Chris Harlan stories, Page 53
Steel Valley’s Cruce Brookins follows big blockers in run-heavy win over Sto-Rox
Cruce Brookins predicts that he and Steel Valley teammate Greg Smith could be crashing into one another on a college field in a year or two. Brookins is a Kent State commit and Smith is headed to Miami (Ohio), so they’re future rivals in the Mid-American Conference. But for now,...
What to watch in Week 1: Laurel Highlands vs. Belle Vernon matches 2 top college recruits
Don’t be surprised if a few college coaches make an appearance at Belle Vernon’s football stadium. Two of the state’s top recruits will share the Leopards’ gold-colored field Friday night when Laurel Highlands visits Belle Vernon for a nonconference game with plenty of star power. Laurel Highlands wide receiver Rodney...
Week 1 clash between Sto-Rox, Steel Valley comes 10 months later than they’d hoped
Steel Valley’s Cruce Brookins watched maybe a few minutes of last year’s WPIAL Class 2A final. Sto-Rox’s Josh Jenkins couldn’t stomach watching any. That’s understandable because their teams were the favorites to face one another in that championship game. Steel Valley was the No. 1 seed. Sto-Rox was No. 2....
Mohawk cancels Week 1 football game, Quaker Valley seeks new opponent
Mohawk canceled its football game for the second week in a row as authorities investigate hazing allegations involving the team. The Lawrence County District Attorney and Mohawk School District officials have said they’re investigating the conduct of team members. The Warriors were scheduled to host Quaker Valley on Friday in...
Five things we learned from Week Zero of WPIAL football
When the Woodland Hills defense made a valiant goal-line stand in the fourth quarter Saturday, the result was a win for the Wolverines but also a much-needed win for WPIAL football. The league prides itself on playing maybe the best brand of high school football in the nation, but it...
Trib HSSN WPIAL football rankings: Week ending Aug. 28, 2022
WPIAL football rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L 1. Central Catholic, 0-1, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 1-0, 2 3. North Allegheny, 1-0, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 0-1, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 0-1, 5 Class 5A 1. Gateway, 1-0, 1 2. Penn-Trafford, 1-0, 2 3. Penn Hills, 0-1, 3 4. Pine-Richland, 0-1,...
Brad Birch perseveres in pressure-packed opener, lifting Gateway past Mt. Lebanon
Fourth-and-20 is a pressure situation no quarterback wants, but Brad Birch knew where the ball needed to go. The Gateway quarterback threw a high, arcing pass toward receiver Dallas Harper, who cut his route a little short, came down with the ball and scored on a 34-yard catch. That was...
After 6 years, 6-classification format still has pros, cons for WPIAL football teams
Six for six. The PIAA six years ago divided high school football into six classifications, up from four, a hotly debated decision that changed the Friday night landscape across the state. In Western Pennsylvania, where teams kick off their seasons tonight, the question remains: Is this six-class format good for...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the specialists
A remarkable WPIAL record is about to turn 20. It was two decades ago — Oct. 4, 2002 — when East Allegheny’s Josh Miller kicked a 55-yard field goal, a feat that still stands as the longest known in WPIAL history. Miller, a 6-foot, 170-pound soccer star who later played...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the new coaches
Nearly three dozen WPIAL and City League football teams changed coaches since last season, some involving head coaches who’d spent a decade or more in one place. Among them, Hampton assistant coach Steve Sciullo was promoted to replace Jacque DeMatteo, who resigned after 14 seasons with the Talbots. Others were...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the safeties
Safety is often the last line of defense, but having a good one can be a weapon for any team. Look at the WPIAL teams that won last year. State champions Aliquippa, Central Valley, Mt. Lebanon and Penn-Trafford all had at least one difference-maker at safety. Some of those standouts...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the cornerbacks
Western Pennsylvania football was always known for its quarterbacks and linemen, but that’s changed in recent decades. Ty Law, Darrelle Revis and some other former WPIAL stars added cornerback to the map. And with the rise of pass-heavy spread offenses nowadays, high school teams need as many good cornerbacks as...
