Chris Heater had nothing against the Kiski Area wrestling team participating in the Trinity Duals again this season. The Cavaliers' opened last season there and enjoyed the event. But Heater chose to take his team to the Sheetz Kickoff Classic in Greenville instead.

The Cavaliers wanted a fresh batch of opponents. Eight of the teams in the event were from District 9 or 10. The only other WPIAL team to participate beside Kiski was Armstrong.

Kiski (6-0) won all five of its duals at the event. Mario Hutcherson, Cooper Roscosky, Gavin Murphy, Bear Joseph and Jackson Pollick all went 5-0 for the Cavaliers.

"We went to Trinity last year and we wrestled three teams that we saw again later in the season," Heater said. "I just wanted to go somewhere where we wouldn't see anybody and give our guys the chance to wrestle five matches and see where their endurance and conditioning was. It was a good opener for us."

Kiski will host another intense dual event this weekend. The Cavaliers will have a number of strong WPIAL programs -- Canon-McMillan, Hempfield, North Allegheny, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township and Waynesburg Central -- along with District 9's DuBois and District 10's Fort LeBoeuf.

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.

Mia Williams spent every Friday this fall covering high school football games for the Pennsylvania Football News. The Penn-Trafford senior girls tennis standout logged many miles documenting the accomplishments of others.

Williams had everyone stop and take note by making news of her own Saturday at the Hershey Racquet Club. Williams knocked off West Chester Henderson freshman Erika Dunwoody in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 to claim the PIAA Class 3A title.

She became the first WPIAL Class AAA singles player to win the state title since North Allegheny’s Ashley Huang won in 2017. Williams, who was the WPIAL runner-up, had never made it past the state quarterfinals in her past three appearances.

“I think a lot of people didn’t have me as their favorite to win this weekend, but I definitely believed I could and so did my corner of coaches and friends, so that was enough for me,” Williams said. 

Williams burst onto the state tennis scene as a freshman when she won the WPIAL. In the three years that followed, Williams was tripped at the same hurdle.

Williams made it back to the WPIAL final each season, but lost to Shady Side Academy’s Meriwether McCargo. Dunwoody eliminated McCargo in the second round, winning 6-4, 6-3.

In this season’s WPIAL final, McCargo beat Williams 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

“The WPIAL loss was definitely not fun this year so to come out here and win like this was fantastic and a surreal experience,” Williams said. “I just had this mindset of going out there and leaving everything on the table and just enjoying it. It worked out.”

Taking out the champs
On Williams’ way to the final, she beat three district champions. Williams upended District 11 champion Parkland's Alexandria Warsing in the first round, and District 10 champion Fairview's Grace Liu in the quarterfinals.

To reach the state final, Williams beat the defending state champion, District 6 winner Central Mountain’s Addison Lindsay.

Williams won all of those matches in straight sets. She had to win a tiebreak in the semifinal before prevailing 7-6 (4), 6-4.

“They were all tough matches,” Williams said. “When you get to the state level, everyone is good. Everyone can compete, so you can’t ever really take a match off. All four girls I played this weekend were fantastic players and they all forced me to play my best tennis.”

Grabbing the crown
Williams said she felt the most nerves before the final match. She was taking on another player who found success as a youngster.
Dunwoody, who was the second seed out of District 1, wasn’t able to grab a set.

“I think the pressure was definitely the highest at the finals because of the situation, but they were all tough matches,” Williams said. 

Williams, who celebrated post match by getting a giant chocolate bar from Hershey’s Chocolate World, will play tennis at Division III Skidmore (N.Y.) College next year. Having a state title win going into next season is a major boost.

“It makes me excited for college tennis,” Williams said. “I mean I love to play tennis, win, lose, practice or a match, but it makes me excited to be in college where the level will be like this weekend at every match.”

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

LOWER BURRELL - Brendon Knuckles is starting to find his stride. The Valley senior quarterback may have liked to find his way earlier in the season, Vikings coach Mark Adams is happy to see him come along.

Knuckles passed for 94 yards and two touchdowns during a 41-21 loss to Burrell Friday night on the road. Knuckles threw two touchdown passes to Sean Wilkerson, including a 35-yard touchdown strike that tied the game at 14 in the second quarter.

It was a positive sign for Valley (0-7, 0-3).

​"He's grown tremendously, leaps and bounds," Adams said. "We knew that with time, we would need to mesh them together. It's snap after snap, it's conversation after conversation. I've seen the lights go on in his eyes and the game is slowing down for him."

Chartiers Valley, Trinity crash the party in the Big Six
Thomas Jefferson has earned its status as the boogeyman in the Big Six Conference. But the defending WPIAL Class 4A champion Jaguars will need help if they want to reach the top of the conference standings again. Trinity (3-4, 2-0) picked up its second win over Thomas Jefferson in the past three years Friday night, collecting a 33-22 victory.

The Hills having a losing record is misleading. Trinity's non-conference schedule is loaded up with 5A opponents, including Bethel Park, Peters Township and Moon. The Hillers were trailing Thomas Jefferson 22-7 at the halftime before rallying for a win.

