High School category, Page 857
South Fayette baseball coach makes clutch catch
In his days as a baseball player and now as the head coach at South Fayette, Ken Morgan delivered plenty of big hits, clutch plays and some winning lineups. However, nothing compares to the delivery Morgan made April 20. Morgan helped deliver his third child and first daughter into the...
Carlynton girls track having best season in decades
When the 2021 WPIAL track and field regular season ended, there were a lot of familiar schools in first place in their respective sections. Teams that have earned a plaque from the district after earning a spot in the WPIAL team postseason. However, you’ll excuse one local team from not...
Brentwood track and field making ‘huge strides’
The Brentwood track and field athletes, guided by veteran coach Mike Cramer, are a goal-oriented group. “We have been focusing on the positives and the situations that we can control this year,” Cramer said. “The kids have worked their tails off and have made huge strides (pun intended). “All the...
A year after high jumping at home, Beaver’s Emma Pavelek worried another season was doomed
Emma Pavelek had never been to a chiropractor before this past week and was skeptical one could help her painful foot. She’d been diagnosed with a sprain but after five weeks, her injury wasn’t getting any better. So, what did she have to lose? “He felt my foot for one...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 8, 2021
High schools Baseball Saturday’s results Class 6A Section 2 Hempfield 4, Norwin 1 Class 5A Section 4 Bethel Park 13, Thomas Jefferson 2 Connellsville 11, Albert Gallatin 8 Class 3A Section 3 Deer Lakes 2, Ligonier Valley 1 Class 2A Section 2 Neshannock 6, South Side 5 Class A Section...
High school roundup for May 8, 2021: Big wins for Hempfield, Bethel Park
Christian Zilli hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning, sparking Hempfield to a 4-1 victory over Norwin on Saturday, giving the Spartans a share of the Section 2-6A baseball title. Jake Kramer started for Hempfield, allowing one run on five hits in five innings. Zilli pitched...
Shady Side’s Melissa Riggins wins twice at Baldwin Invite despite facing ‘worst wind’
The weather app on Melissa Riggins’ smartphone misled her a little. “For some reason, I never check the wind,” she said with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Oh, 53 degrees, that shouldn’t be that bad.’” It wasn’t good. Yet the talented Shady Side Academy senior fought through steady winds and some...
WPIAL softball rankings | May 8, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Bethel Park, 13-0, 1 2. Norwin, 12-2, 3 3. Mt. Lebanon, 8-4, 4 4. Hempfield, 9-5, 2 5. Canon-McMillan, 7-7, NR Out: Seneca Valley (9-7, 5) Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. West Allegheny, 11-2, 2 2. Penn-Trafford, 11-4, 1 3. North...
WPIAL baseball rankings | May 8, 2021
Class 6A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 15-2, 2 2. Hempfield, 12-6, 5 3. Norwin, 11-3, 1 4. Butler, 11-5, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 9-6, NR Out: Seneca Valley (10-7, 3) Class 5A Rk, Team, W-L, Last 1. Franklin Regional, 13-0, 1 2. Bethel Park, 13-2, 2 3....
George Guido: Leechburg softball streak takes on special meaning
Leechburg High School’s streak of 34 consecutive seasons in the WPIAL softball playoffs is special to anyone involved in that program. But on this Mother’s Day, it’s extra special for Janel Daugherty Cibik. She pitched for the Blue Devils right at the time the streak started in the late 1980s....
All in the families for Greensburg Central Catholic boys, girls track teams
It’s been quite a season for the Greensburg Central Catholic track and field teams. After the coronavirus caused the shutdown of the 2020 spring sports season, the Centurions came back strong in ’21. The boys and girls teams finished the regular season undefeated and won the WPIAL Section 8-AA titles....
Westmoreland high school notebook: YMCA to host summer hoops leagues
A local summer basketball league is taking shape, and it will feature some of the top returning WPIAL girls players and teams. The Greensburg YMCA will host varsity girls and boys leagues beginning June 1. The girls field includes Connellsville, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant and...