WPIAL title contender Clairton somehow flying under radar
Remember Clairton? As in, the football team that won 10 WPIAL titles in a 14-year span, most recently in 2019? The Bears lost in the first round of the playoffs last season and coach Wayne Wade has noticed folks seem to have forgotten about them. In fact, he was a...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the linebackers
Brashear’s Ta’Mere Robinson is certainly one of the best linebackers in Western Pennsylvania. He’s one of the best in the country. But the Penn State recruit is still recovering from knee surgery, so there’s a good chance he won’t play his senior year. Robinson and his coach Drew Moore have...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the defensive line
The athletes who play defensive line are maybe the most varied of any group in high school football. Teams have hard-to-move tackles and speedy edge rushers who all call themselves defensive linemen, each with a different job description to accomplish. Comparing one to another isn’t simple, but what everyone in...
WPIAL Class 5A football breakdown: Gateway among teams trying to squeeze into tight playoff field
Earning a WPIAL playoff spot in Class 5A was never easy, but the task becomes a little harder this year. That’s because the WPIAL has shrunk the bracket from 12 teams to eight, meaning a team with as few as two losses might miss the playoffs. Only the top two...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the offensive line
High school football teams deploy a variety of offensive schemes, from no-huddle spreads to the wing-T. What do they all have in common? Five offensive linemen. No matter what strategy a coach might dream up, it’s not going far without a good line. Look at last year’s WPIAL champions and...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the tight ends
The storied history of WPIAL football often focuses on its legendary quarterbacks and, more recently, a string of standout defensive backs. But don’t forget about the tight end tradition. Consider, the first pure tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was from the WPIAL. That was Aliquippa...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the wide receivers
How’s this for a good quarterback-receiver combination? One of the top quarterbacks from last season, Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher, is becoming a wide receiver. And one of the leading receivers from last season, Greensburg Salem’s Cody Rubrecht, is becoming a quarterback. Rubrecht was one of three WPIAL pass catchers to...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the running backs
Take a look at the WPIAL rushing leaders from last season and you’ll notice four state champions. Along with earning a spot among the league’s top five rushers, Central Valley’s Landon Alexander, Mt. Lebanon’s Alex Tecza, Penn-Trafford’s Cade Yacamelli and Aliquippa’s Tiqwai Hayes also led their teams to PIAA titles...
2022 HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the quarterbacks
The race for the 2021 WPIAL passing title was a three-way battle between Gateway’s Brad Birch, Beaver Falls’ Jaren Brickner and Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen. This year’s race might look very similar. All three quarterbacks passed for more than 2,500 yards a year ago and all three return this fall. Combined,...
WPIAL reveals fall championship sites: football finals at Acrisure Stadium, Norwin
The WPIAL has chosen Norwin to host the Class 5A and 6A football finals, the two championship games that won’t be played at Acrisure Stadium this year. The list of fall sites was revealed Monday. The WPIAL already had scheduled four games at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 25 but needed...
Mars slowly but surely acclimating to coach Eric Kasperowicz’s system
A new coach, a new quarterback and a new playbook. This is a summer of transition for the Mars football program under new coach Eric Kasperowicz, but learning a new offense and defense doesn’t happen overnight. Kasperowicz was hired in April, but it was sometime in early July that he...
With 3rd straight WPIAL title secured, Central Valley’s goals don’t change
The Heinz Field clock was ticking down last fall on Central Valley’s third consecutive WPIAL title when coach Mark Lyons was approached by longtime assistant Shawn McCreary. Lyons says he prefers to live in the moment, but his friend urged him to reflect on the past. “He said, ‘Listen, you...
Expectations soar as defending state champ Aliquippa brings back loaded roster
After winning WPIAL and state championships, expectations couldn’t be any higher for an Aliquippa football team that brings almost everyone back. Yet, in Mike Warfield’s first four seasons as the Quips’ coach, he says he found that practice is far more important than predictions. “My first year, there was great...
