Ray Fisher stories, Page 18

Jordan Smith is filled with inspiration for his 2023-24 senior year at Sewickley Academy. Smith is a three-sport athlete, participating in baseball, basketball and golf. He will be a fourth-year starter in baseball as a pitcher/infielder. “Jordan has grown as a young man and player here at Sewickley Academy and...

They are key midfielders on the Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse team. Both are 17; both stand 5-foot-8. In 2024, Libby Eannarino and Ashley Close will share another role as senior co-captains. “First and foremost,” Eannarino said, “I want to build upon the tradition of female success in athletics that’s such...

A trio of seniors wrapped up their Quaker Valley boys lacrosse careers by being named all-section in Class 2A. The Section 2 all-stars for QV in 2023 were attacker Ben Thomas, midfielder Christian Brown and defender Ben Carlson. Thomas and Carlson served as co-captains this season. “They had an intense...

Quaker Valley’s girls volleyball team ended up 15-3 in the 2022 regular season and won 12 times by 3-0 scores. The QV netters landed the fifth seed in Class 2A for the WPIAL playoffs and advanced to the semifinal round. Quaker Valley defeated No. 12 Burrell and No. 4 Central...

Mia Gartley of Quaker Valley is a 5-foot-2 dynamo of an athlete. As a freshman this spring, Gartley won the WPIAL girls high jump event in Class 2A at the championship meet at Slippery Rock. She also placed fifth in the high jump at the PIAA finals at Shippensburg. QV...

Thomas Jefferson’s softball team won five of its final six regular season games to clinch a WPIAL Class 5A playoff berth this spring. The TJ girls opened the season by winning eight of their first nine games, including their first four section contests. “We performed very well this year,” coach...

Quaker Valley has established a staunch winning tradition over the years. Propelled by another talented group of senior athletes, the Quakers stayed in the WPIAL limelight throughout the 2022-23 school year. “Our student-athletes’ dedication and work ethic both in and out of season allows us to maximize our potential in...

Several area girls lacrosse athletes have been honored with postseason plaudits. Quaker Valley’s Shannon Von Kaenel, a senior midfielder, and Lucy Roig, a freshman midfielder, were recognized as All-WPIAL players in Class 2A. “I am very honored. It is nice to be recognized for all of the hard work I...

Will Stewart stands out in a crowd. Stewart is a 6-foot-7 junior outside hitter and a team leader for the Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball team. He was one of five TJ players named all-section in 2023 along with Riley Burdett, a 5-11 junior outside hitter, sophomores Jaiden Wadlow, a 5-5...

It didn’t end with a state championship celebration like the previous two seasons did, but Bethel Park’s baseball team was able to boast of a strong 2023. The Black Hawks soared to first place in Section 2-5A with a 9-1 record, won 13 of 14 games prior to the WPIAL...

Quaker Valley’s boys track and field team emerged from the shadow of its counterpart girls squad this season. The QV girls captured their second consecutive WPIAL Class 2A team title in 2023. The QV boys also capped a successful team season with a runner-up finish at the WPIAL championship meet....

Quaker Valley’s loss is Ohio Wesleyan’s gain. QV graduate Nora Johns has opted to continue her athletic and academic careers at Ohio Wesleyan, where she will compete on the women’s basketball team and in the track and field program. Johns, a three-sport standout in soccer, basketball and track in high...

In the second season of PIHL girls hockey, the Southeast team enjoyed a playoff bonanza. Southeast entered the postseason with a 5-6-0-1 record after back-to-back losses to its East and Northeast opponents in the last two games of the regular season. The odds seemed stacked against the Southeast girls, who...

It’s not Murderer’s Row. That’s an old phrase coined for the then-dreaded 1927 New York Yankees. They’re not the Fantastic Four comic book and movie heroes. There are too many of them. Call them the Skillful Seven — the starting lineup this season for the Sewickley Academy boys tennis team....

It was a celebratory rerun of 2022. Quaker Valley’s talented girls track and field team repeated its performance of last season by winning the WPIAL Class 2A team championship in 2023. The QV girls easily defended its WPIAL title at the finals May 9 at Peters Township, rolling past Winchester...

Maddy Jesky’s strength as a gymnast is her perseverance. “Gymnastics is what I eat, sleep and breathe,” she said. “There is nothing I won’t try and nothing I’ll give up on.” Well, Jesky certainly was tenacious at the Xcel Silver and Platinum States, taking the all-around title in her division....

A month into the WPIAL baseball season, Sewickley Academy finally found its groove. The Panthers were 3-7 and riding a three-game losing streak on April 18. Following a 16-2 section loss to Eden Christian, Sewickley exploded for seven wins in a row to enter the WPIAL playoffs. The Panthers finished...

Sophomore sensation Jay Olawaiye made the biggest impact for Quaker Valley at the PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg University. Olawaiye finished as the Class 2A runner-up in the girls triple jump thanks to a leap of 37 feet, 7 inches. “Jay’s performance was phenomenal,” QV coach Jared Jones...

Sewickley Academy left little doubt as to why it was the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A boys tennis tournament. The Panthers defeated No. 6 Winchester Thurston, 4-1, in the WPIAL finals May 10 at Washington & Jefferson’s Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center. It was the 24th WPIAL...

Three juniors and a sophomore have proven to be a dynamic 3,200-meter girls relay unit at Quaker Valley. The 3,200 relayers, consisting of juniors Kate Hines, Elizabeth Szuba and Ellie Cain and sophomore Cecilia Montagnese, took first place at the WPIAL Class 2A girls individual championships held May 17 at...

Suffice to say, Quaker Valley has become the preeminent WPIAL track and field program in Class 2A. The Quakers proved as much with their powerhouse performance May 17 at the WPIAL individual championships at Slippery Rock University. QV ended up with four WPIAL titlists, four seconds, one third and three...

Ashley Barker’s college story is one of perseverance. The Baldwin grad wrapped up her collegiate athletic career as a four-year, two-sport athlete at Pitt-Greensburg. The 5-foot-6 guard finished her basketball career with a college career-high 15 points against Behrend, connecting on 5 of 5 triples in the AMCC semifinals at...

A year ago, the Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse team finished in third place in its section, but put together a golden run in the WPIAL playoffs to win a district championship. However, when teams win any kind of title, whether it was expected or not, they quickly go from being...

It wasn’t even close. The Quaker Valley girls track and field team easily defended its WPIAL Class 2A championship in this year’s finals May 9 at Peters Township. The QV girls cruised past Winchester Thurston, 92-57, Knoch, 100-50, and Derry, 100.5-49.5, to claim their second straight WPIAL title and ninth...

Quaker Valley’s boys lacrosse team found success by winning at an important time of year. The Quakers won four in a row down the season’s home stretch and six of seven after April 14 to clinch a WPIAL playoff berth. QV took a 10-4 record into its first-round matchup May...