High school notebook: PCN will remain broadcast partner for PIAA championships
The PIAA will continue several longstanding partnerships, including one with PCN as the official cable television broadcast partner.
The deal with PCN was finalized, along with several others, during the PIAA Board of Directors meeting Wednesday morning.
PCN, which has been broadcasting PIAA championships since 1998, will provide live and tape delayed coverage of state championships for cross country, golf, soccer, field hockey, volleyball, football, competitive spirit, swimming & diving, basketball, track & field, baseball, softball and lacrosse.
The PIAA also extended its partnership with Flosports to broadcast the team and individual state wrestling championships.
Hometown Ticketing remains as the PIAA’s official ticketing provider and Arbiter as the official data management of PIAA Member Schools and officials management platform.
All of the deals are multi-year agreements.
Venues unchanged
Another item on the PIAA agenda was finalizing the host sites for its spring sports championships and it’ll be status quo.
Each venue that hosted a spring championship this year remains and will be the same for the next four years.
Penn State will host the baseball, softball and boys and girls lacrosse and boys volleyball championships.
Baseball is at Medlar Field, softball at Nittany Lion Softball Park, boys and girls lacrosse are at Panzer Field and boys volleyball is at Rec Hall.
Shippensburg is the host of the track and field championships and the Hershey Racquet Club is the venue for the boys tennis championships.
The agreements with state championship venues for spring sports run through the 2030 season.
Belle Vernon trio gets D1 offers
The Belle Vernon girls basketball team is coming off a season in which it won a state playoff game for the first time in 28 years and college coaches are taking notice.
Three Leopards, Aubrey Brown, Isis Almyty and Lyla McConnell have each received at least one NCAA Division I offer.
Brown has offers from Robert Morris, Colgate and Oakland. Almyty received one from Robert Morris. Mercyhurst offered McConnell.
Almyty and McConnell will be sophomores at Belle Vernon this fall and Brown will be a junior.
McConnell is listed as a 5-8 guard, Almyty is a 6-1 forward and Brown is a 6-2 forward.
The Leopards defeated District 9 champion Clearfield, 58-46, in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs. Brown had a double-double in the win with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Belle Vernon finished with a 23-5 record and won a section title.
Lowe a Penguin
One of the top returning wide receivers in the WPIAL made his college commitment last month.
Ringgold’s Demetri Lowe committed to play college football at Youngstown State.
Lowe had 45 receptions for 688 yards and scored eight touchdowns last season for the Rams.
Lowe’s quarterback at Ringgold, Dennis Hawkins III, is receiving interest from Division II schools. He has offers from Glenville State, Edinboro, Wheeling, California, Gannon and Clarion.