Plum and North Hills have much grander ambitions than their current spots in the Northeast Conference standings would indicate. The Mustangs have dropped three straight games and have yet to pick up a win in conference.

Plum's struggles have come despite quarterback John Nonnenberg showing flashes of ability to put up big numbers. Nonnenberg has passed for 1,002 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. However, Plum's offense took a nosedive in the face of strong competition the past two weeks.

Nonnenberg, who has topped 200 yards passing three times this season, was limited to 37 passing yards in a 56-14 loss to defending WPIAL 5A champion Pine-Richland two weeks ago. He also had a hard time against Penn-Trafford, being limited to 73 passing yards in a 33-14 defeat.

The Indians (1-5, 1-1) put itself in the playoff race with a 56-7 win over Fox Chapel. North Hills is led by quarterback Kelly McCarthy, who has thrown for 660 yards and nine touchdowns. Johnell Edison leads the Indians in rushing, piling up 297 yards on 48 carries.

Can Central Valley scare North Catholic?
The Warriors have had their share of issues going into a Western Hills Conference battle with North Catholic Friday at Stone Field. Central Valley (2-4, 2-1) has taken on its fair share of difficult opponents. The Warriors lost a rematch of the Class 3A WPIAL title game to Avonworth, 34-6.

Central Valley has also taken losses against Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon. North Catholic has been beating up all of its opponents so far season. Before losing 36-16 to Imani Christian last week, the Trojans had scored 47 points or more in every game this season.

The Warriors (2-4) have a balanced offensive attack. Central Valley is led by dynamic back Ethan Shearer on the ground. He has 455 yards on 55 carries this season. Warriors quarterback Braddock Ambrose has struggled with interceptions, but has thrown for 737 yards and six touchdowns.

North Catholic quarterback Joey Felitsky has thrown for 1,329 yards and 22 touchdowns. Logan Schade has been his top target, catching 45 passes for 657 yards.

Westmoreland County rivals seek good health
Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette could both use a shot in the arm. The Centurions played without their top offensive weapon, Samir Crosby, and were outmuscled in a 26-7 Eastern Conference loss to Riverview. Jeannette is struggling with health issues and took its second consecutive loss against Clairton.

The Jayhawks are seeking to avoid a three-game skid that plagued them in playoff seeding last season. However, things worked out for Jeannette, as the Jayhawks made a run to the WPIAL Class 1A semifinals. Jeannette and GCC are both 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference. The teams are in a four-way tie for fourth place with Frazier and Brentwood. A win does a long way toward solidifying a spot in the postseason.

Can Franklin Regional collect first win?
The Panthers hung tough with Kiski last week. But Franklin Regional (0-6) fell short, 14-7, in Big East Conference action. The Panthers will welcome a team that had a tough weekend in the press.

Fox Chapel has two wins this season, but the Foxes' request to have their game with Pine-Richland be played with shortened quarters drew a mixed reaction. The Foxes received a lot of criticism for the request from a vocal segment of the local sports community. Some of the players agreed with the decision.

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.

Riverview beat Greensburg Central Catholic 26-7 Saturday at Riverside Park.

​Check out all of my coverage in the Tribune Review.

ALLEGHENY TWP - Kiski Area's football team wanted to out physical Franklin Regional Friday night. The Cavaliers didn't exactly outmuscle the Panthers, but were able to do enough to pick up their first Big East Conference win of the season.

​Kiski's 14-7 win keeps the Cavaliers' playoff hopes alive. Franklin Regional (0-6, 0-3) is the only team that is likely out of contention for the playoffs. The Cavaliers opened up a three-game home stand with an important win. If Kiski wants to make the playoffs, the Cavaliers next two home games, against Latrobe and Armstrong will be vital.

"Once Monday hits, every week is a season," Cavaliers coach Colyn Haugh said. "We forget about last season. It's not longer in our minds. We recharge the batteries, reset the engine and we are good to go."

Kiski isn't healthy, as starting quarterback Landyn Armstrong didn't play against Franklin Regional. The Cavaliers also lost running back Ashton Taylor in the third quarter when he got his leg rolled up on. Lorenzo Price stepped in and played running back for Kiski to finish the game.

"It's next man up," Haugh said. "The thing is that Lorenzo is the price who has been waiting in the weeds, waiting in the weeds and waiting in the weeds and it's been hard on him. To his credit, today he got his opportunity and he took advantage of it." 

New Castle shows its for real
Marino Graham has the Red Hurricane trending toward contending for a WPIAL Class 4A crown. Graham ran for 105 yards and threw for 179 more to help New Castle beat Aliquippa 18-12 in its Parkway Conference opener.

The Red Hurricane (5-1, 1-0) had mostly leaned on its defense to find success this season. The win over the Quips showcased some of that talent. New Castle has recorded its previous four victories by completing shutouts.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic wins title rematch
The Vikings are going to be hard to stop. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (5-1, 3-0) dominated North Allegheny with a strong defensive effort to record a 21-6 win. Roman Thompson scored a pair of touchdowns for the Vikings.

