High School category, Page 1213
Upper St. Clair’s Josh Matheny captures 200 breaststroke gold at world championships
Josh Matheny is a world champion. The Upper St. Clair junior placed first in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke Friday at the FINA World Junior (18 and under) Swimming Championships at the Danube Arena in Budapest Hungary. Matheny, 16, swam to a time of 2 minutes, 9.40 seconds and took the...
WPIAL soccer star Jayden Sharpless ruled ineligible after transferring
Jayden Sharpless, one of the WPIAL’s top girls soccer players, was ruled ineligible to play this fall. The sophomore transferred to North Catholic after leading the WPIAL in goals last season and Freedom’s administration flagged her move as potentially motivated by athletics, said WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley. Based on...
High school scores for Aug. 22, 2019
High schools Football Friday’s schedule WPIAL Western Pa. vs. Everyone Showcase At the Wolvarena, Turtle Creek Avalon (Md.) vs. Baldwin, 5 p.m.; York William Penn vs. Central Catholic, 8 p.m. Nonconference Allderdice at Kiski Area, 7 p.m.; Apollo-Ridge at Leechburg, 7 p.m.; Avella at Mapletown, 7 p.m.; Beaver at Brashear,...
WPIAL high school football don’t-miss matchups for Week Zero
Here’s a look at some of the top matchups for Week Zero of high school football in Western Pennsylvania. ••• Class 6A vs. 5A Class 6A No. 5 Mt. Lebanon at Class 5A No. 1 Gateway 7 p.m. Friday, Antimarino Stadium, Monroeville Coaches: Bob Palko, Mt. Lebanon; Don Holl, Gateway...
Penn Hills girls to rely on team effort in quest for postseason berth
Without a superstar on their roster, Penn Hills girls soccer coach Ashley DeVito will need a team effort to make the WPIAL playoffs this season. Last season, the Indians (3-14, 2-10) missed the WPIAL playoffs after qualifying the previous two seasons. Penn Hills earned two wins over Latrobe and a...
Penn Hills boys soccer aims to continue improving
After going winless two seasons ago, the Penn Hills boys soccer team finished with two wins last year. The Indians are looking to become tougher competition for their opponents this season. Last season, the Indians (2-16, 1-13) scored wins against Carrick and Woodland Hills. Penn Hills defeated Carrick, 2-1, in...
North Allegheny boys soccer sets goal: Section championship
Losing players to graduation is something North Allegheny boys soccer coach Bobby Vosmaer has to deal with annually. What makes things easier is the depth the program consistently produces. While North Allegheny lost starting goalkeeper Devon Angermeier from last season, the Tigers have three potential replacements Vosmaer believe can help...
Large, experienced senior class hopes to continue Hampton girls soccer success
Coming off its best season since 2007, the Hampton girls soccer team has enough experience for an encore. But the stage needs set, and a few major props need replacing. The team returns 12 seniors, with most seeing significant playing time on a team that reached the PIAA Class AAA...
Middle school program pays dividends for Hampton boys soccer
Hampton boys soccer only returns three starters from last year’s team. Before coach Matt McAwley helped establish a middle school program, it could have signaled a rebuilding year. But the sign of a great program is one that maintains success year after year. After making the playoffs three years in...
Defense comes 1st for Shaler girls soccer team
Craig Wilkins doesn’t want to see the Shaler Area girls soccer team dragged into high-scoring affairs. Trying to match the scoring output of the stalwarts of Section 1-4A would leave the Titans in deep waters. What the second-year Shaler coach would like to see is a team more focused on...
Shaler boys soccer won’t be cowed by tough section
Shaler Area boys soccer coach Adam Hunter is hopeful the Titans are better prepared for the degree of difficulty in Section 1-AAA than at this time last year. When the WPIAL realigned conferences, three talented, competitive programs were added, and the result was a tough season for Shaler (2-15, 1-13)....
Carlynton, Canevin, Chartiers Valley volleyball teams seek return to playoffs
One is coming off a WPIAL title. Two others are pursuing a championship after seasons in which they qualified for the playoffs. A look at the three area girls volleyball teams: Bishop Canevin The Crusaders captured their fourth WPIAL Class A title — and second in a row — in...
