Sports

Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes with luncheon

May 8, 2021

For the second consecutive year the Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame banquet had to be cancelled because of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, but board members wanted to organize an event to honor local athletes for their accomplishments.

Fox Chapel pitcher Dante DiMatteo throws during a game at Hampton High School on April 19, 2021.

Fox Chapel’s Dante DiMatteo throws 2 no-hitters in 5-day span

Not many WPIAL pitchers have been as hot as Fox Chapel’s Dante DiMatteo.

Bethel Park senior shortstop Reagan Milliken competes against Shaler on March 26, 2021, at Bethel Park.

Bethel Park softball pleased with strong start but aims to improve

Bethel Park’s softball team was perfect in the first month of the season. The Black Hawks improved to 10-0 with a 10-7 win at home April 27 against South Fayette.

Bethel Park junior attack Alex Greene (7) competes against Penn-Trafford on April 9, 2021, at Bethel Park.

Bethel Park boys lacrosse chasing section title

Bethel Park’s boys lacrosse team is trying to make up for lost time.

Bethel Park baseball players hold a conference on the mound against Baldwin on April 9, 2021, at Bethel Park’s Purkey Field.

Strong pitching, clutch hitting bolsters Bethel Park baseball

Bethel Park’s baseball squad ended the month of April with an exclamation point.

Norwin’s Jordyn Turcovski wins the 100-meter dash followed by Burrell’s Ava Rusiewicz second, Hempfield’s Capri DeCaro, Franklin Regional’s Rayna Todero and Hempfield’s Alexa Gray during the WCCA Track and Field Championships on Saturday, May 1, 2021, at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.

Norwin notebook: Turcovski, fellow Knights athletes shine at WCCA meet

The Westmoreland County Coaches Association Track and Field Championships usually are pretty good to Norwin’s athletes.

Norwin’s Ryan Scavnicky celebrates his walk-off base hit in the bottom of the seventh innining to defeat North Allegheny, 7-6, on Friday, April 23, 2021, at Norwin High School.

Norwin baseball finds ways to finish the job

Close games aren’t always a bad thing, especially when you find ways to win them.

North Allegheny’s Lola Akindele wins the 200-meter dash past Norwin’s Bernadette Zukina during the Lady Spartan/Wildcat Invitational track and field meet on Friday, April 16, 2021, at Memorial Stadium.

North Allegheny’s Akindele among WPIAL’s top sprinters

When North Allegheny sprinter Lola Akindele broke the 60-second barrier in the 400 meters, she was elated.

North Allegheny’s Paige Morningstar sets at the net during the first game against McDowell during a PIAA Class 4A state quarterfinal on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, at North Allegheny.

North Journal notebook: North Allegheny’s Morningstar named Gatorade Player of the Year

North Allegheny senior Paige Morningstar was named the state’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year after leading the Tigers to a fourth consecutive PIAA title last fall.

Franklin Regional’s Anup Nadesan (right) and Advait Kulkarni play North Allegheny in the WPIAL AAA boys tennis doubles on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.

Franklin Regional boys tennis makes its mark

The Franklin Regional boys tennis team was seeded No. 1 for the WPIAL Class AAA team tournament.

Franklin Regional starting pitcher Brian Pirone throws against Penn-Trafford on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at Penn-Trafford High School.

Pirone, Treloar form strong 1-2 punch for Franklin Regional rotation

When baseball season began, Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler referenced pitching depth and how it could relate to covid shutdowns for WPIAL teams.

Hampton’s Hannah Bradfield competes during the 2021 softball season.

Tape-measure homer shows Hampton softball slugger’s eye-popping power

Hampton’s Hannah Bradfield hit six home runs in a four-game stretch in late April, but only one of them left nearly everybody shocked.

Hampton senior Jillian Stennett recently returned after missing a month with a concussion.

Hampton’s Stennett returns to girls lacrosse after missing month with concussion

April Fool’s Day was no joke for Hampton lacrosse player Jillian Stennett.

Elizabeth Forward’s Robert Hrabosky and West Mifflin’s Dontae Lewis come over the last hurdle but Lewis edges out Hrabosky at the finish of the boys 300m hurdles during the Baldwin Invitational on Friday, May 7, 2021 at Baldwin High School.

West Mifflin senior, PIAA favorite Dontae Lewis sweeps hurdles at Baldwin Invitational

May 7, 2021

Some hurdlers have tunnel vision on the track, focused solely on their lane and uninterested in their competitors.

High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 7, 2021

High schools

High school roundup for May 7, 2021: Chartiers Valley’s Mangan rips walk-off 3-run homer

Zoe Mangan hit a walk-off three-run home run to lift Chartiers Valley to an 8-6 victory over South Fayette in Section 4-5A softball Friday.

Leechburg first baseman Anna Cibik prepares to make a defensive play during the sixth inning of Friday’s Section 3-A matchup with Springdale at Gilpin Leechburg Park. The Blue Devils scored a 7-0 win to avenge a 5-4 loss to the Dynamos from April 28.

Leechburg softball blanks Springdale to stay in section title hunt

After defeating Leechburg last week in walk-off fashion, Springdale was looking to wrap up its first section title since 1998 on Friday.

Former Pine-Richland football coach Eric Kasperowicz (center, in black) talks to people during a “Huddle Up for Coach K” rally held in his honor outside of the Pine-Richland School Board’s planning meeting Monday, May 3, 2021. The rally was held to protest the firing of Kasperowicz.

Pine-Richland superintendent issues letter, district moving on with new coaches

Pine-Richland Superintendent Brian Miller has informed district families that they will be moving on with new football coaches despite weeks of public outcry over the firing of head coach Eric Kasperowicz and his staff.