Decheck, who placed...
Norwin swim team welcomes back PIAA qualifier Ethan Tulenko
After sitting out last season to compete for his USA Swimming club, Norwin senior Ethan Tulenko has returned to the Knights. Tulenko, 17, placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle (21.53 seconds) in the 2018 WPIAL Class AAA championship meet. He qualified for the PIAA meet. Norwin coach Doug Watson said...
Phipps, Norwin wrestling ready to take next step
Kurtis Phipps showed his toughness by battling through a foot injury in last year’s PIAA Class AAA championship match. He suffered the injury a day earlier in his semifinal win. Phipps lost a 9-5 decision to Nazareth’s Sean Pierson in the championship match, but he experienced the atmosphere of a...
Franklin Regional wrestlers look to add to program’s Hershey history
Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe had to stop for a moment and count back through the years to figure out how many seasons in a row the Panthers have had a representative in the PIAA wrestling finals. The number he landed on was 11, and the reminiscing allowed for a...
Franklin Regional swim teams eye section championships
The Franklin Regional boys and girls swimming teams expect to be in the hunt for Section 3-AAA titles. “I have high expectations for both teams,” Panthers coach Vic Santoro said. “The guys are returning many strong swimmers, and the girls have a lot of good young (ones).” The boys lost...
