Ray Fisher stories, Page 28

The PIHL season can be a long five-month grind. Hampton’s schedule started Oct. 4 and ended Feb. 28. The Talbots switched from Class 2A to A during the PIHL offseason performance-based realignment as members of Varsity Northeast Division. Fox Chapel sailed through the division with a 19-0-1 record. Freeport, Plum...

The Hampton girls basketball team rang up one of the best regular seasons in school history. The Talbots did not lose a game in December, won 11 of their first 12 contests and captured seven of eight down the season’s home stretch. Balanced scoring and full-court defensive pressure sparked the...

Apollo-Ridge qualified for the WPIAL baseball playoffs last year for the first time since 2014. A-R landed the 14th seed in Class 2A and faced No. 3 Carmichaels, which defeated the Vikings, 12-1. “It is very early, but we have a great turnout so far as 23 players showed up...

The Apollo-Ridge softball team has a new coach but the same goal. Eric Kowalczyk has taken over for John Kinnamon, who now is coaching at Kiski Area. Kowalczyk previously served as JV coach for two years. “I’m not just teaching the girls softball,” Kowalczyk said. “I always try to teach...

Sewickley Academy assistant basketball coach Almamy Thiero grew up in Mali, West Africa. His full name is Almamy Seny Amadou Yattabary Thiero, and he has nine brothers and sisters. As a 6-foot-9, 255-pound forward, Thiero was a member of two major college basketball programs during an injury-plagued career from 2002-07....

This season, Quaker Valley’s girls basketball team continued its recent tradition of advancing to the WPIAL playoffs. The Quakers secured fourth place in Section 2-4A with an 8-6 record, finishing behind Blackhawk (14-0), Beaver (11-3) and Montour (10-4). The four section playoff teams landed four of the top eight seeds...

Liam Mignogna stands above the crowd in most instances. Mignogna is a 6-foot-8, 225-pound sophomore frontcourt player on the Hampton boys basketball team. He stood at the top of several statistical categories for the Talbots this season. Mignogna led the team in field goal shooting percentage (55.7), two-point field goal...

Steve Sciullo had a Hall of Fame playing career. He’s hoping to experience a successful coaching career, as well. The 41-year-old Sciullo was hired recently to coach the Hampton football program, taking over for Jacque DeMatteo who resigned this winter after 14 seasons on the sideline. The Talbots enjoyed one...

Hampton swim coach Morgan Zweygardt indicated early in the 2021-22 season that the defending WPIAL Class 2A champion Talbots have not rested on their laurels. Last year’s WPIAL championship was the team’s first in 22 years; it may not take nearly that long for another one. Hampton has relied on...

First, some good news: Hampton’s boys basketball team this season tripled its win total of 2020-21. Plus, it’s a young team with six juniors, 11 sophomores and only three seniors on the 20-man roster. Next, more good news: The Talbots finished the regular season 12-10 overall and tied for third...

They are two of the premier seniors in WPIAL Class 2A wrestling. Quaker Valley’s Patrick Cutchember (189 pounds) and Justin Richey (152 pounds) were ranked No. 1 in their respective weight divisions by Trib HSSN for most of the season. And with sound reasoning as things turned out: They’ve formed...

Quaker Valley’s boys basketball team played 20 regular season games without a loss. It was a dream season for the Quakers, led by two of the most productive players in the WPIAL: senior guard Adou Thiero and senior forward Markus Frank. QV ended the regular season 20-0, 14-0 in Section...

Baldwin’s coaching staff was confident in freshman Abby Rexrode’s chances going into the WPIAL gymnastics individual championship meet. “Abby had a great performance at the WPIAL finals,” coach Jodi Cummings said. “She’s strong on all four events. We knew if she would hit her routines, she would be at the...

After reaching the WPIAL semifinals the past two seasons, the Sewickley Academy girls basketball team hoped to make another strong run in the playoffs this year. But the SA girls team, much like the SA boys, had to replace five starters from 2020-21. The team finished sixth in Section 1-2A...

It was a rough year for Sewickley Academy basketball. SA’s boys team lost six of its last seven games to end up 3-13 overall and 1-8 in Section 1-2A. “Due to covid concerns, we had only two practices and no games for over two weeks,” SA coach Win Palmer said....

Heavy graduation losses deemed it a rebuilding year for the Thomas Jefferson wrestling team. The Jaguars scraped together a 4-1 section record and were 10-9 overall Feb. 9 following their 39-30 loss to Bethel Park. “Losing seven seniors has hurt us. The team has been undermanned all year,” TJ coach...

Here is a rundown on the 2021-22 regular season for boys basketball teams in the South Hills: Baldwin Baldwin junior James Wesling had a record-setting performance that was heard loud and clear around the WPIAL. Opposing players and coaches immediately took notice. A 6-foot-1 guard, Wesling connected for 48 points...

Bethel Park’s wrestlers were hoping to make some noise in the postseason. Loud noise, if possible. “Individually, we’re looking forward for the postseason,” coach Tim Crawford said. “Our season has been going very well. We are happy to have made the WPIAL team tournament. We rebounded to beat Peters Township...

Both teams at Bethel Park qualified for the WPIAL basketball playoffs. Here is a rundown of their 2021-22 regular seasons: Bethel Park girls Bethel Park’s girls team displayed significant improvement in the second half of the season. The Black Hawks won eight of their last 10 games to end up...

Patrick Cutchember ignited the engine; Justin Richey drove the Quakers over the finish line. Quaker Valley’s wrestling team won a decision that was noticed around the Western Pennsylvania, as well as the state. The Quakers, seeded third in Class 2A, edged 15-time defending champion Burrell, 30-28, on Jan. 5 at...

The Quaker Valley girls swim team opened the 2021-22 season with a nonsection loss at Northgate. Since then, the Quakers won six of seven meets to go to 6-2 overall. “The season has gone well and we are happy with where the teams are at right now,” coach John Nemeth...

Quaker Valley’s hockey team stopped the bleeding. The Quakers ended a three-game losing streak by winning three of its last four games in January, skating past Wheeling Catholic, 9-3, Blackhawk, 4-1, and Chartiers Valley, 4-3, in a shootout. QV improved to 10-4 to maintain its firm grip on first place...

Aquinas Academy’s boys basketball team has emerged on the WPIAL radar this season. Led by the prolific scoring of 6-foot-2 junior guard Vinnie Cugini, the Crusaders are one of the top teams in Class A. After jumping out to a 6-0 start that included winning their own tip-off tournament championship,...

Andy Wormsley has added another prestigious honor to his hall-of-fame basketball career. The Quaker Valley and Westminster College graduate is a member of the sports hall of fame at both schools. He was inducted at Quaker Valley in 2012 and in the Titan Hall of Fame in 2010. On Feb....

The Quaker Valley girls basketball team is resilient if nothing else. After a 4-4 start, the Quakers lost three straight section games but rebounded by winning their last six contests in January. Entering this month, the QV girls were 7-5 in Section 2-4A and 10-7 overall. “The team has shown...