Chris Harlan stories, Page 6

Former NFL offensive lineman Don Barclay, who was an all-conference athlete at Seneca Valley, is returning to his high school alma mater as football coach. The school announced his hire Monday. A 2007 graduate of Seneca Valley, Barclay was a three-year starter for West Virginia’s football team and played five...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Norwin, 11-6, 3 2. Upper St. Clair, 13-5, 1 3. Seneca Valley, 13-5, 2 4. Mt. Lebanon, 11-8, 5 5. Canon-McMillan, 11-7, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 16-2, 1 2. South Fayette, 18-1, 2 3. Penn-Trafford, 19-0, 3 4. Thomas...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 18-2, 1 2. Central Catholic, 12-6, 3 3. Imani Christian, 12-6, 4 4. New Castle, 15-3, NR 5. Fox Chapel, 15-4, 5 Out: Seneca Valley (11-9, 2) Class 5A 1. Montour, 17-1, 1 2. Baldwin, 18-1, 2 3. Uniontown, 17-3,...

Shady Side Academy graduate Andrew Geisler, who served as Thiel’s defensive coordinator last season, is returning to his high school alma mater as football coach. The school announced his hire Friday. A former football team captain, Geisler graduated in 2012 and later played defensive line at Saint Vincent. His coaching...

The boys basketball banner that lists section titles was conspicuously missing from Baldwin’s gym, moved instead to the locker room at coach Jeff Ackermann’s request. Before it goes back on the wall, the Highlanders are hoping to add “2025” next to “1986” as their newest section title. With that goal...

Former WPIAL basketball player Meleek Thomas, who transferred out of state for his senior year, was chosen Monday for the McDonald’s All American Game. A 6-foot-4 guard committed to Arkansas, Thomas was one of 24 boys chosen for the national all-star game played April 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn,...

Belle Vernon missed its share of shots after halftime Saturday, but somehow those misses kept finding their way into the basket. The Leopards were focused on the offensive glass and sparked a fourth-quarter run with a string of putback baskets to defeat Knoch, 54-50, in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 17-1, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 11-7, 2 3. Central Catholic, 10-6, 4 4. Imani Christian, 9-6, 5 5. Fox Chapel, 13-4, NR Out: New Castle (13-3, 3) Class 5A 1. Montour, 14-1, 1 2. Baldwin, 15-1, 3 3. Chartiers Valley,...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 12-4, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 11-5, 2 3. Norwin, 9-5, 3 4. Canon-McMillan, 10-6, 4 5. Mt. Lebanon, 10-7, 5 Out: none Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 14-2, 1 2. South Fayette, 16-1, 2 3. Penn-Trafford, 17-0, 3 4. Thomas...

Zach Pollaro practices bank shots from spots all around North Hills’ gym, so bouncing in a 3-pointer off the glass might feel almost routine at times. But this one surely didn’t. Trailing by two points with 2.9 seconds left, Pollaro banked in a buzzer-beating 3 from the left wing as...

The PIAA will expand girls volleyball to six classifications starting in 2026. The sport currently has only four classes, but the PIAA board on Wednesday finalized plans to add two more. PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said the move was needed because girls volleyball now has nearly the same number...

“A travesty of justice” was how Aliquippa boys basketball coach Nick Lackovich described the situation his short-handed team will face Friday night. As a result of last weekend’s on-court altercation with Imani Christian, Aliquippa must play a section game with only five players and without Lackovich, who was suspended one...

Burrell’s new football playbook might borrow some ideas from the Kansas City Chiefs. Newly hired football coach Dom Girardi already has cheered on the Chiefs at two Super Bowls and is headed to Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. He comes from a football family, and his...

Pitt football coaches landed their first commitment for 2026 from quarterback Angelo Renda, a junior at Southlake Carroll High School in Texas. Renda announced his decision Wednesday on social media. The 6-foot, 180-pound passer also held an ACC offer from SMU along with Jacksonville State and UT San Antonio, according...

Montour’s Colton Straight had a first quarter to remember, yet his buzzer-beater after halftime was the shot Chartiers Valley surely won’t forget. Straight won’t either. His deep 3-pointer with zeros on the third-quarter clock helped spark a winning run Tuesday night as No. 1 Montour pulled away from No. 2...

The WPIAL’s leading passer, two district champions and a quarterback with more than 6,000 career yards were among the finalists revealed Tuesday for the Willie Thrower Award. The annual award honors the top high school quarterback in Southwestern Pennsylvania. This year’s finalists are Peters Township’s Nolan DiLucia, North Catholic’s Joey...

A WPIAL boys basketball game between two reigning state champions was cut short Saturday after spectators ran onto the floor during an on-court skirmish. The nonsection contest between Aliquippa and Imani Christian at Allderdice was called off with 4:23 left in the second quarter. Video showed two players fighting for...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 12-2, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 10-4, 2 3. Norwin, 8-5, 3 4. Canon-McMillan, 8-6, NR 5. Mt. Lebanon, 8-7, 4 Out: Butler (8-6, 5) Class 5A 1. Peters Township, 13-2, 1 2. South Fayette, 13-1, 2 3. Penn-Trafford, 15-0, 3...

Class 6A Rank, Team, W-L, Last 1. Upper St. Clair, 15-1, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 10-6, 5 3. New Castle, 12-2, 2 4. Central Catholic, 9-5, 3 5. Imani Christian, 8-5, 4 Out: none Class 5A 1. Montour, 11-1, 1 2. Chartiers Valley, 13-1, 2 3. Baldwin, 13-1, 4 4....

Ryan Robbins may be known around Upper St. Clair as Tyler’s little brother, but there was nothing small about the 6-foot-7 sophomore’s game on Friday night. Upper St. Clair was off to a slow start until Robbins scored a season-high 22 points off the bench. With him and his 6-10...

The WPIAL has put the Imani Christian boys basketball program on probation for one year for “lack of institutional oversight,” the result of a three-month investigation by the league. The school’s athletic administration and boys basketball coach Khayree Wilson also were censured — meaning a public admonishment from the WPIAL...

Peters Township boys golf coach David Kuhn, a six-time WPIAL champion in his 25 seasons, has received a national coach of the year award for the 2023-24 school year. The National Federation of State High School Associations honored 24 coaches nationally, one apiece from a variety of boys and girls...

It’s no surprise that Southmoreland’s Russ Grimm was a good high school football player, but the position he played might astound some. Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the NFL’s greatest offensive linemen, Grimm played running back as a junior and was the quarterback his...

As a top-ranked team with lofty expectations, the stretch run this winter will be anything but dull, Montour coach Bill Minear told his players. Expect some trials along the way. “There are 27 days left in the regular season,” Minear said. “You’re No. 1 now. Can you take everybody’s best...

Chartiers Valley hired a college assistant as its next football coach. Steve Spence, an assistant coach at Washington & Jefferson, was the recommended candidate to be hired Tuesday, according to the Chartiers Valley school board agenda. Spence had served on the W&J coaching staff since 2010. The school district in...