Chris Harlan stories, Page 46

The Heinz Field clock was ticking down last fall on Central Valley’s third consecutive WPIAL title when coach Mark Lyons was approached by longtime assistant Shawn McCreary. Lyons says he prefers to live in the moment, but his friend urged him to reflect on the past. “He said, ‘Listen, you...

After winning WPIAL and state championships, expectations couldn’t be any higher for an Aliquippa football team that brings almost everyone back. Yet, in Mike Warfield’s first four seasons as the Quips’ coach, he says he found that practice is far more important than predictions. “My first year, there was great...

Woodland Hills could’ve dropped down two classifications this season because of a statewide change in how enrollment numbers are counted, but the Wolverines declined. Instead of joining smaller schools in Class 3A, Woodland Hills voluntarily stayed in 5A. “To me, us going to 3A is almost like a slap in...

Gateway’s offensive line was pushed around at times last season by some of the best defensive fronts in the WPIAL, but the Gators say they’re ready to bite back. “The big thing for us was definitely confidence,” said senior tackle Matt Brooks, a Duquesne recruit. “We didn’t have that confidence...

There was a zero in the wins column, but South Fayette’s conference record didn’t tell the entire story. Yes, the Lions finished 0-5. But as they start this season, they’re still confident they’re a team that can compete in the rugged Allegheny Six, even if the conference standings from last...

Senior night promises to be a short affair at Peters Township. The football team has only five seniors, so coach T.J. Plack will turn to his junior and sophomore classes to fill some leading roles as the Indians seek a sixth straight trip to the WPIAL playoffs. “Depth will be...

Last names were written on strips of tape and stuck to the forehead of Mars football helmets, a tool to help new coach Eric Kasperowicz and his assistants learn the names a little quicker. It’s an old school tactic but one he hadn’t used much since his early days at...

When the PIAA awarded the state football championships to Cumberland Valley, the sudden exit from Hersheypark Stadium caught most by surprise. After 24 years in Hershey, the state finals are leaving the so-called “sweetest place on Earth” this fall for a high school stadium about 30 miles away. The PIAA...

Thomas Jefferson quarterback Luke Kosko, a transfer from Seton LaSalle, was ruled ineligible for the upcoming football season after a hearing Monday with the WPIAL board. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore was in the running to start this fall for the Jaguars but instead must sit out the upcoming season. “The...

Put away the stopwatches. Instead, athletes in grades 7-12 can get an exact, electronically measured time in the 40-yard dash, the mile and a few other popular distances at a youth track event Saturday on Neville Island. The festivities at the RMU Island Sports Center are hosted by race organizer...

A broken hand sidelined Seneca Valley linebacker Chris D’Appolonia for a couple of weeks last season and limited his game film, so he was determined this summer to show recruiters his full potential. The rising senior already shares his workout videos on social media, but he also embraced the camp...

On many other football teams, Kameron Cheatom would be the most talked about player on the roster. At Brashear, that title rightfully belongs to teammate Ta’Mere Robinson, the top-ranked recruit in Pennsylvania. Both are seniors. Both play linebacker. So it’s easy to see how Cheatom might be overlooked in Robinson’s...

The WPIAL approved an extra year of eligibility for Aliquippa’s Antonyo “Sunny” Anderson, a multi-sport athlete who was seriously injured in a shooting 14 months ago. Anderson missed his senior seasons and often watched football games from a wheelchair on the sideline, so Aliquippa administrators asked for a hardship waiver...

Since his days running track at North Allegheny, Ayden Owens-Delerme has talked about winning world titles and Olympic medals. This weekend, the NCAA champion decathlete made his World Championships debut and proved those dreams aren’t too far off. Competing against the sport’s best professional athletes, the 22-year-old college star finished...

Scott Seltzer had decided his time with the WPIAL was ending this summer after 13 years on the board and six as board president. Or so he thought. Seltzer, 55, had expected to retire within a few years as assistant superintendent at Chartiers Valley, so he considered now to be...

Name, Image and Likeness deals could improve the lives of some high school athletes, but there’s also real concern about manipulation by misguided adults, says the WPIAL’s top administrator. The discussion about NIL money and its impact on high school athletics increased in recent days after the PIAA board revealed...

Allderdice graduate Tanner Jacobson on Monday became the first player in the short history of Queens University baseball to be picked in the MLB Draft. The St. Louis Cardinals chose the right-handed pitcher in the 10th round with pick No. 307, a milestone moment for the NCAA Division II baseball...

Former Canon-McMillan star Cameron Weston, who helped win WPIAL and PIAA baseball titles in 2018, was selected Monday in the eighth round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Weston was picked 227th overall. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-hander finished his junior season at Michigan, where he ranked among the...

Cole Young was introduced to the baseball world as an MLB Pitch, Hit & Run winner in 2014, hinting then that the 10-year-old from Franklin Park might have a bright future ahead. Eight years later, that’s still true. Young heard his name called again Sunday night at another MLB event,...

Ayden Owens-Delerme appears nowadays on TV commercials in Arkansas for a local hospital system, but the recent NCAA decathlon champion is ready to take his track talents global. On the heels of winning a college national championship, the North Allegheny graduate will compete in the World Athletics Championships on July...

Armstrong quarterback Cadin Olsen is a three-year starter, but like many football players across the WPIAL, the senior has a little sense of unfamiliarity heading into the fall. That’s because this is a realignment year, meaning new conferences, new schedules and some new opponents. That leads to more scouting, more...

The PIAA appears ready to rewrite its competitive-balance rule to include all team sports while also making it easier to force successful teams into a higher classification. The current rule applies only to football and basketball. As now written, it measures a team’s postseason success and counts the number of...

Rather than fly to Los Angeles, Cole Young will spend Sunday closer to home, watching the MLB Draft on television, maybe from his house in Franklin Park. The recent North Allegheny graduate was invited to attend draft festivities on the West Coast, but the likely first-round pick wasn’t lured by...

Local TV commercials might feature high school football players or a popular basketball star could sell ads on social media. Those ideas are now closer to reality for Pennsylvania high school athletes once they’re allowed to profit from selling their name, image and likeness under a tentative policy the PIAA...