North Hills took a devastating loss to Shaler last week that seemed to have the Indians on the outside looking in on the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. But North Hills didn't pack up its tents and head home.

Instead the Indians were able to trip up Penn Hills 17-6 to set up a chaotic final week for the Northeast Conference. The top three teams in the conference automatically qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, while any other playoff hopefuls would need to secure a wild card.

Pine-Richland (8-1, 4-0) has already qualified for the playoffs. The Rams, theoretically, could not win the conference title outright if it lost to the Titans next week, but that is highly unlikely. Shaler (3-6, 3-1) did its job by beating Fox Chapel 35-14 Friday night, but could risk falling into a three-way tie for third should Penn Hills (3-6, 2-2) beat Plum.

The Wild Card picture is murky for all of these teams, as the Northeast Conference is weaker than the other two 5A Conferences, the Allegheny Six and Big East. All of the teams will be eager to grab the third-place spot and avoid the Wild Card.

Trinity clinches first conference title since 1986
The Hillers built a 34-0 lead by halftime en route to a 48-0 win over Laurel Highlands. Trinity (5-4, 4-0) has flexed its muscles in Big Six Conference play. Owen Gardner opened up the scoring with a 49-yard touchdown run.

Jonah Williamson then threw two touchdown passes to stretch the lead to 21-0.

Moon trips up Upper St. Clair
The Panthers weren't able to maintain their spot in second place in the Allegheny Six Conference, losing 20-13 to Moon in double overtime. Andrew Cross gave the Tigers a lead by scoring on a 2-yard run in overtime.

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

SHALER TWP - Mars boys soccer coach Chris Knauff smiled big when huddling with his team under three balloons indicating he had hit the 300-win mark Tuesday night at Biles Field.

Knauff, who is in his final season as coach, will only have to worry about preparing for the matches ahead of him in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs and not anything else.

By beating Shaler 2-1 in a Section 1-3A match, Knauff became the second Planet soccer coach to hit a win milestone this fall.
Blair Gerlach, the Planets’ girls coach, hit his 400th win early this season.

“It was nice to hit that milestone during the regular season and not be thinking about it in the playoffs,” Knauff said. “We’ve got a good program on both sides. It’s fun to be a part of.”

The Planets (11-5-2, 9-1-2) won the match in unique fashion. Senior keeper Eli Stasiowski scored his first career goal.
Stasiowski launched a free kick from near midfield that took a large leap off the turf, went through Shaler keeper Brian Hegerty’s hands and landed in the back of the net.

“As soon as I saw it go through his hands, if this goes in, I was telling my guys at halftime ‘Hey, we just gotta put some pressure on this keeper and see what happens’” Stasiowski said. “And there it was, it was kind of like I told you so moment. It was amazing to see the ball go in.”

It wasn’t something he was eager to celebrate.

Stasiowski wouldn’t have wanted to be in that position himself.

“I can’t celebrate on the other keepers when they slip up,” Stasiowski said. “It doesn’t feel right.”

Not much was in Mars’ favor in the first half. The Planets had a goal waved off for offside. Shaler (12-4, 8-3) ended up taking the lead in the 36th minute when Anthony Tylenda launched a shot from well outside the box that found its way in.

“I thought we played well tonight,” Titans coach Tyler Schultz said. “At the beginning of the season, people probably didn’t expect us to be here. We’ll see what cards are dealt tomorrow and whatever the fallout is of this game and we’ll see where we stand.”

Mars came out in the second half eager to cut into the deficit.

The Planets evened the match when Frank Knezovich was able to get on the end of the cross and guide the ball into the net on the back post.

“We knew we needed to press them and they came with a lot of energy,” Knauff said. 

Stasiowski’s goal allowed Mars to lock up second place in the section.

When the WPIAL playoff brackets are released Tuesday, the Planets will likely be awarded a home game.

“It’s incredible, especially during my senior season in the last section match of my career to end on a win,” Stasiowski said. “I got my first goal and the coach got his 300th win. It’s amazing to be a part of.”

