High School category, Page 1220
Connellsville football team hopes to continue climb
Winning has not been the way of the Connellsville football program in recent years. The Falcons won seven total games over the past four seasons, not making the WPIAL playoffs since 2014, but third-year coach Marko Thomas believes maturity will bring the team success. “We’ve improved on both sides of...
Offseason development sparks optimism for Franklin RegionalVideo
As Franklin Regional football coach Greg Botta was evaluating his 2019 team in mid-July, his areas of concern were at the quarterback, wide receiver and secondary positions. When football in shorts, as he calls it, ended Aug. 9 and the official start of practice began Aug. 12, those concerns were...
Penn-Trafford has championship aspirations
Penn-Trafford is a program that never seems to take a heavy hit from graduation losses. Sure, there is turnover, and top players move on to college like every other team, but it doesn’t faze the Warriors who — what else is new? — are going to be good again. Player...
Latrobe looks to repeat rare postseason appearance
Standing on the edge of a field at the athletics complex behind Latrobe High School, Wildcats football coach Jason Marucco couldn’t help but wonder what was in store for the upcoming season. So many questions. Will Latrobe repeat a trip to the WPIAL playoffs, where it made a return in...
Sam Sheeder excited to return as Ligonier Valley quarterback
Wally Pipp was the New York Yankees starting first baseman in 1925. As the story goes, he told his manager he had a headache and missed a game. Yankees manager Miller Huggins inserted a little-known slugger named Lou Gehrig, and Pipp never started for the team again. At least Ligonier...
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the offensive linemen
The offensive line is always strong spot for the WPIAL, and it is among the deepest positions again this season. This year’s group of offensive linemen is led by Mars senior Michael Carmody, a two-sport standout who drew Power 5 scholarship offers from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC...
Woodland Hills focused on fast start to season
There’s an old saying among WPIAL coaches when it comes to playing Woodland Hills during the season: You never want to get the Wolverines late, you want them early. Last season, Woodland Hills proved that to be true. The Wolverines had an unflattering start to the season with four straight...
Chartiers Valley eyes improvement in Knause’s 3rd season at helm
This season marks Year 3 of Dan Knause’s tenure as Chartiers Valley’s football coach. Knause is hoping this also marks the season the Colts break through. “When you go into your third year, it’s the first year they’ve had you longer than they had the previous coaching staff,” Knause said....
Bethel Park might be going to no-huddle offense, but toughness remains
There won’t be a fullback in the backfield, the tight end is optional and running backs might play wide receiver, but Bethel Park’s offense isn’t completely new. “To the lay person, it will look a lot different,” first-year coach Brian Delallo said. “It’s no huddle. We’re in more spread sets....
Baldwin strong at skill positions
Their priority is to win, and keep winning. With halfback Angelo Priore and quarterback Mason Stahl in the backfield once again, Baldwin’s quest to secure a playoff berth appears doable. Priore is a 5-foot-10, 220-pound senior and third-year starter. He is all muscle and he has speed, posting a 4.52...
New coach set to lead WPIAL runner-up West Allegheny into ’19 season
There are lots of questions surrounding the West Allegheny football program heading into the 2019 season. Not only will Bob Palko not be leading the Indians for the first time since 1995, but his replacement in waiting, Kim Niedbala, who worked closely with Palko during the 2018 campaign, also is...
Upper St. Clair, Junko start with ‘blank slate’
Upper St. Clair returns only three players who started last season, a seemingly tough spot for a first-year coach. Mike Junko sees things differently. “We’re kind of excited about that,” said Junko, who was promoted to replace coach Jim Render. “In a lot of ways, with these kids it’s a...
Peters Township looks to build on 1st conference title since ’75
Last season was a banner year for Peters Township football. The Indians tied West Allegheny for the Class 5A Allegheny 8 Conference championship, the first conference title for the program since 1975. Peters Township then rode that regular-season success into the postseason with playoff wins over Armstrong (35-7) and Penn-Trafford...
Moon hopes better O-line, quick-strike approach pay dividends
Moon’s offensive philosophy is simple: Get the ball to a player quickly in open space, and let him do all the rest. The Tigers hope their spread offense gets a jolt with the infusion of young speedsters this fall. “We have a bunch of young, skilled wide receivers that are...
Gateway to celebrate 50th anniversary of 1st WPIAL football championship
As the United States was putting a man on the moon in the summer of 1969, the Gateway football program was preparing to hopefully put a Gator on the turf at Pitt Stadium in Oakland. There was optimism heading into the campaign that Gateway would be able to reach the...
High school football teams set to scrimmage Saturday across Western Pa.
With the advent of Week Zero four years ago, many WPIAL and City League football teams now only have one scrimmage before playing a nonconference game at the end of the second week of training camp practice. Here is the scrimmage schedule for Saturday morning around Southwestern Pennsylvania. All games...
Kiski Area continues to grow behind young, dedicated players
Kiski Area coach Sam Albert is no stranger to building a football program. He has done it with success at four schools in Western Pennsylvania. Heading into his third year at Kiski, Albert is starting to see a culture change. “I think each year the kids buy more and more...
Shaler Area looking to build on return to playoffs
Ending a long playoff drought last season allowed the Shaler Area football team to shed its label as perennial also-rans. But the Titans also are focused on making sure their surprise run to the Class 5A playoffs isn’t a case of being one-year wonders. How Shaler can make the transition...
Penn Hills looks to repeat with new cast
Last year, Penn Hills had a magical undefeated season, which ended with the program’s first state title since 1995. The Indians are looking to repeat, but they will need to do it with a new cast. The Indians capped their 16-0 season when they defeated Manheim Central, 36-31, in the...
North Hills football team looks to power its way to playoff run
The North Hills football team’s formula for success is no secret. On offense, the Indians prefer to lean on strong line play to pave the way for a potent rushing attack. On defense, they stymie their opponent’s attempts to do the same. This style of play has led coach Pat...
Mars hopes to lean on Carmody in quest for WPIAL playoff success
Last season was another successful one for Mars. The Planets finished in second place in the Class 5A Northern Conference and posted a 9-2 overall record. The downfall was one too many Hills to climb. They lost to eventual conference, district and state champion Penn Hills in the regular season,...
For experienced, hungry Hampton, the time is now
The last time Hampton made the playoffs, an Andersson was at the helm. This year might be the team’s best chance yet to get back, and coach Jacque DeMatteo hopes having two Anderssons in the backfield will help. Ross Andersson last took a snap in the second round of the...
Fox Chapel’s offseason effort lays groundwork for improvement
Shane Susnak is confident. The senior quarterback feels the pieces are in place for Fox Chapel to take a step forward this season and improve upon last year’s 2-8 overall record and 1-6 mark in the Class 5A Northern Conference. “We lost 27 seniors from my sophomore year, so we...
Armstrong looks to gain experience early on with young roster
It took only two weeks for Frank Fabian to realize he made a mistake after resigning as Armstrong’s coach. Fabian, the only football coach in the River Hawks’ four-year history, will be back in his spot in the coach’s booth this fall for a fifth season, guiding a team he...
WPIAL position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the tight ends
The traditional hand-on-the-ground tight end has disappeared from some offenses around Western Pennsylvania. As high school offenses have evolved, so too has the position. But it’s clear the tight end position isn’t going extinct. In fact, the WPIAL has sent quite a few tight ends to Division I colleges in...
