Ray Fisher stories, Page 9

Eden Christian Academy was a WPIAL playoff qualifier in girls soccer last season. The Warriors are determined to repeat their postseason posture again in 2024. “Last season, we were able to make it to the playoffs, something that hadn’t happened for a few years,” coach Alex Davis said. “We are...

Some of the names have changed, but the forecast remains the same in the Quaker Valley boys soccer program. Sean Ryan is in his sixth year of coaching QV soccer; this is his first season as head coach. “Expectations at Quaker Valley are always high,” said Ryan, who has taken...

Quaker Valley’s 2023-24 senior class is well-represented with athletes continuing their careers at the next level. The following 2024 QV graduates are competing or will be competing in college athletic programs this year: • Katie Blackmer (diving) — Idaho • Ellie Cain (track & field) — Washington University at St....

Maggie Behun and Rachel Loudermilk successfully coexist as co-head coaches of the Quaker Valley girls soccer team. They provide a wholesome example of team unity in developing strategy for the QV girls. Behun believes the outlook is promising for this year’s team. “We have a young group of girls who...

The WPIAL recently released new section alignments for the next two-year cycle in all sports. In boys basketball, Class 4A lost five teams and switched from four sections to three. Quaker Valley and Avonworth moved from the defunct Section 4 into Section 2, where they will join Ambridge, Beaver, Central...

The Sewickley Academy girls soccer team is aiming for a trifecta in 2024. The Panthers are looking to land in the WPIAL playoffs for a third consecutive season and for the fourth time in five years. Sewickley is led by a new face to the program as Gary Weber has...

It was a somewhat inauspicious debut for Brentwood coach Nick Caponi. His Spartans football team didn’t win its first game last year until mid-October and finished 2-8 overall. “Our motto this year is ‘Win in the Dark.’ It’s something our defensive coordinator, Jake Thomas, brought up at a staff meeting....

Seton LaSalle made a dramatic improvement as a team in 2023. The Rebels upgraded from a 0-10 record in 2022 in coach Tim Storino’s first year as field boss to a 5-5 overall mark last season. The Rebels made significant improvements on both offense and defense, going from scoring 114...

The Sharks dominated at the second annual Queens of the ‘Burgh girls volleyball tournament. The event took place Aug. 2-3 at the All American Field House in Monroeville and was open to all incoming high school junior and senior girls for the 2024-25 school year. The Sharks beat last year’s...

There’s a new sport in town that’s been growing at a steady pace. Sean O’Neill of Sewickley Hills is co-founder of the Quaker Valley Rugby Club, which is partnering with the Premier Youth & Community Center in Sewickley. “We just started the club earlier this year with a meeting with...

Ethan Dai finished as the WPIAL Class 2A runner-up in boys golf last year. Dai, a senior, certainly would like to take that next step to an individual championship this season. However, he’s all about a team-first mentality. “My personal goal for this year is to help take my team...

The 2023 season was a tough grind on a young Quaker Valley football team, much like 2022. After finishing 1-8 two years ago, the Quakers ended up 1-9 last season. They were 1-5 both years in the Class 3A Western Hills Conference. The aim now is to utilize the Quakers’...

The legacy continues for the Thomas Jefferson football program as Bill Cherpak begins his 30th year as head coach. Cherpak has a 309-56 career record to rank behind only Jim Render (406) and Joe Hamilton (342) in wins among WPIAL football coaches. “We have always strived to be a program...

The Quaker Valley girls volleyball team is looking to hit the jackpot this season. “I’m looking forward to getting started with this group,” coach Mike Vavrek said. “It’s always fun to see the newer girls compete and work every day. As long as they continue to develop, I think we...

The 1967 football team was inducted into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. It is only appropriate for the 1968 squad to also receive HOF recognition. Quaker Valley’s talented 1968 football team will be honored for its achievements and inducted into the HOF. The QV Sports HOF...

A free program entitled “Empowering Women Around the World” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Sewickley Valley YMCA Walter J. Brannon Community Center. MePower United of Sewickley, Women of the Cloud Forest of Pittsburgh and Local Women’s Handicraft of Nepal will present the program. Kirsten Close, Amy...

Bethel Park was in the fight for first place all season in the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference in 2023. Same as the previous year, the Black Hawks ended up tied for second with Upper St. Clair and Moon with a 3-2 record in conference play. Despite going 4-7 overall,...

Baldwin has not reached the football postseason since 2019. Since then, the Fighting Highlanders have generated records of 2-3, 2-8, 1-9 and 1-9. They are hoping they are able to change their fortunes on the gridiron this year, although it may prove to be an uphill climb. Dana Brown had...

Sewickley Academy’s Severin Harmon is the reigning WPIAL Class 2A champion in boys tennis. He’d like to add another prestigious title to his resume this fall, joining Sewickley grads Jason Li (2015), J.F. Aber (2019) and Tim Fitzgerald (2020) as WPIAL individual golf champions. “Personally, my goal is to improve...

The Quaker Valley girls track and field team hit a grand slam in 2002, winning a fourth consecutive WPIAL team championship. And some of QV’s underclassmen would go on to capture three more WPIAL titles over the next five years. “The 2002 team was deep in talent, certainly with a...

Quaker Valley ended the 2023-24 school year with eight WPIAL champions in Class 2A, including two team, four individual and two relay titlists. “Every school year is unique in terms of accomplishments and this year’s strength was found in outstanding performances across the board from a majority of our teams,”...

Emily Milanovich cannot wait for the fall sports season to begin. Milanovich will be a sophomore at Sewickley Academy in 2024-25 and looks forward to the opportunity to compete against other girls in the WPIAL this season. The 15-year-old golfer competed as a freshman with the boys team last year,...

It’s been a summer like no other for the Thomas Jefferson softball program. For the first time in the high school’s 65-year history, TJ has a state champion in a girls team sport. The WPIAL Class 5A runners-up Jaguars made an improbable run through the PIAA playoffs before attaining their...

Gemma Stypula has been dreaming of this trip for what seems like forever. She started to lay the foundation when she was 15 years old. Now, 17, the 2024 Brentwood graduate is only days away from seeing it become a reality. A four-year softball player at Brentwood, Stypula will be...

There appears to be no limit to what Austin Bechtold can accomplish in his professional career. The 2019 Baldwin graduate is already climbing the ladder in the radio broadcasting field. Bechtold, 23, is a producer and part-time host at 93.7 The Fan. He has been putting in some long days...