Chris Harlan stories, Page 4
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept. 14, 2025
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 3-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 4-0, 2 3. Norwin, 3-1, 4 4. Hempfield, 3-1, 3 5. Canon-McMillan 2-2, NR Out: Seneca Valley (1-3, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 3-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 4-0, 2 3. Upper St....
‘Hungry’ JJ Work leads Aliquippa to 4th-quarter rally over Mars
JJ Work felt like he’d already let his teammates down once, so the Aliquippa running back was determined not to let that happen again. A week ago, Work couldn’t play because of an off-the-field school issue. This week, he barreled into the end zone for two fourth quarter touchdowns Friday...
Illness, injuries force Rochester to postpone football game vs. Neshannock
With fewer than 10 healthy players, Rochester has postponed Saturday’s football game against Neshannock. The game — a Class A Big 7 Conference contest — could be rescheduled for later in the season, said WPIAL chief operating officer Vince Sortino. If so, Sortino suggested the game might be played on...
Bishop Canevin QB Brady Wagner eligible for entire regular season after deal with PIAA
Previously ruled ineligible by the WPIAL, Bishop Canevin quarterback Brady Wagner can now play the entire regular season after attorneys representing him and the PIAA reached an agreement. The deal halts a lawsuit filed by Wagner’s parents against the PIAA, said attorney Steve Toprani, who represents the Wagners. “The claims...
5 things to watch in Week 3 of high school football: Playoff races begin as conference play kicks off
The push for the playoffs starts now. Football teams in 12 WPIAL conferences will play their conference openers Friday or Saturday, beginning a seven-week sprint to the postseason. Conferences with eight teams — the Midwestern, Eastern and Tri-County South — have seven consecutive conference games ahead. The Big East, Northeast,...
PIAA board tables vote to add shot clock to high school basketball
The PIAA hit the snooze button on the shot clock debate. The board on Wednesday was expected to take a second step toward adding a shot clock to high school basketball for the 2028-29 season. Instead, the board tabled the vote until October to give its basketball steering committee time...
5 things we learned in high school football Week 2: WPIAL’s smallest schools off to undefeated starts
Ryan Cecchini has tried some unique practice techniques in his 15 seasons at Avella, but he says that’s life as a small-school coach. “Sometimes we’ll do a half-a-line scrimmage,” Cecchini said. “We’ll go from the center over. And then only half the defense, and we’ll scrimmage each other that way....
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Sept 7, 2025
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 2-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 3-0, 2 3. Hempfield, 3-0, 3 4. Norwin, 2-1, 5 5. Seneca Valley, 1-2, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 2-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 3-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 3-0,...
‘I just did it for Daws’: Amid unfathomable tragedy, No. 1 Thomas Jefferson rallies past No. 2 McKeesport
No touchdown could ease the sorrow Harrison Kolling and his teammates felt for their grieving quarterbacks coach, but the Thomas Jefferson sophomore was adamant that he wanted to win this one for him. “I just did it for Daws,” said Kolling, who pushed across the goal line for a go-ahead...
5 things to watch in Week 2: Central Catholic, Woodland Hills relish chance to play at Pro Football Hall of Fame
Two WPIAL football teams got a call from the hall. Central Catholic and Woodland Hills each has a former player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a distinction that earned them an invite to play one another Saturday in Canton, Ohio. They’ll meet at 3:30 p.m. as part...
Shady Side Academy may face WPIAL repercussions if football team forfeits game vs. Clairton
Shady Side Academy is standing behind its decision to call off a football game this week despite possible WPIAL repercussions. A day after announcing that the team was short on players and would forfeit its Week 2 nonconference game at Clairton, the school reaffirmed its stance Thursday, citing an “unwavering...
McKeesport star Kemon Spell on the mend heading into showdown with Thomas Jefferson
Kemon Spell’s coach describes him as a finely tuned Ferrari, a fitting analogy since the McKeesport running back goes faster than most. But when there’s an issue with your Ferrari, you don’t dare drive it until it’s fixed. “You’re not dealing with a Jeep Wrangler,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said....
