PLUM - Things often get weird with amateur sports.  Plum outside hitter Bryce Nabozny saw something Tuesday night that he may not likely see again. Fox Chapel boys volleyball coach Phil O'Keeffe protested a ruling by the officials. They dug into their bag, pulled out a rulebook and looked for an interpretation.

Turns out he was right. It didn't help the Foxes chances much.

"That was the first and I'd be shocked if I see it again," Nabozny said. "The funny part is that it killed their momentum completely because they were worried they were going to lose a point."

Plum ​shook up the race in Section 4-3A by sweeping the Foxes. I will have a few stories coming up in the Plum Advance Leader and Fox Chapel Herald.

The Fox Chapel girls flag football team knocked off North Catholic, 21-20, Wednesday night at home.

Josh Fremd was contrite about the mistakes he made in his past during the PFL Pittsburgh event last month. After being cut from the UFC, he was hoping to find a spot in mixed martial arts somewhere. Fremd knocked out Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi with a left hook to improve to 12-6 as a pro.

Fremd, who now lives in Colorado, announced on social media Wednesday that the PFL has chosen to offer him a new deal following the fight.

"Job interview in Pittsburgh went well," Fremd wrote. "Try blessed to STILL chase this dream in the Rockies."

Fremd, who wrestled at Connellsville High School before attending Slippery Rock University, went 2-4 in the UFC. He was 20-15 during his senior season with the Falcons and placed second in section.

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 Western Pennsylvania basketball scene will have another new player on the scene next school year. Something that will be considerably different from the norm. The Life Male STEAM Academy, which is based out of Penn Center in Wilkins Township, hired former Imani Christitan coach Khayree Wilson to lead its boys basketball program.

Wilson will be the Director of Basketball Operations, including the middle school program, and be the head coach of the high school team. Life Male STEAM Academy is a charter school serving students from grades six through 11. Wilson said on X that this will be a program that has the aims of playing a national schedule.

Wilson resigned in March after spending three seasons with the Saints and guiding them to a 38-34 record. During Wilson's first season, Imani Christian won the WPIAL and PIAA Class 1A titles. The Saints then chose to bump up to Class 6A for the next two-year enrollment cycle. Imani Christian made the playoffs in both seasons, but finished 19-24 overall.

The Saints had a male enrollment of 33, but chose to play up after dominated Class 1A. 

Wilson said in a statement that he will always love the school. 

"This program and this  school will always be part of who I am," Wilson wrote. The memories we built together, the battles we fought, and the relationships we created will stay with my forever. Sometimes new chapters end so new ones can begin."

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

Dave Bednar and Mason Miller both had their moments of elation at the World Baseball Classic Sunday night at loanDepot Park in Miami, Fla. The two WPIAL alums worked out of jams with runners in scoring position to help Team USA move onto the final of the WBC with a 2-1 win over the Dominican Republic.

Miller, who played for Bethel Park and Waynesburg, struck out Gerald Perdomo to close out the game on a slider that replay showed was below the strike zone. Things weren't easy for Miller, who now pitches for the San Diego Padres after breaking into the league with the Oakland A's.

Junior Caminero opened the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout. Julio Rodriguez then drew a walk from Miller.

Caminero would move from first to third following a wild pitch by Miller and a groundout by Oneil Cruz.  Caminero gave the Dominican Republic its only lead with a solo home run off Paul Skenes in the second inning. Team USA wouldn't provide Skenes with any run support until the fourth, when Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony each hit solo home runs.

Skenes, who was the National League Cy Young winner for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, threw 4.1 innings and allowed six hits and struck out two to earn the win. Bednar, a Mars graduate, came in during the seventh inning. He forced Rodriguez to pop out to open the inning, but found himself in trouble when Austin Wells doubled to right.

Perdomo singled and pushed Wells to third. Bednar, who now pitches for the New York Yankees, then got Fernando Tatis r. and Kendel Marte to strike out to end the innings.

The USA will play the winner of Venezuela and Italy in the championship Wednesday in Miami.

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

The WPIAL has released the new football alignments for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years.

There are many things that cause more consternation than the realignments that add more travel. Part of the reason the WPIAL can't get out of its own way on the odd geography is because it wants to have sections that allow them to have playoffs by classification, which makes sense.

