High School category, Page 946
Penn Hills diving newcomer qualifies for WPIAL meet
Three weeks before the season, freshman Luke Hoolahan decided to pick up diving. Even with his limited experience, the Penn Hills swimming and diving coaching staff started to think early in the season that Hoolahan had an opportunity to qualify for the WPIAL Class AAA Swimming and Diving meet. Hoolahan...
Gateway’s Andrew Holmes posts top WPIAL time in 200 IM
Gateway junior Andrew Holmes earned a WPIAL swimming championship automatic qualifying time in the 200-yard individual medley with a personal-best of 1 minute, 52.04 seconds against North Hills on Feb. 9. That put him at the top of the list in the event, surpassing Seneca Valley junior Daniel Simoes (1:52.25)...
Shaler Area’s Keenan balances basketball, indoor track
Jack Keenan didn’t seek an opportunity to follow in his dad’s footsteps. When the Shaler Area junior hurdler landed on the hurdles as his primary event in middle school track and field, the idea was to try and exceed his dad’s accomplishments. “I started in middle school because my dad...
‘Happy, cheerful and ready to go,’ Pilyih leads Shaler Area bowling
Lexi Pilyih doesn’t dwell on what could have been. The Shaler Area sophomore was a major cog of a Titans’ girls bowling team that made school history by qualifying for the state bowling championships as a team. Days before states were scheduled to commence, the Titans saw their first trip...
South Fayette swimmers maintain focus through constant changes
It has been a challenge for all sports to find any sort of routine or normalcy during this pandemic. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Daily practices have been altered and new ways to train have been created as the season creeps closer to the district championships. The...
Carlynton wrestling program looks forward to individual postseason
The team portion of the WPIAL wrestling season is in the books, with individuals set to take the spotlight. For Carlynton, like several teams these days, it’s all about the numbers — or lack of them. The Cougars have quality, but once again this season, lacked the quantity for success...
Thomas Jefferson swimmers maintain success through pandemic protocols, coaching change
Thomas Jefferson’s first-year coach is a familiar figure to the many members of the swim program. Brian Peters, former assistant to longtime mentor John Penn, has taken over as head coach following Penn’s retirement. “Wow, I have been coaching a long time, but I have never felt more like a...
Baldwin junior dives into 5-sport schedule
Baldwin junior Abbey Herrle doesn’t have time to waste. After all, she’s a five-sport athlete with a 3.6 GPA. “Every time anyone asks about my sports and how I manage five of them, I always tell them that if you love something enough, you’ll always be committed to it,” Herrle...
Quaker Valley wrestling continues upward trend after WPIAL team tournament run
When the Quaker Valley wrestling team faced off with Mt. Pleasant on Jan. 23 at the Hampton Dawg Duals, they came away with a 42-21 loss after only winning four contested matches. So when the Quakers were matched up with the Vikings in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals on Feb....
Quaker Valley girls finding their form as postseason approaches
The Quaker Valley girls basketball team is searching for a WPIAL title this season, and with just four losses on their record, the Quakers seem to be in a good position as the WPIAL’s open tournament quickly approaches later this month. Before the No. 2 Quakers fell to No. 1...
WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan take early look at girls basketball tournament
The WPIAL basketball playoffs will seem bigger than ever this winter since the league intends to hold an open tournament in each of the six classifications. Any team that wants to take part can. The WPIAL took this route because covid-related cancellations made the section standings unbalanced, making it nearly...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 13, 2021
High schools Basketball Boys Saturday’s results WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 Butler 69, North Hills 68 Class 5A Section 4 Plum 48, Armstrong 44 Indiana at Shaler, ppd. Class 4A Section 2 Central Valley 60, Beaver 37 Class 3A Section 3 Steel Valley at Shady Side Academy, ppd. Section 4...
High school roundup for Feb. 13, 2021: OLSH cruises in championship showdown
In a battle of defending WPIAL champions in their respective classes, OLSH opened up a 12-point lead in the first quarter en route to a 73-51 nonsection win over Highlands on Saturday evening. Jake DiMichele had 33 points and Dante Spadafora scored 28 for the Chargers (15-0), the defending Class...
