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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Highlights: Semifinals
By Matt Popchock When Seneca Valley junior pitcher Matt Smith is in a groove, the onus is on your team to play mistake-free baseball. Bethel Park did not, and sure enough, its two mistakes proved to be...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Softball Playoffs Highlights:...
By Matt Popchock The first game of Thursday’s doubleheader at North Allegheny High School started with the look and feel of one that could’ve gone on a while. Ambridge manager Jim Huwar is glad it...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Championship Highlights (Day 1)
By Matt Popchock Adversity is one of the things that determines a champion. Those who have dealt with it can thrive in the playoffs, while those who haven’t can struggle, regardless of talent....
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Championship Preview
By Matt Popchock As he gasses up his car and gets ready to make the trek to CONSOL Energy Park in Washington, PA, Mr. High School Sports is trying to think of all the big names to keep an eye on...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Championships Highlights (Day 2)
By Matt Popchock Waynesburg pitcher Joe Monica and hard-hitting catcher Steve McCaw were on their collective game both offensively and defensively, but it was the top end of the Riverside battery that...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Softball Championships Highlights
By Matt Popchock If you know anything about Chartiers-Houston senior pitcher Kiersten Conwell, you know that hitting her stuff can be like trying to hit an airborne Tylenol. On Thursday afternoon in...
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“Mr. High School Sports” Breaks Down the PIAA Baseball/Softball Championships
By Matt Popchock The last sporting event of the 2010-11 academic year gets underway Friday with a few firsts at stake. Serra Catholic has gotten its act together since Chartiers-Houston upset the...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Football Championship Picks
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Normally, toward the end of every edition of “The UPMC Centers for Rehab Services High School Football Show,” 93-7 The Fan’s John Phillips and Mr. High School...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL, ROOT Reach Championship Saturday Compromise
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Multiple sources, including WPIAL Chief Executive Tim O’Malley, have confirmed the WPIAL Football Championships will be televised on ROOT Sports once again (as was...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Class AAA Coaches Look Ahead to Championship Saturday
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) The road to the WPIAL Football Championships is a long and arduous one, and even when Montour (10-2) and Knoch (12-0) arrive at Heinz Field, there are so many...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Class A Championship Preview
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Running back Josh Beverly and quarterback Lenny Williams both had to play through pain to help Sto-Rox (12-0) earn its 12-10 win over Bishop Canevin in last...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Class AA Championship Preview
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Even in the most inclement of late autumn weather, Heinz Field stands out as a beacon of gridiron glory thanks to its distinctive gold seats. If you’re sitting in...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Class AAAA Championship Preview
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) So which is more difficult, winning a WPIAL title or defending it? If you talked to any of Art Walker’s kids, you’d think the magnificence of last fall never took...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Class AAA Championship Preview
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) This year’s Class AAA finalists certainly have a “team of destiny” feel. The question is, when one utters the phrase “team of destiny,” to which of the finalists...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Football Championship Updates
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) 10:45 AM – Forget Black Friday…this is where Christmas officially begins for us. “Mr. High School Sports” is live at Heinz Field all day and night to bring you...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– It ‘Bears’ Repeating: Clairton Wins 4th Straight...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Beating one of the best Class A teams in the Commonwealth wasn’t supposed to be this easy. But the way Tom Nola puts it, the key to victory number 44 in a row for...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Bound For Actual Glory: Montour Emphatically Ends...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Montour senior tailback Julian Durden tried to contain his smile when addressing the media in the bowels of Heinz Field Saturday afternoon. The forward-pointing...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Legendary Drive Adds To Aliquippa’s Legacy
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Three minutes on the clock. 96 yards separating the Quips from victory. Zero timeouts remaining. One unforgettable pass from Mikal Hall to Devon Walker. The...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Two Key Calls Pave the Way for N.A.
