Sewickley Academy

Sewickley Academy’s Michael DiSantis has modest individual goals for the boys soccer season. “My personal goals are to score more than I did last year and stay healthy throughout the season,” DiSantis said. DiSantis and Hudson Colletti paced the Panthers in scoring last year and were complemented offensively by Adin...

The battle for the HSSN Trib Cup in Class A in 2021-2022 turned into one of the closest and most unique battles where overall success won out. In the end, it was Greensburg Central Catholic hoisting the cup aloft again, this despite the school only winning one district championship all...

Adin Zorn’s baseball acumen runs the gamut, from A to Z. A senior-to-be at Sewickley Academy, Zorn has been a two-year starter and team leader on the Panthers baseball team. His freshman season was wiped out because of the covid-19 pandemic. “Adin is an exceptional talent,” SA coach Anthony Garofalo...

Sewickley Academy approached the WPIAL baseball playoffs with a “one game at a time” attitude. The Panthers ended up playing two games, defeating Avella, 7-4, in the Class A first round before losing to Rochester, 2-0, in the quarterfinals. SA finished in second place in Section 3-A and ended the...

Donato Fanelle’s goal as mental performance coach at Sewickley Academy essentially is to work himself out of a job. “I want you to hone your mental skills to the point to where you no longer need the help,” Fanelle said. “The good thing about working at a high school is...

PGA Tour Latinoamerica pro and former Oklahoma Sooner Beau Titsworth claimed medalist honors at the Butler County U.S. Open local qualifier May 11. Titsworth shot a 4-under par 67. He was one of five players to earn a spot in the sectional tournaments. Amateur Darin Kolwalski of Bethel Park and...

The Sewickley Academy baseball team had a firm foundation to build upon this season. Junior shortstop Adin Zorn, senior third baseman Sajen Schuchert, sophomore first baseman Jordan Smith and juniors Nick Straka (catcher), Bennett Spencer (infield) and Nick Madison (outfield) were returning starters. Zorn, Schuchert, Smith and Spencer bolstered the...

Win and you’re in. Those four words are sweet music to the ears of any high school team on the bubble as section play winds down. In district softball, several teams can earn a playoff berth with a victory Wednesday — weather permitting, of course. • In Section 1-6A, Baldwin...

Welcome to May, where the regular season continues to wind down, and the postseason is two weeks away. Most WPIAL baseball teams will close out their sectional series schedule this week. In five of those sections, the top two teams are deadlocked for first place and will meet in a...

Sewickley Academy coach Whitney Snyder had not met freshman Severin Harmon before this season. Snyder did not know Harmon and would not have recognized him. And he surely had not seen him in competition on a tennis court. Well, Harmon made a great first impression on the Panthers’ veteran coach....

Heightened optimism reigns in the Sewickley Academy baseball program. “The team is excited for the 2022 season as we have a strong core of new and returning baseball players,” SA coach Andrew Petruska said. “We are returning a ton of game experience from last year. The team is returning the...

Last spring was a celebration as district athletes returned to the diamonds after the 2020 season was canceled because of the covid-19 shutdowns. Baseball thrived throughout the WPIAL as six new champions were crowned, some in dramatic fashion. That success carried over to the state playoffs as WPIAL teams captured...

Although the Sewickley Academy boys basketball team finished with just three wins and sat out the WPIAL 2A playoffs, it nonetheless was a memorable time for the players on the squad. SA coach Win Palmer praised the four seniors on this year’s team — Sean Donohue and Saverio Mignella in...

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....

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....

Heather Border and athletics go hand in hand. She has spent almost her entire life dedicated to sports, first as a three-sport athlete, then as a coach, and now as an administrator and coach. Border, 45, is the assistant athletic director at Sewickley Academy, a role that began in 2001....

Desirae Nance and Rinnie Jardini have something in common. Both lead by example. The two talented hoopsters led the Sewickley Academy girls basketball team to a successful 2-1 start in Section 1-2A this season. Sewickley coach Mark Gaither is highly appreciative of having Nance and Jardini in leadership roles on...

In an attempt to boost middle-school enrollment, Sewickley Academy inadvertently ran afoul of PIAA recruiting rules with a multi-part video highlighting the school’s academics, arts and athletics. As one video, there wouldn’t be an issue. But because the three were presented separately, the WPIAL found Sewickley Academy had violated PIAA...

Sewickley Academy’s road gear is firmly in place. The SA boys basketball team is not slated to play its first home game until Jan. 7 in a section test with Springdale. It’s the exact opposite of last year when SA did not compete in an away game until mid-January. Of...

Neshannock girls basketball coach Luann Grybowski says her team has “unfinished business.” The Lancers won Section 1 and WPIAL championships last season but finished runner-up in the PIAA tournament after losing to Mount Carmel in the Class 2A finals. The veteran coach with 685 career wins returns the entire starting...

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart put together a perfect season a year ago, winning section, WPIAL and PIAA titles. Jake DiMichele and Dante Spadafora were first-team all-state selections, and coach Mike Rodriguez was the state’s coach of the year for Class 2A as OLSH became the 14th WPIAL team...

Sewickley Academy girls basketball advanced to the WPIAL semifinal round the past two seasons. Although the Panthers may be hard-pressed to replace five senior starters from a year ago, they do have a talented group of athletes looking to make some noise this season. This year’s team is built around...

The Close sisters are not just close. The Sewickley Academy athletes are best of friends. “Kirsten is my best friend and my biggest competitor,” Ashley said, “and I am so grateful she was able to be a part of this season with me.” Ashley, a 16-year-old sophomore, starred at No....

WPIAL champion Sewickley Academy finished the girls tennis season with honors, ending up as PIAA runners-up. The SA girls stormed through the regular season and playoffs until losing a tight 3-2 decision to Wyoming Seminary in the PIAA Class 2A finals Oct. 30 at Hershey Racquet Club. The Panthers closed...