The Colts (6-1, 2-0) went for two points in the waning seconds to knock off Belle Vernon 36-35. Chartiers Valley has two wins by one point this season. The Colts also beat West Allegheny in overtime in Week 1. The Colts will find out a lot about themselves in the next two weeks when they play Trinity and TJ.

Warriors grab hold of the bell
Penn-Trafford evened its all-time series with Gateway at 13 wins apiece. The Warriors won the battle from the bell after rallying from a 16-point deficit.

Ben Grabowski scored the go-ahead touchdown with 6 minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Grabowski finished with 151 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Can Butler get to a sixth win?
The Golden Tornado went independent in football a few years back to build the program back into one that could possibly rejoin the WPIAL. Butler picked up a win over University (W.Va.) to improve to 5-2 on the season. The Golden Tornado are a win away from their first winning season since 1997.

Butler's next opponent, City League opponent Allderdice, the Golden Tornado beat 7-0 last season. Allderdice has a better team this year. The Golden Tornado close the season with Wheeling Park (W.Va.) and PIAA Class 2A runner up Central Clarion. If the Golden Tornado can't beat the Dragons, things may get dicey to reach that sixth win.

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

The WPIAL was in a bad spot when the PIAA chose to expand to six classes in football about a decade ago. Compared to the Philadelphia area, Pittsburgh didn't have enough big schools to form a competitive league. Since Pine-Richland dropped to Class 5A, North Allegheny and Central Catholic have run away with the largest classification.

The Norwin Knights would like to enter the conversation. After losing a controversial game on a late fumble to Penn-Trafford in Week Zero, the Knights have rebounded with three consecutive wins. Norwin's offense has been excellent all season. The Knights (3-1, 1-0) have scored 30 or more points in all four of their games.

Norwin won their Quad County Conference opener with Seneca Valley, 56-13, last Friday. The Raiders couldn't slow down Norwin quarterback Tristyn Tavares, who threw three touchdown passes and scored twice on the ground. North Allegheny (4-0, 1-0) thumped another hopeful Westmoreland County program, Hempfield, last weekend.

North Allegheny never allowed the Spartans to get in the game, putting up 56 points in a dominant win. The Tigers were tested in the season-opened against Woodland Hills, but have rolled since. North Allegheny leaned on a balanced rushing attack last week.

Quarterback Brady Brinkley piled up 85 rushing yards and scored twice. Luke Rohan finished with 88 yards on the ground and scored.

Leechburg, Jeannette search for leg up in Eastern Conference
The Blue Devils and Jayhawks both opened the season with disappointing results. Leechburg dropped a difficult 20-16 decision to regional rival Apollo-Ridge, while Jeannette saw a 20-point lead slip away in a loss to Mt. Pleasant. Since then, both teams have followed similar paths.

The Jayhawks and Blue Devils are each on three-game winning streaks. Both are hoping to position themselves for a first-place showdown down the line with Clairton. Leechburg knocked off Jeanette in a game that sent the Jayhawks into a mini three-game tailspin. Expect Jeannette quarterback Kymon'e Brown to be locked in for this contest.

Can Kiski push Penn-Trafford?
The Cavaliers' offense has a pair of dangerous receiving options in Teegan Shirley and Aven Shirley. Kiski is coming off a difficult loss to Gateway last Friday. The Cavaliers nearly overcame a 15-point deficit to topple Gateway. Kiski (1-4, 0-1) will be desperate to get a conference win as it heads to Harrison City to take on Penn-Trafford.

The Warriors (3-1, 0-1) took a difficult loss last week to Woodland Hills. Penn-Trafford didn't have the firepower to match a talented Wolverines' offense. Penn-Trafford is a consistent, physical team. Expect this game to be a close one in a Big East Conference where the playoff race will be tight.

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.

Deer Lakes couldn't stop shooting itself in the foot during a 24-21 loss to Derry last week. Despite that, the Lancers were only 8 seconds away from knocking off the Trojans to improve to 2-1 on the season. Deer Lakes now has to figure out how to turn things around.

Luca Mangieri was one of the bright spots for the Lancers last week, catching touchdown passes of 79, 55 and 25 yards. Deer Lakes will need more of that in their Allegheny Conference opener against Freeport. The Yellowjackets are off to a 3-0 start, outscoring their opponents 119-13.

Freeport beat Derry 49-6 in Week 1. The Yellowjackets lean on running back Amos Glenn, who has been piling up rushing yards this season. The Lancers will need to be sharp to put a scare into Freeport.

Freeport beat Derry 49-6 in Week 1. The Yellowjackets lean on running back Amos Glenn, who has been piling up rushing yards this season. The Lancers will need to be sharp to put a scare into Freeport.

Snake-bitten Shaler looks for relief
Titans coach Jim Ryan has to wonder which of the football Gods he upset this offseason. Shaler has started the season 0-3 with an overtime loss to Butler, an eight-point loss to South Fayette and a one-point loss to Hampton on its resume.

