Championship teams guide Hampton to top of Class 5A Trib Cup standings
Hampton captured three district championships and one state title this past school year, with three of those four coming during the fall sports season. Consistent success throughout all three seasons, however, was a big part of the Talbots showing plenty of bark in winning the Trib HSSN Cup for Class...
2022 WPIAL Class 5A softball preseason breakdown
Last spring was a celebration as district athletes returned to the diamonds after the 2020 season was canceled because of the covid-19 shutdowns. Softball was a success throughout as the WPIAL crowned four new champions while Laurel and West Greene remained on top in 2A and A. District softball squads...
2022 Big School East-West roster includes nearly 2 dozen WPIAL, City League players
State champions from Aliquippa, Mt. Lebanon and Penn-Trafford were among nearly two dozen WPIAL and City League players announced Thursday as all-stars for the Big School East-West Game this spring. Aliquippa teammates Cyair Clark (WR) and Tyrese Jones (OL), Mt. Lebanon’s Joey Peters (OL) and Owen Halter (DE) and Penn-Trafford’s...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for Feb. 21, 2022: Class 5A, 3A boys playoff matchups on tap
Welcome to Day 2 of Round 1 in the 2022 WPIAL basketball playoffs. One of the highlights of the 2021 WPIAL hoops postseason was the incredible run to a championship by Ellwood City. The Wolverines were the No. 11 seed in the Class 3A playoffs, but won five district playoff...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Feb. 7, 2022: Top girls team has chance to clinch
The final week of section play in WPIAL basketball begins with a full slate of section contests in girls hoops. Last year, Trinity was perfect in Section 2-5A, winning all 12 games and finishing 2½ games in front of second-place Thomas Jefferson. The Hillers can win their second straight outright...
Franklin Regional boys claw past Woodland Hills for Section 3-5A basketball win
The grind makes the victory that much sweeter. That was what Franklin Regional coach Jesse Reed had to say after his team rallied — scratched and clawed was more like it — to finally brush past visiting Woodland Hills, 45-42, on Tuesday night in a Section 3-5A boys basketball game...
Latrobe boys knock off 1st-place Woodland Hills
Latrobe hasn’t had much to celebrate in boys basketball this season. But the Wildcats got to celebrate Friday night when they stunned first-place Woodland Hills, 77-66, in a WPIAL Section 3-5A contest at home. The Wildcats (4-9, 2-5) are in an unfamiliar position in the section, in last place. But...
No. 5 Latrobe girls score season high in points, turn back Woodland Hills
Camille Dominick played three positions Thursday night, working the wings as a small forward before moving to the post as a power forward and then playing some center. The 6-foot junior helped the Wildcats build a commanding lead with her 3-point shooting, then filled in around the rim when senior...
MLK Day basketball showcase moves to Central Pa., still includes 5 WPIAL teams
The MLK Day basketball showcase that recently called Woodland Hills home has shifted about 150 miles east, but this weekend’s event still has some WPIAL teams taking part. Former Woodland Hills athletic director Ron Coursey, now AD at Chambersburg, organized a three-day event at his new school and will welcome...
Kiski Area boys deal Woodland Hills 1st section loss of season
The Kiski Area boys basketball team again used a balanced scoring attack Tuesday and handed Woodland Hills its first section loss of the season, 55-48. The Cavaliers were solid behind the 3-point arc, hitting seven from long range, and the Wolverines misfired on all four 3-point attempts. That was a...
Enrollment changes in WPIAL wrestling makes Class 2A larger
Football and basketball aren’t the only high school sports will see major changes for the next two seasons because of new enrollment figures. Class 3A in WPIAL wrestling is losing seven teams to Class 2A. Heading down are Greensburg Salem, Belle Vernon, Albert Gallatin, Beaver, Hampton, Highlands and Indiana. Waynesburg...
Patience pays off as Woodland Hills outlasts Greensburg Salem
With offense relegated to half-court sets and fouls piling up, the more patient team was going to have the advantage down the stretch. Woodland Hills played like it had that trait in its back pocket and methodically pulled away from upstart Greensburg Salem, which played its first Section 4-5A girls...
