Chris Harlan stories, Page 33
District 10 grants Farrell’s release request, moving school closer to WPIAL return
The District 10 committee has granted Farrell’s request to leave that PIAA district, moving the Mercer County school one step closer to rejoining the WPIAL. However, Farrell has more steps to climb. Farrell needs permission from the WPIAL and PIAA to complete the transfer. WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said...
PIAA football championship notebook: Despite criticism, St. Joseph’s Prep coach proud of powerhouse team’s achievements
St. Joseph’s Prep football has dominated the state’s largest classification for over a decade, and the Philadelphia team’s coach isn’t about to apologize for the school’s success. The Hawks won their eighth title in 11 years on Saturday by defeating WPIAL champion North Allegheny, 45-23, in a Class 6A final...
North Allegheny loses to defending champ St. Joseph’s Prep in mercy rule state final
MECHANICSBURG — In the 11 years since North Allegheny last reached the PIAA finals, the landscape in the state’s largest classification has shifted to the east. More often than not, the state title has belonged to Philadelphia Catholic League power St. Joseph’s Prep, and not even the largest school in...
North Allegheny embraces ‘who we are’ entering state championship clash with St. Joseph’s Prep
The team North Allegheny thought most about this week, the roster of players the Tigers maybe focused on more than any other, was North Allegheny. Yes, they studied film and game planned extensively to face St. Joseph’s Prep in the state finals Saturday in Mechanicsburg. But North Allegheny coach Art...
Southern Columbia’s 99-yard drive dashes Westinghouse’s state championship hopes
MECHANICSBURG — It was heartache again for the ‘House. Southern Columbia marched 99 yards late in the fourth quarter and scored a winning touchdown with 42 seconds left Friday to dash Westinghouse’s hopes of winning a state championship for the second year in a row. Carter Madden finished off Southern...
Imhotep Charter too much for Peters Township in Class 5A state championship game
MECHANICSBURG — Peters Township’s defense had to tackle a running back headed to Georgia, a sophomore back with SEC offers and a freshman wideout already courted by Pitt and Penn State. Yet, it was the quarterback committed to Army who scored three times in the first half Friday night as...
Aliquippa dominates Dallas to become school’s 1st undefeated state championship team
MECHANICSBURG — Not Ty Law. Not Darrelle Revis. None of the all-time greats in Aliquippa history had ever celebrated an undefeated state championship. That perfect ending had eluded the Quips five times before, including just a year ago here at Cumberland Valley. But this season turned out flawless. Tikey Hayes...
PIAA will let Woodland Hills, Charleroi fix enrollment mistakes, avoid promotion to higher classifications
The PIAA will let Woodland Hills and Charleroi fix mistakes the schools made when submitting their enrollments, errors that would’ve forced their teams into higher classifications. The board voted Wednesday to approve the requests from the two WPIAL members along with two schools from other PIAA districts that also made...
Not concerned with any curse, bad luck or superstitions, Aliquippa aims to cap undefeated season with PIAA title
Aliquippa has an imperfect history in the state football finals that’s hard to explain. Every time the Quips have gotten to the championship game with an undefeated record, they’ve lost. Every time they’ve gotten there with at least one loss on their record, they’ve won. And, well, this year’s team...
Imani Christian basketball moving to 6A in 2024, football also playing up
Imani Christian is one of the smallest schools in WPIAL basketball, but the Saints want to compete with the big boys. After winning WPIAL and PIAA Class A titles last winter, Imani Christian has decided to voluntarily move up to 6A for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. The PIAA on...
North Allegheny ends 11-year wait, moves on to state finals vs. powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep
ALTOONA — North Allegheny is headed to the PIAA finals for the first time since 2012, and waiting for the Tigers will be a team that’s dominated the state for the past decade. But that’s a concern for another day. North Allegheny had no worries Saturday after a strong defensive...
Aliquippa secures 3rd straight state finals appearance with win over Selinsgrove
EBENSBURG — There was some fourth-quarter suspense for Aliquippa as the final minutes ticked away in the state semifinal Friday night. It was felt whenever the stadium’s PA announcer gave updates on the other semifinal 3½ hours away. The Quips’ only question at that point was who’d be waiting for...