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) No one can dispute that Art Walker Jr. is a truly special football coach. It’s incredibly hard to repeat as champions in Quad-A these days, and with its 28-21...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Clairton and its Coach Lonely at the Top
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Tom Nola’s 115th win was one for the ages. Kudos to the administrators at Clairton High School for giving their student body the day off Friday so they could be a...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Hoops Brackets Finalized
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) The playoff pairings for the 2012 WPIAL Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Championships were revealed Tuesday night at the Double Tree Hotel in Greentree by WPIAL Chief...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Basketball Playoffs: Day 2 Reaction/Day 3...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) The biggest story of Saturday was not just the surprise demise of No. 4 seed and AAAA-Sec. 2 champion Woodland Hills, a team that had the potential to make some...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Basketball Championships: Rebels Hold Serve...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Okay, so head coach Dennis Squeglia didn’t get everything he wanted from his team, which is more fleet-footed than most. But his team did give everything anyone...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Basketball Championships: Lincoln Park...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) From the first tip-off in December to the last one at the A.J. Palumbo Center, Lincoln Park looked like the best boys’ team in Class A. After two unsuccessful...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Basketball Championships: Who Wants It More?
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) It wasn’t the only moment that turned heads in a tournament already full of surprises, but as far as Shaler head coach Paul Holzshu is concerned, one play...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Championship Matchups Almost Set
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Because of rain in the area, Seneca Valley, which led Pittsburgh Central Catholic 2-0 in the bottom of the third Monday night, was forced to resume its WPIAL Class...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Championships: Ellwood Ends...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Two Beaver County teams that aren’t separated by a lot played two baseball games during the regular season that couldn’t have been farther apart in their...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Championships: Strittmatter Strikes...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) California pitcher and Cal U. football recruit T.D. Conway was the talk of his town after fighting the flu while fanning 14 hitters in an extra-inning semifinal...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Championships: Smith Embodies...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Pirates reliever Joel Hanrahan spent some time in Washington. Seneca Valley ace Matt Smith spent some time in Washington Wednesday night, and he’ll be spending...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Baseball Championships: Cougars’ Coronation...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) On a pretty Thursday night in Washington County, we discovered the greatest tightrope-walker western Pennsylvania has seen since Nik Wallenda crossed the Allegheny...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– WPIAL Softball Championships: Two Teams Don...
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) Sid Bream just watched his son Austin earn a second consecutive gold medal hitting cleanup for Seneca Valley. He may be a Pittsburgher in good faith, but his...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Stray Cats Stick Together En Route to Lions’ Den
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) While Blackhawk was down, Riverside was up in the bottom of the fifth, clinging to a 2-1 lead over District 5 champion North Star. The Panthers, clawing for...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Riverside, Neshannock Strike Gold at PSU
By Matt Popchock (mpopchock@kdka.com) State championship events of any kind can be unpredictable because, manifestly, they’re kids playing a game, and kids are unpredictable. Sure enough, those who saw...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Attrition Allows Aliquippa To Stay On Top
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — How did the Quips steamroll another opponent on their self-paved path to Hershey? “We blocked them. They couldn’t block us,” said head coach Mike Zmijanac. “It was really...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– NA Still Setting The (Black And) Gold Standard
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — You can’t buy enough vowels to put into succinct words what Art Walker’s team has achieved. Sure, you can point to the wheel of fortune that turned in favor of the Tigers...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– As Clairton Turns 60, Top Prospects Turn Heads
(mpopchock@kdka.com) PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — Four wins this month was enough for the Clairton Bears to make history, and four catches on Saturday were apparently enough for Bobby Engram to make up...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Oh Henry! Quips, Behind O-Line, Headed To Hershey
WEXFORD (93-7 THE FAN) — It was slippy, it was sloppy, it was icky, and it was yucky at North Allegheny High School Friday night. Oh, and by the way, it rained, too. Although they did not deliver their...
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“Mr. High School Sports”– Vincentian, Montour Boys Recapture WPIAL Basketball...
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — The boys’ portion of the WPIAL Basketball Championships began Friday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center with two teams capturing their second district crowns in three years....
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Károlyi Says National Championships Is Important Moment For Sport of Gymnastics
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh has hosted dozens of NFL playoff games. World Series titles have been decided here, and the same goes for college and pro hockey. But next summer, the gymnastics national...
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Know The Score: Nov. 29, 2013
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) — It doesn’t get any bigger than high school football in Western Pennsylvania. We’re committed to bringing you the best team coverage in the region. After the games, you can find...
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