Chris Harlan stories, Page 11

With the regular season already half over, Upper St. Clair will likely face three undefeated teams in a row. The Panthers handed defending WPIAL champion Peters Township its first loss last week, and their reward was a clash this week with undefeated South Fayette (6-0, 1-0). And waiting for USC...

Which decades-old kicking record might be broken this week? This season has already been a memorable year for WPIAL kickers, with record-tying performances celebrated on each of the past two Friday nights. In Week 5, Hopewell’s Rocco Marcantonio made a 55-yard field goal that tied the longest in WPIAL history....

The Beaver boys soccer team must forfeit a section win because of a new rule that school administrators say should be reconsidered. The Bobcats defeated Keystone Oaks, 2-1, on Saturday, but that win was later overturned by a PIAA regulation that punishes a team if an ejected coach does not...

The WPIAL has erased some section wins and losses in boys and girls soccer. Games against Allderdice and Obama Academy are no longer considered section matches and count only as exhibitions, WPIAL administrator Vince Sortino said Thursday. He said the two schools were included in soccer sections at the City...

Thirty-four boys teams and 13 girls teams will compete next week for WPIAL golf titles. The WPIAL on Wednesday announced brackets for the league’s team playoffs. The girls tournament is one round while the boys have two. The championships are Oct. 10 at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Belle Vernon. The...

Imani Christian basketball player Kieshaun Demus, a sophomore who transferred from North Hills, was ruled ineligible for his sophomore season by the WPIAL. WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said the board found Demus’ transfer was motivated at least partially by athletics following an eligibility hearing Monday. One concern for the...

Hopewell hasn’t had many moments to celebrate in recent years, but kicker Rocco Marcantonio gave the team one Friday night. Marcantonio made a 55-yard field goal that tied for the longest in WPIAL history. With the help of holder Zander Muzy and long snapper Dominick Gaughan, Marcantonio converted a fourth-quarter...

If North Allegheny defends its boys and girls WPIAL country titles this fall, the celebration will surely include a number of first-time champions. Since sweeping the league titles last season, the Tigers graduated seven of the 14 runner who competed that day at White Oak Park. WPIAL runners-up Jack Bertram...

Against an offense with a sophomore at quarterback and a banged-up running game, Central Catholic didn’t allow them any stress relief in Friday’s second half. The Vikings picked off a pair of passes about two minutes apart, one returned by linebacker Colsen Gatten for a touchdown that propelled Central Catholic...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Central Catholic, 4-2, 2 2. North Allegheny, 5-1, 1 3. Hempfield, 2-4, NR 4. Canon-McMillan, 2-4, 3 5. Mt. Lebanon, 1-5, NR Out: Seneca Valley (1-4, 4), Norwin (2-4, 5) Class 5A 1. Pine-Richland, 5-0, 2 2. Upper St. Clair, 6-0, 3 3....

Central Catholic and North Allegheny seem likely to meet twice this season, maybe with a rematch in the WPIAL finals. They’ve met there the past two years. So, does that potential rematch shape game plans for their regular-season game, leading teams to hide their best for later? Both coaches say...

Eight maybe isn’t enough when counting WPIAL playoff berths. That’s how many — or how few — playoff spots are available for the 18 teams in Class 4A, which starts conference play Friday night. That’s down from 12 spots last year. The smaller bracket leaves less room for error and...

Dozens of skulls and crossbones already decorate Josiah Collins’ helmet, decals awarded by Westinghouse coaches for sacks, tackles for loss and other explosive plays made on defense. There will be more stickers on the defensive end’s helmet very soon. Collins scored two defensive touchdowns Thursday night, which was one more...

Derry javelin thrower Sophia Mazzoni, an elite talent with state and national titles, committed Wednesday to Auburn. The senior announced her college decision on social media. Mazzoni won a PIAA Class 2A title in May with a personal-best throw of 161 feet, 10 inches at the state meet in Shippensburg....

There could be a lot of football talk in the South Hills this fall, maybe while eating sandwiches stuffed with French fries and coleslaw. “The Primanti’s in between Upper St. Clair, Bethel and us, it’ll be fun for those kids,” South Fayette coach Marty Spieler said. “They’ll have something to...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 5-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 3-2, 2 3. Canon-McMillan, 2-3, 5 4. Seneca Valley, 1-3, 3 5. Norwin, 2-3, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 5-0, 1 2. Pine-Richland, 4-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 5-0, 3 4. Bethel...

The night ended much the way it started with the Penn Hills defense celebrating a stop. The Indians shut out Aliquippa for the first three quarters Friday night, built a three-touchdown lead and made a game-ending stand late in fourth to hand the Quips their first regular-season loss in three...

Aliquippa went to court to avoid a promotion to Class 5A football this fall, but the Quips still get a taste of that classification on Friday. Their opponent — Penn Hills — has three times as many students and maybe twice as many players. “That’s a great big difference,” Aliquippa...

The buildup to facing a defending WPIAL champion was always going to be big, but undefeated records make this Monessen’s biggest home game in quite a while. “It’s the biggest game since I’ve been here coaching,” coach Wade Brown said. “And this is my fourth year.” Undefeated Monessen (4-0, 1-0)...

Chuck DiNardo has resigned as football coach at Shady Side Academy, stepping down four games into his eighth season with the Bulldogs. A school spokesperson confirmed DiNardo’s departure, saying the coach resigned Monday. “This was a personal decision for Coach DiNardo, and we respect his choice,” said Diana Toole, the...

Flag football is officially a sanctioned sport for Pennsylvania high school girls, meaning the WPIAL and PIAA soon will be crowning champions. The PIAA board voted Wednesday to add flag football to its growing catalog of sports. This vote was the third and final needed to complete the PIAA’s emerging...

If WPIAL wrestling teams get their wish, some in-season tournaments no longer will count toward their 22-contest limit set by the PIAA. The WPIAL board will consider a request to reclassify events such as the Midwestern Athletic Conference Tournament and the Tri-County Athletic Directors Tournament as “league championships,” and therefore...

Not only is Clairton’s football stadium getting new turf, new bleachers and new lights, it also has a new name: Tyler Boyd Stadium. A 2013 graduate now playing in his ninth NFL season, Boyd had a legendary high school career at Clairton and remains rooted in his hometown. He was...

Don’t call for maintenance. The scoreboard at South Park’s stadium wasn’t malfunctioning Friday night, nor was the one at Franklin Regional, even if they both had a 0-0 score in the fourth quarter. There were zeroes on Ringgold’s scoreboard in the third quarter, as well. In a football era often...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. North Allegheny, 4-0, 1 2. Central Catholic, 2-2, 2 3. Seneca Valley, 1-2, 5 4. Norwin, 2-2, 3 5. Canon-McMillan, 1-3, NR Out: Hempfield (1-3, 4) Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 4-0, 1 2. Pine-Richland, 3-0, 2 3. Upper St. Clair, 4-0, 3...