Jan 13, 2026 By Karen Mansfield 4 min read

When the Uniontown High School’s Unified Bocce team faced off against the Albert Gallatin’s team on Jan. 7, about 100 viewers tuned in to the livestreamed event.

“That night, I got phone calls from people who said, ‘That was cool, I never thought I’d get to watch a bocce match being aired from inside the Uniontown High School gym,” said Josh Scully, a teacher and middle school basketball coach in the district.

Livestreaming events – once a novelty – is becoming a widespread practice, and Uniontown is one of hundreds of schools in Pennsylvania broadcasting video feeds on the internet.

The Red Raiders Athletic Network, run by students and staff, now livestreams UAHS athletic events and extracurricular activities on Hudl TV, under the guidance of Scully.

On-air personalities include Scully and Uniontown High School students, who provide play-by-play and color commentary, and statistical analysis. So far, RRAN is streaming boys and girls basketball games, swimming and diving meets, and bocce, with plans to expand broadcasts to other sports and events.

“For the student-athletes what I like about this is it gives us the flexibility to cover, promote, and share sports that have not received media coverage in the past,” said Scully.

Livestreaming offers many benefits, he said. It’s a godsend for family members and friends who either live far away or aren’t able to attend games; it fosters student media skills in broadcasting and production; and it serves as a tool for student-athletes, who can send coaches direct links to footage of their games.

The district has installed Hudl cameras in the high school gym and at the high school stadium, and it has a mobile camera, all of which produce high-quality video, Scully said.

While he oversees the operations, Scully is working to involve students in everything related to the broadcast. The goal, he said, is to provide firsthand experience in the broadcasting/communications field.

“They are getting real-world experience. They can do on-air work, production work, we can do instant replay, real-time stats on-screen, advertisements – the possibilities for what they can learn to do are endless.”

Freshman Lucas Mihalko serves as a color and play-by-play announcer for basketball games.

Said Mihalko, “I’ve enjoyed the fact that I’ve been able to watch all these high school sports, but not just watch – I’ve really been a part of it. Calling the games gives me a way to watch all the games while also doing something I love.”

Scully said students like Mihalko will have their entire high school careers to improve their skills in announcing and production.

“I couldn’t imagine being in high school and learning the kind of skills that these students will learn working on these broadcasts,” said Scully. “It makes you an asset. Coming out of high school with the skills they’re learning gives them an advantage. “

The growth of streaming also has an impact on the student-athlete recruiting process.

Student-athletes can upload game footage and highlight reels, and send them to college coaches, which enables coaches to view prospective athletes without traveling extensively.

“Those days of, ‘Hey, I’m going to drive out and watch this kid I might want on my team’ are rapidly disappearing,” said Scully. “Athletes can create accounts and the Hudl program will track their statistics, and they can put together a portfolio that you can easily send out to college programs.”

The response to the livestreaming has been positive.

“We’ve gotten good numbers. Our girls basketball, for example, had in the ballpark of 150 people watching,” said Scully, noting that organizations and businesses have purchased sponsorships. “We’ve come a long way since we launched, and we’ve got our foot in the door now and the sky’s the limit. Our athletes are working hard and putting in their time, and we want to let them know that we see you, and we’re going to help you as much as we can.”