Ray Fisher stories, Page 40

The adjustment period is in the rear-view mirror for Gateway graduate Frank Bozicevic at Waynesburg. Bozicevic, a talented 6-foot-1 guard, is one of five seniors for the Yellow Jackets and four players averaging double figures. Bozicevic’s astute leadership abilities have emerged front and center as the season has progressed. And...

The Thomas Jefferson swimming and diving program is thriving, thanks in large part to the school’s beautiful new 25-yard pool. The Jaguars have not had the luxury of swimming in their own home pool until this year, and the move has been great news for veteran coach John Penn and...

Thomas Jefferson’s new state-of-the-art pool had a distinguished visitor Jan. 21 when the Jaguars met Peters Township in a nonsection meet. Former TJ diving standout Ryan Fagan, an assistant coach at Peters Township, was in attendance, along with a large crowd. Fagan competed at TJ from 1999-2001 and was a...

The Moon girls basketball team lost twice in December, and twice in January. The Tigers are hoping to keep that record intact Thursday in a key section test at home against Trinity. Just as the Moon girls avenged an early season loss to Thomas Jefferson with a 55-52 victory Jan....

Thomas Jefferson senior Alyssa DeAngelo scored her 1,000th career point Jan. 13 in a section game at Trinity. DeAngelo, a multiple-year starter who averages 18 points per game, reached the milestone with 2 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the second quarter of her team’s 61-50 loss to the Hillers. After...

Brendan Finnerty didn’t just win the 160-pound weight class while representing Thomas Jefferson at the recent Allegheny County wrestling championships. He dominated. Seeded No. 1, Finnerty breezed to the county title by recording two falls followed by three consecutive major-decision victories. “My goal was to win the tournament, just like...

One team is the defending WPIAL and state champion, and has emerged as a powerhouse in girls gymnastics in just three years. Thomas Jefferson’s gymnasts won their first WPIAL title in 2018-19, capping off three straight seasons of section championships. The Jaguars, who also captured the state title in the...

“Young” is the word encircling the Franklin Regional girls basketball program this season. The Panthers ended the first half of section play the way they started the season — with back-to-back wins. With 13 underclassmen on the roster, Franklin Regional defeated Hampton, 47-36, and Kiski Area, 45-27, to climb to...

The Thomas Jefferson basketball teams know how to make a good first impression. The boys and girls started the new decade with impressive victories, both on the road. The boys won a Section 2-5A game Jan. 3 at Montour, 58-54. “We are starting to play a little better each day,”...

Baldwin wrapped up the 2019 portion of its PIHL season with an 8-0 record. The Highlanders started with a 9-1 victory over Montour on Oct. 3, routed Hampton, 10-2, on Dec. 9 and won six times in between. That’s more than two months without a loss. Baldwin, West Allegheny and...

Brentwood’s boys basketball team is well on its way to having one of the best seasons in school history. The Spartans defeated California, 66-55, on Jan. 7 to extend their record to 10-0 and 5-0 in Section 2-2A. “We are off to a nice start,” Brentwood fourth-year coach Dan Thayer...

Drive, determination, hard work, no fear of failing and a strong dose of patience are among ingredients necessary to claim a WPIAL championship. The Baldwin competitive spirit squad displayed all of the above this season, and then some. Baldwin won the WPIAL Class AAA championship Jan. 4 at Hempfield with...

Norwin’s competitive spirit squad loves the taste of chocolate. The Knights qualified for the PIAA championships — held Jan. 10-11 in Hershey — for the eighth consecutive year. Success breeds success on the Norwin campus. “We qualified in the small division, competing with 15 girls,” coach Linda Rundy said. “We’ve...

The Thomas Jefferson football team has the toughest of acts to follow in 2020. The Jaguars won the PIAA and WPIAL Class 4A championships en route to a perfect 16-0 record this season. But, as always, the cupboard won’t be bare next year for TJ. There were seven non-seniors in...

It was a nail-biter in the truest sense of the term. Derry’s Kamryn Kelly sank a free throw with 0.1 seconds remaining to clinch a tense 47-46 win against Bishop Canevin on Saturday in the second round of the Mt. Pleasant holiday tournament. “It was very nerve-racking at first,” said...

The Zandier family will remember the date — Nov. 29 — for a long time. On that day, TJ junior Preston Zandier helped the Jaguars win a PIAA Class 4A semifinal game to advance to the state finals. Also, and at the same time, Virginia linebacker and older brother Zane...

Brentwood coach Dan Thayer was pleased, as expected. The Spartans won twice in the Brentwood tip-off tournament to claim this year’s boys championship. “This was an excellent way to start the season,” Thayer said. “We were very happy with the results. It has been a long time since we’ve won...

Seven Baldwin High School athletes participated in national signing day last month. The following will be advancing their academic/athletic careers at the next level next year: Cassie Carlson (Youngstown State softball), Nick Dolan (Ohio baseball), Salena Jaquay (Cal, Pa. softball), Jenna Lutz (Allegheny basketball), Allison Murray (St. Francis, Pa. volleyball),...

Franklin Regional’s girls basketball team is one of the youngest in Class 5A, if not the WPIAL. There is only one senior — 5-foot-6 forward Noelle Boyd — on the Panthers’ team roster, which has been flooded by a large group of freshman athletes in 2019-20. “Our expectations for this...

The Hempfield swimming program is more than a pool experience. “As with every year,” coach Kevin Clougherty said, “we have two main, overarching goals: One, for the kids to get as close to their potential as possible and, two, that they learn some life lessons about focus and work ethic...

Thomas Jefferson senior Nathan Werderber fulfilled a lifelong goal with his teammates in 2019. The Jaguars won the PIAA Class 4A title Dec. 5 with a 46-7 championship-game victory over Dallas at Hersheypark Stadium. Soon, Werderber will be tackling another longtime dream to join the military and enlist with the...

Michael Silvio quietly but effectively worked hard, went about his business and enjoyed an outstanding season on the Brentwood football team. Silvio, a 5-foot-11, 150-pound senior, manned a wide receiver slot on offense and a safety position on defense. He was part of a nine-man receiving corps that accounted for...

Brentwood’s Jaden Schwartz was a double award-winner after the girls volleyball season. Schwartz, an athletic 5-foot-3 senior libero, was named third-team All-WPIAL and first-team all-section. “Jaden is a level-headed defensive specialist,” Brentwood coach Kayla Hubsch said. “She rarely lets her emotions get to her and plays focused through (the) entire...

It has been a labor of love for former Baldwin golf coach Jim Stanko. Not only did he have tireless passion for the game of golf and the Baldwin boys golf team, he also developed a bond to the indoor golf room located in the Wallace Building. Stanko, who retired...