Sports
Westmoreland athletes of the week: Hempfield’s Gabby Coccia, Ligonier Valley’s Michael Wisniewski
December 13, 2025
Gabby Coccia
Westmoreland high school notebook: Greensburg Salem’s Topper honored by Steelers
Greensburg Salem’s Max Topper will receive a newly named award from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
WPIAL girls basketball rankings: Week ending Dec. 14, 2025
Class 6A
WPIAL boys basketball rankings: Week ending Dec. 14, 2025
Class 6A
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Burrell’s Casey Brancato, Riverview’s Rex Roberts
Casey Brancato
Norwin swim teams bring hard work, enthusiasm
Kathy Bernardi has a much greater comfort level with her Norwin swimmers as she begins her second season with the program.
Norwin picks up pair of tipoff tournament titles
It wasn’t a WPIAL championship, but it wasn’t a summer pickup league title, either.
Returning WPIAL, PIAA qualifiers bolster Shady Side Academy swim teams
Ava Jochims broke through on the PIAA Class 2A stage as a sophomore swimmer. The Shady Side Academy girls swim team standout is hoping to help the team by building on their success.
Herald notebook: Fox Chapel swimmers set records in early-season meets
The Fox Chapel swimming program is under new leadership this season in coach Bailey Bonnett. The Foxes have seen plenty of good performances early in the season.
Fox Chapel girls smoothing out rough edges as section schedule opens
Marty Matvey had already done the math in the fall league. The Fox Chapel girls basketball team was averaging around 32 points per game. In order to return to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, Matvey knew the Foxes would have to do better than that.
Fox Chapel boys learning winning lessons in season’s early days
The Fox Chapel boys basketball team didn’t have time to get their legs underneath them before the heart-pounding plays happened. John Rehak’s game-winning basket with less than a second remaining in the season opener set the tone for what would be an entertaining but tense first few weeks to the season.
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 12, 2025
High schools
High school roundup for Dec. 12, 2025: Thomas Jefferson sweeps Peters Township in boys/girls doubleheader
December 12, 2025
Nicholas Trklja and Justin Fry scored 13 points each to lead Thomas Jefferson to a 42-39 victory over Peters Township in Section 3-5A boys basketball Friday night.
Mt. Lebanon fights off Hempfield charge to win section opener
Hempfield kept knocking, but Mt. Lebanon wouldn’t open the door. Under pressure all night, the visiting Blue Devils withstood the Spartans’ repeated challenges and remained undefeated Friday in boys basketball.
Franklin Regional pushes high-energy pace, pulls away from Penn-Trafford
Playing with high energy allowed Franklin Regional to set an early tone in its Section 1-5A boys basketball opener. It happened on both ends of the floor and was often relentless.
Highlands boys rally past Burrell, win on Lacava’s late 3-pointer
Highlands’ Carmine Lacava’s 3-point buzzer beater pushed Highlands to a 68-65 win at Burrell in a wild come-from-behind victory.
Freeport handles Deer Lakes pressure, scores key early season win
Freeport guard Bryson Paga didn’t want to wilt when the Deer Lakes boys basketball team turned up the heat. Paga and his teammates weren’t perfect — the Yellowjackets had their fair share of passes deflected and stolen — but were crisp enough to build a 16-point halftime lead.
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Dec. 13, 2025: Basketball showcases set to tip off
‘Tis the season for one-day events with multiple games at one site to please any high school basketball fan on your holiday list.
PIAA reveals which WPIAL teams will voluntarily ‘play up’ for 2026-27, 2027-28 seasons
Two WPIAL boys basketball teams that recently reached the state finals will voluntarily play in higher classifications for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
