Looking back: The WPIAL’s top storylines from 2022-23

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, July 1, 2023 | 6:51 PM

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Nov. 11, 2022

Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak became the fourth coach in WPIAL history with 300 career wins, joining an exclusive list with Jim Render (406 wins), Joe Hamilton (342) and George Novak (306). Cherpak has coached the Jaguars for 28 seasons.

Nov. 19, 2022

Two remarkable state title streaks continued for the North Allegheny girls. The volleyball team won its sixth consecutive PIAA title, and the cross country team won its fifth in a row.

Dec. 2, 2022

City League football was rejuvenated when Westinghouse became the first team from the city to reach the state finals in 25 years. The Bulldogs’ biggest victory was a 26-7 win over WPIAL champion Steel Valley in a PIAA Class 2A semifinal.

Dec. 7, 2022

After months of debate, the PIAA board approved name, image and likeness guidelines that let Pennsylvania high school athletes profit from endorsement and promotional deals without risking their athletic eligibility. Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher was the first statewide to ink an NIL deal within hours of the decision.

Nov. 18, 2022

The Moon girls soccer team scored two late goals in the state final to win a second consecutive PIAA Class 3A title. The Tigers finished 24-0, and coach Bill Pfeifer was named national girls soccer coach of the year by NFHS. The soccer finals also had moved to Cumberland Valley.

Dec. 3, 2022

The Our Lady of the Sacred Heart boys basketball team broke the state record for consecutive wins and ultimately pushed its streak to 74 games. The previous record belonged to West Philadelphia (68 from 1976-78). A Dec. 22 loss to Deer Lakes snapped OLSH’s streak that started Jan. 10, 2020.

Dec. 8-10, 2022

The state football finals weren’t in Hershey anymore, but the championships won by Pine-Richland and Belle Vernon still were sweet. The two WPIAL teams won their titles at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg. The PIAA title was the first for Belle Vernon (Class 3A) and third for Pine-Richland (5A).

Jan. 5, 2023

The high school hockey community mourned the death of PIHL commissioner John Mucha, a longtime advocate for the sport in Western Pennsylvania. Mucha, 63, previously served as league president before becoming its commissioner in 2019.

Jan. 6, 2023

Nine-time WPIAL champion football coach Bob Palko resigned after four seasons at Mt. Lebanon, where he won a state title in 2021. He was hired in June as director of high school relations for Penn State football.

Jan. 31, 2023

Valley great Tom Pipkins stood as the all-time leading scorer in WPIAL boys basketball for 30 years until Aquinas Academy’s Vinnie Cugini broke his record this winter. Cugini passed Pipkins in a 33-point game against Neighborhood Academy and graduated with 3,189 career points.

Feb. 24-25, 2023

North Catholic’s Maggie Foley in Class 2A and North Allegheny’s Christina Shi in 3A swept the WPIAL diving championships for the fourth year in a row. Shi later won her third state championship in the event.

March 2, 2023

The smoldering public vs. private debate reignited when Imani Christian defeated Union, 64-41, in the WPIAL Class A boys basketball final. In postgame comments at Petersen Events Center, Union coach Mark Stanley said the matchup was “not fair” after Imani added a number of transfers. Imani went on to win a state championship.

March 11, 2023

Frazier junior Rune Lawrence and Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary became three-time state wrestling champions at the PIAA individual tournament in Hershey. Lawrence can become a rare four-time champion next season.

May 11, 2023

Three basketball coaches with more than 500 career wins retired in a three-month span including Tim McConnell, who resigned in May after one season as boys coach at Bishop Canevin.

McConnell, a former boys and girls coach at Chartiers Valley, won 662 career games. Also retiring were Apollo-Ridge girls coach Ray Bartha, who won 579 games, and Mars girls coach Dana Petruska, who won 517.

June 15, 2023

Riverside baseball became the first undefeated state champion in WPIAL history when the Panthers capped off a perfect 25-0 season with a win in the PIAA finals at Penn State. The state title was the team’s fifth under 79-year-old coach Dan Oliastro, who’s in his 55th season.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Belle Vernon, Bishop Canevin, Chartiers Valley, Frazier, Imani Christian, Latrobe, Laurel Highlands, Mars, Moon, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Pine-Richland, Riverside, Thomas Jefferson, Union, Valley, Westinghouse