Andrew John stories, Page 11

Nate Ward School: Greensburg Central Catholic Sport: Soccer Year: Senior Claim to fame: Ward scored two goals in the second half to lead No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic (12-3-1) to a 4-2 win over No. 15 Mohawk in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs Saturday at Butler’s...

Springdale knew it would need to play a near-perfect game to keep its WPIAL playoff hopes alive in a matchup against No. 2 Clairton. However, the Bears capitalized on back-to-back short fields with touchdowns in the first half to provide Clairton (7-2, 5-0) all the cushion it needed in a...

Ever since he stepped onto Thiel’s campus, Trou’ Johnson wanted to be an impact player for the Tomcats football team. Johnson, a junior, is doing just that. In the last two weeks, Johnson has an interception and two forced fumbles. Johnson, who led the Tomcats with 51 tackles through their...

The Penn Hills boys soccer team’s record doesn’t tell the whole story in regards to the Indians’ season. The young, inexperienced team was in many close games but couldn’t find a way to finish. The Indians (2-16, 1-13) started on a positive note when they defeated Jeannette, 5-0, in a...

Jacob Tarosky School: Norwin Sport: Cross Country Year: Senior Claim to fame: Tarosky won the Westmoreland County Coaches Association cross country championship with a time of 16 minutes, 18.5 seconds Oct. 9 on the Westmoreland County Community College course. “It felt good to get the first place for the team....

If Norwin or Canon-McMillan had any thoughts of making the WPIAL playoffs, both teams knew their matchup Friday night was crucial to those hopes. Norwin didn’t have an answer for Canon-McMillan’s run game headlined by Ryan Angott as the Big Macs defeated Norwin, 49-14, in Class 6A play. Angott finished...

After Penn Hills won its first PIAA title since 1995 last year, coach Jon LeDonne hopes to make it a yearly occurrence. In order for that to happen, Penn Hills will need to rely on its feeder program to cultivate and develop the talent in the area. The Linton Middle...

Heading into the season, Penn Hills girls soccer coach Ashley DeVito wanted to see a continued progression with the team from previous years. On the surface, that progress might be hard to see. The Indians, however, have made strides in DeVito’s fifth year as coach. Penn Hills (4-11-1, 1-10) has...

Gianni Diacopoulos School: Franklin Regional Sport: Soccer Class: Junior Claim to fame: Diacopoulos earned two shutouts for Franklin Regional (12-0-1, 11-0-1) this past week. Franklin Regional defeated West Mifflin, 5-0, and Chartiers Valley, 5-0, in Section 4-AAA. Franklin Regional has 10 shutouts this season. “Last week was a pretty good...

Heading into their matchup against West Mifflin, Greensburg Salem knew coming out victorious would be possible. But in order to win, the Golden Lions needed to capitalize on opportunities presented to them. That is exactly what happened when Greensburg Salem (3-4, 3-1) escaped with a 13-10 win over No. 4...

Senior Cole Yeager had a baseball bat and ball in his hands at 2 years old, and the sport has played a critical role in his life up to this point. With his final season for Penn Hills approaching, Yeager has made a decision on where he will continue his...

Shayne Kasic School: Greensburg Salem Sport: Soccer Class: Senior Claim to fame: Kasic made 11 saves for Greensburg Salem (4-6, 3-5) in a 1-0 win over Ringgold in Section 3-AAA action Sept. 24. Later in the week, he made seven saves in a 4-0 win over Derry in nonsection play...

Last year, Jennifer Bigham attempted a three-peat in the Great Race. But, 2 miles into the race, Bigham tore her plantar fascia and finished sixth. On Sunday, redemption was on her mind. Bigham, 38, of Pittsburgh captured her third title in the women’s 10K open division in a personal best...

For the second week in a row, Freeport rebounded after giving up an 80-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff. Last week, it was Uniontown. On Friday, it was Yough. The Yellowjackets leaned on special teams and their defense to break open a one-touchdown game and defeat Yough, 50-14, at Cougar...

When Autumn Blair committed to play soccer at Waynesburg, she knew it was going to be a battle for the starting goalkeeper position. After a strong camp, Blair earned the spot. Blair’s collegiate career got off to a rough start when she gave up five goals in her first two...

The fall sports season is always a busy time of the year for junior Jonah Silverman. However, Silverman made a slight change to the sports he was participating in. Instead of running for the Penn Hills cross country team, Silverman decided to be the kicker for the football team to...

Chuck Tragesser School: Franklin Regional Sport: Golf Class: Junior Claim to fame: Tragesser shot 3-under-par to win by five strokes at the Section 4-AAA individual tournament Sept. 17 at Meadowink Golf Course. Tragesser placed 24th at the WPIAL individual final at Oakmont Country Club last season. “The season for me...

The Penn Hills boys soccer team has already matched last year’s win total in the first eight games of the season. The Indians might not be the most skilled team around, but they have made it up with energy and effort. The Indians (2-6, 1-5) started the season on a...

Hollis Mathis played a crucial role on a Penn Hills team that won the program’s first PIAA title since 1995. Now, Mathis has taken his talents to William & Mary. Mathis’ collegiate career has started in a noteworthy fashion as he has been named the Colonial Athletic Association rookie of...

Jarred Stein School: Latrobe Sport: Golf Year: Senior Claim to fame: Stein shot a 75 to capture the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association Championship at Latrobe Elks Golf Club on Sept. 12. Stein won a playoff over Wildcat teammate Darick Hrtyanski. The deciding hole was No. 6, the No. 1 handicap...

After shutting out two of its first three opponents, Peters Township relied heavily on its defense and rushing attack to get another big win in conference play Friday night. Senior running back Ryan Magiske led the rushing attack for Class 5A No. 2 Peters Township with 151 yards on 25...

Lee Zelkowitz might not have a girls cross country team to coach at Penn Hills, but he is looking to see the progress made by the boys team. This year’s team is filled with first-time runners. The Indians feature seniors Darien Mallory, Nate Stefan and Devonte Kelly. Juniors Hunter Shields...

Last year, the Penn Hills football team was led by an experienced quarterback, Hollis Mathis, on its way to winning its first state title since 1995. If the Indians want to repeat this season, senior quarterback Eddie McKissick will have to play a key role with Mathis now at William...

Daniel Sassak School: Belle Vernon Sport: Soccer Class: Sophomore Claim to fame: Sassak, who had 12 goals in the first five games of the season, scored four goals to lead Belle Vernon (5-0, 2-0) to a 10-0 win over Uniontown in Section 3-3A action Sept. 5. Sassak scored twice in...

Senior center fielder and pitcher Yasmine Logan has been dreaming about playing college softball for years. She will get that chance at the NCAA Division I level. Even though the season is months away, Logan wanted to focus on the upcoming season and made a commitment to play at Ohio...