High School category, Page 734
Riverview’s Fichte finds success with new bowling program
Gwyn Fichte has had quite the year so far in terms of sports success. In October, the Riverview sophomore placed 16th overall in the Class A girls race at the WPIAL cross country championships at Cal (Pa.). The finish also earned Fichte a berth to the state meet in Hershey....
Pitt the ‘best of both worlds’ for North Allegheny’s Timmerson
Jasmine Timmerson noticed her cell phone is a little quieter nowadays without so many calls or texts from college coaches. “I like it that way,” she said with a laugh. Timmerson’s recruiting process had started much earlier than most. The North Allegheny junior was still weeks away from entering high...
North Allegheny notebook: Junior Lucia Wells commits to play soccer at Pitt
One of the WPIAL’s top soccer players made her college decision last week. North Allegheny junior forward Lucia Wells made a verbal commitment to Pitt. “I am so grateful to announce my verbal commitment to play D1 soccer at The University of Pittsburgh!,” she wrote on Twitter. “Thank you to...
Busy weeks ahead for Franklin Regional wrestling
It will be an interesting couple of weeks for the Franklin Regional wrestling team. Fresh off its 32nd-place finishing at the Powerade tournament Dec. 29 and 30 which saw senior Finn Solomon place third and finish 6-1, the Panthers get ready for consecutive Section 1B (3A) matches that will determine...
Hampton senior shows off all-around ability in IM
Hampton swimming coach Morgan Zweygardt quickly spotted something about then-freshman Will Retsch. No matter what stroke the Talbots were working on at early season practices, Retsch went fast. “We realized he really had four solid strokes,” Zweygardt said. “It was very natural. As we are training, you realize, ‘Whoa, he’s...
Former Pitt assistant Marion joins Texas staff, immediately offers WPIAL stars Gallagher and Martin
Brennan Marion has been on the Texas football staff for less than two weeks and he already has tossed a lasso at WPIAL recruiting territory. Marion, a Greensburg Salem alum who coached wide receivers at Pitt this season before taking the same job with the Longhorns, extended scholarship offers to...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 7, 2022
High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Friday’s schedule Class 6A Section 1 North Hills 69, North Allegheny 59 Pine-Richland 61, Seneca Valley 49 Section 2 Mt. Lebanon 60, Baldwin 46 Bethel Park 37, Canon-McMillan 34 Upper St. Clair 54, Peters Township 45 Section 3 Central Catholic 58, Norwin 44 Penn-Trafford 90,...
High school roundup for Jan. 8, 2022: South Allegheny’s Bryce Epps hits milestone
Bryce Epps scored 18 points, hitting the 1,000 mark for his career, to lead No. 5 South Allegheny to a 50-47 victory over Shady Side Academy in Section 3-3A boys basketball Friday night. Dillion Hynes added 14 forr the Gladiators (8-2, 4-0). Eli Teslovich led the Bulldogs (6-3, 2-1) with...
Quaker Valley edges Montour to stay unbeaten, win another section slugfest
It wasn’t pretty at times, but in the end, it was just perfect for Quaker Valley. Senior Markus Frank scored a game-high 24 points, including the tying basket and the winning free throw with 15 second left, as the visiting Quakers remained undefeated with a 47-46 comeback win over previously...
North Hills clamps down on defense, stops North Allegheny in clash of 6A contenders
Alex Smith knew that if North Allegheny shooter Matt McDonough didn’t cool down, he and his North Hills teammates were in trouble. “It seemed like every 3 he was shooting, he was making,” Smith said Friday night. “We know how good he is. I said before the game, if he...
Latrobe steels nerves for section victory vs. Franklin Regional
Landon Butler said he practiced free throws a few hours before game time Friday night. “I made like 25 of 35,” the Latrobe junior guard said. He said he and his teammates sometimes attempt 50 free throws a day in practice. It’s a good thing. The Wildcats needed accuracy from...
Burrell evens record with section victory against Deer Lakes
It took Burrell’s Brandon Coury a full quarter to get rolling. But when he did, the Bucs were on their way to a big victory. Coury poured in 30 points, including 18 in the second quarter, as the Bucs held off Deer Lakes, 53-45, in a Section 1-4A contest. Burrell...
