Ray Fisher stories, Page 17

Thomas Jefferson’s girls soccer team has great expectations for the 2023 season. The Jaguars won the Section 2-3A championship last year with a 13-1 record and ended up 17-3 overall. “We expect to repeat as section champs and compete with the top teams,” coach Sean Richter said. “We have an...

To say Tabitha Bemis was a multiple medalist at Quaker Valley would be a vast understatement. She actually ranks as one of the all-time leading medal winners in WPIAL and PIAA history. Between all of her postseason qualifications, Bemis reeled in 43 total medals — including 18 gold — in...

One shot made all the difference for the Quaker Valley boys golf team last season, as the Quakers placed third in the WPIAL Class 2A tournament by the narrowest of margins. Sewickley and Belle Vernon finished regulation play at the WPIAL event tied for the top spot in Class 2A...

Last season may be difficult to match for this year’s Bethel Park boys soccer team. The Black Hawks finished second with an 11-3 record in Section 3-3A, which was won by Thomas Jefferson at 13-1. Bethel Park handed the Jaguars their only section loss Sept. 22 by a 3-1 score....

The Class A Black Hills Conference wasn’t a friendly environment for Carlynton last season. The Cougars went 0-7 in conference play and 0-10 overall. Fourth-year coach Rich Piccinini resigned, and John Tortorea has taken over. Tortorea was head coach at Quaker Valley from 2011-16, compiling a 30-29 record. The Quakers’...

Brentwood’s football team finished 2-4 in the Class 2A Century Conference last season and 3-7 overall. Longtime coach Kevin Kissel resigned. Nick Caponi, who served as an assistant under Kissel for 18 years, fulfilled a lifelong dream by taking over. “So far, the coaching staff has loved how hard the...

Mya Eshenbaugh enjoyed a unique summer sojourn. The Quaker Valley Middle School student participated in the USSSA All American Softball Games during the week of July 31 through Aug. 5 in Viera Beach, Fla., at the USSSA Space Coast Complex. “It was a great experience for me,” Eshenbaugh said. “I...

Tim Storino is hoping the 2022 season was a valuable learning experience for the Seton LaSalle football team. The Rebels did not win a game in 10 tries and were outscored 470-114. Flipping the calendar to 2023 offers glimmers of hope and enthusiasm for Seton LaSalle. “Yes, it was a...

The 2022 season appeared promising in the early going for the Quaker Valley football team. QV won its Class 3A Western Conference opener under first-year coach Jason Cappa, defeating Seton LaSalle, 40-22. It was all downhill after that. The Quakers lost their next six by wide margins to end up...

Veteran coach Bill Cherpak has seen his share of talented wide receivers at Thomas Jefferson. He’s expecting a banner season from senior wideout Sean Sullivan. “Sean should absolutely dominate every game he plays,” Cherpak said, “He has great explosion and speed down the field as well as incredible ball skills...

It’s back. After a three-year covid-related hiatus, the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame weekend has returned. This year’s festive weekend will take place Oct. 13-14 and the 2023 class will be recognized Oct. 13 at the Quakers’ home football game against West Mifflin. Game time is 7 p.m. A...

Avonworth girls volleyball coach John Skarupa believes it is the first of many to come. The inaugural Queens of the ‘Burgh volleyball tournament took place Aug. 4-6 at the All American Field House in Monroeville. The tournament was available to all incoming high school junior and senior girls for the...

Quaker Valley volleyball player Molly MacDonald certainly is an enterprising sort. MacDonald, 16, started a charity this winter called Brazos de Bienvenida, which when translated means “Welcoming Arms.” She is collecting clothing, household items and food for underserved Hispanic and Brazilian residents who relocate to Pittsburgh. “We work with the...

Dana Brown knows the task he and his staff face. Baldwin’s first-year head coach takes over a program that’s coming off a 1-9 season and was 0-5 in the Allegheny Six Conference. The Highlanders were outscored 420-148 last year and haven’t reached the playoffs since 2019. Brown replaced Tim Sweeney,...

Continuity. That’s what former Bethel Park coach Brian DeLallo wanted to see in the Black Hawks’ football program. DeLallo resigned in November after four seasons. Bethel Park went 10-2 in 2022, won the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference title and reached the WPIAL semifinals. As a going-away present, DeLallo was...

Gemma Wiegand recently experienced a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity. For the second consecutive year. Wiegand, 15, was scheduled to participate in the USSSA Softball All American Games during the week of July 31 in Viera Beach, Fla. Wiegand also competed in the All American Games following her freshman season at...

It was a no-brainer when former boys soccer coach Gene Klein was inducted into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. Not only did Klein, who died July 24 from brain cancer at age 71, eclipse 500 wins in his remarkable QV coaching career, he was one of...

Baldwin grad Meghan Dryburgh has played basketball at Washington & Jefferson for just two years and already the awards are stacking up. This past season, the 5-foot-11 sophomore guard/forward was named PAC player of the year, All-PAC first team, All-Region 7 Second Team, All-America Honorable Mention, and was a five-time...

Gene Klein did not have just an iconic, hall-of-fame coaching career. He lived an exemplary, hall-of-fame life, according to those who knew him best. The former Quaker Valley soccer coach, who was inducted into the WPIAL, Quaker Valley and Pittsburgh Riverhounds halls of fame, died Monday at age 71 after...

The Brentwood Firecracker 5K Run always is a special event. It was extra special this year. The race, held annually on July 4 on Brownsville Road, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023. Well-known and longtime running enthusiast Rich Wright, who coaches cross country and track and field at Baldwin, served...

The announcement of the Mark Reider award and Booster Athlete award winners is eagerly anticipated at the end of every school year at Brentwood. The awards are sponsored by the Brentwood High Athletic Boosters and are presented to the top male and female senior athletes in a school year. This...

The date May 17 is historic and highly significant in the state of Pennsylvania, as well as the WPIAL. The PIAA board of directors voted unanimously on that date to sponsor girls wrestling as a sport, starting in 2023-24. “I think it’s great and long overdue to have the PIAA...

Excuse the members of the Bethel Park girls volleyball team if they occasionally sneak a peek at HGTV. “We have an inexperienced varsity roster, but we have been dedicated to improving and building a solid foundation for the team in the gym this summer,” coach Brooke Muraco said. “The plan...

It was a tremendous three-year run for the Bethel Park baseball program, particularly for the seniors on the 2023 club. There were 14 upperclassmen — count ‘em, 14 — on the 2023 team, including seven or eight who usually were penciled into the starting lineup. Over the past three seasons,...

Lauren Retzlaff, a sophomore defender on the 2023 Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse team, will be campaigning for a serious cause during the upcoming school year. The 17-year-old Retzlaff will serve as an ambassador for Morgan’s Message and plans to start a chapter at Sewickley in the fall. Morgan’s Message is...