High School category, Page 819
Well-rounded roster has Rochester back on track
Gene Matsook did not waste much time righting the Rochester ship. And now the final destination is much more in focus. Matsook, Rochester’s 22nd-year coach, led the Rams to a bounce-back season in 2020, going 7-2 and reaching the WPIAL Class A semifinals a year after winning just three games....
Defensive tune-up could get OLSH back in title mix
Very few coaches in the WPIAL have turned around their program like Dan Bradley has at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. But now Bradley, the sixth-year coach of the Chargers, will look to bounce his team back from an up-and-down 2020. It is not as if OLSH was bad....
Northgate’s seniors look to end streak
When Northgate ran the final play of its 2020 season, coach Mike Fulmore looked at his sideline and had to be in near disbelief of what he saw. There were no remaining players available, just the 11 on the field. Poor numbers, followed by injuries, had decimated the Flames. That...
Changes taking hold under 2nd-year coach at Fort Cherry
Tanner Garry enjoyed the offseason. It almost felt normal. After enduring a rocky, covid-impacted first season as head coach at his alma mater in 2020, Garry led Fort Cherry through a full offseason program. Now, he’s excited to see the results. “Even though it’s my second year as a head...
Burgettstown looks to rebound from down season behind 1st-year coach
In searching for a new football coach for the first time in six years, Burgettstown went right next door with the hiring of Greg Marshall. Marshall was an assistant coach at West Allegheny, where he had also played quarterback until his graduation in 2005. Now he takes over for Mark...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 25, 2021
WPIAL Wednesday’s results Golf Boys Class 2A Section 2 Derry 208, Greensburg Central Catholic 225 Medalists: Hunter Jurica, Antonio Hauser (D) 38, Wade Boyle (GCC) 38 Nonsection Butler 208, Knoch 231 Medalists: Parker Worsley (B) 39, Cory Voltz (K) 42 Ringgold 219, Bentworth 275 Medalist: Nathan Coski (B) 46 Valley...
2021 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the safeties
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here’s a look at the top safeties for the 2021 season. 1. Ta’Mere Robinson Brashear Junior, 6-3, 220 Robinson may project as an edge rusher in college, but his athleticism makes him a difference-maker...
Versatile senior brings big-play threat to Springdale offense
Last year, Logan Dexter and Dmitri Fritch led the Springdale receiving corps with a combined 53 catches for 841 yards and 10 touchdowns. Not to be forgotten in the passing game mix, John Utiss made his opportunities count. The wideout/running back hybrid in the Dynamos offense hauled in 10 passes...
Dual-threat quarterback gives Southmoreland offense an edge
Spiders and stink bugs make Anthony Govern cower. A snarling middle linebacker with a score to settle? Not so much. The senior quarterback plays with an edge, but he has a soft side, too. “People say I’m a big baby,” he said. “I’m a big teddy bear.” Fair enough. But...
Father vs. son twist adds spice to Greensburg Salem-Hempfield rivalry
Over the 56 years of the Greensburg Salem-Hempfield football rivalry, the game has featured battles between cousins, friends and even a coach going against his son. That was when Greensburg Salem coach Jim Jones went against his son Adam, who was Hempfield’s quarterback. This year’s version features a son coaching...
The Birdie cashing in on his Westmoreland County pigskin picking reputation
Name. Image. Likeness. They all appeal to the Birdie, in case you haven’t noticed. So does cash money, and the area’s high school football expert wants to be paid. “If the colleges can do it, so can I,” Birdie said, pulling on his new hoodie that bears a personalized logo...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for Week Zero 2021
Nonconference Albert Gallatin vs. Yough 7 p.m. Friday, Cougar Mountain, Herminie Albert Gallatin begins its third season as an independent. The Colonials are 10-4, including a 5-1 mark in 2020, after enduring 35 consecutive losing seasons in the WPIAL. Albert Gallatin runs a triple-option offense led by senior fullback Shawn...
