High School category, Page 982
Boys basketball preview: Belle Vernon could thrive again in underdog role
It seems anyone discussing coach Joe Salvino’s long and successful high school basketball career can’t help but refer to all those victories achieved by the 69-year-old Mon Valley staple. Salvino’s combined record in 36 seasons at neighboring schools Monessen and Belle Vernon stands at 667-279. But it’s his latest loss...
Girls basketball preview: Former Belle Vernon star takes reins of exciting young team
Talk about respect. Belle Vernon has yet to play a game under new girls basketball coach Kaitlyn Slagus, but her players already have heard a great deal about her. A former Belle Vernon star, Slagus is learning quickly about her players, too. “Some of us were walking out of the...
Trib HSSN Team of the Week: Thomas Jefferson
Talk about a 180-degree swing. A week after playing in an instant classic, a nail-biting overtime victory over Aliquippa in the WPIAL 4A championship game, Thomas Jefferson earned a berth in the PIAA title game with the total domination of Oil City in the state semifinals. “I wasn’t sure what...
Boys basketball preview: After breakthrough season, Apollo-Ridge steps up in class
The Apollo-Ridge boys basketball team is moving on up. After a successful 2019-20 season that saw the Vikings earn a trip to the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs, an experienced roster will test its mettle in Class 3A this winter. Coach Greg Fox said the new section, with the likes of...
PIAA puts football ticket sales on hold after governor tightens gathering limits
Ticket sales are on hold for the PIAA football championships after Gov. Tom Wolf announced new limits on gathering sizes. PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said tickets were unavailable until Tuesday while the PIAA determines how many spectators are allowed this weekend at Hersheypark Stadium. According to the governor’s outdoor...
Girls basketball preview: Longtime coach returns to guide talented Apollo-Ridge roster
Ray Bartha is back on the bench for the Apollo-Ridge varsity girls basketball team. His first tenure, which ended in 2010, lasted 34 years and included 536 wins, 11 section championships, 23 appearances in the WPIAL playoffs and a WPIAL Class AA title in 1991. Now, Bartha is leading a...
PIHL standings through Nov. 22, 2020
Here are the latest PIHL high school hockey standings through Sunday, Nov. 22. Team – Wins – Losses – Overtime/Shootout Loss = Total Points Class AAA Seneca Valley, 2-0-0 = 4 Mt. Lebanon, 2-1-0 = 4 North Allegheny, 2-1-0 = 4 Peters Township, 2-1-0 = 4 Bethel Park, 2-2-0 =...
Trib HSSN Player of the Week: Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland
All season, Pine-Richland jumped on teams early and took control of football games in the first quarter on its way to a perfect regular season and another WPIAL championship. However, the Rams were a champion on the ropes early in both halves Saturday and need a comeback to win. Thanks...
This week’s broadcasts on Trib HSSN
A wild and unique fall sports season comes to an end with the high school football state championships this week only on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Help celebrate your holiday weekend with a four-course meal of WPIAL champions in Hershey playing for state gold. We will have coverage...
Jeannette, state-final opponent Steelton-Highspire have rich histories
How did you spend your Saturday afternoon? Jeannette football coach Roy Hall spent it watching his team’s next opponent on video stream. His tone was a lot better than it was less than 24 hours earlier after his team’s 48-12 win against Reynolds in the PIAA Class A semifinals. Jeannette...
PIHL juggling schedule amid covid restrictions
When the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League began its season earlier this month, league officials prepared themselves for several possible scenarios. With covid safety protocols in place sent down from the governor’s office, area school districts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, play began with the knowledge that covid...
Moe Rosensteel award goes to North Allegheny star Sarah SchupanskyVideo
After leading North Allegheny to back-to-back WPIAL championships and a PIAA runner-up finish, senior forward Sarah Schupansky claimed a unique postseason honor Sunday. Schupansky, a Pitt recruit, is the 2020 recipient of the Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year Award, which recognizes the most outstanding girls soccer player in the...
H.S. notebook: Belle Vernon freshman Quinton Martin receives offer from Pitt
Major Division I college football schools are expected to take interest in Belle Vernon freshman Quinton Martin over the next few years. Pitt is the first in line. The Panthers offered Martin, a 6-foot-3, 180-pounder who played running back, receiver and defensive back for the Leopards this season. Belle Vernon...
