The Franklin Regional baseball team completed a two-game sweep of Penn Hills by collecting a four-inning, 18-0 win in Section 3-5A action Wednesday on the road. Panthers pitcher Jonah Willochell didn't allow allowed one hit and struck out 10 batters.

Narayan Ramchan led Franklin Regional by smashing a home run to center field in the first inning. Ramchan collected two hits and had a game-high five RBIs. Anthony Mitchell and Brady Yarabinetz also drove in three runs apieces for Franklin Regional.

Anthony Sipple had the lone hit for the Indians.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

New coach, new results for the Allderdice baseball team. The Dragons beat West Allegheny 11-8 Tuesday afternoon on at ome to pick up their first section win since 2019. Allderdice was led by Lukas Stead, who was 2 of 2 with 3 RBis, while Kingston Mangkoski had two hits.  

Zack Shook had a team-high three hits. It was a nice bounce back for the Dragons, who lost the first game of their 2-0 Section 3-5A series 10-0 on Monday. Allderdice, which is now 2-1 on the season, is in a section along with Pine-Richland, West Allegheny, Shaler, Fox Chapel, Mars and New Castle.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected]

fThe Pennsylvania State Hockey Finals wrapped up Saturday at Clearview Arena on Neville Island. Burrell won the inaugural Division 2 Challenge Cup, Garnet Valley won in Class A, North Penn in 2A and Seneca Valley in 3A. the question for hockey's governing body is will the Challenge Cup continue?

It is a two-year experiment for what used to be known as the Open Class. There was a subdued energy to the game, but that may be because the game started at 11 a.m. Some of the Pope John Paul II players drove through the night to get to Pittsburgh for the game.

​Such is life for club sports. 

Here's my story on the Division 2 Challenge Cup for the Tribune Review. Also, wrote about Garnet Valley's title for High School on SI.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

The long basketball season has ended. Due to a scheduling mishap, the PIAA was forced to extend the state tournament to make its date for the GiANT Center in Hershey. Shady Side Academy reached the state tournament for the first time by beating OLSH 43-29 at Fox Chapel.

Read my game story about it for the Trib High School Sports Network.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or @J_oshrizzo on X.

The Penguins Cup finals were hotly contested Tuesday night at the UPMC Lemieux Complex. Cathedral prep won its fifth Pens Cup title and collected a title for the first time since 2016 by tripping up top-seeded Fox Chapel 5-4 in overtime.

Morgantown (W.Va.) rolled over Burrell 5-1 to win its first Penguin Cup title. The Mohawks were the West Virginia team to win a PIHL title in 14 years.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas cane be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

MANOR TWP - Part of the fun of the state tournament is battling it out with teams all over the team. But in the case of the Aliquippa boys basketball team and the South Fayette girls basketball team, the path to Hershey will go through a familiar foes. The Quips rolled past District 6 champion Forest Hills last Saturday to punch their ticket to a rematch with South Allegheny this Saturday at Canon-McMillan.

The Gladiators overcame a four-point deficit in the final 50 seconds to sting Aliquippa the first time around. The Quips are the defending Class 2A state champions and will be eager to find a way back to the title game.

The Lions also beat District 6 champion Hollidaysburg. South Fayette will seek a spot in the state title game and have to go through Peters Township, the team that beat them in the WPIAL Class 5A final to get there. 

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Any story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

NEVILLE ISLAND - The Burrell Buccaneers earned a return to the PIHL varsity Division II Penguins Cup final. The Buccaneers beat rival Deer Lakes 5-2 Thursday night. Burrell won three of its four meetings with the Lancers this season.

The Buccaneers' defensive pressure was suffocating, as they held Deer Lakes to fewer than 20 shots on goal. Burrell will take on Morgantown (W.Va.) in the Penguins Cup final next Tuesday.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.

By Josh Rizzo
MONROEVILLE - Mike O'Lare came out of the locker room following Mohawks' 59-45 loss to Forest Hills in the second round of the PIAA Class 3A boys basketball tournament full of reflection. The Warriors graduated six players from last season's team that made the state quarterfinals and only had guard Bobby Fadden to lean on.

Mohawk (21-7) responded by placing third in the WPIAL and beating Chestnut Ridge in the first round of the state playoffs. But against the Rangers, the Warriors ran into a deeper team.

"We discussed that in the locker room," O'Lare said. "I have a ton of sophomores and a year from now, we've got to be at that point and that's on me. We have to have nine or 10 guys ready. You know, we have to develop a bench. You can't play in a state quarterfinal game with five games and expect to win those games. You have to have some depth. I thought Forest Hills had some nice depth to them. We've got to get back to work."

Mohawk led 15-10 after the first quarter. However, the Rangers' stifling defense made life difficult of Fadden. Fadden scored a team-high 18 points, but he was shut out in the second and fourth quarters.

Drew Wrona knocked down three 3-pointers for the Warriors and he finished with 10 points.
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"It's hard for Bobby to accept losing and we tell him he doesn't have to do it himself," O'Lare said. "We've got guys to help. Tonight, I thought he did. He moved the ball. When they started covering him up a little bit, he was trying to find other guys and did."

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

The PIHL Class 3A finals is set for next Monday at the UPMC Lemieux Complex. Seneca Valley and South Fayette will battle for the Penguins Cup. The Raiders being in the final should come as no surprise. Seneca Valley was the top seed in the tournament, but needed overtime to best Upper St. Clair in the semifinals.

The Lions, who were seeded seventh, won comfortably by toppling North Allegheny 4-2.

Josh Rizzo is editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to Rizzo42789@Gmail on @J_oshrizzo on X.

The PIAA playoffs started this weekend. Much of the talk surrounding the opening of the state tournament, sadly, was taken up by the brawl at the Meadville-Uniontown boys basketball game Friday night at Meadville. The PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi told Chris Harlan of the Tribune Review and Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News that no decision would be made on discipline until Monday.

The game was stopped with Meadville ahead in the fourth quarter. 

Wade moves into second-place on WPIAL's all-time scoring list
Clairton senior Iyanna Wade scored 24 points to finish her career with 3,119 points. That put the Bears senior guard in second place on the WPIAL's all-time scoring list.

Fields reaches 2,000 points
Kennedy Catholic's Layke Fields reached 2,000 career points during a win over Fort Cherry.

Canon-McMillan picks up first-ever PIAA playoff win
The Big Macs' girls basketball team were able to make a couple of key plays in the final minute to slide by Allderdice on Friday night to win their first-ever state playoff game in Class 6A. Canon-McMillan grabbed a 48-44 victory.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges.
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