WCCA Tournament notebook: Kapusta cousins following in their dads’ footsteps
The Kapusta brothers, Brian and Jeff, were two-time Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association champions when they wrestled for Greensburg Salem in the late 1980s and early ’90s. They went on to become NCAA Division II All-Americans at North Dakota State. Brian was a three-time champion and four-time All-American. Jeff was a...
Loaded semifinal bracket at 120 pounds takes shape at WCCA wrestling tournament
There were some wrestling fans who worried there wouldn’t be many exciting matches at the 69th annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association tournament this year. But there is no need to worry. Day 2 of the tournament will bring some intriguing matchups, especially in the 120-pound semifinals Saturday at Kiski Area....
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 8, 2022: Competitive spirit squads go for gold
It is only the eighth day of the New Year, but already, the WPIAL will be handing out gold at the first winter championships of the 2022 season. Let me see those spirit fingers! Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of the WPIAL Competitive Spirit championships, once again returning to Hempfield....
Woodland Hills football among WPIAL teams voluntarily playing in higher classification
Football coach Tim Bostard knew folks might be a little surprised to see the PIAA list Woodland Hills as a Class 3A team after years of playing two classifications higher. Those other 3A teams can breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, the PIAA this week released updated enrollment numbers that...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 6, 2022
High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Thursday’s results Class A Section 3 Neighborhood Academy 82, Aquinas Academy 80 Nonsection Freeport 80, Apollo-Ridge 48 Butler 53, Kiski Area 46 City League Allderdice 79, Brashear 44 Southwest Christian Athletic Conference Cornerstone Prep 52, Cheswick Christian 33 Friday’s schedule Class 6A Section 1 North...
High school roundup for Jan. 6, 2022: Bethel Park stuns No. 2 Upper St. Clair
Emma Dziezgowski hit for 20 points to lead Bethel Park to a 52-47 upset victory Thursday night, handing No. 2 Upper St. Clair its first loss of the season in Class 2-6A girls basketball. Becky Gillenberger added 12 points for the Black Hawks (3-6, 2-1), who trailed by 10 points...
Guard Snyder leads way in Latrobe girls basketball team’s win over Franklin Regional
Sophomore guard Elle Snyder knows her role on the Latrobe girls basketball team. “I am a shooter,” Snyder said with stern confidence. She was a pace-setter Thursday night, showing her shooting touch in the Wildcats’ 57-29 victory over visiting Franklin Regional in a Section 4-5A game. Snyder did her damage...
Derry hires Mike Arone as football coach
The Derry school board voted 8-0 on Thursday to hire Mike Arone as its new football coach. He replaces Vince Skillings, who coached the Trojans the past two seasons. Arone, an associate principal at the high school, worked as an assistant coach at Homer-Center from 1998-2020. He is a 1994...
Jeannette rallies around newcomer Thompson
Basketball has been the center of Nasheed “Nas” Thompson’s universe for a long time. From his youth days in his birthplace of Philadelphia, to his time on the high school team at Clearfield in Pennsylvania District 9, to now being a senior at Jeannette, he has grown to love the...
Westmoreland high school boys basketball notebook: GCC disrupted by covid again
The Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball team didn’t play a home game in 2020. Because of covid cancellations and schedule-shuffling, the Centurions had to wait until Jan. 8 last season, after the calendar flipped to 2021, to play on their home floor. Now the team is letting out a collective...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Jan. 7, 2022: Boys basketball unbeatens collide
Once you reach the one-month mark of the WPIAL basketball regular season, the “battle of unbeaten” matchups become rare. However, two Section 2-4A teams who are a combined 13-0 collide on the first “Frayday” of 2022. First place will be up for grabs when Montour (7-0) hosts Quaker Valley (6-0)....
Despite loss in section opener, signs point to strong season for Leechburg boys
Leechburg had hoped to augment its hot 7-0 start with a victory in the Section 3-A opener at Imani Christian on Tuesday. Instead, the Saints used a combination of rebounding and a stingy defense to hand the Blue Devils boys their first loss of the season, 65-44. Leechburg had entered...
Lindeman, Boyd picked for ECNL all-star showcase
A pair of WPIAL girls soccer standouts and Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy players were selected to play in a national showcase. Franklin Regional senior Sydney Lindeman and Pine-Richland junior Ava Boyd made the cut for the Elite Clubs National League Florida National Selection Games, set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Premier...
