Chris Harlan stories, Page 35
Aliquippa uses 1-play touchdown drives to top rival Central Valley, clinch Parkway title
The biggest worry for a defense facing Aliquippa isn’t a long, grinding touchdown drive that eats the clock and wears you away physically. It’s the one-play drive that crushes your spirit. Central Valley felt that Friday night when Aliquippa’s John Tracy and Tikey Hayes scored on consecutive one-play drives in...
5 things to watch in WPIAL Week 9: Head-to-head matchups to decide 9 conference titles
The wait is over. Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward ran through their Interstate Conference schedules without any mistakes. Mohawk and Neshannock did the same in the Midwestern, reaching Week 9 with perfect records. As a result, the titles in those conferences will be decided on the field Friday night with...
Conference title hopes add heft to Aliquippa, Central Valley rivalry
One of coach Mike Warfield’s favorite sayings compares the fragility of success with that of a crystal glass, saying both can “break into 1,000 pieces” if you don’t hold onto them. When it comes to winning conference titles, Aliquippa rarely lets go. The Quips have won the Parkway Conference title...
WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan forecast 2023 football playoff pairings
Pairing the WPIAL football brackets is a difficult job once the playoff field is set, but it’s much, much harder when 15 spots are still undecided. That’s the situation now. The standings will surely change Friday night once the last dominoes fall. The official WPIAL bracket will be revealed Saturday...
WPIAL announces pairings for 2023 field hockey playoffs
Defending WPIAL field hockey champions Pine-Richland and Penn-Trafford each earned No. 1 seeds Tuesday when the WPIAL playoff brackets were announced. Pine-Richland (17-0) was seeded first in Class 3A, and Penn-Trafford (16-2) was first in 2A. The top seed in Class A went to Shady Side Academy (8-5). Each classification...
5 things we learned in high school football Week 8: WPIAL playoff hopefuls shake off early-season losses
Not only did Keystone Oaks lose three of its first four games, the Eagles also started the season by losing their best player to injury. That misfortune could sink many seasons. But count Keystone Oaks among at least a dozen WPIAL teams who endured some early losses, yet put themselves...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 22, 2023
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 8-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 8-1, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 5-4, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 5-4, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 3-6, 5 Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 9-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 7-2, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 6-3, 3 4....
‘Young and hungry’ North Allegheny takes ice with new-look roster
Only a sophomore, Luke Walkauskas skates on one of North Allegheny’s top lines, where he’s joined by two more 10th graders in Brendan White and Eddie Scherer. Yes, they’re young, but they’ll fit right in with this year’s youthful lineup. The NA hockey team has only seven seniors, but they’ll...
Pine-Richland’s punishing ground game too much for Woodland Hills
There is nothing fancy about Pine-Richland’s wildcat offense and by now, it could hardly catch anyone by surprise. These Rams won a state title a year ago by having their running back take direct snaps and barreling ahead. Yet, it keeps working. “What is comes down to, really, is who’s...
Former Imani Christian standout Alier Maluk commits to Florida State
Former WPIAL basketball player Alier Maluk, who won a state title last winter with Imani Christian, announced his commitment to Florida State on Friday. The 6-foot-10 junior also listed offers from Pitt, LSU, Ohio State and Oregon among his final five. NOLESNATION????????????????????????????????????????????????#Committed pic.twitter.com/LPokLzcTGg— Alier Maluk (@Maluk_Alier12) October 20, 2023 ESPN.com...
5 things to watch in WPIAL Week 8: Traditionally tough Parkway lives up to reputation
The Parkway Conference was traditionally considered among the best battles in WPIAL football, and this year’s version has lived up to that reputation. With two weeks left in the regular season, four teams have one conference loss or less: Aliquippa (5-0), Montour (4-1), Central Valley (4-1) and West Allegheny (4-1)....
Close friends to match wits when Pine-Richland, Woodland Hills meet in critical Class 5A clash
First-year Woodland Hills coach Brian Tarrant says he probably wouldn’t have his job without help from friend Jon LeDonne. The two worked together for almost a decade, first at Shaler and later at Penn Hills. LeDonne was head coach both places and Tarrant was his defensive coordinator. Now, LeDonne is...
