Nathan Breisinger stories

North Allegheny’s Leyna Rumpler has been traveling to Tulsa, Okla. for the past four years to compete with wrestlers from around Pennsylvania in the Air Force Special Warfare Junior National Duals. This year, however, was different as it was her last trip as a high school athlete after graduating in...

Seventeen years ago, the Pittsburgh Passion won their first national title in an undefeated season that offensive lineman Eden Pleva deemed “magical.” Nearly two decades later, that feeling is coming back. “When we won our first championship, there was something magical in the air, and you could tell that season...

Every year, teams often live by a saying or quote that resonates. Coaches put it inside their dugouts and gyms when they work out or even on the back of a shirt. For Chartiers Valley’s softball team, this year’s designated saying on the back of its shirts read, “A dream...

Long postseason runs produce defining moments that teams look back on for years, and for this season’s Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse team, it came down to one goal that was not even meant for the back of the net. After squandering a multi-goal lead to South Fayette in a WPIAL...

Nothing could stand in Seton LaSalle’s way of repeating as WPIAL Class 2A champion. Not the underdog tag, playing without its star player or even an hour weather delay as the Rebels took down top-seeded Serra Catholic for the second consecutive season. Mark Weber shut down the Eagles on the...

While the start of the season did not go the way the Knoch baseball team envisioned, the Knights still had some life near the end of April. Sitting at 2-6 in Section 1-4A, Knoch had a two-game must-win series with Hampton as its playoff hopes hung in the balance. “Our...

Mashing home runs has become just “another day in the office” for Chartiers Valley sophomore phenom Lily Duffill. That’s how it’s described from the perspective of senior Marta Gualazzi and her softball teammates as they watch Duffill launch sometimes not just one or two, but three home runs in a...

On May 6, the Chartiers Valley lacrosse community came together in support of one of their own. The boys and girls doubleheader was transformed into a pinkout to raise money for freshman Jack Varnish’s family as his mother, Julie, continues to battle cancer. The idea came to life midway through...

Throughout the regular season, Chartiers Valley has depended on its sound pitching rotation that limited teams to fewer than three runs. With the fielding holding its end of the bargain, the Colts were looking to dig into its untapped potential at the plate. That third facet came through in the...

On the final day of section play, the Fox Chapel baseball team controlled its destiny for an outright title. Instead, with help coming from another section matchup, Plum’s victory over the Foxes solidified an ultra-rare four-way tie atop the Section 1-5A standings. With Plum’s 10-4 victory and Franklin Regional pulling...

It’s not something that North Catholic coach Andy Przybylek shouts often, but it might’ve been the socks he was wearing that sparked some inspiration. As his power-hitting catcher, Blake Primrose, stood in the batter’s box with a 3-0 count and the bases loaded, Przybylek yelled down the first-base line: “It...

With the Section 1-3A title race heating up down the stretch, Freeport felt it was the perfect time to stir the embers a little more. As section-leading Burrell made the trip to Freeport Community Park, the Yellowjackets tightened the battle for first after defeating the Bucs, 5-2, on Wednesday. Freeport...

When Melissa Moran was searching for what would come next in her life, after a lacrosse career at Duquesne, she decided to take a chance coaching the Chartiers Valley youth lacrosse program. A few years later, she was appointed head coach of the varsity girls lacrosse team at Chartiers Valley...

Instead of staying on the prototypical path of competitive team sports a child takes when growing up, Brendan Hallisey decided he wanted something more extreme. Doing simple flips in his backyard gave way to a new favorite activity, parkour. As Hallisey’s passion for parkour grew, he started taking lessons at...

In her third plate appearance of the game, Leah Clark was still trying to fight off nerves. It was a one-run game in the bottom of the sixth inning, and she had been retired in her first two trips to the plate. Then, the freshman calmed down by reminding herself...

The top two teams in Class 6A softball could be on a collision course to meet again a year after No. 1 Hempfield downed No. 2 Seneca Valley in the WPIAL championship game. In the first of two section matchups this season between the formidable foes, the difference was the...

Flashy offense was not in the game plan for the Burrell Bucs. All they needed to do was effectively put the ball in play and execute on three separate occasions to back their starting pitcher. Thanks to an exceptional performance on the mound from Stevie Hasson and timely small ball,...

It might be a fresh start for the Chartiers Valley baseball team with a new coaching staff and a renovated lineup with a bevy of seniors graduating from a year ago, but the Colts don’t plan on missing a beat. After going 14-7 and sharing a section 3-4A title with...

Chartiers Valley’s 2023 softball season came to a sudden halt when it was blanked in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. A 10-0 loss was not the way the Colts wanted their season to end against the team they shared the section title with. Fast forward a few months and the...

Hershey Kisses rained down on the floor for the second straight year as Lincoln Park basked in the glory of punching its ticket to the PIAA Class 4A championship game. In a highly anticipated WPIAL championship game rematch, Lincoln Park, in dominating fashion this time, rolled past Hampton, 74-53, at...

Vying for a title in a softball section that boasts the state runner-up can be quite the challenge. That challenge increases after graduating two all-state players, but that hasn’t deterred Plum from its goal. Mackenzie Lang and Taylor Lorish, who received Valley News Dispatch first-team all-star nods, are gone and...

As the clock trickled down and showed zeroes on St. Joseph’s semifinal win against Aquinas Academy, first-year coach Geoff Dutelle stepped back and watched the celebration unfold. It was as if the Spartans toppled over a brick wall that seemed insurmountable for so long. Back-to-back devastating losses in the Class...