Joe Sager stories, Page 4

After graduating most of its offensive firepower, Mt. Pleasant’s boys soccer team will look to shut down opponents with its experienced defense this fall. The Vikings made a run to the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals last year behind the offense from Brad Tait and Sam Napper, who combined for about...

Sewickley Academy’s boys soccer team is going to build from the middle this season. With a large senior class lost to graduation, the Panthers return six starters, and most play in the middle of their formation: Nick Wilson, Jackson Coles, Cole Rychel, Bobby Serafin, Jack Wentz and Josh Chico. “With...

The reloading process continues for Quaker Valley’s boys soccer team. Once again, the Quakers graduated a big senior class. Once again, they hope to restock their lineup and reach the WPIAL Class AA title match as they have the past three seasons. “Quaker Valley has always been good at that....

Seton LaSalle is ready to get back to the top. The Rebels think they have the guy to take them there, too, in Mike Zmijanac. Zmijanac was coach at Aliquippa for 21 years and racked up a 237-36 record, along with six WPIAL championships and one PIAA title. When the...

Last fall, OLSH football enjoyed unprecedented success. The Chargers won a Big 7 Conference title and a WPIAL Class A championship for the first time in program history. A 41-10 setback to Farrell ended OLSH’s season at 12-2 in the PIAA semifinals. It marked the end for 15 seniors, which...

Moon’s offensive philosophy is simple: Get the ball to a player quickly in open space, and let him do all the rest. The Tigers hope their spread offense gets a jolt with the infusion of young speedsters this fall. “We have a bunch of young, skilled wide receivers that are...

With nine starters back, new Belle Vernon girls soccer coach Tracy Lovett is excited to see what the team can achieve this year. The Leopards cruised to the Section 2-3A title last year with a 12-0 mark. However, the team’s postseason stay was short as it fell to South Fayette,...

Belle Vernon’s boys soccer team graduated only five starters from a year ago, but two of them accounted for most of the Leopards’ offense. Markello Apodiakos led the team with 27 goals and rewrote most of the program’s scoring records before departing for Duquesne. Aaron Brown (14 goals, 15 assists)...

Quaker Valley’s girls tennis program has been a dominant force in the 21st century. The Quakers won four straight WPIAL Class 2A team titles from 2004-07. The final two championship teams (’06, ’07) gained additional honors as they will be inducted into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame on...

Quaker Valley’s hockey team has developed into one of the PIHL’s most consistent programs over the past two decades. The 2005-06 team set the standard, though, when it captured the first Class A Penguins Cup and Pennsylvania Cup championships in program history. That group will be recognized further when it...

When Cate Stewart moved with her family to the Quaker Valley School District after her freshman year of high school, she wasn’t sure how she would fit into a new community. She had nothing to worry about as she clicked immediately with her tennis teammates and schoolmates. She went on...

Darren Rogers starred on the track, basketball court, football field and in the classroom while attending Quaker Valley. Despite graduating in 2006, Rogers will add more honors to his storied high school career when he joins the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 29 at a ceremony at...

Justin Hughes knows how to win. So, it’s no coincidence his teams racked up victories on the basketball court as well during his time at Quaker Valley — and beyond. He will get another honor when he is inducted into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 29...

When Canada came calling for Jared Gerger, he couldn’t resist. The recent Hempfield graduate accepted an offer to continue his hockey career with the Trenton Golden Hawks in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. “It was definitely cool to receive an offer from them,” he said. “I didn’t really expect it,...

Like most championship baseball teams, Penn-Trafford relies heavily on its pitching and defense. Of the squad’s 18 wins, the Warriors have allowed two or fewer runs in 11, including four shutouts. However, Penn-Trafford’s offense isn’t too shabby, either. The Warriors have scored 127 runs in 21 games (6.1 per outing)...

North Allegheny felt pretty relived when Rachel Martindale smacked a three-run homer Wednesday. Problem was, the Tigers still had three more innings to hold off Norwin. They were able to do just that for an 8-4 win in a WPIAL Class 6A softball semifinals at Fox Chapel. “It’s really special,”...

Laura Fox saved the game then won it for Hempfield on Wednesday. The senior center fielder’s diving catch preserved a scoreless tie in the bottom of the eighth, and her three-run homer in the top of the ninth was the difference in the Spartans’ 3-0 win over Seneca Valley in...

Ambridge’s boys volleyball team is ready to defend its title. The Bridgers downed Derry, 3-2, on Tuesday night in WPIAL Class AA semifinal at North Allegheny. “It’s awesome,” Ambridge’s Liam Buck said. “It’s nice going back to WPIALs for the second year in a row.” Fourth-seeded Ambridge advances to Thursday’s...

Latrobe and Derry hope to reach Thursday’s WPIAL championship matches. In order to that, both will have to knock off defending champs in their respective classifications in Tuesday’s semifinals. The Wildcats take on North Allegheny in Class 3A, and the Trojans meet Ambridge in a rematch of last year’s Class...

Southmoreland’s WPIAL Class 3A title defense started on a strong note. The Scotties shook off an inconsistent regular season Thursday as they defeated Deer Lakes, 10-2, at Shaler’s Hilltop Field to open the WPIAL softball tournament. “It felt pretty good to get this win,” Southmoreland pitcher Jess Matheny said. “We...

The wait was worth it for the Springdale softball team. Making its first playoff appearance since 2000, Alexis Hrivnak threw a no-hitter and the Dynamos cruised past Quigley Catholic, 14-0, in five innings Thursday in a WPIAL Class A first-round game at Shaler’s Hilltop Field. “It felt amazing to win...

Latrobe’s boys volleyball team emerged from a competitive field to capture a section championship. The Wildcats hope the Section 3-AAA title isn’t the only one they collect. With a senior-laden roster, Latrobe looks to play well into the postseason as the WPIAL tournament opens this week. “We have pretty high...

Fox Chapel and Indiana joined elite clubs at Wednesday’s WPIAL boys tennis team championships at Oxford Athletic Club in Wexford. The Foxes held off Shady Side Academy, 3-2, to capture the WPIAL Class AAA title. Fox Chapel is the third Class AAA team to win four consecutive titles since competition...

Next week is what Jeannette’s baseball team has been thinking about since last May — the start of the WPIAL playoffs. After a semifinal loss to Vincentian Academy dashed the Jayhawks’ hopes for a repeat Class A title, they wanted to get back to the postseason and compete for another...

Plum’s boys tennis team finished 2-8 this spring. However, the Mustangs were just happy they could compete this season. Graduation hit the program hard with seven seniors departing from last year’s squad. Only one player — junior Justin North — returned for this campaign so the program ran the risk...