Rook Smith of Montour was the sole medalist among West Hills wrestlers at the PIAA Boys Championships, finishing eighth at 160 pounds in Class 3A. Liam Costa and Cael Yanek of Moon Area also competed but did not medal. Carlynton's Braiden Sudor and Henry Barbisch also competed in the Class 2A event.
West Hills wrestlers Kristen Walzer and Haley Smarsh placed sixth in their weight classes at the PIAA Girls Championships. Walzer, from Montour, competed at 100 pounds, while Smarsh -- from Moon Area -- was at 130 pounds. Both reached semifinals but lost three consecutive matches.
West Hills teams had mixed results Friday night in the opening round of the PIAA Basketball Tournament. Montour boys won against Milton Hershey, 68-49, while Moon Area lost to Greater Johnstown, 60-53, ending its season. In girls Class 3A, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart triumphed over Seneca, 53-44.
Six West Hills area boys and girls basketball teams are set to open play in the PIAA Tournament, with three teams seeing action Friday night and three more entering the fray Saturday.
The Moon Area boys hockey team secured a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory against North Hills in the Penguins Cup playoffs, thanks to Landon Watson's penalty shot goal. This win advances them to their first Penguins Cup semifinal contest, which will take place Wednesday, March 12, against Avonworth.
Six boys and two girls from West Hills area schools qualified for the PIAA Wrestling Championships March 6-8 by virtue of their performances at various regional tournaments that concluded Saturday. Two girls -- Kristen Walzer of Montour and Haley Smarsh of Moon -- both came home with gold medals.
Two West Hills area competitors -- Moon Area's Madison Puthoff and Cornell's Noah Pickett each collected a pair of two-five individual finishes at the WPIAL Swimming and Diving Championships, which concluded Friday at the University of Pittsburgh.