Ray Fisher stories, Page 27

More of the same. Bethel Park’s girls lacrosse team last year won its first section championship since 2012. And it was a junior-driven squad. The Black Hawks, with nine seniors on this year’s team, aim to make another strong push for a section title in 2022, followed by a deep...

Bethel Park’s boys lacrosse team placed third in Section 1-3A at 6-2 last season, behind only Mt. Lebanon (8-0) and Upper St. Clair (7-1). The Black Hawks edged Fox Chapel, 5-4, in the WPIAL first round before losing a 14-7 decision to North Allegheny to finish 10-6 overall. “I think...

Heightened optimism reigns in the Sewickley Academy baseball program. “The team is excited for the 2022 season as we have a strong core of new and returning baseball players,” SA coach Andrew Petruska said. “We are returning a ton of game experience from last year. The team is returning the...

Quaker Valley’s baseball team advanced to the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal round a season ago. QV coach Dean Owrey is looking for another playoff run just as strong — if not stronger — for the Quakers in 2022. “I expect to see QV baseball in the mix of this difficult...

Rich Kriston is recognized as one of the best heavyweights in the storied history of the Fox Chapel wrestling program. Kriston won three consecutive section titles from 1970-72 and was the first of 25 section champions at Fox Chapel in the ’70s. After two years of covid-related postponements, Kriston, who...

The Moon boys volleyball team is focused on one purposeful goal. “We are hoping to earn a playoff spot this year,” coach Steve Nicola said. “We have improved over the past couple years but have not been to the playoffs for a while. “We have had people playing a lot...

The Quaker Valley boys basketball team made a gallant effort in its quest to win a PIAA title, taking a 27-0 record into the state finals. After capturing section and WPIAL championships, QV finished as the PIAA Class 4A runner-up. “Like all high school basketball teams in 2020-21, we dealt...

Quaker Valley’s boys tennis team is the defending WPIAL Class 2A champion. And with a senior-laden roster this spring — including the top three players from last year, Mike Sirianni, Will Sirianni and Henry Veeck — the Quakers covet their chances of repeating. The QV netters are coached by Christi...

Landon Buterbaugh stepped in as Quaker Valley’s starting goalkeeper from Day 1 of his freshman year. It doesn’t happen often in high school hockey. But QV coach Kevin Quinn didn’t hesitate to station the 5-foot-9, 130-pound Buterbaugh in front of the net this season. He responded with an all-star performance....

John Nemeth recently completed his second season as Quaker Valley’s swim coach. Nemeth, a physical education teacher at QV’s middle school, was an eight-time All-American at Denison. Nemeth coached at Chartiers Valley from 2015-20 and is a coach with Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics. He previously coached at Centerville High School in...

Athleticism is deeply rooted in her family. It’s in the genes. Senior hoopster Morgan Altavilla, 17, carried on the athletic tradition established in recent years at Baldwin by her older brothers, Doug and Nick. Baldwin’s second-year basketball coach Jamal Woodson labeled Altavilla as one of the top female players in...

Julianna Skowron ended her college basketball career in a big way. After a successful four-year stint at Allegheny College, Skowron, a 6-foot-1 forward, competed at Chatham as a graduate student in 2021-22. The Oakland Catholic product led the Cougars to their all-time winningest season in women’s basketball, netted her 1,000th...

Quaker Valley swimmer Emily Connors ended her superb sophomore season as a triple medalist at the PIAA Class 2A girls championships held at Bucknell. Connors placed sixth in the 100-yard freestyle in 52.22 seconds and eighth in the 100-yard butterfly in 57.16. She finished third in both events at the...

One of the most impressive performances of the year was turned in by Jack Gardinier in the PIAA Class 4A second round. A 6-foot senior guard and the Quakers’ third-leading scoring threat this season, Gardinier scored a career-high 36 points to spark QV past Belle Vernon, 86-75. “Everyone on the...

Thomas Jefferson’s wrestling team didn’t have a great season, but it was a good year for the Jaguars. TJ’s Brian Finnerty didn’t have a good senior season; it was great. In fact, Finnerty ended his brilliant career as the best of the best in the TJ wrestling program. A Kent...

Joe Lekse, this year’s Breisinger Award winner, had his eye on the prize throughout his entire varsity career. He explained. “In my four years playing football at Thomas Jefferson, I aspired to be like each winner of the Breisinger Award,” said Leske, a senior quarterback/defensive back. “My freshman year, Gabe...

Bethel Park’s softball team reveled in a banner 2021 campaign, winning a WPIAL title and outright section crown for the first time in school history. Ohio State recruit Reagan Milliken led a talented eight-player senior class last spring. Milliken was named Class 6A Player of the Year by Trib HSSN...

Bethel Park won the big prize in Class 5A last season, defeating Red Land, 4-2, in the PIAA baseball championship game at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. “Words still cannot express the pride I feel for this special group of young men,” coach Pat Zehnder said afterward. “They...

Quaker Valley wrapped up the best wrestling season in school history with four individual medalists at the PIAA Class 2A championships March 12 at Giant Center in Hershey. “We qualified five kids to compete in arguably the toughest wrestling tournament in the country,” QV coach Mike Heinl said. “We won...

Quaker Valley’s girls swim team made another strong bid for a WPIAL championship at this year’s finals March 3-4 at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The QV girls placed third in Class 2A with a score of 221 points in the team race. QV’s girls squad finished as the WPIAL runner-up last...

Four individuals — Will Retsch, Ben Sheets, Chris Belch and Zach Sutterlin — and all three boys relays at Hampton qualified for the PIAA Class 2A swimming championships, as did Pax Carslaw, a diving specialist. The leader of the pack was none other than Retsch, a senior who won WPIAL...

Hampton’s Kayla Hoehler has been playing basketball for more than half of her life. She started playing at around age 7, continued through her middle school days and was a four-year varsity starter for the Talbots from 2018-22. The 5-foot-8 senior guard plans to extend her career to the next...

Although the Sewickley Academy boys basketball team finished with just three wins and sat out the WPIAL 2A playoffs, it nonetheless was a memorable time for the players on the squad. SA coach Win Palmer praised the four seniors on this year’s team — Sean Donohue and Saverio Mignella in...

Adou Thiero was not going to be denied. The Quaker Valley senior finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks to lead the top-seeded Quakers to a 61-52 win March 3 against No. 2 Montour in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game at Petersen Events Center. The WPIAL title...

The Major League Baseball season has been delayed because of a contentious labor dispute holding up a new collective bargaining agreement. However, it’s all systems go for the Northern Allegheny County Senior Softball League. NACSSL, for players ages 52 and older, is accepting registration for the 2022 season. New player...