Latrobe boys basketball coach Wetzel sees positives despite loss to Woodland Hills
Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel didn’t believe the scoreboard reflected his team’s effort on defense Friday night at Woodland Hills High School. The Wildcats, who conceded an average of 77.7 points entering their Section 3-5A opener, allowed the Wolverines to barely reach the mark in a 77-52 defeat. Woodland Hills, which...
Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball preseason breakdown
Chartiers Valley has won three straight WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball championships, and it looks like contenders will have to again deal with the Colts being favored this season. Five starters return for the Colts, including reigning Pennsylvania’s Class 5A Player of the Year, Aislin Malcolm, a Pitt recruit who...
Big East: Penn-Trafford lands 12 players, coach on all-conference football team
A dozen Penn-Trafford football players earned first-team all-conference honors from a Warriors team that went unbeaten in the Big East and won a WPIAL title Saturday. Their coach, John Ruane, was name the conference’s top coach. The first-team all-conference list included Penn-Trafford running back Cade Yacamelli, who starred in the...
Moon shakes off rust, pushes past Woodland Hills into Class 5A semifinals
The Moon Tigers produced a gritty win Friday night, besting Woodland Hills, 21-13, to clinch a spot in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. The Tigers scored all 21 of their points in the second quarter. Those points proved to be enough for Moon. “I think the bye week affected us,”...
WPIAL football playoff preview: An in-depth look at all 22 games
The simple math tells the story. Twenty-nine WPIAL football teams saw their dreams of a championship end on opening night. Twenty-nine others advanced to join 15 teams that enjoyed a bye week, leaving 44 teams still alive for district gold. The postseason continues Friday with two games on the Road...
WPIAL Class 6A/5A/4A roundup: Laurel Highlands, Armstrong earn 1st postseason victories
Tahji Hooper ran for two touchdowns and caught another as No. 10 Laurel Highlands picked up its first playoff win in school history by defeating No. 7 Beaver, 28-27, in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A football playoffs Friday night. Wyatt Ringer scored on a pair of 1-yard...
Deontae Williams moves chains, leads Woodland Hills to 5A win over Bethel Park
Woodland Hills’ Deontae Williams rarely leaves the field for the Wolverines. So it was fitting that the senior quarterback was able to convert several fourth-down conversions in leading Woodland Hills to a 27-23 win on the road over Bethel Park in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs...
WPIAL Class 5A roundup: Penn Hills tops Kiski Area to share Northeast Conference crown
Julian Dugger threw for 260 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 5 Penn Hills to a 42-22 victory at Kiski Area (6-4, 1-4) in a Class 5A Northeast Conference football game Friday. Raion Strader caught four passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns for Penn Hills (6-3, 4-1). Logan...
WPIAL Class 5A roundup: Woodland Hills beats Latrobe to clinch playoff berth
Jeremiah Ramsey returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as Woodland Hills claimed a playoff spot with a 26-17 victory in its WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference game against Latrobe (3-6, 1-3) on Friday night. Brandon Jones ran for two touchdowns for Woodland Hills...
In the middle of a weird season, Birdie makes Westmoreland County picks
Last week: 12-1 (92.3%) Season: 71-27 (72.4%) It’s time to get weird. Then again, what else is new in this column? The PIAA’s playoff footballs, soccer balls and volleyballs were stuck on a boat somewhere, and there was a chance they wouldn’t get here in time for the postseason. The...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 8
Class 6A Canon-McMillan (4-4, 2-3) at Norwin (2-6, 0-5) 7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium After winning two straight, Canon-McMillan takes a two-game losing streak into Friday after falling to Seneca Valley and North Allegheny in consecutive weeks. Mike Evans threw for 114 yards and a touchdown and Ryan Angott...
WPIAL Class 5A roundup: Birch leads No. 4 Gateway past Woodland Hills
Brad Birch completed 21 of 26 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 4 Gateway to the 40-21 Class 5A Big East Conference win against Woodland Hills (2-6, 1-2) on Friday night. Patrick Body caught six passes for 114 yards and a touchdown for Gateway (5-3, 2-1),...
5 things to watch in Week 7: North Catholic leads WPIAL defenses chasing zeroes
Zero has become North Catholic’s favorite number. That’s because the Trojans have shut out five of their first seven opponents, by far the most shutouts by any defense in the WPIAL this season. Take that dominance a step farther and they’ve held offenses scoreless in 25 of their 28 quarters....