Chris Harlan stories, Page 21

Baldwin boys basketball coach Jeff Ackermann took his team to look at the school’s trophy case before Friday night’s playoff game. There wasn’t much to see, which was why he wanted them to look. “It’s barren,” Ackermann said. “There was James Wesling’s ball for 1,000 points and nothing much else....

Forty WPIAL and City League football players were selected Friday to take part in a pair of East-West all-star games organized by the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association. The two games — one for small-school athletes and one for large schools — are May 19 at Cumberland Valley High School...

The WPIAL has scheduled four semifinal doubleheaders in the basketball playoffs on Monday. The games are for Class 6A girls, 5A boys, 3A boys and A girls. The schedule includes a rematch between Franklin Regional and Shaler in the Class 5A boys bracket. The teams met in January for a...

The numbers on the scoreboard sure seemed to be stuck. A few days after scoring more than 70 in its playoff opener, Shaler finished the third quarter Thursday tied at 24 in a grinding game that was playing right into its opponent’s plans. The Titans then made only one basket...

The WPIAL has scheduled four basketball semifinal doubleheaders Saturday at Montour, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny and Peters Township. The classifications in action are Class 4A boys, 3A girls, 2A girls and A boys. WPIAL basketball playoffs Saturday’s semifinals Class 4A boys 1-Lincoln Park (21-3) vs. 4-Uniontown (21-3) at Peters Township,...

Uniontown was missing its big man in the middle, but against a small, speedy opponent, was that a blessing in disguise? Maybe so, said coach Rob Kezmarsky, but he sure hopes center K’Adrian McLee gets back in the lineup soon. Playing without the Ivy League football recruit, No. 4 seed...

Eight WPIAL football players were among the 38 high school all-stars selected Wednesday to represent Pennsylvania in the 67th annual Big 33 Football Classic. The list included Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsay and Brandon Banks, Canon-McMillan’s Kaeden Singleton and Geno Calgaro, North Allegheny’s Khiryn Boyd, Penn-Trafford’s Zach Tomosovich, Pine-Richland’s Evan Johnson and...

Fox Chapel, Highlands, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny and Peters Township will host doubleheaders for Friday’s quarterfinal games in the WPIAL basketball playoffs. WPIAL basketball playoffs Friday’s quarterfinals Class 6A boys 8-Pine-Richland (7-15) at 1-Mt. Lebanon (18-4), 8 p.m. 5-North Allegheny (11-11) at 4-Baldwin (16-6), 7 p.m. 2-Central Catholic (14-8) vs....

Aaron McGee gave away some of his Bishop Canevin gear when he left for an assistant coaching job at Moon, but fortunately he held onto some shirts. He couldn’t have predicted two years ago that he’d soon need a long-sleeved white shirt with “BC” on the arm, but he wore...

The WPIAL released sites and times for Thursday’s boys and girls basketball quarterfinals. Fox Chapel, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, North Hills, Norwin and St. Joseph will host doubleheaders. WPIAL basketball Thursday’s quarterfinals Class 6A girls 8-Seneca Valley (12-10) at 1-Norwin (18-3), 6 p.m. 5-Chartiers Valley (15-6) at 4-Mt. Lebanon (12-10),...

Chartiers Valley boys basketball coach Brandon Sensor, who missed the final six weeks of the season on administrative leave, resigned Tuesday. Sensor said a lack of support from Chartiers Valley’s administration led to his decision, adding that he intended to coach again elsewhere. “I just didn’t think there was any...

The WPIAL revealed an updated football alignment Monday that has Aliquippa sharing a Class 5A conference with Fox Chapel, North Hills, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Plum and Shaler. Quips coach Mike Warfield said he saw the list and wasn’t sure how to feel, knowing those could be their conference opponents for...

A seemingly settled dispute between Butler and the PIAA was rekindled Monday when the WPIAL said the school’s football team must play a conference schedule next fall. The team planned to opt out of WPIAL competition and play an independent schedule, Butler athletic director Bill Mylan said last month, a...

The WPIAL wanted more competitive balance in its conferences and sections, so some teams might have a longer drive next season as a result. Updated fall sports alignments for the 2024 and ’25 seasons were approved Monday by the WPIAL board, giving teams a first look at their upcoming opponents....

The WPIAL has scheduled a slate of quarterfinal doubleheaders for Wednesday in the next round of the basketball playoffs. The classifications in action are 4A boys, A boys, 2A girls and 3A girls. Wednesday’s schedule includes five rematches of section teams: Montour vs. Avonworth, Rochester vs. Carlynton and Neighborhood Academy...

When other WPIAL basketball teams were probably prepping for their playoff openers, the North Allegheny boys took batting practice in the high school gym. They certainly had time to spare. That’s because North Allegheny and everyone else in the Class 6A bracket got a 10-day layoff before starting their postseason...

Highlands’ size can be an advantage, just not against a deceptively sturdy guard who made one big shot after another. Avonworth’s Rowan Carmichael plays bigger than his lean 5-foot-11 frame might suggest. The junior scored a game-high 32 points with five 3-pointers Friday night as the sixth-seeded Antelopes defeated No....

As the boys basketball coach at Hillel Academy, Yoni Eglash has fielded a number of questions since his team joined the WPIAL two years ago. Questions like, “What is Hillel Academy?” “No one knows, unless you talk to the Jewish kids at Allderdice,” Eglash said with a laugh. “They know.”...

Class 6A Favorite: Mt. Lebanon coach Joe David published a book about his “Bora Defensive System,” and his team has probably boosted sales. The Blue Devils won the Section 2 title behind a defense that allowed only 44.9 points per game, the best in WPIAL 6A. The team is chasing...

Football coach Greg Perry has a new head coaching job that’s just down the road from his previous two. The former coach at Seton LaSalle and Keystone Oaks was introduced Monday as the new head coach at Mt. Lebanon, meaning he will have coached at three schools with campuses all...

When the WPIAL basketball committee met Monday morning to seed the playoff brackets, there was little debate about the No. 1 seeds. Most were obvious choices. In some brackets, two, three and four were tricky to sort out. But maybe the hardest part of putting together this year’s brackets were...

The 2024 WPIAL boys basketball playoff field is set with 87 teams in the six classifications. Class 6A goes straight into the quarterfinal round while the five other classifications start with first-round games. Class 4A, 3A and 2A have full 16-team brackets with no byes. Class 5A has 17 teams,...

WPIAL girls basketball rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 18-3, 2 2. Peters Township, 20-1, 1 3. North Allegheny, 19-2, 3 4. Mt. Lebanon, 11-10, NR 5. Chartiers Valley, 14-6, 5 Out: Upper St. Clair (12-10, 4) Class 5A 1. Oakland Catholic, 21-0, 1 2. McKeesport, 18-3,...

WPIAL boys basketball rankings Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Mt. Lebanon, 18-3, 1 2. Central Catholic, 13-8, 4 3. Upper St. Clair, 15-5, 3 4. Baldwin, 16-5, 2 5. North Allegheny, 10-11, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Moon, 18-3, 1 2. Franklin Regional, 19-2, 2 3. Shaler,...

North Allegheny will play host to a Western Pennsylvania girls wrestling championship once again, but this time the medals will says “WPIAL.” That’s no small detail, said North Allegheny coach Dan Heckert, adding that there’s increasing excitement since this is the first winter for girls wrestling as a sanctioned high...