Ray Fisher stories, Page 39

It genuinely was a team effort for the diocesan champion St. Gabriel girls CYO basketball team. The Gators rolled past St. Bernard’s, 45-31, in the Diocese of Pittsburgh championship game and wrapped up their season with a sparkling 15-2 record. “The team did really well this season,” said Ashley Shanahan,...

Chalk up another championship season for the St. Gabriel’s boys CYO basketball team. In 2019-20, the Gators won their second consecutive Diocese of Pittsburgh championship and their second state title in three years. “This year’s team was more resilient than any team we’ve had in the last four years,” coach...

Franklin Regional’s softball team is hoping to carry its momentum from last season. The Panthers advanced to the WPIAL semifinals in Class 5A last spring, when they lost 4-2 to West Allegheny. The Indians went on to claim their third straight championship. Franklin Regional finished 13-9 overall and 10-4 record...

The Franklin Regional baseball team sailed into uncharted waters in 2019. After a run of four consecutive second-place section finishes, the Panthers made the jump to the top spot. FR captured the Section 1-5A championship with a 12-0 record, leapfrogging Gateway (9-3), Fox Chapel (7-5) and Kiski Area (6-6). Not...

Hallie Findlan has been rewriting the Thomas Jefferson record book in girls swimming for three years. Findlan, a junior, added another historic chapter to her distinguished career by becoming the first TJ swimmer in school history to win a WPIAL championship. Findlan finished first in the 100-yard freestyle at the...

Thomas Jefferson senior Nathan Werderber officially enlisted Dec. 30 with the U.S. Marines Corps. One of the toughest athletes in the starting lineup for the TJ football team last fall, Werderber will leave Sept. 14 for basic training at Parris Island in South Carolina. Not only was Werderber known for...

Baldwin can add another year on the state championship banner for gymnastics in its high school gym. The Highlanders finished first in the silver division team competition at the Pennsylvania Classic last month at Moon. The classic is representative of the state championship meet in gymnastics. Baldwin took first place...

Norwin has a well-respected history in girls basketball. The Knights have been regular WPIAL playoff participants — Norwin has advanced to the postseason 31 times — and annual contenders for section championships. The Knights maintained both rich traditions in 2019-20. Norwin tied for first with rival North Allegheny in Section...

The Brentwood boys basketball program, stacked with seven seniors, will suffer heavy graduation losses this year. Nonetheless, help appears to be on the way. Chase Rosing, a 5-foot junior guard, and Riley Brendel, a 6-3 junior forward, were integral members of the 2019-20 team. There are six sophomores, along with...

Penn-Trafford’s girls basketball team experienced a two-tone finish to the season. The Warriors won their final four regular-season games — and eight of their last 10 — to sew up a WPIAL Class 5A playoff berth. The Warriors then lost a disappointing 37-36 decision to Gateway in the first round...

Norwin’s boys distance medley relay unit stepped into the spotlight Feb. 22 at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association indoor championship meet. The DMR runners took first place with a school-record time of 10 minutes, 41.28 seconds, 7 seconds faster than their seeded time of 11:04.17. “Overall, the race went as...

The Pleasant Hills Middle School varsity cheer team was a national finalist this season. The PH girls qualified for the National High School Cheerleading Championship, held Feb. 7-9 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. A total of 28 teams competed in the varsity division; 12 qualified for the semifinals....

Thomas Jefferson senior gymnast Natalie Moore capped her career with rare perfection — a 10.0 score on the vault from one of the judges at the WPIAL championships. Moore placed second in the all-around in the advanced division with 37.133 points at the WPIAL finals Feb. 15 at Moon. She...

One of the magic numbers for the Baldwin hockey team this season is “15.” Baldwin won 15 consecutive games before suffering a disappointing 4-3 loss Feb. 10 to West Allegheny at Ice Castle Arena. The Highlanders opened their PIHL schedule Oct. 3 with a 9-1 victory against Montour, then skated...

C.J. Ziegler recently enlisted in an exclusive club at Brentwood. Prior to this season, only 10 boys basketball players had attained 1,000 career points. Ziegler joined that posh group. The 5-foot-11 senior guard logged his 1,000th career point Jan. 24 in a 67-52 section win at Carmichaels. He finished with...

Seton LaSalle’s girls basketball team has been driven by the force of three seniors in its lineup this season. The leading scorers for the playoff-bound Rebels consist of seniors Chloe Lestitian (11.9), Sarah Merlina (11.4) and Vanessa Hudson (11.1), who average close to 35 points per game between them. Lestitian...

It has been a frustrating yet gratifying senior season for Baldwin hoopster Jenna Lutz. She is a three-year letterwinner in the girls basketball program at Baldwin and plans to continue her career at Allegheny College as an environmental science major. A 6-foot forward, Lutz has spent most of the 2019-20...

History was not going to repeat itself. The Derry girls basketball team saw to that. The Trojans missed the WPIAL playoffs a year ago by one game. This year, there was little doubt the team would return to the postseason for the first time in four years. “Early in our...

Veteran coach Mark Walsh is a staunch Seton LaSalle advocate, and is fully committed to the boys basketball program. As the saying goes, Walsh “bleeds green and gold.” His Rebels qualified for the WPIAL playoffs as the second-place team in Section 2-3A. In fact, the Rebels have advanced to the...

It wasn’t the finish the Seton LaSalle girls basketball team anticipated. The Rebels lost their final three regular-season games to end up in second place in Section 2-3A. After rolling along at 11-0 in league play and 14-4 overall, the Seton girls planned to regroup and refocus in preparation for...

Both families have rich histories in Western Pennsylvania high school basketball, particularly in the South Hills. Dan Holzer is in his 25th season coaching the boys team at Upper St. Clair. He was a three-year starter at Thomas Jefferson and 1983 graduate. He also played at Alliance. Lisa Fairman is...

Dedication and determination are just two of the traits that drive the West Jefferson Hills School District cheer program. Cheer season begins following tryouts in June. Practices generally last two hours, and most of the girls spend additional hours in private lessons, open gyms and camps. “These girls also attend...

Outstanding teams require exceptional leadership. Meet the captains of the Baldwin competitive spirit cheerleading squad, which won the WPIAL Class AAA championship for the first time in school history. The Highlanders, who placed fifth in the large division Jan. 11 at the PIAA finals in Hershey, are led by the...

Norwin’s boys basketball team bolted out to a 6-0 record and won eight of its first nine games this season. Led by former City League coaching stalwart Buddy Valinsky, Norwin enjoyed its best start since 2014-15. The Knights then jumped into the heart of their grueling, grinding Section 3-6A schedule...

Ohio State athletics has developed a narrow but significant pipeline in attracting former Baldwin athletes into its distinguished program. Two of the greatest female athletes in school history at Baldwin, Jennifer Flynn Oldenburg and Kelly Kovach Schoenly, are members of the OSU coaching fraternity. Oldenburg, 41, was hired Jan. 17...