August 21, 2018 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: Sports
Dylan Vaniel wants the fresh faces on McKeesport’s football team to settle comfortably into their new roles.
Seeing an across-the-board transition at the skill positions on offense has the 6-foot-2, 246-pound senior motivated to keep the new Tigers off their backs.
Helping McKeesport’s option attack move in the right direction -- and protecting quarterback Konota Gaskins -- isn’t something Vaniel will have to go at alone.
When the Tigers open the season Saturday afternoon against Erie High School at the Wolvarena in Turtle Creek, Vaniel will be flanked by center Brandon Brooks, a first-team all-conference selection, and junior guard Andy Mellinger, who was chosen for the second team.
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June 18, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Sports
(All photos: Vickie Babyak, special to Tube City Almanac)
Steamy temperatures and scorching pavement didn't faze entrants in the 2018 Greater Pittsburgh Soap Box Derby, held Sunday morning on Eden Park Boulevard in front of McKeesport Area High School.
The annual Father's Day tradition has been held for 36 consecutive years, but actually dates to the 1950s.
The top finishers in each category will be headed to the All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships, to be held in July in Akron, Ohio.
Photographer Vickie Babyak braved the heat to grab these images.
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May 30, 2018 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: Sports
WASHINGTON, Pa. – If Serra Catholic’s baseball team could keep things close, Eagles coach Brian Dzurenda believed the offense would come eventually.
Surely it had to. All season, the Eagles’ offensive juggernaut bowled through opponents, pounding out 11.63 runs per contest en route to an appearance in the WPIAL Class AA final Tuesday night at Wild Things Park.
Solving Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic pitcher Ryan Feczko proved to be a different problem entirely.
In the end, Serra was denied winning its second WPIAL title in three seasons, falling to North Catholic, 5-2.
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May 17, 2018 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Sports
Work is underway to renovate two community ball fields in the city to update the facilities and make them more accessible to people with disabilities.
The projects at Fawcett and Duncan fields, totaling $210,000, are designed to enhance recreation opportunities for younger residents and make the neighborhoods more attractive places to live, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said.
The fields are used on a daily basis during the baseball and softball season, he said, including by several leagues.
“Youth sports (are) a way to keep our children active and involved in a structured program that will teach them cooperation, team building and other responsibilities that will benefit them for the rest of their lives,” Cherepko said. “My administration always will support initiatives and developments that provide positive life-learning experiences for our children.”
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May 03, 2018 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Sports, White Oak News
(Photo: Penn State Greater Allegheny, via Twitter)
Brandon Short sees the world much more clearly now that he lives in London.
Having a broader world view has strengthened the 40-year-old McKeesport native’s belief in the concept of the American Dream.
That’s why it was important for Short to espouse the importance of higher education in front of a crowd of 110 people during a talk at the Crossing Bridges Summit Wednesday night at Penn State Greater Allegheny’s Wunderley Gymnasium.
Despite some of the country’s flaws, Short believes everyone has a chance for upward mobility. Short, who had a seven-year career in the NFL with the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers from 2000-06, is running for a spot on Penn State University’s Board of Trustees.
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March 14, 2018 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: Sports
(Photo courtesy Ringgold Hockey Association, via Facebook)
Clayton Colecchi doesn’t feel any different aversion to playing hockey with a different high school on the front of his sweater. The South Allegheny High School sophomore wanted a chance to compete in the PIHL -- the governing body for high school hockey in Western Pennsylvania -- and playing under the Ringgold Hockey banner was his only option.
South Allegheny is part of a wide-ranging agreement that features eight schools, including Belle Vernon, Bentworth, Brownsville, California and Yough.
“I’ve embraced it and so have the other kids in my school,” Colecchi said. “They come out and watch the games and support it. They don’t care if it’s Ringgold, they consider it South Allegheny.”
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February 22, 2018 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: Sports
Bill Cleary, athletic director and coach of the women's basketball team at Serra Catholic High School, celebrates his 600th win along with members of the team. (Photo courtesy Serra Catholic High School, via Twitter)
Bill Cleary gets a gentle reminder when former players return that he isn’t the firebrand he used to be. Coaching the Serra Catholic girls basketball program for 31 years, Cleary has led many generations of Eagles.
Each has different memories of Cleary’s style.
“I have changed,” said Cleary, who will coach the Eagles tonight in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals against Greensburg Central Catholic. “Some of the players from years gone by who come back say I’ve changed. I’ve softened. Age has done that and experience has made me more understanding in a lot of situations.”
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November 20, 2017 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: Sports
When the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association released enrollment numbers last week, McKeesport Area School District was on the list to bump down in classifications from 5A to 4A.
The Tigers were listed as having 335 boys enrolled, down from 439 two years ago.
McKeesport Athletic Director Charley Kiss said via email the district hasn't yet made a decision if the Tigers’ football program will accept a move to Class 4A for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years.
Tigers second-year coach Matt Miller wouldn’t mind staying put.
“We’ve always played Woodland Hills and Penn Hills and Gateway,” Miller said. “It’s hard to give that up. You have those built-in rivalries and healthy competition. I foresee us probably sticking in 5A. It hasn’t been finalized yet, but it’s hard to give up those rivalries. The kids get fired up for those games. I think the rivalries will make it hard to move to a lower division.”
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October 21, 2017 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: Sports
Serra Catholic goalkeeper Teddy Almeter slides to try and block a shot by a teammate Thursday at East Allegheny High School. The Eagles open the WPIAL Class A playoffs against Springdale today at North Allegheny. (Photo by Josh Rizzo, special to Tube City Almanac)
When things go wrong, the Serra Catholic boys' soccer team tries to find the right attack.
The Eagles (9-7-1, 7-5) think that's the proper mindset for this afternoon, when they take on seventh-seeded Springdale (12-4-1) in the first round of the Class A playoffs. Game time at North Allegheny is 1 p.m.
The 10th-seeded Serra High team didn’t point to a signature victory as a point of confidence. Heading into the playoffs, the Eagles are ecstatic about a scoreless draw that capped a 1-4-1 slide to end the regular season.
Serra Catholic stayed together on Oct. 17 on the road and tied a Keystone Oaks’ team, which finished 12-5-1 and is headed to the WPIAL Class AA postseason.
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August 31, 2017 |
By Josh Rizzo | Posted in: Sports
There’s been one topic of conversation throughout the offseason for McKeesport senior quarterback John Harper and his teammates: How can the Tigers follow their best season in 11 years by taking another stride forward?
McKeesport reached Heinz Field to play in the newly-created WPIAL 5A championship game last December before falling in a heart-wrenching overtime contest, 38-37, to West Allegheny.
“That’s all we’ve been talking about every day, honestly,” said Harper, who will start under center for the first time after playing at running back and defensive back last season.
The Tigers, who finished 9-3 last season and tied for second place in the Big East Conference, won the last of their three WPIAL crowns Class 4A back in 2005.
McKeesport will kick off its run toward another championship at 7 p.m. Friday against Franklin Regional in Murrysville. (Editor's note: The game will be televised on WPNT-TV "The Point" 22.)
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