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]

The Fairmont State women's basketball team earned the regular season crown in the Division II Mountain East Conference by finishing with a 24-4 record, including a 17-3 record in conference play. The Falcons have done so with two Pittsburgh-area players on their team.

Guard Alyssa DeAngelo, a Thomas Jefferson graduate, was named first-team All-MEC. She appeared in all 28 regular-season games for the Falcons this season. She averaged 14.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.

Taylor Allderdice graduate Zaniya Murray is also a guard for the Falcons. Murray averages 3.5 points per game and has made 27 appearances this season. Fairmont State is ranked fifth in the latest NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings. The top eight make the NCAA Tournament.

The Falcons would like to win the MEC Conference Tournament to ensure a bid to the tournament.

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

Ellen Guillard always has the desire to push the Allderdice girls basketball program forward. The Dragons took the next step in their development process when they beat Erie High School 64-48 to win the District 8/10 PIAA subregional championship. This is the first time Allderdice (20-5) has won the subregional to advance to the PIAA Tournament.

The Dragons, who have won 16 straight games and were the City League champions, will open up the state tournament against the WPIAL's third-place finisher, Canon-McMillan, on Friday.

"It meant a lot to the program," Guillard said. "It was great to witness the girls play with confidence and their handywork that they put forth all season paid off."

Bailey White led Allderdice with 23 points, while Peyton Lynch added 16. Seena Teshome also scored 10 points for Allderdice. The Dragons lost by 17 points in the subregional game last year. To try and halt Allderdice's struggles on the road, Guillard scheduled a game with Erie McDowell in early January.

The Dragons won that game in overtime. Allderdice didn't need overtime this time around. The Dragons built a 16-8 lead by the end of the first quarter against the Royals.

"We played really good defense and really played as a team on the road to secure a win," Guillard said. "Thankfully, we had the experience of playing Erie McDowell earlier this season. It prepped us for the long ride, the atmosphere and the refs."

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.

Rashan Murray built his reputation as a standout defensive back with California (Pa.) University. The Obama Academy graduate recently announced that he will test himself at the next level after accepting an offer from Pitt. Murray was recently named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Squad List.

Murray helped the Vulcans win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division title this season. Cal reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs before losing to Slippery Rock University. Murray, a junior, was named second-team All-American by the Associated Press and Don Hansen Football Committee.

Murray was second in Division II with 18 passes defended and grabbed a team-high four interceptions. Murray also recorded 39 tackles and forced a fumble.

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

Gavin Sunnafrank always wanted to be more involved with wrestling. The Summit Academy sophomore has two brothers who wrestle and he believed he may enjoy the sport too. But outside of wrestling at the youth level, Sunnafrank hadn't been involved in the sport much.

When Sunnafrank, an Erie native, landed with Summit Academy this fall, he chose to join the team and has found some success. After entering the Penn Hills Holiday Tournament with a 2-1 record, Sunnafrank significantly increased his win total during his run through the 172-pound weight division.

Sunnafrank collected three pins and a techincal fall to win a tournament for the first time in his life.

"I definitely need to work harder," said Sunnafrank, who is 6-2 on the season. "But this is a big boost for my confidence."

Summit Academy was one of three schools, along with Highlands and Washington, to have more than one wrestler bring home a championship. The Golden Rams had an event-high seven winners, while the Little Prexies also had two champions.

Summit Academy coach Arthur Stewart was proud of Sunnafrank's effort. During the champion match, Sunnafrank was taken down first by Riverview's Cole Brunn. Brunn was able to trap Sunnafrank on the edge of the mat going for a pin, but Sunnafrank worked his way out of bounds.

"It's all heart," Stewart said. "No one can coach heart. I can't coach heart. He has heart."

Sunnafrank defended another takedown attempt from Brunn before ending up on top. He was able to wrap up a pin 1 minute, 20 seconds into the first round.

"I had to listen to my coach," Sunnafrank said. "I don't even remember to be honest. I was on bottom. I got up and got out of there."

Sunnafrank collected four wins on the day. He pinned teammate Brent Toy in 1:19 in the first round before sticking Woodland Hill's Brendan Luptak in 1:51 to reach the semifinals.

Stewart said he was proud of his team's overall effort. Rocco Zugai also won a championship at 127 pounds. Zugai is a much more experienced wrestler than Sunnafrank. Zugai had a 15-11 record last season at Yough.

Sunnafrank said he wanted to make his dad and brothers proud. He wasn't sure if a championship was possible at the start of the tournament.

"I was thinking if I was going to do good or not," Sunnafrank said. "It felt good to wrestle my hardest."

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

The Penn Hills Holiday Wrestling Tournament saw Highlands win the team event. The Golden Rams had the most champions with seven.

Washington and Summit Academy also produced two winners. There will be more coverage later in the evening.

Here's a look at the rest of the winners:

107 pounds: Javeon Chambers (Highlands)*
114: Daemon Phipps (Penn Hills) pinned Caleb Mcfarlane (Allderdice), 1:47
121: Noah Patton (Washington) p. Levin Dickson (Highlands), :38
127: Rocco Zugai (Summit Academy) technical fall Evan Morgan (McKeesport), 16-1 4:48
133: Burton Babinsack (Highlands) p. Javen Woods (Allderdice), 1:32
139: Aiden Burford (Highlands) p. Levi Smith (Penn Hills), 1:53
145: Elijah Elser (Brashear) p. Dylan Mains (South Allegheny), :52
152: Caleb Patton (Washington) injury default Darnell Jackson (Penn Hills), 4:40
160: Kyren Vesaley (Highlands) injury default Alex Wylly (Riverview)
172: Gavin Sunnafrank (Summit Academy) p. Cole Brunn (Riverview), 1:20
189: Jayden Calhoun (Highlands) p. Tom Paternoster (Allderdice), :59
215: Joshua Battocchi (Highlands) p. Quentin Ainsco-Brevvard (Woodland Hills), 1:01
285: Caden Dadowski (Highlands) p. Kar'zell Daugherty (Washington), 1:30
*No tournament held, Chambers was winner of five-wrestler round robin