Fox Chapel boys tennis faces challenging road to 5th straight WPIAL title
Last season was one to remember for the Fox Chapel tennis team. The Foxes won their fourth consecutive WPIAL team championship and made it to the semifinals of the PIAA tournament while finishing 18-1. Coach Alex Slezak will have his work cut out for him if the Foxes are to...
Fox Chapel lacrosse has talent to thrive despite losses to graduation
The Fox Chapel High School boys lacrosse team posted an 11-5 record last year and made it to the quarterfinals of the WPIAL tournament. To make a similar run this year, fourth-year coach Kevin Devinney will need to replace a lot of key players who graduated. “We graduated the best...
Fox Chapel boys basketball fell short of states but has bright future
For a week in late February, the Central Catholic boys basketball team picked up a new legion of fans. It consisted of the players, coaches and fans of the Fox Chapel boys basketball team. Central Catholic defeated the Foxes in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs. It was...
Fox Chapel track athletes quickly move from indoor to outdoor season
Fox Chapel’s indoor track season came to a close at the Tri-State Coaches Association indoor track championships held at Penn State on Feb. 29. “We were not bad and not great,” FC coach Tom Moul said. “Grace Sisson and Brooke Krally had been sick all week. They gutted it out,...
Shady Side Academy basketball pays tribute to seniors, looks to future
The Shady Side Academy boys basketball team’s season ended with a loss to North Catholic in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. The Indians finished with a 10-11 overall record, 6-6 in section play. Coach David Vadnais will lose several seniors from the team, including top scorers Mason Tomlin and Grady...
The Herald Spotlight Athlete: David Manelis, Fox Chapel
David Manelis, a junior on the Fox Chapel diving team, struck gold at the WPIAL championships Feb. 21 as he claimed first place. He hopes to improve on last season’s second-place finish at the PIAA championships. He is undecided on a college but hopes to major in kinesiology. Here’s a...
Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy swimmers headed to WPIALs
The WPIAL swimming and diving championships will be Thursday and Friday at Pitt’s Trees Pool, and Shady Side Academy and Fox Chapel will be well represented. SSA girls qualifiers are freshman Chloe Wells (200-yard medley and 200 free relays); sophomores Alexandra Jaffe (100 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 200 medley and 400...
The Herald Spotlight Athlete: Grady Munroe, Shady Side Academy
Senior Grady Munroe recently closed out his athletic career at Shady Side Academy. A 6-foot-3 wing man on the basketball team, he averaged close to 18 points a game. He was also a starter on the golf team. He will be attending Loyola Marymount in the fall and study screenwriting....
The Herald Spotlight Athlete: Alex Wecht, Fox Chapel
When wrestling season ends, Alex Wecht, a senior for Fox Chapel, will see his scholastic sports career come to a close. He also was a two-way player on the football team and made first team all-conference as an outside linebacker. He was chosen as a 2019 High School Scholar All-American...
Fox Chapel indoor track team hoping to peak for big meets
The Tri-State Track Coaches Association indoor season is coming to a close, and Fox Chapel coach Tom Moul is confident his team will finish the season strong. “The season is going pretty well,” he said. “We still have a couple of weeks left. The TSTCA championship meet is Feb 22...
Coach Zach Skrinjar’s passion drives Fox Chapel boys basketball
Now in his 11th season as coach of the Fox Chapel boys basketball team, Zach Skrinjar remains one of the most successful and underrated coaches in the WPIAL. His teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs eight times, and he has won over 160 games. This year’s team was undefeated...
Spotlight athlete: Fox Chapel’s Arnold Vento
Arnold Vento, a senior on the Fox Chapel basketball team, has helped the Foxes put together an outstanding season. As of Jan. 30, they had compiled a perfect record and clinched the section title with a win over Norwin on Jan. 28. Vento, a 6-foot-5 guard, has averaged double digits...