Former Kiski Area athlete Kyrell Hutcherson suing school district, WPIAL, PIAA, claiming racial discrimination
A former high school athlete who defeated the WPIAL and PIAA in court almost three years ago has sued the organizations again, this time saying they violated his civil rights by racially discriminating against him. Kyrell Hutcherson filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court against the WPIAL, the PIAA, attorneys...
Steelers, NFL roots run deep with North Allegheny football team
There usually is a Super Bowl champion or two somewhere in the crowd at North Allegheny football games and it’s been that way for about a decade. In fact, sometimes there are four or five NFL alums there for game days. That’s because coach Art Walker’s teams have enjoyed a...
Coin flip decides final 2 spots in City League football playoffs
Allderdice, Brashear and Perry finished tied in the City League standings, which was a problem since only two could qualify for the football playoffs. As a tiebreaker, the three head coaches flipped coins Friday night in the athletic director’s office at Cupples Stadium and Brashear was the team left out....
5 things we learned in Week 7 of WPIAL high school football: Long playoff drought over
One of the WPIAL’s longest active playoff droughts is over, and another long streak also could end this year. Jefferson-Morgan was one of four WPIAL teams that had gone at least 10 seasons without reaching the postseason, but the Rockets clinched a playoff spot with a win Friday. Second-year coach...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 15, 2023
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 7-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 7-1, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 5-3, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 4-4, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 3-5, 5 Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 8-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 6-2, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 5-3, 3 4....
Bruising McKeesport running back Spell spells trouble for Gateway
McKeesport fullback Keith Spell was losing steam on a 79-yard touchdown run, so the senior turned, stiff-armed the nearest tackler to the ground and continued into the end zone. That pretty much summed up McKeesport’s offense Friday night as the Tigers’ running backs bullied their way to a 38-28 victory...
5 things to watch in Week 7: How will WPIAL teams approach late-season nonconference matchups?
The WPIAL schedule-makers gave McKeesport a nonconference game this week, which some coaches might dread this late in the season. It interrupts a stretch of seven consecutive conference games for the Tigers, but coach Matt Miller said they’ll attack a matchup with Gateway as seriously as they do any Big...
Might Penn Hills try to ‘simulate’ winning strategy in matchup with Central Catholic?
Needless to say, Penn Hills was interested in watching game film from Central Catholic’s loss last week, since that was the first time the Vikings had looked vulnerable all season. But that doesn’t mean the Indians will try to copy what they saw. “It can be difficult on the high...
Moon coach Bill Pfeifer nears 500th win, an unprecedented feat in WPIAL girls soccer
Undefeated state champion, national coach of the year and the winningest coach in Pennsylvania girls soccer history. Moon’s Bill Pfeifer was all of those last fall and says he thought about retiring on top after a season that couldn’t have gone any better. The six-time WPIAL champion stresses team goals,...
5 things we learned in high school football Week 6: Trinity finds diamond with signature win
There’s a popular meme that shows two miners digging for diamonds, but one gives up within inches of striking it rich. Trinity coach Dan Knause and his assistants thought the analogy was perfect for their Hillers, who hadn’t seen much reward despite their hard work. Would they give up or...
Trib HSSN WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Oct. 7, 2023
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 6-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 6-1, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 5-2, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 4-3, 4 5. Seneca Valley, 2-5, 5 Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 7-0, 1 2. Penn Hills, 6-1, 2 3. Pine-Richland, 4-3, 5 4....
North Allegheny shakes off rivalry loss, focuses on future
North Allegheny’s football stadium was filled nearly to capacity for a hyped-up game with rival Central Catholic. There was an electric atmosphere in the crowd, yet the Tigers ended the night feeling drained after a lopsided loss. But those feelings didn’t last too long. A week later, a re-energized North...
Shady Side Academy forfeits football game against Knoch
Shady Side Academy has forfeited Friday night’s football game against Knoch because of an illness among “several players,” the school announced hours before kickoff. The contest is a conference game in the Allegheny 6, where Knoch and Shady Side each were 1-0. “After careful consideration and in consultation with WPIAL,...