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.​

Alex Gaetano scored the overtime goal to help the long-suffering Shaler boys soccer team earn its first spot in the playoffs in 16 years. The Titans have made a living by winning close contests this season. Shaler averages 2.2 goals per game, while conceding 1.6 per contest. Shaler also isn't just sneaking into the playoffs.

The Titans (10-3, 8-2) have rolled off six consecutive wins in section to put themselves in the running to win the title outright. Shaler's last defeat was a 4-0 loss to Hampton (9-2-2, 6-0-2). The Titans will play Shaler next Tuesday at Biles Field.

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.

MONROEVILLE - Gateway football coach Don Holl didn't care how the Gators won Friday night. He knew they needed a lift. Gateway avoided a four-game losing streak by making two key stops on defense in the fourth quarter at Antimarino Stadium.

The Gators saw their lead shrink from 15 to three points over a six-minute stretch. But Gateway's defense forced a three-and-out and a turnover on downs to seal a 34-31 Big East Conference win over Kiski Area.

"You gotta find a way to win," Holl said. "People talk about complimentary football. Tonight, sometimes the defense had issues. Sometimes, the offense and special team had issues. You have to find a way to win a game. I think our defense said this is going to be us if the offense can't put it away."

The Gators (1-3, 1-0) helped themselves by getting off to a fast start. Gateway scored 28 points in the first half. The Gators recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and scored three plays later. Gateway quarterback Mayson Mitchell made several big plays for the Gators.

Mitchell scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal early in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead to 34-19. He also threw three touchdown passes. Mitchell was also intercepted three times.

Mitchell said he wanted to move on quickly from mistakes.

"You have to talk to your coaches," Mitchell said. "You have to flush it you know. You gotta go to the next play and just keep going. You have a whole game."

Shaler snaps losing skid
The Titans had lost each of their first three games by eight points or fewer. Shaler threw its hat in the ring for the Northeast Conference playoff race by picking up a 27-20 win over Plum. The Titans forced six turnovers and made life miserable for the Mustangs.

Penn Hills blows by Fox Chapel
The Indians (1-3, 1-0) struggled to score during the first three weeks of the season. All of Penn Hills' scoring issues went out the window during a 49-14 win. Doryean Peay led the Indians with 180 rushing yards.

Putting the work in
Aliquippa's J.J. Work helped pull the Quips out of the Flames Friday night. Aliquippa won 19-6 over Mars, but the game was closer than the score may indicate.

The Planets were ahead 6-0 after three quarters. But Aliquippa rallied behind two touchdowns from J.J. Work. Qalil Goode iced the win with a 43-yard pick-six with 6 seconds remaining.

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

SHALER TWP - The Shaler girls volleyball team didn't need to do anything dynamic Tuesday night at home against Fox Chapel. The Titans needed to be mindful of what was happening. 

The Foxes have a young team and would have unorthodox moments where they were out of system. Shaler didn't get flustered and found ways to score points during a 3-0 sweep.

​"That was actually our focus of the match was out of system play," Shaler coach Annie Carter said. "We had to make sure we're playing good defense when it is wonky like that. Those were our two focuses and I think they did a great job."

Titans middle blocker Sophie Spynda said she felt Shaler handled Fox Chapel's approach well.

"I think we did pretty good," Spynda said. "They gave us a lot of opportunities with balls that we could put down. We were able to kill the ball."

Fox Chapel, which is 0-1 in section, had a hard time delivering on the attack. The Foxes finished with 13 attack errors and 12 kills, hitting -.026 percent. Fox Chapel coach Diana Andreyko said the Foxes only have one returning starter, Emma DiRocco, who recently committed to play at Old Dominion University.

DiRocco finished with a team-high six kills and added three blocks. Addy Quimby also had four kills for Fox Chapel.

​"We have to have a lot of patience," Andreyko said. "We have the understanding outside of one returning players, these kids haven't had the exposure and the experience. Most of them do not play club volleyball where they are playing the sport all year round. We want to stay patient and stay encouraging."

