By:

Josh Rizzo


Sunday, June 22, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Ronald Porter III’s willingness to try something new as a junior and his quick progress from there allowed him to do something during his senior season that was the highlight of the athletics programs at Penn Hills during the 2024-25 school year.

Porter initially came out for track wanting to run the 100 and 200 with his football teammates. When Penn Hills track coach Lee Zelkowitz saw the then-junior up close, he encouraged Porter to try the jumps.

Porter won the WPIAL Class 3A championship in May and went on to place third at the PIAA championships with a leap of 23 feet, 6½ inches.

“It wasn’t on my mind. I knew I was going to do the 100 and 200,” said Porter during his junior season. “They were talking to me about (jumping). I’m glad I did.”

During the WPIAL championships at Slippery Rock University, Porter won the title with a leap of 22-8½.

“I didn’t see it coming, to be honest,” said Porter, who will play football at Cal (Pa.) this fall. “I was jumping 21 feet last year. I never saw myself jumping 23. Whenever it’s a competition, I lock in more.”

Zelkowitz said he was proud of Porter’s progression.

“I knew he had the potential last year,” he said. “He took it to another level this season. He has good pop and good speed going down the runway. He has a consistent approach and has been hitting the board well.”

Mackenzie McIntyre also qualified for states in two events for Penn Hills but chose not to go to the state meet.

Stop the streak

The Indians’ boys volleyball team saw a 64-match losing streak in section matches halted this season. Penn Hills beat Plum in four sets to bring back a losing stretch that dated back to 2018.

Football shakes slow start

Naytel Mitchell met coach Charles Morris’ high expectations all season by piling up more than 1,000 yards on the ground. The most important 80 yards came during the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs against Moon.

Mitchell carried the ball twice on a two-play, 80-yard drive that ended with his 69-yard touchdown run to carry Penn Hills to a 30-27 victory. The Indians started the season 0-3 but rallied to win seven of their next eight games.

The Indians were eliminated by Upper St. Clair in the quarterfinals.

Boys basketball ends up 2nd

Penn Hills didn’t have much experience returning from last season. The Indians played well enough to finish second, losing 68-61 to Kiski Area in their final Section 2-5A game with the title on the.

Penn Hills (12-10) lost in the first round to Peters Township.

Phipps, Repovich make WPIALs

Indians junior wrestler Daemon Phipps finished tied for a career-high with 25 wins by reaching the WPIAL Class 3A championships at 114 pounds. Bradley Repovich also earned his first spot at WPIALs at 145 pounds and made a six-win improvement over the previous season.

Relay team, Sipple qualify

The 200 free relay team of Clarke Leonard, Anthony Collins, Hunter Boyd and Anthony Sipple competed in the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships. Sipple also qualified in the 100 back and 50 free.

Tags: Penn Hills

The Indiana high school baseball season will come to an end this weekend at Victory Field with the IHSAA state finals.

Here’s who will match up with trophies on the line Friday and Saturday night:

HIT REFRESH FOR UDPATES.

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2025 IHSAA baseball state finals scores, schedule

Class 4A: Valparaiso 5, Evansville North 0, final

Class 2A: Boone Grove 6, Evansville Mater Dei 1, final

Class 3A: Andrean 4, Jasper 3, final

More: Jasper continued its program legacy despite championship loss

Powers Jasper, Andrean meet for title. How their coaches maintain success

Class A: Lutheran 14, Kouts 1, final (READ MORE)

Lutheran runs its way to first title: ‘I wanted to prove how good we were’

Surprise! Lutheran pulls off hidden ball trick in title game

Beep, beep: Using tactic developed by Yankees coach, Lutheran wreaks havoc on basepaths

How to watch IHSAA baseball state finals

All four state championship games will stream exclusively on IHSAAtv.org via pay-per-view for $15 per game or $20 for all games. 

Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA baseball state finals scores, photos, highlights: The Region goes 3-0 vs. Evansville area

A familiar face was present during the Los Angeles Chargers’ Nike 11-On event at their El Segundo Facility. Jesse Sapolu, a four-time Super Bowl champion and co-founder of the Polynesian Pro Football Hall of Fame, graced the event. Not only did he watch the new generation of football players, but he also shared his knowledge about the game.

As he shared on his Instagram account, the former NFL center and guard worked with California high school linemen. His caption read, “They’re not just the future of football, they’re the future leaders in life.”

Jesse Sapolu is a warrior on and off the field. After attending Farrington and staying in-state (Hawaii) for college football, the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the 11^th round of the 1983 NFL Draft.

In 15 seasons with the 49ers, Sapolu won Super Bowls 19, 23, 24, and 29. He is one of the few Niners players who won with Joe Montana and Steve Young at quarterback. The Samoa-born offensive lineman also earned Pro Bowl honors in 1993 and 1994.

Upon his retirement in 1997, Jesse Sapolu started in 154 out of 182 career games. After his playing days, he became a Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame inductee and now runs Men in the Trenches (MITT). According to MITT’s official website, “Under Jesse Sapolu’s tutelage, athletes who want to learn the position of offensive line (OL) and defensive line (DL) will gain knowledge and understanding of OL & DL fundamentals. MITT Academy is designed for young aspiring linemen looking to learn the game of football from former NFL and college players and coaches.”

Meanwhile, Sapolu achieved these successes and played in the NFL despite contracting rheumatic fever at a young age. That condition developed a hole in his aortic valve, causing his heart to enlarge and grow weaker. However, he survived after undergoing two artificial cadaver valve replacement operations. Therefore, his experiences in football and life make him a perfect mentor to high school athletes.

RICHMOND, Va. – The Spokane Velocity continued their dominant run in the USL League One with a 1-0 win over the Richmond Kickers. Neco Brett scored in the 46th minute in what would be the game winning goal on an assist from Lucky Opara.