WPIAL Class 5A Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 5A looks a little bit different this year with the additions of Fox Chapel and North Hills, who come off fantastic seasons but need to replace almost all of their key players, as well as the departure of Laurel Highlands. Today we look at the WPIAL contenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Contenders</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Penn Hills(20-6)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Led by explosive Quinnipiac commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991332' first='Daemar' last='Kelly']</strong>, a 6'4” senior guard who averaged 17ppg, Penn Hills is the top team in 5A. Beyond Kelly, rugged forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1187992' first='Julian' last='Dugger']</strong> and backcourt leader <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395879' first='Noah' last='Barren']</strong> return for a team poised to make a run at the district title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mars(21-3)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991376' first='Tasso' last='Sfanos']</strong> will be tasked with driving the bus after the graduation of a quality pair of leaders in Zach Schlegel and big man Christopher Dvorak. They'll have a good mix of experience and youth, guards and size to continue to compete at the top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>In The Mix</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Gateway(18-7)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The always tough Gators will need to replace two post players in Will Kromka and Ryan Greggerson but there are backcourt pieces returning that saw time and should keep them in the hunt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>North Hills(26-2)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elite recruit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1173989' first='Royce' last='Parham']</strong>, a 6'8” forward with a diverse skillset, returns to shoulder a big burden after North Hills graduated four senior starters who were all college level players, but if they can find a few guards to handle the ball and get Parham looks on the low block, they could be right at the top of 5A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other players to watch</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1186412' first='Landon' last='Butler']</strong> | 6'3” | G | Latrobe</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188607' first='Jayden' last='Davis']</strong> | 5'10” | G | Char Val 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->