The Titans (2-3, 1-0) were encouraged that they were were able to stop a three-match slide. After opening the season with a win over Mt. Lebanon, Shaler had to face-off against the defending state champion North Allegheny, defending WPIAL Class 3A champion Mars and perennial power Pine-Richland.

"We started our season off with some harder games," Titans senior setter Bella Hoffman said. "It's been a little bit more laid back, but we've been able to run more plays and work on fine-tuning some things."​

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.

SHALER TWP - Carlo Prati watched the Fox Chapel girls soccer team, with six new starters, go through the learning process together Monday night at Biles Field.

In the first half, Fox Chapel learned the importance of variety in the attack. During the second half of the Foxes' 2-1 Section 1-3A win over Shaler, Fox Chapel worked on situational awareness. The Foxes played the last 24 minutes down a player after Caylie Wilkinson was issued a straight red card for an aggressive foul.

Prati said after the match he was told Wilkinson had slapped a Shaler player on the follow through to an attempted tackle.

Prati was happy with how the Foxes (2-0, 1-0) handled things down the stretch. If anything, Prati was worried they were too aggressive. Emily McKee, who recently gave a verbal commitment to Pitt, scored both of the Foxes' goals.

"I thought they did really well," Prati said. "At times, I had to keep telling them to hold back a little bit because they wanted to attack. We wanted to try and play the ball in the corner and run out of here with a win."

Shaler (0-1, 0-1) was happy to see progress against Fox Chapel. The Titans made the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in four decades last season. During their two meetings with Fox Chapel, Shaler was outscored 10-2.

Naudia Zotter scored the Titans' goal Monday night to cut the deficit to one goal in the 70th minute. 

Titans coach Bill Ament watched the film of the second match with Fox Chapel last season -- a 5-1 defeat -- before the teams met again. What stood out to Ament was how his players had grown physically. Sophomore defender Lily Trgovic was one of the many players that stood out to Ament.

"They looked like little babies last year," Ament said. "Lilly Trgovic looked liked one of the smallest people on the field. She was ready to go (on Monday). We are bigger, faster and stronger than they were last year." 

Fox Chapel controlled most of the possession in the first half, but had a hard time generating chances. McKee created the spark in the 25th minute. She beat Shaler defender Zoey Cieslak in the race for a 50-50 ball. From there, McKee was able to get the ball inside the box and sneak a shot past Shaler keeper Paige Querio.

"I thought we did OK," Ament said. "We have a lot of the same girls from last year. We were hoping to be more competitive and thankfully we were. We made two mistakes and unfortunately it found Emily's foot both times. I can't say how proud I am of these girls. I've been waiting for this feeling when we go against elite competition and almost pull one off."

Fox Chapel wasn't able to generate much else in the attack during the first half. The Foxes would get the ball forward, but weren't able to get the last connecting pass to put the shots away.

"We were very predictable," Prati said. "I told them that at halftime, you can't be so predictable every time going to the same person over and over again, making the same runs. With six new starters, it's going to take time with them getting used to each other."

In the second half, McKee doubled Fox Chapel's lead on a shot from 25 yards out in the 58th minute. She launched the ball from outside the box into the top corner that went above the leaping Querio.

McKee nearly scored again in the 63rd minute, hitting a looping shot that bounced off the crossbar.

"In the pregame, she hammered one in the upper corner," Prati said. "I said 'Emily, let's see if we can do that tonight.' The second goal she scored was a laser. After that, she hit that one off the crossbar. She helped us for sure today."

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.

A team from the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association placed fifth at the 61st Williamson Cup, which the Quebec Golf Association at Le Club Laval Sur Le Lac hosted. Team WPGA's Carson Kittsley, a Fox Chapel student, finished in four-way tie for fifth place a 5-over par 147.

Kittsley shot 72 in the first round and 75 in the second round. Team WPGA shot a 22-over par 448, finishing two strokes behind Maryland State Golf Association. Golf Ontario won the tournament with a team of 435. Michael Qualich (Baldwin), Ty Hartman (Thomas Jefferson) and Jacob Crissman (Shaler) also competed for Team WPGA.

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