High School category, Page 1188
Late field goal, OT turnover carry Bethel Park to thrilling win over Moon
Homecoming drew a large and boisterous crowd to Bethel Park on Friday night. Senior kicker John Gummo and safety Will Patrizio sent the fans home happy. Gummo made a 23-yard field goal to tie the score with eight seconds left in regulation and Patrizio stripped the ball from a Moon...
No. 3 Central Catholic leans on talented line, Eddy Tillman to defeat No. 1 Pine-RichlandVideo
A’meer Allen noticed a troubling trend in recent years. “Every single team that won the coin toss deferred,” the Central Catholic lineman said. “They wanted our offense to get on the field first because they felt they could stop us.” It’s no secret that Central’s offense has at times been...
Freeport shakes off slow start, pulls away from Yough
For the second week in a row, Freeport rebounded after giving up an 80-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff. Last week, it was Uniontown. On Friday, it was Yough. The Yellowjackets leaned on special teams and their defense to break open a one-touchdown game and defeat Yough, 50-14, at Cougar...
Huss’ run ignites Derry’s comeback victory against Elizabeth Forward
It wasn’t looking good for the Derry football team in the third quarter. The Trojans were down 10 points to No. 3 Elizabeth Forward and needed a spark. Senior running back Justin Huss provided it. Huss ripped off an 80-yard touchdown and added two more scores before the third quarter...
Montour knocks off previously unbeaten Knoch in OTVideo
Knoch hoped to add a victory to Friday night’s homecoming festivities at Knights Stadium, but Gannon Kadlecik and his Montour teammates had other ideas. Kadlecik scored two touchdowns, including a 3-yard run in the first overtime as the Spartans came away with a hard-fought 14-7 Northwest 8 Conference victory. “This...
Unbeaten McGuffey crashes Southmoreland’s party
One of the most anticipated and hyped games in Southmoreland football history came with all the grandeur and set dressing befitting such an event. Hundreds of fans showed up, many of them hours before kickoff. Parking lots filled to capacity. Hundreds of pom poms were handed out at the gate....
Record passing performance lifts Norwin past Butler
Jack Salopek put on a show for his final homecoming in a Norwin uniform. The senior quarterback threw for career highs of 410 yards and six touchdowns on 19-for-23 passing, and the Knights offense scored 35 points after halftime to pull away from Butler, 49-21, in a Class 6A matchup...
Running game leads to big win for Burrell over Deer Lakes
Burrell coach Shawn Liotta is known for his creative offensive mind. On Friday night, Liotta dug into his bag of tricks, but not in an exciting, pass-the-ball-all-over-the-field way. He trusted his offensive linemen and went old school as the Bucs ran the ball 50 times. He leaned on senior running...
Highlands back in Class 4A playoff race after shutting out Ambridge
After a slow start, the emergence of young players has allowed Highlands to crawl back into the Class 4A playoff race. The Golden Rams won their second consecutive game Friday night with a 33-0 victory over Ambridge. Freshman quarterback Chandler Thimons threw for 165 yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore...
All-around effort from Asaad Robinson lifts McKeesport past Latrobe
McKeesport coach Matt Miller could feel it unraveling. Midway through the third quarter, Latrobe cut his team’s lead to a touchdown when Bobby Fetter ran it in from 1 yard out and added the two-point conversion. The very next play, McKeesport fumbled the kickoff, and Latrobe took over at the...
North Allegheny takes care of business vs. Seneca ValleyVideo
North Allegheny coach Art Walker didn’t want to call his No. 2 Tigers’ 40-7 victory over No. 5 Seneca Valley a statement game. Regardless, his team made quite the statement. The Tigers (6-0, 5-0) succeeded in rectifying their playoff loss at the hands of the Raiders last season by thoroughly...
Ball-hawking defense helps Greensburg Central Catholic stuff Springdale
Greensburg Central Catholic forced three turnovers and used a strong mix of rushing and passing to win its third consecutive Eastern Conference game, defeating Springdale, 33-7. The Centurions took the lead for good on their second drive of the game. Zach Kuvinka capped the 53-yard drive with a 6-yard run,...