Pirone, Treloar form strong 1-2 punch for Franklin Regional rotation
When baseball season began, Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler referenced pitching depth and how it could relate to covid shutdowns for WPIAL teams. He said the staffs with depth probably would negotiate a stoppage best but also could be effective in the new back-to-back section series format. The Panthers (13-0),...
After battle with covid-19, Deer Lakes’ Carson McCoy has his eyes set on WPIAL gold
Two years ago, Deer Lakes track and field coach Justin Mech took his core group of runners to a meet out in Altoona and came away impressed by a youngster who had joined his squad. “I took this skinny little red-headed freshman, and he did awesome,” Mech said about current...
Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes with luncheon
For the second consecutive year the Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame banquet had to be cancelled because of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, but board members wanted to organize an event to honor local athletes for their accomplishments. On Saturday at the Quality Inn in New Kensington, the board hosted a...
Fox Chapel’s Dante DiMatteo throws 2 no-hitters in 5-day span
Not many WPIAL pitchers have been as hot as Fox Chapel’s Dante DiMatteo. In his final starts of April, the hard-throwing right-hander allowed zero hits in 11 innings while striking out 24 batters and walking eight. On April 23, DiMatteo threw a five-inning no-hitter against Section 2-5A opponent Woodland Hills...
Bethel Park softball pleased with strong start but aims to improve
Bethel Park’s softball team was perfect in the first month of the season. The Black Hawks improved to 10-0 with a 10-7 win at home April 27 against South Fayette. It marked the seventh time in 10 games that the Black Hawks scored in double digits. “I think we are...
Bethel Park boys lacrosse chasing section title
Bethel Park’s boys lacrosse team is trying to make up for lost time. “Missing last season has been difficult for our program to handle,” coach Tim Schreiber said. “We had a loaded class of seniors who were ready for a run at the section and WPIAL championship. It was devastating...
Strong pitching, clutch hitting bolsters Bethel Park baseball
Bethel Park’s baseball squad ended the month of April with an exclamation point. The Black Hawks blanked Upper St. Clair, 6-0; Fox Chapel, 5-0; and Connellsville, 13-0, to improve to 6-0 in Section 4-5A and 10-2 overall. The team’s pitching staff posted a boat-load of zeroes and had a 1.72...
Norwin notebook: Turcovski, fellow Knights athletes shine at WCCA meet
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association Track and Field Championships usually are pretty good to Norwin’s athletes. This year’s event, conducted May 1 at Latrobe, was no different. Jordyn Turcovski took home track MVP honors for the girls after winning the 100- and 200-meter dash events with times of 12.87 and...
Norwin baseball finds ways to finish the job
Close games aren’t always a bad thing, especially when you find ways to win them. Highly touted Norwin knows a little something about razor-thin baseball games this season. The Knights, ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and No. 4 in the state in Class 6A, had played in six one-run...
North Allegheny’s Akindele among WPIAL’s top sprinters
When North Allegheny sprinter Lola Akindele broke the 60-second barrier in the 400 meters, she was elated. “That was definitely my biggest (statistical) goal of the season and something I really wanted to see for myself because I was always so close,” she said. “Having done that, it was such...
North Journal notebook: North Allegheny’s Morningstar named Gatorade Player of the Year
North Allegheny senior Paige Morningstar was named the state’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year after leading the Tigers to a fourth consecutive PIAA title last fall. Morningstar is the third North Allegheny player to win the award, joining sister Meg Morningstar (2014-15) and Abby Miller (2018-19). The award was...
Franklin Regional boys tennis makes its mark
The Franklin Regional boys tennis team was seeded No. 1 for the WPIAL Class AAA team tournament. The Panthers opened up the tournament on April 5 at home against Moon and scored a 5-0 victory. Anup Nadesan, Shrey Ramesh and Advait Kulkarni won straight sets matches in singles, and the...
Pirone, Treloar form strong 1-2 punch for Franklin Regional rotation
When baseball season began, Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler referenced pitching depth and how it could relate to covid shutdowns for WPIAL teams. He said the staffs with depth probably would negotiate a stoppage best but also could be effective in the new back-to-back section series format. The Panthers (13-0),...
