Tag: Hopewell

CTK ’16: 3-A Beaver Valley Conference Preview

August 22, 2016

With schools either electing to move up or just taking the jump in class, what could be a new super conference in Class AAA was formed. The Parkway may be no more but the Beaver Valley Conference might rival the Parkway in toughness. With only 3 AAA conferences and just 8 teams making the playoffs, it means that there will be at least 1, if not 2 or more teams that deserve to make the playoffs, now will not qualify for the post-season. Here is a preview of each team and the predicted order of finish. ALIQUIPPA QUIPS

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Hometown Softball Recap – Blackhawk Cougars – 05/04/2016

May 4, 2016

On Tuesday, Blackhawk honored its seniors of the softball team, who on the field, were looking to stay in the thick of things for a WPIAL Class AAA playoff spot against Hopewell, who also needed a win Tuesday. Blackhawk's Krystine Young, who will play at Mt. Union next season, registered two doubles, a RBI and three total hits in her four plate appearances in a 8-3 loss for the Cougars. Blackhawk held a 3-0 lead after four innings of play at home, scoring on a Breann Dickton RBI single in the first inning, a Young RBI double in the third and Kailey Rayz sacrifice fly in the fourth.

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Event: 2016 WPIAL Competitive Spirit Championship Summary

January 9, 2016

Neshannock (A), Hopewell (AA) and North Allegheny (AAA) used near-flawless execution despite high levels of difficulty to claim 2016 WPIAL Competitive Spirit Championships on Saturday at Hempfield High School. For North Allegheny, the victory is their first in the four-year history of the sport at the WPIAL and PIAA level. It also means that the Tigers qualify for the PIAA Championships for the fourth consecutive season. Butler High School finished second in AAA for the third straight season. While winning Competitive Spirit titles is a new concept to North Allegheny, Neshannock and Hopewell are not strangers to trophies. The Lancers and Vikings both last took home Class A and AA titles in 2013, the first year of sanctioned competition.

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WPIAL Alum Q&A – Mackenzie Biggs

November 2, 2015

The Hopewell girls’ volleyball team was a powerhouse squad in recent years, as the Vikings captured the Class AA WPIAL Championship in 2011, and finished as runners-up the following season. One of the key components of that program’s success was Mackenzie Biggs, who is this week’s spotlighted athlete. Although also a talented basketball player at Hopewell, Biggs elected to continue her volleyball career at the next level, choosing to attend Clarion University. While seeing limited action as a freshman, Biggs carved out a larger room in 2014 as a sophomore with the Golden Eagles.

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CTK 2015 – Class AAA Parkway Conference Preview

August 20, 2015

It wouldn’t exactly be going out on a limb to predict that a team from the Parkway Conference will make the WPIAL Class AAA championship. After all, the past six Class AAA champs have come from the Parkway. In fact, over those six seasons, 10 of the 12 title game participants have come from the Parkway. It’s very likely that the Parkway will have another team in the championship game this year. But figuring out who that team will be isn’t easy.

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Scholastic Notebook – 05/15/2015

May 15, 2015

The name is Aaron, as in Hank. The hitting this baseball season has been Hank Aaron-esque. California senior Aaron Previsky had a regular season for the ages. A year ago, Norwin’s J.J. Matijevic became the first known player to win the WPIAL triple crown (first in batting average, home runs and RBIs). Previsky didn’t do that, but his regular season also was terrific. Previsky finished with a .545 batting average, which was good for 13th in the WPIAL. But he was second in home runs with six and third in runs scored with 35.

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Scholastic Notebook – 03/06/2015

March 6, 2015

Chassidy Omogrosso is Blackhawk’s Energizer bunny. The senior guard on the Blackhawk girls basketball team seemingly never stops on the court. Her motor is stuck on overdrive. While Comcast has bundle deals for cable television, Blackhawk has a bundle full of energy in Omogrosso. Omogrosso’s “run” through the recent WPIAL tournament was one to behold. She was close to unstoppable in the Class AAA playoffs, leading the Cougars to a second consecutive WPIAL title last Saturday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. No one has records for what is the greatest playoff run – scoring wise – for WPIAL girls basketball. But Omogrosso has to be somewhere near the top.

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Scholastic Notebook – 01/23/2015

January 23, 2015

Laurel High School picked a Locke a few years ago. Now, the Spartans have found the keys to winning basketball. The Laurel boys team is one of the big turnaround stories in the WPIAL this season. The Spartans are 13-3 and in second place in Section 1 of Class AA. They are the MSA Sports No. 5-ranked Class AA team. The main directing the turnaround is Ken Locke. Laurel hired him before the 2012 season and Locke, a 1995 Laurel graduate, has done a great job in turning around the Spartans.

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Scholastic Notebook – 01/16/2015

January 16, 2015

The Mars boys basketball team doesn’t have one senior in the starting lineup. That might lead you to believe the Planets are maybe a year away from making their mark on WPIAL basketball. But this Mars team has figured, why wait? Mars takes a 14-1 record into Friday night’s home game against Burrell. Mars is fresh off a 21-point victory Tuesday over a Hampton team that was previously undefeated and the MSA Sports No. 1 WPIAL Class AAA team.

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CTK ’14: WPIAL AAA Parkway Conference Preview

August 14, 2014

The Parkway Conference has dominated the WPIAL title picture since 2009. The last five champions have come from the conference and in three of the last five, two conference teams have played each other in the title game. The Parkway has been represented at Heinz Field every year since 2005. It has to start with the coaches, who have racked up 14 WPIAL titles at their current schools. Even the newcomer to the conference, has made two title game appearances. Add in a pair of coaches who won gold as players and you have a great collection of championship gold and some tough football games. Five playoff spots are guaranteed in the conference, a sixth is possible with the WPIAL wild card, that race for post season play will be exciting as always.

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