Ball-hawking secondary leads Monessen to rout of Bentworth
Monessen’s defense compiled six takeaways and the offense rode the arm and legs of quarterback Isaiah Beltram on the way to a 60-3 victory over Bentworth on Friday night in Tri-County South Conference. The Greyhounds (2-4, 2-2) moved to third place in the conference with three conference games left. “Last...
Long drive helps Baldwin secure win against Woodland Hills
The Drive. Baldwin secured its 30-27 conference win Sept. 20 against visiting Woodland Hills thanks in large part to a crucial 18-play, 93-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mason Stahl. It was the most important drive of the season so far for the Highlanders. “I thought...
Gateway volleyball looking to turn growth into wins
With two wins midway through the season, it’s easy to say the Gateway girls volleyball team’s outlook is bleak. The team lost five of its last six games as of Sept. 26, including a three-set loss to Armstrong. “We didn’t have a good performance against Armstrong (last Thursday) and I’m...
TJ athletes give new facilities rave reviews
The Thomas Jefferson football and girls volleyball teams are talent-laden. Each finished as a WPIAL runner-up last season. The eight all-conference players on the 2019 football squad consist of WR/DB Dan Deabner, OL/DL Logan Danielson, TE/LB James Martinis, OL/DL Mike Huber, OL/DL Mac Duda, QB/DB Shane Stump, RB/LB Nathan Werderber...
Brentwood football lays foundation for special season with solid first half
The Brentwood football team is on the cusp. With a 4-1 overall record at midseason, the Spartans were tied for first with defending champion Burgettstown at 3-0 in the Three Rivers Conference. “So far, so good. We’re playing decent,” coach Kevin Kissel said. “We’re coming up on the tough part...
Sewickley Academy golf team building a championship tradition unlike any other
The Sewickley Academy boys golf team has a storied history. Since 1994, the team has won 21 section titles, nine WPIAL Class AA team titles, including six straight since 2013, and two PIAA Class AA titles in 2015 and 2017. In 2015, Jason Li captured the only boys individual title...
Penn-Trafford girls tennis teammates dream of “sweep” in graduating class
Ruby Chen has two part-time jobs, plays two instruments, volunteers at Forbes Hospital, is on the tennis team and still finds time for one of the fullest course loads at Penn-Trafford. With everything packed into each day until a self-set midnight deadline, she ranks No. 1 academically in her senior...
Pine-Richland girls doubles team qualifies for WPIAL tournament
While Pine-Richland’s top girls tennis doubles pairing of Ellie Stokes and Meghan Wilson weren’t able to win in their Section 2-AAA consolation match at North Allegheny last Thursday, the duo clinched a berth in the WPIAL Class AAA doubles championship. For Stokes and Wilson, their qualification for the district doubles...
Pine-Richland boys golfers qualify for WPIAL individual finals
Pine-Richland golfer Donnie Professori is heading back to the WPIAL Class AAA individual final after shooting 73 to win the WPIAL Class AAA qualifier this past Monday at Hannastown Golf Club. Professori will be joined in his third go-around at the championship by teammate Nick Piper, a junior who qualified...
Plum slow-pitch softball searching for 3rd straight league championship
The Plum varsity girls slow-pitch softball team saw its 36-game winning streak snapped Sept. 5 with a 16-2 loss at North Hills. But the two-time defending Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League champions bounced back in a big way three days later with a sweep of Mt. Lebanon by a combined...
Postseason success makes Franklin Regional tennis player eager for more
Franklin Regional junior girls tennis player Hannah Yan already is looking forward to next season after a successful run recently. Yan upset Latrobe’s Jenna Bell, the defending champion, for the Section 1-AAA singles title 6-4, 6-3. Yan went to the WPIAL tournament, where she made it to the quarterfinals. “This...
The Herald Spotlight Athlete: Juliana Bem, Shady Side Academy
Juliana Bem, a senior on the Shady Side Academy cross country team, is one of the veterans on a team that is off to a good start. Juliana is also on the track team. She has begun narrowing her college choices and wants to major in engineering. She has hopes...
Bye week helps Franklin Regional regroup, heal for Gateway game
Much like an NFL schedule, the Franklin Regional football slate includes a bye week. It took place for the Panthers last week and was created when Albert Gallatin dropped out of the WPIAL after last season. “Yes, a bye week in high school football is rare,” FR coach Greg Botta...
