Indiana takes another step forward, wins Class 4A Trib Cup

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, July 17, 2025 | 5:19 PM

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Last year, Indiana was close but ended the year with no cigar, finishing second in district and state baseball as well as the Class 4A Trib Cup.

This year, the Little Indians turned silver into gold on the baseball diamond and in the chase for cup glory.

Indiana rallied with a strong spring and captured the school’s first Trib Cup championship.

“It means a great deal to Indiana High School and to our athletic department staff,” Indiana athletic director Dan Roan said. “This has been a goal of ours since I began with Indiana three years ago, and it feels so great to achieve such a prestigious recognition. It seems like each year we have been getting more competitive across the board in our athletics, and I have been really proud of the student-athletes and coaches for reaching new levels of success.

“Indiana is the furthest school in the east in the WPIAL and we have a lot of travel built into our schedules. This goes to show that our student-athletes and teams can and will compete and that we belong in the WPIAL. Indiana embodies itself as a gritty and hard-working community, and it shows by what we are doing in athletics. I am just very proud to be a small part of this overall success by our kids and coaches.”

The Trib Cup is a yearlong competition in 25 team sports to determine the top WPIAL program in each classification. Schools earn points for section or conference championships, WPIAL playoff berths and district postseason success, state playoff berths and PIAA championships.

The Indiana baseball team struck gold twice in the spring to earn the maximum 130 points in coming back to beat runner-up Thomas Jefferson by 65 points.

“After a year of seconds in 2024, (the baseball team) turned this year into a year of firsts, and it meant so much for our district and community,” Roan said. “Coach (Dan) Petroff, in just his second year at the helm, has taken this program to new heights and brought together the community in the process. In our opening round of the PIAA playoffs, we secured the first-ever home game for Indiana baseball and had over 1,000 people from the community in attendance. All of their success wouldn’t have been possible without some strong foundation laid in previous years by coach Bill Thompson and his staff, which Coach Petroff was a part of as well.

“Our community has been starving for a state championship run like this for quite some time and the celebration certainly hasn’t dimmed since it began on June 13.”

Petroff was happy to be a part of a Cup run following WPIAL and PIAA titles.

“It’s great we were able to contribute for the award,” Petroff said. “How the community, school, players and families came together made it extra special for these young guys. To be able to win in the fashion they did multiple times throughout the playoffs was a true testament to their grit and courage. They will have this memory the rest of their lives.”

While baseball put Indiana over the top in the cup chase, another golden season for both the Little Indians boys and girls swimming teams also was a major boost in earning a class high 420 points.

“One word to describe our swim team is ‘dynasty,’” Roan said. “Each and every year, to know that we are truly going to compete for WPIAL championships and more recently PIAA championships, it’s a good feeling. The girls team winning their first WPIAL championship this year was really exciting for the district and community. The boys team works so hard on a daily basis to be great and nothing less.

“The student-athletes are truly never satisfied either, and that’s a reflection of their mindset every time they get in the water. They want to be the best version of themselves each and every meet. It’s a true testament to coach Sarah Brown and her staff for all of the hard work they put in year round as well. They get student-athletes excited about swimming and cultivate a competitive environment every year.”

Indiana scored point in 12 other sports besides those three championship runs.

“Consistency and resiliency is what stood out,” Roan said. “Our student-athletes never gave up at any point in any sport throughout the school year.

• Our boys’ soccer team won their first section title in 10 years with an impressive 15-3 record under legendary head coach Todd Myers.

• Coach Matt Reed and the Indiana boys’ golf team had another great season and competed all year long.

• Our boys basketball team made the playoffs for the first time since 2018 under first-year head coach Andy Lansberry.

• The girls basketball team for the second straight year under head coach Michael Franciscus reached the PIAA tournament after previously not qualifying since 2010 and had a great year again.

• Both girls and boys tennis teams excelled this year under head coach Matt Neil, who puts in so much time and effort with his program.

• Malinda Oesterling came back and took over as the head girls volleyball coach again, and she had an excellent season winning section champs for the first time since 2021.

• Two of the best wrestlers to come out of Indiana High School in Nico Fanella and Carter Putt just capped their careers and are now No. 1 and 2 respectively on our all-time career wins record board.

• Our softball team in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and starting the season 1-8 came all the way back to a 10-10 record to qualify for playoffs.

• Both boys and girls lacrosse teams were exciting to watch this season as well and they were competitive in every single game.

“We have some new coaches integrated into our system as well who have really bought into the culture of excellence and pride at Indiana, and it’s really special to see it all come together. This wasn’t just because of a couple of state championship runs. This award embodies the hard work, time commitment and effort put forth by all of our coaches and student-athletes throughout the year. I am so proud of everyone involved with our athletic department and I am excited to build on this sensational achievement.”

A year ago, Indiana finished tied for second place with Thomas Jefferson. Now the Jaguars are alone as 4A runners-up in 2024-2025.

Rounding out the top five in Class 4A was Beaver finishing in third place, defending champion Hampton in fourth and Elizabeth Forward in fifth place.

Class 4A Trib Cup standings

1. Indiana – 420

2. Thomas Jefferson – 355

3. Beaver – 335

4. Hampton – 325

5. Elizabeth Forward – 245

6. Latrobe – 210

7. Blackhawk – 205

8. Belle Vernon – 185

9. Montour – 140

9. West Allegheny – 140

11. Kiski Area – 130

12. Derry – 125

13. Ambridge – 115

14. Uniontown – 110

15. Hopewell – 85

16. Ringgold – 70

17. Greensburg Salem– 60

17. Laurel Highlands – 60

19. McKeesport – 55

20. West Mifflin – 50

21. Highlands – 40

22. Albert Gallatin – 10

Tags: Indiana