Here are a few things that stick out about the new alignment:

• Thomas Jefferson and West Allegheny are coming up to Class 5A. The Jaguars should be well-positioned to make the jump. Bill Cherpak has been the Jaguars' coach for a long time and they have been successful at any level they competed at. But this section will be brutal. Peters Township, Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park were all excellent last season. Bob Palko is back at West A, but it may take a few years to get back to where they used to be during his first stint.
• McKeesport should break through and win Class 4A. The Tigers have excellent offensive weapons in Kemon Spell and Javien Robinson. The Tigers also chose to retain coach Matt Miller, which should help with continuity. With Aliquippa and TJ gone, there will be real urgency for McKeesport to win its first title in more than 20 years. Central Valley and North Catholic should be challengers.
• How will the independent schedule plan work? Albert Gallatin, Connellsville and Uniontown will all return to the WPIAL this season. The Fayette County schools all played a non-WPIAL schedule for the past two seasons. Albert Gallatin picked up a number of wins last season thanks to its new schedule. How much will that translate to sustained success in a competitive league? We shall see. ​

There's a look at the alignment below.

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.

Penn-Trafford won its PIAA Class 5A first-round playoff against West York Saturday in Harrison City.

Indiana 6-foot-8 junior Aaron Webb recently received an offer from Louisville. Webb, who scored a school record 49 points in a game this season, helped the Little Indians reached the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs this past season.

Indiana was upended in the first round of the district playoffs, losing 56-50 in overtime to Gateway. The Little Indians wrapped up the season with a 13-9 record, including a 7-5 mark in section.

​

PITTSBURGH - Reaching the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship game didn't bring Greensburg Central Catholic guard Erica Gribble any solace. The career 2,000-point scorer would have liked to added a third medal to her collection, but it didn't work out for the two-time defending champion Centurions. Section rival Shady Side Academy pulled away after halftime to grab a 57-40 win.

"I'm frustrated," Gribble said. "I wanted to win another one."

It was the Bulldogs' third win over GCC this season. Last season, the Centurions upended SSA, which went on to reach the PIAA final, in the championship game at Petersen Events Center. The Bulldogs were able to grab the championship thanks to an efficient offensive performance. Shady Side Academy shot 61.1 percent (22-of-36) from the field.

Karis Thomas scored 21 points for Shady Side Academy, while Cassie Sauer added 14. Gribble, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, scored nine points and had two rebounds. Avery Jones led GCC with 14 points.

Centurions coach Chris Skatell felt the Centurions played well.

"I thought we missed some opportunities in the first half where we could stretch things a little bit," Skatell said. "I thought we played well into the third quarter. Somewhere in the third quarter things got a little loose. The score isn't indicative of the game."

Bulldogs guard Karis Thomas said she felt what she saw from GCC was similar from the team's two matchups during the regular season.

"We didn't really see anything new," Thomas said. "They worked hard on defense. They tried everything."

Eagles fall short again
Serra Catholic took a tough loss where it lost to Neighborhood Academy in the 1A final for the second straight year. Read more about the game here. The Eagles didn't make a 3-pointer.

Brayden Graham, who scored 10 point for Serra Catholic, said the Eagles weren't discouraged with the defeat. They battled back to take the lead in the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs closed the game on a 15-2 run to win the game.

"It feels good coming back here two times in a row," Graham said. "Losing both times is hard, but we're going to be back here next year."

Neighborhood Academy won despite shooting 38.8 percent from the floor. The Bulldogs were able to make five 3-pointers and 17 free throws to find an edge.

Knoch makes history
The Knights won their first WPIAL crown in school history. Read my story on it for the Tribune Review.

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

Penn Hills will be losing one of its top players for next season. Carter Bonner announced on X Wednesday afternoon that he will play next season at powerhouse Saint Frances (Md.) Academy for his senior season. Bonner was limited to four games last season due to an injury.

The Indians struggled to a 3-7 record last season and finished 2-3 in the Northeast Conference. Penn Hills missed out on the playoffs when Plum returned a kick the Indians blocked for a touchdown in the final week of the season. Bonner played his freshman season at Shady Side Academy.

Bonner moved to Penn Hills during his sophomore season.

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.