Ray Fisher stories, Page 34

While WPIAL football championship hopefuls often talk about making it to Heinz Field or basketball players dream of playing at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center, the district’s baseball players aspire to play at Wild Things Park in Washington. Playing at the beautifully maintained 3,200-seat, synthetic turf venue was a treat for...

After a blockbuster Navy volleyball career, Baldwin graduate Maddi Sgattoni commissioned May 28 and now is a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Sgattoni was a four-year starter as an outside hitter — her same position in high school — for the Naval Academy, and graduated with a degree...

Five members of the Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball squad were rewarded for their performance this season by being named all-section. Shawn McSwiggen, a 6-foot-6 junior outside hitter/defensive specialist, and seniors Joaquin Gardner-Gotera, a 6-2 middle hitter, and Brayden Andrisko, a 5-9 libero, were voted to the first team. McSwiggen also...

Baldwin advanced to the WPIAL softball playoffs in 2021 for an 11th consecutive season, although the youthful Highlanders were able to win only four games all year. The team lost to section rival Bethel Park, 9-1, in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs to finish 4-10 overall....

What goes around comes around. “The last time I won a section championship, one of my assistant coaches, Taylor Connors, was a senior on that team,” said Becky Luzier, Bethel Park’s girls lacrosse coach. “It was special to get to have this experience with her this year as a peer.”...

WPIAL Class 5A runner-up. It’s not what they were striving to achieve. It is, nonetheless, a worthy feat that capped a sensational season for the Bethel Park baseball team. The top two squads in 5A met June 1 in the league championship game at Wild Things Park in Washington. Top-seeded...

Lena Barakat is one of the smaller athletes in the Baldwin girls track and field program. But she was a giant of a competitor — all 5 feet, 2 inches of her — at this year’s WPIAL Class AAA championships. A senior runner, Barakat logged a career-best time of 2:16...

Baldwin’s boys track and field team capped its spring season by winning the Section 6-AAA championship in nail-biting fashion. The Highlanders posted a 5-0 section record and were 7-1 overall, claiming the 21st section title in boys track and field in school history and first since 2017. “Both the boys...

Bethel Park’s boys lacrosse team ended the regular season in third place in Section 1-AAA at 6-2, behind only Mt. Lebanon (8-0) and Upper St. Clair (7-1) and ahead of Peters Township (5-3) and Canon-McMillan (4-4). The Black Hawks landed the sixth seed for the WPIAL playoffs, then edged No....

Megan Malecki gave up the hurdles this season to concentrate on her pole vaulting career. It proved to be a wise decision. A senior at Bethel Park and a Millersville University recruit, Malecki took first place in the pole vault at the WPIAL Class AAA championships May 19. “I loved...

Nobody watches the daily weather report in the spring months moreso than high school athletic directors. It seems the spring season has developed more turbulence weather-wise over the years than what we experience in the fall. The 47th annual Baldwin Invitational was held May 7-8 under weather conditions far worse...

Brentwood’s softball team hit the reset button and was able to end the season with an impressive six-game winning streak. The Spartans captured their season opener against Northgate, 15-0, but lost eight of their next nine before going on the late-season tear. Brentwood finished 8-8 overall and 5-7 in Section...

Emily Maerz is a new fixture in the Baldwin athletic program. She coached the Highlanders tennis team this spring, her first season coaching at the high school level, as well as coaching a boys squad. “I was very pleased with our performance, especially since we had a small team —...

The seven seniors on the Baldwin hockey team have a combined 87 years of experience on the ice. That experience paid off greatly in 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. After skating to a 19-1 record and two PIHL playoff wins, Baldwin saw its 2019-20 season shut down by covid-19 pandemic concerns....

Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair battled for first place in Section 1-AAA in girls lacrosse all season. So perhaps it was only fitting the three South Hills rivals ended up in a three-way tie atop the standings, all with 9-1 records. The Black Hawks clinched a share...

The Bethel Park coaching staff is unique in WPIAL softball. It is made up of a pair of mother-daughter tandems. Heather Semplice-Scott is head coach; her daughter, Geana Scott, is an assistant and statistician. Donna DeCarlo, the team scorekeeper, and Carly Schoenstein, Donna’s daughter, are assistants. “It’s exciting to have...

Bill Crousey’s legacy as Thomas Jefferson’s hockey coach is firmly cemented. After 12 fulfilling years behind the bench, Crousey has stepped aside from the coaching ranks. Former TJ hockey player John Zeiler was hired to take over. Zeiler led the Jaguars to three state titles from 1998-2000, then eventually went...

Cesia Garcia has hurdled her way to a rewarding career in the Brentwood track and field program. She has been competing in track since the seventh grade and is a top hurdler for the Spartans. “In middle school, we encourage the kids to try every event,” Brentwood coach Mike Cramer...

Isaac Nirella, a junior at Bethel Park, has made great strides in just his second year of pole vaulting competition. “It’s really his first (outdoor season) since he lost last year,” coach Mark Jacobs said. “Isaac has improved so much from last year — over 3 feet so far —...

It takes a unique type of high school athlete to compete in the pole vault event. “It does,” said Mark Jacobs, Bethel Park’s pole vaulting coach. “You need that combination of speed, strength and determination that every great athlete needs, but at the same time you need grit and to...

Baldwin’s baseball team has been stung hard by the injury bug this season. Two top starting pitchers, junior Jon Rauch and sophomore Carson Chapel, both lefties, suffered season-ending injuries in April. “The first half has been really challenging. Rauch and Chapel are done for the season,” coach Steve Bucci said....

The Brentwood track and field athletes, guided by veteran coach Mike Cramer, are a goal-oriented group. “We have been focusing on the positives and the situations that we can control this year,” Cramer said. “The kids have worked their tails off and have made huge strides (pun intended). “All the...

Bethel Park’s softball team was perfect in the first month of the season. The Black Hawks improved to 10-0 with a 10-7 win at home April 27 against South Fayette. It marked the seventh time in 10 games that the Black Hawks scored in double digits. “I think we are...

Bethel Park’s boys lacrosse team is trying to make up for lost time. “Missing last season has been difficult for our program to handle,” coach Tim Schreiber said. “We had a loaded class of seniors who were ready for a run at the section and WPIAL championship. It was devastating...

Bethel Park’s baseball squad ended the month of April with an exclamation point. The Black Hawks blanked Upper St. Clair, 6-0; Fox Chapel, 5-0; and Connellsville, 13-0, to improve to 6-0 in Section 4-5A and 10-2 overall. The team’s pitching staff posted a boat-load of zeroes and had a 1.72...