Chris Harlan stories, Page 39

The four months of high school football season might zip by in a blur, but each fall the coaches take a moment to reflect, look back and vote for all-conference teams. Here’s a look at their work. The list includes all 17 WPIAL conferences along with the All-City League team....

Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg is only a freshman but conference coaches chose the dual-threat quarterback as the offensive MVP in the Black Hills this season. Sieg rushed for 1,982 yards and 33 touchdowns and passed for 1,221 yards and 11 more scores as the Rangers tied for second in the...

Conference champion Beaver Falls earned six first-team spots on the all-Midwestern team led by senior Trey Singleton, who earned honors on both sides of the ball. Beaver Falls went 7-0 in the conference, finished 11-2 overall and reached the WPIAL Class 2A finals. Tigers senior Sy’Mauri McCoy, who was voted...

Conference champion Greensburg Central Catholic earned eight first-team spots on the all-conference team, including two by lineman Ryan Kimmel, who was recognized on both sides of the ball. The Centurions went 6-0 in the Class A conference. Kimmel, a senior, also was named the conference’s lineman of the year. Second-place...

Mapletown celebrated its first undefeated regular season since 1968, a feat that was recognized in all-conference awards. George Messich was named coach of the year in the Class A Tri-County South, and nine of his players earned all-conference honors after finishing the regular season 10-0. The list included senior running...

Union quarterback Braylon Thomas and South Side linebacker Ryan Navarra earned the top individual awards in the Class A Big 7 all-conference voting. Conference champion Laurel led with eight first-team all-conference spots, including two-way honorees Landon Smith, Brady Cooper and Ryan DiMuccio. The Spartans went 6-0 in the conference, finished...

Sto-Rox was a newcomer in the Class 2A Century Conference, but the Vikings made themselves right at home this season. They went 6-0 and were rewarded with nine first-team spots on the all-conference team. Dre Miller-Ross was voted the MVP, quarterback Josh Jenkins was the offensive player of the year...

Steel Valley’s Cruce Brookins was a two-way standout for the Ironmen, but he wasn’t the only player on the roster making an impact on both sides of the ball. Three Steel Valley players were voted first-team all-conference in the Class 2A Allegheny for both offense and defense. The conference champions...

Westinghouse won the City League title for the 38th time in team history, but the Bulldogs didn’t stop there. Led by coach Donte Green and senior quarterback Keyshawn Morsillo, the Bulldogs beat every opponent in Western Pennsylvania and reached the state finals for the first time. Westinghouse finished 14-1 as...

Avonworth’s Luke Hilyard and Brandon Biagiarelli swept the conference MVP honors, and nine teammates also were named first-team all-conference after the Antelopes won the Class 3A Western Hills title. The team went 6-0 in the conference and finished 11-2 overall as the WPIAL Class 3A runner-up. Hilyard was voted the...

Belle Vernon has had many reasons to celebrate. The Leopards won their conference, were crowned WPIAL champions and later celebrated a state title. After the historic season, they also can celebrate the all-conference results. Belle Vernon earned 12 first-team spots on the Class 3A Interstate team led by junior Quinton...

Conference champion Freeport received 10 first-team all-conference spots in the Class 3A Allegheny 6, led by Ben Lane, Jacksen Reiser and Jacob Bollinger, who also earned individual awards. Lane was voted the conference’s Offensive MVP, Reiser shared the co-Defensive MVP award and Bollinger was tabbed as the top defensive lineman....

College football coaches needing a linebacker, running back, wide receiver or offensive lineman will be visiting Western Pennsylvania in the coming months. Need a quarterback? The WPIAL has a few of those, too. Now that many in the 2023 recruiting class made their commitments official Wednesday, the WPIAL’s 2024 graduates...

Western Pennsylvania had five high school football teams reach the state finals this season, including a postseason run by Westinghouse that was the City League’s first PIAA championship game appearance in decades. Pine-Richland, Aliquippa, Belle Vernon and Union also reached Cumberland Valley, the new home for the PIAA finals. Those...

As the saying goes, big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. Many of the best players in Western Pennsylvania proved those words true this fall. Whether at Acrisure Stadium or Norwin Knights Stadium for the WPIAL finals or Cumberland Valley High School for the state championships, the “big-time” players...

Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 6-0, 4 2. Upper St. Clair, 4-1, 1 3. North Allegheny, 2-1, 2 4. Mt. Lebanon, 3-2, 3 5. Peters Township, 5-1, NR Out: Bethel Park (0-5, 5) Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. South Fayette, 5-1, 1 2. McKeesport, 4-1,...

Class 6A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. New Castle, 4-0, 2 2. Central Catholic, 1-1, 1 3. Butler, 5-1, 5 4. Upper St. Clair, 2-2, 3 5. Mt. Lebanon, 2-2, 4 Out: none Class 5A Rk., Team, W-L, Last 1. Penn Hills, 2-1, 1 2. North Hills, 4-1, 2 3....

The PIAA fears high school diving is disappearing from many areas of the state, but changes meant to save the sport will force the WPIAL to revamp its championship format this winter. That doesn’t sit well with longtime North Allegheny diving coach Patti McClure, who oversees the WPIAL championship. The...

WPIAL passing leader Cadin Olsen earned first-team all-conference honors in the Class 4A Greater Allegheny, along with his top two receiving targets. Wide receivers Isaiah Brown and Ian Olsen helped the Penn-bound quarterback pass for 3,210 yards and 43 touchdowns as the River Hawks won the conference title with a...

Aliquippa players received a dozen first-team spots on the Class 4A Parkway all-conference team, including six claimed by a trio of linemen honored on both sides of the ball. Naquan Crowder, Neco Eberhardt and Jason McBride were instrumental in the Quips winning the conference title before adding another WPIAL championship....

McKeesport teammates Bobbie Boyd and Jahmil Perryman were two-way stars for the Tigers this season, but they weren’t the only players in the Class 4A Big Seven pulling double duty. Coaches also named Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher, Thomas Jefferson’s Jordan Mayer and Trinity’s Ty Banco all-conference on both sides of...

North Allegheny graduate and Arkansas decathlete Ayden Owens-Delerme was the runner-up for college track and field’s top honor Thursday night. The Bowerman Award, created in 2009, is awarded annually to the top male and female athletes by the U.S. Track Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Florida State’s Trey Cunningham,...

After 22 years of coaching Woodland Hills football, first as an assistant and later head coach, Tim Bostard says he often joked that he’d be there until they kicked him out. “I guess they did what I said,” said Bostard, who learned Thursday that the school district was opening his...

The WPIAL classification for the biggest schools was the league’s smallest overall with only five teams. Yet, the schedule was maybe the most competitive in the WPIAL, with only North Allegheny going undefeated in conference play. The Tigers were rewarded with nine first-team spots on the all-conference team and Art...

Penn-Trafford’s size up front was a strength this season and opposing coaches recognized that group favorably when voting for the all-conference team. The Warriors, who led the Big East with seven first-team spots, had four linemen chosen: center Joe Enick, guard Mike Paterra, offensive tackle Zach Tomosovich and defensive end...