Canevin, Chartiers Valley, Carlynton girls soccer teams look to stay on track for playoffs
The 2018 season brought mixed results for the three area girls soccer teams. Only one, Bishop Canevin, qualified for the playoffs. Carlynton narrowly missed, and Chartiers Valley struggled in a tough section. Each enters this season with playoff aspirations. A brief look at the three teams: Bishop Canevin After losing...
WPIAL high school football players to watch for Week Zero
Here are four WPIAL football players to watch for during Week Zero: Josh Casilli Peters Township, Sr., WR/DB Casilli (6-0, 180) returns as a playmaker for the Indians, who won the first conference title in 43 years last season. Casilli had 50 catches for 880 yards and 11 touchdowns. The...
WPIAL rules 2 transfers eligible for football, delays decision on another
The WPIAL ruled Woodland Hills transfer E’Shawn Carter eligible Thursday, clearing the junior to play football and basketball this school year for the Wolverines. The board approved Carter for regular-season play, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said. However, Carter remains ineligible for the postseason under a PIAA rule enacted last...
Week Zero sparks debate among newlywed Chick’s Picks, husband
Welcome to Week Zero. Chick’s Picks had a busy summer, to say the least. One lovely weekend in June, she and Mr. Picks finally tied the knot. It was a summer of marital bliss. That is, until the high school football season was approaching. Though Mr. Picks has been around...
5 things to watch in high school football for Week Zero
Scrimmage or schedule a game? When WPIAL football teams first were given that choice four years ago, the response was split down the middle. There were 61 teams that scrimmaged and 61 that played a Week Zero game. Now, their choice appears clear. Ninety-eight of the 119 WPIAL teams have...
Highlands boys soccer set to contend for postseason berth under 1st-year coach
The Highlands boys soccer team qualified for the WPIAL playoffs four straight seasons from 2001-04. The Golden Rams haven’t reached the postseason since. They missed out by one game in the Section 1-3A standings both last year and in 2017. They were edged by Indiana both times. But with nine...
Latrobe girls soccer team ready for next step
After making incremental progress last fall and finishing with two wins in challenging Section 3-4A, the Latrobe girls soccer team is looking to take another step forward this season. The Wildcats return nearly their entire roster, and coach Jamie Morrison said she is encouraged by the preseason. “The chemistry that...
Pytlak grows into 2-way talent for Yough football
Russell Pytlak has been a work-in-progress type of player for coach Scott Wood and his staff at Yough. Not that he needed much grooming. Pytlak’s talents were evident at an early age. If and when he caught up to his body, he’d be a handful for opponents. A player brimming...
Highlands girls soccer hungry after last year’s playoff near-miss
Two points. That’s all that separated the Highlands girls soccer team from a spot in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs last season. But the Golden Rams hope to change their fortunes this season and return to the postseason for the first time since 2016. “We have the desire to win....
Ross takes on leadership role for young Valley team
Leadership is a quality every coach looks for in his players. They look for players who can step up when the game is on the line or someone who leads with his voice and actions, a player who holds teammates to higher standards. Valley’s Vaun Ross is ready to step...
Penn-Trafford’s Sherwin to play baseball at Bucknell
Anthony Sherwin tried to find a reason to choose a different college. He looked for faults in his leading pursuer. But he kept circling back to more positives. Bucknell was the place to continue his baseball career. “I chose Bucknell because I thought it was the best fit for me,”...
WPIAL football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the new coaches
The South Hills has some new faces this fall. Gone from the sidelines are two longtime coaches, Upper St. Clair’s Jim Render and Bethel Park’s Jeff Metheny. Both resigned this past winter, along with Mt. Lebanon’s Mike Melnyk, who led the Blue Devils for seven seasons. Taking their place are...
McKeesport football team returns plenty for triple-option offense
Matt Miller isn’t one to predict conference title wins or WPIAL championship triumphs. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t hold his team to a high standard, though. Like always, McKeesport’s fourth-year football coach expects success out of a team coming off a season in which it went 9-3 overall and 5-2...
