Trib HSSN top 24 stories of 2024 (20-16): North Allegheny girls continue dominant runs

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, December 26, 2024 | 6:01 AM

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The year 2024 in WPIAL sports saw a lot of history and unusual happenings that kept all three sports seasons exciting.

There was a sense of been there, done that on the hardwood and in the pool during the winter sports season, exhausting action and perfection on the diamonds, hardcourts and tracks in the spring, and greatness on the gridiron, the pitch and around the district hills and valleys in the fall.

Some individual and team records ended while others rolled on.

Join us all week as we look back at the moments that stood out in a fun-filled high school sports ride throughout 2024.

In our year-end tradition, Trib HSSN winds down the year with a daily countdown and a look back at the top 24 WPIAL stories from 2024.

Here is a look at district stories No. 20 through No. 16.

No. 20 – Familiar teams hoist gold

There were 12 WPIAL boys and girls basketball champions crowned this past winter, and seven of them were repeat performers.

That is the most repeat winners in a single season WPIAL basketball history.

It was the most back-to-back winners in district hoops since there were six in 2018 when the repeat winners were New Castle boys, Sewickley Academy boys, North Allegheny girls, North Catholic girls, Bishop Canevin girls and Winchester Thurston girls.

Here is a list of the magnificent seven … again:

• South Fayette girls in Class 5A defeated Armstrong, 70-63

• North Catholic girls in 4A defeated Blackhawk in overtime, 40-37

• Union girls in A defeated St. Joseph In overtime, 50-43

• Lincoln Park boys in 4A defeated Hampton, 66-51

• Deer Lakes boys in 3A defeated Burrell, 55-49

• Aliquippa boys in 2A defeated Greensburg Central Catholic, 69-32

• Imani Christian Academy in A defeated Neighborhood Academy, 78-49

No. 19 – Hanging up the whistles

Four legendary coaches decided to retire, or at least step away for now, in 2024 after putting together championship resumes.

• Hampton boys basketball coach Joe Lafko stepped down following 28 years as head coach of the Talbots.

• Mars boys basketball coach Rob Carmody resigned after 26 years as coach of the Fightin’ Planets.

• Rochester football coach Gene Matsook is walking away after a quarter of a century as the head coach of the Rams.

• North Allegheny girls basketball coach Spencer Stefko was the Tigers coach for nine years, with another nine years spent between Chartiers Valley and Seton LaSalle, but he left a lasting impression with seven WPIAL championships, five at NA.

No. 18 – The Eagle has landed gold

There was guaranteed to be a fresh face in the WPIAL Class 2A football winners circle this year as top-seed Seton LaSalle met No. 2 South Park.

The Rebels hadn’t won football gold in 20 years while the Eagles’ drought had reached 19 seasons.

South Park played a very physical brand of football and won the school’s first district title since 2005.

No. 17 – 8 is great for North Allegheny

As noted earlier in the countdown, several impressive championship runs came to an end this year; however, one will continue into the fall of 2025.

North Allegheny continued to dominate girls volleyball, not only in the district, but in the state.

The Tigers’ run of consecutive PIAA Class 4A girls volleyball state championships reached eight straight with a victory over Spring-Ford.

The win ties a PIAA record for most consecutive title runs in any sport with Norwin girls volleyball and Villa Maria Academy girls swimming.

No. 16 – More NA dominance

Another North Allegheny streak is also reaching historic proportions.

The North Allegheny girls swimming program’s run of WPIAL Class 3A championships is now old enough to drive.

The Tigers district title streak is now 16 years in a row after NA won yet another girls swimming title.

They are now four shy of the all-time longest WPIAL championship streak in any sport of 20 set by the Bethel Park boys swimming teams from 1981-2000.