Sports
Westmoreland soccer notebook: Boys teams take center stage this fall
October 31, 2018
Girls soccer teams from Westmoreland County had turned the WPIAL finals into an annual pilgrimage to Highmark Stadium. The boys, not so much. But times are changing, at least for this season. While no local girls teams made it to the championship games for the first time since 2009, three
Westmoreland County high school football don’t-miss matchups for opening round of playoffs
Class 5A First round No. 9 Franklin Regional (6-3) vs. No. 8 Bethel Park (6-3) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bethel Park Stadium On the air: 1320 AM; TribHSSN.triblive.com Last week: Penn-Trafford 30, Franklin Regional 14; Bethel Park 20, Upper St. Clair 14 Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 Gateway (10-0)/No. 16
High school football schedule for opening round of playoffs
WPIAL playoffs Friday's schedule All games start at 7:30 p.m. Class 6A Quarterfinals (6) Canon-McMillan (4-5) at (3) Mt. Lebanon (5-5); (5) Seneca Valley (7-3) vs. (4) Central Catholic (7-3) at Fox Chapel Byes: (1) North Allegheny (10-0), (2) Pine-Richland (8-2) Class 5A First round (16) Kiski Area (3-7) at
WPIAL top 10: Most playoff appearances
THE TOP 10 Playoff persistency Here is a list of the 10 schools with the most WPIAL playoff appearances. Schoolandamp;#0010;Appearances, First, Most recent 1. Aliquippaandamp;#0010;42, 1942, 2018 2. Jeannetteandamp;#0010;41, 1939, 2018 3. Mt. Lebanonandamp;#0010;39, 1941, 2018 4. Upper St. Clairandamp;#0010;37, 1974, 2018 5. Penn Hillsandamp;#0010;35, 1971, 2018 6. Washington 34,
Westmoreland County football players to watch for opening round of playoffs
Anthony Bertram Belle Vernon, Sr., WR/OLB The Leopards senior has six catches for 66 yards and three touchdowns and rushed four times for 17 yards. He had 39 tackles and 11 tackles for losses from his linebacker spot. Josh Cheplick Penn-Trafford, Jr., LT/NT The Warriors junior is an outstanding blockerThe Birdie makes a muddy mess before this week’s Westmoreland County games
Last week: 12-1 (92.3%) Season: 107-24 (81.7%) Dripping wet and covered in slop, the Birdie returned home from a recent game but neglected to take his dad sneakers off when he entered his front door. Mrs. Birdie blew the whistle before he took a second step. andquot;She had a bonafide
Under Beitel’s leadership, Ligonier Valley football grows into regular contender for district, PIAA success
Looking fit and trim -- and dapper, to boot -- Roger Beitel strode around a table inside the Richland Fire Hall in suburban Johnstown last week and welcomed a visitor to a luncheon promoting the annual Appalachian Bowl high school football game. In just a few days, Beitel, the unreticent
Westmoreland County football Q&A with Penn-Trafford’s Niko Rosso
At this time last season, Niko Rosso was watching his Penn-Trafford teammates prepare for the WPIAL playoffs from the sidelines. Rosso injured his elbow and missed the entire postseason: the exciting wins over Fox Chapel and Upper St. Clair, and the close loss to Gateway in the Class 5A championship
Penn-Trafford, North Hills set to reignite postseason rivalry
Pat Carey can't remember how many times North Hills and Penn-Trafford have met in a football game. But the North Hills coach said it started to become laughable for a stretch when the teams squared off in the opening round. Counting Friday's WPIAL Class 5A first round contest at Warrior
A-K Valley players to watch in the opening round of the WPIAL playoffs
Jack Colecchi Kiski Area, Sr., WR/LB The Cavaliers' veteran receiver is 20 yards away from becoming the program's all-time leader in receiving yards. He hopes to make an offensive impact Friday against top-seeded Gateway. He stepped up on the defensive side of the ball last Friday with a 100-yard interception
Young Springdale lineup looks to cap season on high note against Vincentian
It didn't take much convincing for Springdale when Vincentian approached the Dynamos with the suggestion of a Week 10 football game. Springdale's young roster could use some more seasoning, and one more game provided a perfect opportunity. The Dynamos will travel to Lt. J.T. Stone Field in North Park at
No. 8-seeded Freeport quite familiar with opening-round opponent, No. 1 Aliquippa
Austin Romanchak remembers the first time he started a game against Aliquippa. It came three weeks into his sophomore year, at the brand-new Freeport Area Athletic Stadium, with an almost entirely brand-new Freeport starting lineup. Still, the green Yellowjackets more than held their own against the perennially powerful Quips, even
Kiski Area looks to challenge No. 1 Gateway in Class 5A opening round
Anticipating a potential first-round playoff game against Gateway, Kiski Area coach Sam Albert pulled up some film on the Gators early Monday. What he saw surpassed his already-high opinion. andquot;I mean, they're unbelievable,andquot; Albert said. andquot;A lot of teams with their skill don't have linemen, but they've got one ofThe Birdie dresses up his opening-round picks for A-K Valley football teams
Last week: 10-1 (.909) Season: 93-20 (.823) Of all the holidays in the calendar, The Birdie most appreciates Jan. 5: andquot;National Bird Day,andquot; he explained. Halloween comes in a close runner-up. The Birdie dressed up as a different one of his idols each year: Donald Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Woody Woodpecker.
A-K Valley football Q&A with Kiski Area’s Troy Kuhn
When the coaches from top-seeded Gateway pop in the tape to prepare for Friday's WPIAL Class 5A first-round matchup with No. 16 Kiski Area, there's one player that stands out on both sides of the ball -- senior Troy Kuhn. andquot;He's a guy that we're definitely aware of,andquot; Gateway coach
Top-seeded Avonworth next challenge for Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer
From Day 1 of preseason conditioning, before uniforms were handed out and starters were named, the goal -- no, make that the mission statement -- for the Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer team, was to bring home a WPIAL championship. The thought of anything less than getting to the final
Confident Franklin Regional boys soccer ready to test skill against perennial contender West Allegheny
Franklin Regional never made it this far before in the WPIAL boys soccer season. It may never have had a team this confident in its ability, either. That's not to say the top-ranked Panthers (17-0-1), set to play No. 2 West Allegheny (19-1) at 8 p.m. Thursday for the WPIAL
Sewickley Academy trio set for PIAA tennis tournaments
After helping the Sewickley Academy girls tennis team capture the PIAA Class AA team championship last Saturday, team members Simran Bedi, Victoria Keller and Alina Mattson return to the Hershey Racquet Club this weekend for the state singles and doubles tournaments. Bedi, a sophomore and the WPIAL runner-up, will take
Ligonier Valley moves playoff game to Greensburg Salem
With rain in the forecast and its home field still muddy from recent wet weather, Ligonier Valley will move Friday's home football playoff game from Weller Field to Greensburg Salem's Offutt Field. Ligonier Valley (10-0) is set to host Marion Center (5-5) as the Rams begin their quest for a