Central Catholic beat North Allegheny in the 6A title game last season. The two teams have met in the 6A final in the previous three seasons, with the Tigers taking two of three.

Pine-Richlands rolls past Fox Chapel, 63-3
This game isn't one that is worth mentioning because of its result. Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne shared a letter before the game that Fox Chapel Athletic Director Michael O'Brien had requested the two teams shorten the quarters of the game because of the wide gap in skill level between the two teams. The Rams won their meeting 71-0 this year.

The response to O'Brien's request was strange, as the school faced criticism over taking this approach. This isn't a rare occurrence, as Butler did this in games against Central Catholic before leaving the WPIAL and going independent. I think the reaction to this has been overblown.

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 Springdale football program announced this week that it was "postponing" its game with Leechburg this Friday due to a lack of healthy players available. It is a ridiculous way the WPIAL attempts to classify these games. During the high school football season, there are no bye weeks to make up games.

But the WPIAL has now faced three contests that were delayed due to a lack of healthy players. Shady Side Academy said it couldn't play Clairton in Week 2 due to a lack of healthy players, while Rochester said the same thing about its game with Neshannock in Week 3.

The hope is that these games could be made up on a weekday, but it doesn't seem practical. It also lacks fairness for a team that has ambitions of making the the postseason. The Blue Devils are 4-1 and are in contention for the Eastern Conference title. But Leechburg will now be forced to sit out a week and rest.

The Blue Devils picked up their most impressive win of the season last week, outmuscling Jeanette 36-27. 

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

PENN HILLS - Jamie Montini received an emphatic hug from her daughter, Zakeira, in the middle of a swarming crowd.

Zakeira made a beeline for her mom, who was sitting in the front row, after scoring the point that snapped a 14-game section losing streak in section play Tuesday night in home. It was a night of high emotions for Zakeira, who also earned a bouquet of flowers and an invitation to homecoming after the match.

"That's the one thing I was thinking about after I scored that point," said Montini, a senior outsider hitter for the Indians. "'Cause I knew she was watching. I saw her screaming and I ran right to her and everybody started coming in. She was the main focus."

Penn Hills had to use every bit of creativity it had to beat Woodland Hills, 3-1. The Indians (2-7, 1-4) don't have a powerful offensive attack and rely on tips and misdirection to score points.

Penn Hills coach Raymond Ager III was happy to pick up his first Section 4-4A win since he took over the program in 2024.

​"It feels great, especially finding out it's been since 2023," Ager said. "It feels great to beat a rival who was trolling us on social media all week."

The Wolverines (0-8, 0-5) got off to a solid start behind the serving of senior setter/right-side Becca Busch. Woodland Hills scored the first three points and were in control for the entire first set.

Wolverines assistant coach Joey Cunningham said they were able to effectively utilize their serve.

"Honestly, I feel like with our team right now, we are good at utilizing our utility players," Cunningham said. "We have a lot of utility players right now that we could just very easily move around and pop around. I would say when we get it ruts, we can move someone up a little bit. they do very well with that."

Ager said that Penn Hills made a tactical change by switching liberos. The Indians leaned on Layla Smedley after the first set.

"She's an all-around athlete," Ager said. "She's like a ninja on the court. She really flies around and brings big energy."

The Indians won the second set, 25-14. In the third set, Penn Hills built a 23-9 lead before allowing Woodland Hills to roll off seven consecutive points.

"I feel like we like to into a little bit of a rollercoaster where we do really good and then it just kind of drops," Cunningham said. "I think we're getting used to and getting really good at getting ourselves out of that rollercoaster."

The Wolverines rallied in the fourth set to even things at 19 points. Woodland Hills leaned on Niyah Brown and Jayla Brown to help carry the attack. The Wolverines couldn't maintain the momentum, dropping three consecutive points that allowed Penn Hills to get some seperation and close out the match.

The Indians won the final set 25-21. Montini said she believed Penn Hills would find a way to break through this season.

"I was thinking about the ending, like I knew we were going to win and I felt that in my heart and God's presence," Montini said. "I felt that in the whole game that we were going to win and the student section carried us through that with our energy."

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.

When the PIAA chose to go to six classes in football for the 2016 season, there was always a feeling that the competition in the largest classification was going to be sparse in Western Pennsylvania. There aren't enough large districts to have a large league.

North Allegheny and Central Catholic have met in the WPIAL Class 6A final in the previous three seasons, with the Tigers winning two of the three matchups. Central Catholic also won a meeting between the teams in the 2020 championship game.

The Tigers (5-0, 2-0) will enter this weekend's home matchup as the underdogs. North Allegheny opened the season with a narrow win over Woodland Hills. The Tigers narrowly beat a strong Norwin team 20-17 last week.