Chartiers Valley makes giant leap forward with return to playoffs
While moving down in classifications after four years of struggles in Class 5A to Class 4A this fall, it was one small step for the Chartiers Valley football. However, the season itself was one giant leap for the Colts program. “Overall, we made strides as a program,” Chartiers Valley coach...
Quaker Valley boys soccer using shortened season as motivation for next year
This season didn’t end the way the Quaker Valley boys soccer team wanted it to. After winning WPIAL and PIAA titles last season, the Quakers were motivated to repeat this season. After a solid regular season, where they went 11-1-1 and outscored opponents 114-8, they were ready to head into...
Penn-Trafford field hockey gaining ground on PIAA competition
Since Cindy Dutt took over the Penn-Trafford field hockey program, the gap between her team and teams in Eastern Pennsylvania has shrunk. But the Warriors, who claimed their fifth consecutive WPIAL Class AA title this season, are searching still for that elusive first win in the PIAA playoffs. “When we...
Senior captain sets tone for Shaler hockey turnaround
Tre Junker was surprised when Shaler hockey coach Cory Sakolsky handed him a playbook. Junker, a senior forward for the Titans, has been playing hockey since he was 5. Before Shaler started its new era, Junker had questions. “I wasn’t trusting it at first,” Junker said. “It was new to...
‘Everything was strange’ for South Fayette football this season
Since coming to South Fayette in 2007, coach Joe Rossi has turned the Lions into a perennial power. It’s a program that has won four WPIAL and two PIAA championships in those 14 years. However, something strange happened to South Fayette this fall. Its season ended before the calendar changed...
Second straight WPIAL title continues long run of winning football for Thomas Jefferson
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Thomas Jefferson won its ninth WPIAL football title under coach Bill Cherpak, and 10th all-time, when the Jaguars edged Aliquippa, 35-28, in overtime Nov. 14 at North Allegheny. Cherpak captured his first WPIAL crown in 2004 at age 36. Longtime...
Senior defensive backs brought physicality to Baldwin football
Two undeniable stalwarts on the Baldwin football team this season were senior standouts Connor Lavelle and C.J. Robbins. Both were four-year starters and team leaders for the Fighting Highlanders, who ended up 2-3. Lavelle, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver/defensive back, ranked among the WPIAL’s leading receivers. A Lehigh recruit, he...
Senior class leads Sewickley Academy boys soccer to another strong season
The Sewickley Academy boys soccer team was on the brink of a berth into the WPIAL Class A championship for the first time since winning it all in 2016. The Panthers ran into No. 2 seed Winchester Thurston in the WPIAL Class A semifinals and took the defending PIAA Class...
Shaler swimmers to revamp training for unique season
Planning improvements for the Shaler Area swimming program will need to be a dynamic plan for first-year coach Abi May. WPIAL officials still have many decisions to make on where the championships will be held, how many athletes will qualify and what the qualifying times need to be. All of...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Nov. 21, 2020
Field hockey PIAA playoffs Championship Saturday’s results Class 3A Emmaus 4, Central Dauphin 0 Class 2A Palmyra 2, Archbishop Carroll 1 (OT) Class A Wyoming Seminary 3, Greenwood 0 Football PIAA playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Saturday’s results Central York 37, McDowell 21 St. Joseph’s Prep 51, Souderton 43 Championship Saturday,...
Seneca Valley boys soccer wins state championship on Zack LaValle OT goal
HERSHEY — The test was difficult and tested them physically and emotionally. But at evening’s end the Seneca Valley Raiders achieved their goal. Zach LaValle scored 36 seconds into the second overtime to give the Raiders a 2-1 win over Neshaminy on Saturday night in the PIAA Class 4A boys...
North Allegheny volleyball wins 4th straight PIAA title with dominant performance
SILVER SPRING TOWNSHIP — In their quest for a fourth consecutive PIAA Class 4A volleyball championship, the North Allegheny Tigers faced a formidable foe with very similar size in Unionville, the District 1 champion. North Allegheny’s size and experience took over and the Tigers completed the four-peat by sweeping Unionville...