Citing injuries, Shady Side Academy calls off football game vs. Clairton
Citing “an extraordinary rash of significant injuries,” Shady Side Academy has canceled this week’s football game against Clairton. The school on Wednesday announced plans to forfeit, saying nearly 20 of the team’s 40 players were sidelined, “leaving the program unable to field a competitive roster safely.” The WPIAL will consider...
Basketball standout, Lincoln Park transfer Josh Pratt eligible for playoffs after WPIAL hearing
Lincoln Park transfer Josh Pratt, one of the state’s top basketball players, is fully eligible for his senior season following a WPIAL hearing Tuesday. A hearing panel granted Pratt playoff eligibility, finding the former Aliquippa star qualified for a postseason waiver under PIAA rules, WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said....
5 things we learned in high school football Week 1: Sophomore passers show big-time growth
James “Booboo” Armstrong isn’t one of Hopewell’s team captains this season, but that’s only because the sophomore quarterback declined the honor. He had the votes. “I called him into my office and said, ‘Look, Booboo, you were voted a captain,’ and he got this big smile on his face,” Hopewell...
WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Aug. 31, 2025
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 1-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 2-0, 2 3. Hempfield, 2-0, 3 4. Seneca Valley, 1-1, NR 5. Norwin, 1-1, NR Out: Canon-McMillan (0-2, 4), Mt. Lebanon (0-2, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 1-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 2-0,...
Roman Thompson thrives in ‘violent game,’ carries Central Catholic past Pine-Richland
If any game perfectly fits Central Catholic’s Roman Thompson, this three-hour battle with Pine-Richland was surely the one. Ruthlessly physical for all four quarters, a kicker was hurt on the first play, a top lineman was helped off the field later and countless other players got banged up Friday night,...
5 things to watch in Week 1 of high school football
Three-time state champion Mike Warfield is back coaching Aliquippa after a one-year hiatus and ready for his first game in 20 months following a surprising decision last summer to step away. What brought him back? “I missed it,” Warfield said after a preseason practice at the school’s Heinz Field. “Not...
Titanic clash between Central Catholic, Pine-Richland the hottest ticket in town
Most WPIAL football teams hope Central Catholic doesn’t appear on their nonconference schedule, but Pine-Richland isn’t one of them. The Rams, in fact, have defeated Central Catholic three years in a row. The big-school rivals meet again at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Carnegie Mellon for one of the most anticipated...
Judge says ineligible Bishop Canevin QB Brady Wagner can play next 2 weeks
Bishop Canevin junior quarterback Brady Wagner, ruled ineligible by the WPIAL and PIAA, can play at least for the next two weeks, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Horan granted a request for a temporary restraining order against the PIAA that allows Wagner to compete in the...
5 things we learned in Week Zero of high school football
Bethel Park’s Evan Devine led all WPIAL passers in Week Zero with 359 yards, a remarkable feat considering the quarterback was off playing golf at this time last year. Devine had given up football and joined the golf team, partly because of a nagging issue with his throwing shoulder, he...
Trib HSSN WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Aug. 24, 2025
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 0-1, 1 2. North Allegheny, 1-0, 2 3. Hempfield, 1-0, 5 4. Canon-McMillan, 0-1, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 0-1, 3 Out: none Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 1-0, 1 2. Peters Township, 1-0, 2 3. Woodland Hills, 0-1, 3...
Imani Christian spoils Clairton’s 1st game in renamed stadium
Clairton’s Taris Wooding made a turning grab at the goal line on a 19-yard catch that’ll go down as the first touchdown scored at newly named Tyler Boyd Stadium. Even Boyd liked the effort. “It was kind of underthrown, and he had to come back for it,” said the Bears...
5 things to watch in Week Zero: Pittsburgh vs. Philly battle tops Wolvarena slate of games
Two big-school powerhouses representing Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will meet at the Wolvarena as part of a multi-game Week Zero event at Woodland Hills’ stadium. The highlight of the five-game schedule is a matchup of La Salle College and Central Catholic at 8 p.m. Friday in Turtle Creek. Both are highly...
Clairton to christen Tyler Boyd Stadium with star-studded matchup vs. Imani Christian
Clairton has officially renamed its football stadium in honor of Bears great Tyler Boyd, so it’s fitting that the first game played there is between two teams with WPIAL title hopes. Remember, Boyd won four WPIAL and four state championships in his high school days. Imani Christian visits Clairton in...