The Birdie can’t always get what he wants as A-K Valley football kicks off
The Birdie was pecking at his plate from the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday, waiting for a friend to meet him for lunch the other day, when he realized it was way too early in the season to be dealing with a case of writer’s block. “I’m about to have...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for Week Zero 2021
Nonconference Burrell vs. Mt. Pleasant 7 p.m. Friday, Mt. Pleasant Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant Burrell looks to be a running team as it prepares to replace quarterback Alex Arledge, who threw for 3,619 yards in his career. Burrell has four players vying for the quarterback spot. The Bucs threw little...
A-K Valley football players to watch for Week Zero 2021
Derek Burk Deer Lakes, So., QB/DB Burk and the Lancers took their lumps in 2020 with a winless record. But things are looking up for the team, and Burk expects to help lead the charge. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound quarterback and defensive back threw for 537 yards and three scores in...
Former foes from Armstrong, Freeport set to renew rivalry in Week Zero
Freeport and Armstrong might be meeting for the first time, but it’s not like the players, coaches and fans are strangers. Armstrong coach Frank Fabian played against the Yellowjackets as a quarterback for Ford City and coached against the team while at Kittanning. “It always makes for an interesting matchup...
Bishop Canevin continues to build winning atmosphere
In 2019, Bishop Canevin finished 1-9 and had to forfeit a game because of a lack of healthy players. In his first season as head coach at Bishop Canevin last year, Richard Johnson led the turnaround that resulted in a big roster and a winning season. “We were able to...
Springdale hoping to build on back-to-back winning seasons
Springdale is coming off its second straight winning season after just two victories in 2018. The Dynamos navigated the covid waters and all of the imposed restrictions and schedule changes to finish 5-3 overall and 5-2 in Eastern Conference play. It gave perennial power Jeannette all it could handle before...
Riverview ready to rebound after winless campaign
The Riverview football team took its lumps last season as it navigated its way through a WPIAL-wide truncated season with restrictions and schedule changes brought on by the covid pandemic. The Raiders went 0-8 overall and 0-7 in the Eastern Conference. But second-year coach Trevor George said things are looking...
Leechburg knocking on door of elusive winning season
Leechburg came oh so close to its first winning football season since 1991, holding a 27-0 lead over Imani Christian in the season finale. But the Blue Devils couldn’t finish it out, suffering a 28-27 setback to go 3-4 in the truncated 2020 season, 3-3 in the Eastern Conference. Despite...
Just 1 starter returns for defending WPIAL champion Jeannette
Roy Hall is not sure how this season — his last with the Jayhawks — will play out, but he knows what the main goal is for his football team. “Survival,” he said. “We want to keep our kids healthy and do everything we can to get through the season....
Imani Christian to play ‘gladiator football’ in bid to return to playoffs
Imani Christian coach Cliff Simon knows numbers in his program are unlikely to ever be high. The Saints will have between 16 to 20 players when they play Monessen on Sept. 3 to open the season. That’s why Simon has used the term gladiator football since he took over before...
Clairton reloads behind imposing offensive line
It’s a hot July afternoon and Clairton just finished its final 7-on-7 competition of the summer. Next stop: McDonald’s. The players order their value meals, and the coach gets ready to pay. “That’ll be $76.81,” the cashier says. Coach Wayne Wade steps up and handles the transaction. “It would be...
With new coach in place, Greensburg CC to rely on strong defense, deep skill group
It could take some time for Greensburg Central Catholic to find its identity early in the football season. New coach Marko Thomas said the Centurions are ready to try a number of offensive sets until they find one that continually produces results. “I brought in some things from Connellsville, and...
Westmoreland County football players to watch for Week Zero 2021
Nick Beitel Ligonier Valley, Sr., RB/DB The 5-foot-8, 185-pound speedster rushed for 642 yards, second on the team, and three touchdowns last year. He also caught a team-high 14 passes for 147 yards. He’s a four-year starter as a defensive back. He also is an outstanding baseball player. Gavin Roebuck...
