Ray Fisher stories, Page 15

There’s a new face on the bench and a new system on the floor. Steve Norman is in his first season coaching in the Bethel Park girls basketball program. “I’m really excited to be part of the Bethel Park program,” Norman said. “We expect to be very competitive in 6A....

Height isn’t an issue for the Bethel Park boys basketball team. At least not when 6-foot-4 junior Tanner Pfeuffer and 6-6 senior Paul Digbeu are paired together in the frontcourt along with 6-3 senior forward Shawn Davis. “We want to continue building on what was started last season and continue...

The Quaker Valley Wrestling Association appears to have a solid game plan. And QVWA has a prototype to follow off its own successful experience. “We are thrilled to be starting the youth team for girls this year,” president Jason Richey said. “In 2012, we started a boys youth team. It...

Sensei Dustin Baldis is a true world traveler. His latest adventure as he celebrated his 30th year representing the Team USA karate program took him to Saudi Arabia from Oct. 20-22, Hungary from Oct. 22-30 and Chile from Oct. 30-Nov. 5. “I was traveling (overseas) for three weeks solid,” Baldis...

Quaker Valley’s girls soccer team finished as a WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinalist this season. The Quakers ended up 11-6-1 overall after going 6-5-1 in Section 1. “Rachel and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Maggie Behun, QV’s co-head coach with Rachel Loudermilk. “These girls stepped to the plate and exceeded our...

Quaker Valley boys soccer is one of the most renowned programs in WPIAL history, thanks to 10 WPIAL and nine PIAA championships. The Quakers have won the most state titles in soccer among WPIAL schools. And the program’s irrefutable reputation wasn’t tainted a bit in 2023 as the Panthers advanced...

Sewickley Academy had little difficulty defeating District 5 champion Bedford in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A girls tennis playoffs. The Panthers, coached by the legendary Whitney Snyder, won by a 4-1 margin. It was a bit of a different outcome in Round 2, as Scranton Prep, the...

The Sewickley Academy girls soccer team landed in the WPIAL playoffs once again in 2023. Coached by Dale Giovengo, Sewickley posted a 6-4 record in Section 3-A to end up third behind Freedom (10-0) and Eden Christian (7-3). The Panthers received the No. 11 seed for the postseason. “I am...

Quaker Valley athletics was in vogue at the 14th annual WPIAL Summit on Sportsmanship held Nov. 8 at the Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. More than 400 student-athletes from schools throughout Western Pennsylvania gathered at the event, which was presented by The Wilson Group and...

The NCAA early signing day for high school athletes took place Nov. 8. Three students at Thomas Jefferson — seniors Evan Berger, Zoe Krizan and Laekyn Flinn — took advantage of the opportunity. Berger, a fourth-year starter in basketball for the Jaguars, signed with NCAA Division II Penn West Edinboro...

Thomas Jefferson and Aliquippa have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for 29 consecutive years. And that extraordinary streak remained intact for both teams in 2023. The Jaguars tied for second place with Trinity and Latrobe in the Class 4A Big Seven Conference this year and received a No. 6 seed...

Expectations were soaring through the roof for the Bethel Park girls tennis team this year. And the Black Hawks jumped aboard the jet stream. Bethel Park won the first WPIAL team championship in school history, and the tandem of freshman Cami Fisher and senior Lily Sierka captured the first WPIAL...

The Bethel Park football team advanced to the WPIAL playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Black Hawks tied for second with Moon and Upper St. Clair in the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference with a 3-2 record in league play. The Bethel Park gridders lost to defending WPIAL champion...

Dublin Parnell, representing Quaker Valley in the 8U/50-pound division, kicked off October as an All-American wrestler. Dublin participated for Team PA Red at the War of Roses Midwest National Duals Tournament in Indianapolis and was the only team member to go undefeated at the weekend event. The talented youth grappler...

Kirsten Close is not your average transfer student. The standout tennis and lacrosse athlete launched a unique program almost immediately upon walking through the doors of her new school, Quaker Valley. Close, a 16-year-old junior who transferred from Sewickley Academy, has dedicated much of her time over the past year...

Shady Side Academy freshman Meriwether McCargo upset the apple cart. That is to say, the 14-year-old McCargo won the WPIAL Class 3A girls tennis championship Sept. 21 at North Allegheny by upsetting the reigning champion. “I was super excited to win the WPIAL championship,” McCargo said. “As a freshman, I...

It’s been a sweet season for the Quaker Valley boys cross country team. The Quakers qualified as a team for the PIAA Class 2A race, which was set for Nov. 4 in Hershey. “We know there are many strong teams in the 2A race of the PIAA championships, especially those...

The celebratory Sports Hall of Fame weekend returned to Quaker Valley this fall after a three-year pause due to the covid pandemic. Six individuals and two teams were inducted on the weekend of Oct. 13-14, increasing the number of HOF individuals at Quaker Valley to 103 and HOF teams to...

Quaker Valley junior Molly MacDonald combines her athletic skills with a strong sense of altruism. MacDonald is a 5-foot-11 outside hitter and third-year starter on the section-winning QV girls volleyball team. She started a charity last winter called Brazos de Bienvenida, which when translated means “Welcoming Arms.” She collected clothing,...

Quaker Valley junior Ethan Dai took his golf game to the next level in 2023. In an unforgettable season, Dai finished as the WPIAL runner-up in Class 2A then went on to tie for fourth at the PIAA tournament at Penn State. Coach Greg Vecchi said Dai has improved by...

Eight varsity sports teams. Four section championships. Quaker Valley has had a flourishing fall athletic season, to say the least. Section titles were won in boys golf and soccer and girls tennis and volleyball. The league championship in girls volleyball was the first in school history. Coached by Mike Vavrek,...

The numbers 42 and 28 stand out for the Quaker Valley boys soccer program this season. The Quakers qualified for the postseason for the 42nd consecutive year (starting in 1982) and earned their 28th section championship in school history. QV finished 11-1 in Section 4-2A, tied for first with Avonworth,...

The Thomas Jefferson girls soccer team was expecting a banner year on the pitch in 2023. And that mindset has been met, at least through the regular season. The TJ girls, after losing their season opener to West Allegheny, won all 16 other games on their regular season schedule. “I...

Michael “Doc” Kulish performed a juggling act this year as head coach of the Thomas Jefferson boys soccer team. “Overall, I am happy with the season so far,” Kulish said prior to the WPIAL playoffs. “I’m disappointed we did not win the section, but overcoming the (knee) injuries we had...

Sewickley Academy was looking to win its ninth WPIAL championship in girls tennis. The second-seeded Panthers, however, settled for second place, losing a 3-2 decision to No. 1 Knoch in the Class 2A finals Oct. 18 at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center at Washington & Jefferson College. “Obviously, today’s...