The Vikings (4-1, 2-0) opened the season by losing to a potential opponent in the PIAA final, La Salle College. Central Catholic had a tightly contested win over Pine-Richland in Week 1, shutting out the Rams in the second half of a 34-20 win.

Central Catholic cruised since. The Vikings laid waste to Woodland Hills (58-20), Mt. Lebanon (57-0) and Hempfield (59-7) to stretch their winning streak to four. The Vikings have a balanced offense, led by quarterback Owen Herrick, who has 858 passing yards. Running back Roman Thompson has piled up 411 yards on the ground.

Luke Rohan leads North Allegheny with 426 rushing yards. Brady Brinkley leads the Tigers with 708 passing yards. The question for North Allegheny in this matchup is if the Tigers can handle Central Catholic's large offensive line?

Riverview, Greensburg Central Catholic seek separation
Clairton and Leechburg have established themselves as the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. But the rest of the teams vying for spots in the WPIAL Class 1A playoffs still have hopes they can force their way into the playoff picture.

Riverview (3-2, 1-1) blasted Springdale 64-14 last weekend to halt a two-game slide. The Raiders have struggled with consistency on offense this season. Riverview hasn't scored fewer than 18 points in a game this season, but has struggled with turnovers and penalties in key spots.

The Centurions (3-2, 1-1) lost a nailbiter to Shady Side Academy in Week Zero and were blasted by a state-title contender, Clairton, two weeks ago. Samir Crosby has scored nine touchdowns for GCC this season.

Crosby leads the team with 251 rushing and 225 receiving yards.

New Castle will get a true test

The Red Hurricane have flexed their defensive muscles all season. New Castle is off to a 4-1 start and has recorded four shutout victories. But the Red Hurricane will get the ultimate test this weekend during their Parkway Conference opener.  New Castle will have to try and find a way to beat Aliquippa.

The Quips rallied from a double-digit deficit to stun Penn Hills last Friday at Heinz Field. Marques Council passed for 309 yards last week, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Raymond Williams as time expired. Council threw all three of his touchdown passes during the fourth quarter of Aliquippa's 21-16 win.

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.

Lincoln Park senior Josh Pratt will be making his college decision this week. Pratt, who was voted the PIAA Class 3A player of the year last season while at Aliquippa, has a number of Division I offers.

Pratt made the move to Aliquippa following a wild offseason for the Quips. Aliquippa parted ways with coach Nick Lackovich after the program reached the WPIAL final and PIAA semifinals last year.

Pratt helped the Quips win the WPIAL and PIAA title as a sophomore.

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 Penn Hills Indians were five seconds away from picking up their second consecutive win Friday night at Heinz Field. But Aliquippa found some magic late to pull out a 21-16 non-conference win in what was a difficult day in its community. Raymond Miller caught the game-winning touchdown for Aliquippa, which had to go 89 yards on its last drive to win the game.

Marques Council Jr. threw the game-winning touchdown pass for the Quips (3-1). Aliquippa played following the news that an 18-year-old student had been killed after firing a gun at an ATF agent, according to state police. Penn Hills, which only scored seven points in its first three games, built a 10-0 lead on the Quips.

Aliquippa responded with 15 unanswered points before the Indians (1-4) took the lead again.

Not No. 3 Anymore
Leechburg football coach Randy Walters made it pretty plain at Veterans Memorial Field. The Blue Devils boss told his team following the team they won because they kept pounding and pounding and pounding away at Jeanette. It was true, Leechburg (4-1) didn't run anything fancy against the Jayhawks.

The Blue Devils mostly ran the ball up the middle and found their success by moving four or five yards at a time. Leechburg did enough to earn a 36-27 win over Jeannette. The Blue Devils will now be in position to try and challenge powerful Clairton for the Eastern Conference crown.

Walters was impressed with how Leechburg handled the challenge.

"That was the No. 3 team in the WPIAL," Walters said to his team after the game. "Not anymore."

Norwin keeps things interesting
Class 6A in the WPIAL could use some fresh faces. North Allegheny and Central Catholic have controlled the district for the past five years. Norwin was hoping to crash the party against the Tigers.

While the Knights fell 20-17, it its a good sign for Norwin. The Knights are cutting down the gap between them and their competition. Norwin had a 17-7 lead after Zach Pawling scored on a 30-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. North Allegheny, however, was able to rally and extend its all-time record against Norwin to 16-0.

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 Pitt women's volleyball team has continued to rack up wins after a difficult start. The No. 5 Panthers beat the defending national champions and 13th-ranked Penn State Wednesday night at Rec Hall.

Pitt only committed 19 errors and hit .299 during a 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17 win over the Nittany Lions. Olivia Babcock led the Panthers with 16 kills, while Dagmar Mourits and Rylan Jones contributed 13 and nine, respectively.

Jones also added a team-high nine blocks. Pitt is now 8-2 on the season.