The Titans have yet to play a Northeast Conference game, so their is still plenty to play for. Shaler will have its hands full with an excellent Plum (2-1) team. The Mustangs have looked like a dynamic offensive team that will give all of their opponents issues.

Plum exorcised some demons last week by tripping up Gateway for the first time in 13 years. The Titans have scored 24 or more points in the previous three weeks, will Shaler find the same success against the Mustangs?

Penn Hills, Fox Chapel in search of leg up
The Indians have talented defensive back/wide receiver Carter Bonner, who Division I offers from Pitt, Penn State, Rutgers and Tennessee among others. Penn Hills hasn't been able to figure things out on offense. The Indians have only scored seven points in the first three weeks.

Penn Hills (0-3) has played tough competition in Woodland Hills and North Allegheny, but were likely hoping for a faster start. Fox Chapel improved to 2-1 with a 20-18 win over Knoch last week. Both of the Foxes' wins came against teams with a combined record of 0-6.

This is a must-win game for both sides if they want to make the postseason. Plum and Pine-Richland appear to be the best two teams in the conference, while its hard to tell what to make of the rest of the slate. North Hills, Penn Hills and Shaler are all winless.

Warriors ready for Wolvarena
Penn-Trafford is the only unbeaten team in the Big East Conference. But the Warriors won't be favored when they head to Turtle Creek to play Woodland Hills on Friday. The Wolverines are 1-2, but have played a brutal schedule. Woodland Hills took on Central Catholic and North Allegheny, two strong 6A teams, during the first three weeks.

Scoop Smith and Ziggy Moore give Woodland Hills dynamic playmakers on each side of the ball. The Warriors have won two of their three games on the road, but have been playing with fire. Penn-Trafford scored the game-winning touchdown in a 25-24 win over Moon last week in the final 20 seconds.

The Warriors recovered a fumble last to beat Norwin Week Zero.

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.

WEST DEER - Noah Stough insisted that Derry's performance in a back-and-forth road win over Deer Lakes Friday in a non-conference road contest was a better representation of what the team is.

The Trojans did a lot of good things during a 24-21 win. Derry recovered an onside kick to start the second half. The Trojans blocked a field goal and punt. 

The Trojans came behind twice during the fourth quarter in a win.

"This is really going to give us some good momentum going into next week," Stough said. "Last week was a fluke. Some players were out injured and we made mistakes. This game, I think, is going to keep pushing us."

Stough finished with 140 receiving yards and caught two touchdown passes. He also converted a fourth down on Derry's last drive that put them in position to score the winning touchdown with 7.9 seconds remaining.

There's a real argument to be made the game shouldn't have been as close as it was. Stough had a 58-yard reception on the first drive, but Derry fumbled the ball away at the Deer Lakes 3-yard line on the next play.

Deer Lakes stopped a drive in the second quarter with an interception in the endzone.

"I thought we created a lot now and there's a lot of stuff we have to clean up," Derry coach Mike Arone said. "I think we had three touchdowns called back because of penalties. We can't make those mistakes, especially on big plays where we're scoring touchdowns and continuously come back. But our kids never quit. They didn't put their heads down. They just kept fighting and fighting and fighting, and they were able to pull it out the end."

It was a tough loss for Deer Lakes, which found a lot of success in the passing game. Luca Mangieri caught three long touchdown passes from his brother, Dante. Luca caught scoring strikes of 25, 55 and 79 yards.

Lancers coach Tim Burk said his kids were resilient, but was disappointed with the end result.

"We just didn't make plays," Burk said. "We had the opportunity and you hope one of them would step up and make a play at a key moment. We couldn't do that tonight. The lack of game experience we have is tough. You can't simulate it in practice."

McKeesport falls on hard times
There was a lot of interest in the rematch from last year's WPIAL Class 4A title game this weekend. But the Tigers' offense could never get going. Penn State commit Kemon Spell left with an injury to his ankle in the first quarter of a 16-7 loss to Thomas Jefferson.

Spell told Brad Everett of the Pittsburgh Union Progress he hoped to be back after being out for a few weeks.

"Will be in much better form when I come back," Spell wrote on X.

Despite Spell being out for much of the game, McKeesport's defense held tough. The Jaguars scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard sneak by Harrison Kolling with 52 seconds remaining.

Penn-Trafford squeaks by Moon again
The Warriors have had the Tigers' number for the past five years. Penn-Trafford, which outlasted Moon in the 2021 WPIAL Class 5A title game, won by one score against the Tigers for the second straight season. 

Landyn Stikkel caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Nate Demond with 6.8 seconds remaining to allow the Warriors to steal a 25-24 win. Penn-Trafford, which leads the all-time series again Moon 6-2-1, beat the Tigers 14-7 last season.

Antelopes rumble by Quips
Aliquippa got a majored boost to its storied program when Mike Warfield returned as coach. The Quips got their first major test of his new tenure, falling 23-7 at home to the defending Class 3A champions, Avonworth. Dimitri Velisaris scored two touchdowns for the Antelopes.

Avonworth will get a stiff test next weekend when it welcomes undefeated defending 4A champions Thomas Jefferson to its stadium.

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