Trib HSSN girls basketball rankings: Feb. 14, 2021
Class 6A Rk. Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 15-0, 1 2. Upper St. Clair, 10-1, 2 3. Bethel Park, 11-2, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 11-3, 4 5. Norwin, 10-2, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk. Team, W-L, Last 1. Trinity, 12-1, 1 2. Chartiers Valley, 14-2, 2 3. Woodland...
Trib HSSN boys basketball rankings: Feb. 14, 2021
Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 11-1, 1 2. Fox Chapel, 12-2, 3 3. Hempfield, 9-3, 4 4. North Allegheny, 12-3, 2 5. Penn-Trafford, 8-5, 5 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Chartiers Valley, 15-1, 2 2. New Castle, 13-2, 1 3. Mars,...
Westmoreland notebook: Belle Vernon boys basketball builds on last season’s success
Think of the pressure. Belle Vernon boys basketball made the WPIAL finals for the first time since 1978 last season and won a PIAA playoff game for the first time since ‘81. This year’s Leopards carried the unenviable burden of following that group into 2020-21, in the shadow of the...
Westmoreland players, teams show support for Norwin’s Ty BilinskyVideo
A lot of local basketball players are wearing the No. 5 these days. Navy blue T-shirts with #TyStrong on the front and a 5 on the back are showing up in gyms across Westmoreland County and beyond as teams show their support for Norwin senior Ty Bilinsky, a basketball player...
Peters Township unveils buzzworthy new gym
After some delays and a few more hurdles than usual that popped up while building a state-of-the-art high school athletic facility during a pandemic, Peters Township unveiled the AHN Arena at the new high school on Friday. The facility was christened with the Indians’ 51-45 victory over rival Canon-McMillan. “The...
Waynesburg defends WPIAL Class AAA wrestling championship
Waynesburg was favored to win its second consecutive WPIAL Class AAA wrestling championship Saturday and did just that. But when Seneca Valley coach Kevin Wildrick held out numerous starters, including two-time PIAA champion Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Waynesburg’s job became a lot easier. No. 1-seeded Waynesburg (13-0) won 12 of 13 matches,...
George Guido: Putting Burrell’s championship streak into perspective
Another season, another WPIAL wrestling title for Burrell. The Bucs brought home their 15th consecutive WPIAL Class AA title Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School. The title streak is the second longest in WPIAL team sports history, behind Bethel Park’s 20-year girls swimming run. Burrell is the record-holder for consecutive boys...
Burrell takes down Burgettstown to capture 15th straight WPIAL Class AA wrestling titleVideo
It didn’t take long for the Burrell wrestling team to let Burgettstown know what was in store for it during the WPIAL Class AA team championship Saturday at Canon-McMillan. No. 1 Burrell (13-1) used a quick start, winning its first six matches, and rolled to a 38-18 victory for its...
Plum’s Montue grateful to reach top of program’s career scoring list
Kennedie Montue had scored 30 or more points three times this season and added a fourth game with 29, so 28 points — what was left for the Plum senior forward to secure the program’s all-time career scoring record — was attainable Friday as the Mustangs battled Section 2-5A rival...
Hampton eager to compete in open WPIAL basketball playoffs
WPIAL Hall of Fame basketball coach Joe Lafko’s 25th season at Hampton has been like no others. After dealing with the consequences of the covid-19 pandemic, the Talbots, playoff qualifiers for 16 consecutive years, ended January with just one win. But because of the unique circumstances surrounding this season, the...
After setting school record, Pine-Richland’s Allen turns focus toward WPIAL success
Delaney Allen was exhausted as she climbed out of the pool after swimming her hardest in the 50-yard freestyle on Jan. 28 against North Allegheny when she started hearing screams of joy coming from her teammates. “I was so tired that when I ran that race that I didn’t even...
4 players from Pine-Richland state title football team accept walk-on offers
Pine-Richland football had four players accept preferred walk-on offers on Feb. 3, and each one has a unique story. Eli Jochem, the Rams’ record-setting wide receiver, is headed to Indiana to play at his mother’s alma mater. Caden Schweiger spent months recovering from injuries sustained in an ATV accident but...