Fox Chapel’s Jen Papich picked for Gannon Sports Hall of Fame
After a stellar basketball career at Fox Chapel that included a WPIAL championship appearance, 2010 graduate Jen Papich recently was selected to the Gannon Sports Hall of Fame. She finished her four-year career with 1,534 points, 700 rebounds, a 47.4 field-goal percentage, 255 assists, 244 steals and 124 blocks. A...
Shady Side Academy swimmers set for challenging stretch drive
The Shady Side Academy swim teams are hoping to parlay a strong finish to the regular season into a successful foray into the WPIAL playoffs. As of Jan. 20, the girls were 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the section while the boys were 5-1 and also 2-0 in section meets....
Herald spotlight athlete: Fox Chapel’s Ed Farrell
Ed Farrell, a senior on the Fox Chapel wrestling team, took first place at 220 pounds at the Allegheny County wrestling tournament Jan. 18. “I was confident but not overconfident,” he said. “I had beaten the No. 1 seed before, so I felt good about my chances.” He also played...
Shady Side Academy boys basketball needs to surge in 2nd half of schedule
The Shady Side Academy boys basketball team is in need of a second-half surge in section play if it harbors any playoff hopes. As of Jan. 16, the Indians were 5-7 overall and 2-4 in the section. “If we are going to make the playoffs, we need to be better...
Herald spotlight athlete: Shady Side Academy’s Maya Groff
Maya Groff, a senior at Shady Side Academy, helped the swimming and diving team defeat Knoch last week with a first-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley and 200 free relay. Groff, a team captain, is undecided about college but plans to major in chemistry. Here’s a closer look at...
Fox Chapel boys ride defense, depth to early season success
When the season began, Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar knew he had the makings of a good team. He just didn’t know how good. “I had a lot of faith in this team,” he said. That faith has been justified as the Foxes owned an 11-0 overall record...
The Herald Spotlight Athlete: Mason Tomlin, Shady Side Academy
Mason Tomlin, a senior on the Shady Side Academy basketball team, has helped keep the Indians in the section race. The 5-foot-8 point guard is averaging 15 points a game. He also plays on the football team and this spring he will give lacrosse a shot after running track the...
Marty Stewart: Let me be Frank about a special coach
To find a high school coach who is totally committed to every kid on his team, who shuns the limelight and gives all credit to the kids and his coaching staff is rare. To have that same coach in place for nearly four decades doesn’t happen too often. When kids...
Herald Spotlight Athlete: Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao
Sophie Shao, a freshman on the Fox Chapel swim team, had a record-setting performance in a meet against Peters Township on Dec. 19. She was part of the winning 200 free relay team and she took first in the 200 IM and the 100 butterfly. Her performance in the butterfly...
Herald spotlight athlete: Fox Chapel’s Eli Yofan
Eli Yofan, a sophomore at Fox Chapel, is one of the main reasons the Foxes opened the boys basketball season with a 5-0 record. The 6-foot-2 guard averages 16 points, and he also plays soccer and volleyball. Here’s a closer look at this week’s Spotlight Athlete: Who is your favorite...
Shady Side girls look to reload after losing coach, 4 starters
The Shady Side Academy girls basketball team is coming off a banner season. The Indians finished with a 13-1 record in section play and, for the first time in school history, made it to the WPIAL finals, where they lost to top-seeded Neshannock. The Indians fell to Central Cambria in...
Shady Side working toward successful swim season
Shady Side Academy will have to replace several key swimmers from last season, but coach John Landreth is confident in this year’s team. “As per the norm, we have big shoes to fill this year,” he said. “But we have begun the process of finding our identity.” Landreth noted the...
Fox Chapel wrestling team must overcome inexperience
The Fox Chapel wrestling team finished 8-9 overall and 2 -3 in Section 3B-AAA last season. Coach Ron Frank will have to replace graduated seniors Avery Bursick, Jordana Matamoros, James Patterson, Sean Mahon and Stephen Cano. Bursick was section runner-up last season and had 84 career wins, and Matamoros finished...