Unheralded QB runs his family’s business — Aliquippa’s offense — with championship efficiency
In a jubilant locker room where the players were even louder than the cranked-up music, Aliquippa quarterback Quentin Goode paused to think about the WPIAL football title he’d just won and why it felt different than his first two. There were countless answers he could’ve given Friday at Acrisure Stadium....
PIAA releases updated enrollments, classifications for 2024-25, 2025-26 seasons
The PIAA has released updated enrollment numbers for all sports, giving high school teams their first look at classifications for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. The numbers were posted online Tuesday. The PIAA realigns teams into new classifications every two years by evenly dividing them into two, three, four or...
Potential enrollment error has Woodland Hills moving to WPIAL 6A football
Woodland Hills may have misreported its enrollment numbers to the PIAA, causing its sports teams to jump into higher classifications starting next year. The school reported 638 boys and 619 girls, according to updated enrollment numbers released Tuesday by the PIAA, but Wolverines football coach Brian Tarrant said those figures...
20 times tough: Aliquippa handles McKeesport to add to record total of WPIAL championshipsVideo
Cameron Lindsey could sum up Aliquippa’s night in just a few words: “Three for three.” Three touchdowns for him. Three straight titles for the Quips. “A game like this, in a big moment right here, it’s just amazing,” said the senior, who scored three times on his future college field...
In 16th straight WPIAL title game appearance, Aliquippa to meet worthy adversary in McKeesport
As a first-year coach, Matt Miller led McKeesport to the 2016 WPIAL finals, a rapid ascent that maybe skewed his perception of the playoffs. “I thought it was easy,” Miller said with a laugh. “Young and dumb, right?” After a few heartbreaking near misses in the past seven years, Miller...
No guarantee WPIAL welcomes back Farrell, if District 10 approves school’s transfer
Farrell wants to come back to the WPIAL after almost two decades in District 10, but a potential homecoming for the Steelers is no guarantee. First, Farrell needs approval from the District 10 committee, which denied a similar request to leave eight years ago. Even if District 10 agrees this...
WPIAL continues investigation of racial slurs in Mohawk-Burrell football game
The WPIAL investigation is ongoing into allegations that racial slurs were used in a Burrell-Mohawk football game. Members of the WPIAL Equity Council for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Competency continued to review information after meeting last week with representatives from the two schools, WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said Monday....
With 6 TDs, North Allegheny QB Logan Kushner shines brightest in WPIAL title win over Central Catholic
“Best player on the field” was how North Allegheny coach Art Walker described his quarterback Logan Kushner. Sure, there were bigger guys out there. He’s not headed to a Big Ten school. Division I colleges aren’t really recruiting him. But on a field dotted with major-college talents, Kushner passed for...
Aliquippa headed ‘home’ to WPIAL finals, extending championship game streak to 16 years
Whether the stadium on the North Shore is called Heinz Field or Acrisure Stadium doesn’t much matter to Aliquippa’s football players, since they have their own nickname for it. “Home” is what they like to say. Tikey Hayes called it home. Arison Walker called it home. That’s because for the...
Offense steps to forefront when Central Catholic, North Allegheny meet again for Class 6A title
The traditional style of a Central Catholic vs. North Allegheny game was always defined by the defenses. Just a year ago, they combined for a 7-3 score in a field-position battle. But that’s not necessarily the case anymore, since both offenses now rank among the highest scoring in the WPIAL....
Peters Township eyes 1st WPIAL title, but defending champion Pine-Richland stands in the way
This was just another week of practice for Peters Township’s football team, exactly like any of the others the Indians had this season. At least that was the idea. It’s hard to do in the days leading up to a WPIAL championship game, but coach T.J. Plack tried his best....
5 things to watch: WPIAL playoff weekend split between finals, semifinals
Pine-Richland will eat breakfast together a few hours before kickoff, part of a pregame routine Saturday that differs from most weeks. That’s because the WPIAL scheduled them with a noon kickoff, which Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne admits is a little unusual for his team. But rather than fret about the...
4 WPIAL football championships will be televised with support from Steelers
The four WPIAL football championship games held at Acrisure Stadium will be televised this year, thanks to support from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the WPIAL announced Tuesday. The Class A, 2A, 3A and 4A finals on Nov. 24 will be televised by KDKA+, which previously was known as Pittsburgh’s CW. The...
