Willie Thrower: New Kensington man cast the mold for the modern NFL quarterback 70 years ago
Willie Thrower didn’t talk much about his place in NFL history. Not even with his family. His son, Melvin, was in junior high before he learned about his father’s watershed moment. On Super Bowl Sunday in 1988, Melvin Thrower sat with his father in their New Kensington home and watched...
Chartiers Valley grad Mason returns to lacrosse, hopes to help budding Westminster program
Two years ago, Kim Eldridge was charged with building the Westminster women’s lacrosse program from the ground up. As is the case with many fledgling teams, the Titans had their share of struggles. They went 1-9 in their inaugural season then improved to a more-respectable 5-9 last season, though they...
5 players to watch in district college baseball for 2019
John Bini, junior, P, Grove City: All-PAC first-teamer, finished season 5-4 with 2.92 ERA … 53 strikeouts, 21 walks in 71 innings … Pitched conference-high six complete games … Held opponents to .241 batting average. Tommy Cannon, senior, C/IF, Allegheny: .402 batting average ranked fifth in North Coast Athletic Conference,...
Bishop Canevin grad Bri Allen making key contributions as freshman at Cal (Pa.)
If anyone knows how Cal (Pa.) freshman Bri Allen operates on the basketball court, it is teammate Gina Vallecorsa. Vallecorsa, a junior and the Vulcans’ second-leading scorer, also played with Allen at Bishop Canevin. When talking about Allen, Vallecorsa uses terms such as “aggressive,” “hard-working” and “confident.” Those are traits...
Saint Vincent grads Turner, Mathers build life, pro basketball careers in Australia
The journey began in Bethany, W.Va., with a simple congratulatory text. The road led to the other side of the world. Former Saint Vincent standouts Isaac Turner (Class of 2014) and Taylor Mathers (’15) are living their own version of love and basketball. Both first-team all-Presidents’ Athletic Conference selections as...
Plum grad Zezza provides solid, steadying presence for St. Francis (Pa.) women’s basketball
The St. Francis (Pa.) women’s basketball team rode a wave of momentum into the 2018-19 season. The Red Flash were coming off a Northeast Conference title and berth in the NCAA Tournament, and they had one of the nation’s best scorers, Jess Kovatch, returning. The momentum quickly was halted by...
Jordan Rawls’ star continues to rise for Allegheny men’s basketball
Jordan Rawls’ affinity for basketball came naturally: His father, Dwayne, was an all-Atlantic 10 second-teamer at Duquesne in 1986. As a tribute to that influence, Jordan wears his father’s No. 50 at Allegheny. The way the younger Rawls is playing, he will match his father’s all-conference honor, too. Rawls, a...
Penn-Trafford grad Maria Palarino rises to challenge at St. Francis
When Maria Palarino was playing basketball at Penn-Trafford, she was the proverbial “do-whatever-the-team-needs-me-to-do” player. Often, that meant playing different positions. That penchant for playing all over the court has served her well at St. Francis Brooklyn, where she again has been asked to fill varying roles. Her versatility has been...
Thiel’s Jess Vormelker driven to earn more respect from PAC peers
Most athletes will say team accomplishments are more important than individual accolades. Thiel women’s basketball player Jess Vormelker is no different. But the senior guard would by lying if she said she wasn’t striving to earn first-team all-Presidents’ Athletic Conference honors this winter. Last season, Vormelker (5-foot-9) led the PAC...
Latrobe grad Kollar finding comfort zone, success with Saint Vincent basketball
Last week, a foot injury relegated Madison Kollar to the Saint Vincent sideline. It’s the last place women’s basketball coach Jimmy Petruska wanted to see his leading scorer and the last place she wanted to be. The good news? The sophomore is expected to be back in the lineup soon....
