Ray Fisher stories

Sewickley Academy sophomore Zachary Sharara took top honors in Class A at the WPIAL boys cross country championship Oct. 23 at White Oak Park. Sharara breezed to the title, running a time of 15:41.60. “I am so happy for Zak after the consistent daily commitment that he has shown over...

Trey Susa is a 5-foot-9 golfer at Sewickley Academy who has an iron game to more than match his size. A bit of irony was experienced by Susa at the WPIAL boys individual golf championships this season, as the Sewickley freshman tied for third in Class 2A. “I was thrilled...

When top-seeded Sewickley Academy and No. 2 Bentworth advanced to the WPIAL Class A girls soccer championship game at Highmark Stadium, it guaranteed the final would be a star-studded affair. The teams’ rosters include seven district all-stars, including four from Sewickley. The Panthers are led by junior midfielder Emilia Carabba,...

The Quaker Valley girls soccer team did not reach double digits against any regular-season opponent on its way to a 13-2-1 record and section title in 2025. That all changed in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. The third-seeded Quakers blanked No. 14 Southmoreland, 11-0, to advance to the...

The Quaker Valley football team walked off the field as a winner in 2025. QV shut out McGuffey, 21-0, in its season finale Oct. 24 on the Highlanders’ home turf. “It was a great way to end the season for us,” said Tom Eshenbaugh, the Quakers’ first-year coach. “Our defense...

Jonah Montagnese turned on the jets and left the rest of the Class 2A boys field in his wake. The Quaker Valley junior won a WPIAL cross country title Oct. 23 by almost 26 seconds, finishing in a time of 15:08.70 at chilly White Oak Park. “Jonah ran an absolutely...

There was no second-guessing coach Courtney Frost in her assessment of the Thomas Jefferson girls volleyball team earlier this season. The Jaguars’ second-year coach provided a direct and succinct response. “I expect my team to win our section and make it to the finals of the WPIAL and state playoffs,”...

The WPIAL board accepted executive director Scott Seltzer’s resignation Oct. 21 and voted to promote chief operating officer Vince Sortino to the top spot. Sortino, 62, will become the league’s sixth full-time executive director after Charles “Ace” Heberling (1976-97), Larry Hanley (1997-06), Tim O’Malley (2006-20), Scheuneman (2020-22) and Seltzer. Before...

Senior midfielder Finn Wentz scored a pair of goals as No. 7 Sewickley Academy won a 4-0 decision against No. 10 Trinity Christian (8-10) in the first round of the WPIAL Class A boys soccer playoffs. Senior defender Blake Wilmot and junior midfielder Ben Terrell added a goal apiece for...

Welcome to Soccer Shangri-la. The combined regular-season records in 2025 for the two Quaker Valley soccer teams was 28-4-2. “There must be something in the water,” said Sean Ryan, QV’s boys coach, “besides lots of calcium. For the past seven years, I have been witness to the unending talent coming...

Quaker Valley’s boys soccer team was a defensive dynamo during the regular season. Defense definitely was the name of the game at Chuck Knox Stadium and beyond as the Quakers finished first in Section 2-2A with a 14-1-1 record and 94-9 scoring advantage. QV surrendered just 11 regular-season goals and...

Mia Gartley is a high jump aficionado in the Quaker Valley girls track and field program. Gartley also knows how to jump smoothly from one season to the next for the Quakers. She is one of the most athletic girls at the high school. “Mia is one of those student-athletes...

An often-overlooked contributor on the Bethel Park football squad in 2025 was Jack Johnson, a junior linebacker. All Johnson did through nine games was lead the Black Hawks in tackles with 40 total stops, including 29 solo hits. “I think our team has done very well thus far,” Johnson said,...

Bethel Park senior standout David Dennison was a gem of an athlete among WPIAL football players in 2025, particularly running backs. And behind Dennison & Co., the Black Hawks enjoyed an outstanding season in 2025, posting a 6-3 record with one game to go thanks to in large part a...

Bethel Park’s boys soccer team won its third consecutive section title with a near-perfect 12-0-2 record. The Black Hawks outlasted Thomas Jefferson (11-2-1) and Trinity (10-3-1) at the top of the section standings and took a 12-2-3 overall record and No. 2 seed into the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. “I...

Quaker Valley’s Ian Lorang faced 50 shots in his team’s first two PIHL games this season. The senior goalkeeper didn’t let even one slip past him while playing the full 102 minutes against the Bulldogs and Spartans. The Quakers blanked Meadville, 4-0, and Montour, 5-0, in the first week of...

They almost make it look too easy at times. Oh yes, they work as tediously on the practice pitch, if not moreso, as any WPIAL team. And as the defending WPIAL Class 2A champions, they are talent-driven with three seniors, seven juniors, 12 sophomores plus a small but strong freshman...

Sensational, simply sensational. The answer to the question, “Who has strung together a 15-game unbeaten streak prior to the postseason?” is Quaker Valley’s boys soccer team. After two early season blips on their radar, the Quakers did not lose a game in September (9-0-1) and October (5-0) in ringing up...

One of the highlights of the Sewickley Academy girl soccer team’s regular season was the effort displayed by sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Edmunds. The 16-year-old Edmunds and the Panthers were 11-0 in Section 3-A and 14-1 overall with nine shutouts with one game remaining in the regular season. “A big thank...

Sewickley Academy’s boys soccer team didn’t let a few bumps in the road derail it in its quest to advance to the WPIAL playoffs. For instance, Neshannock edged Sewickley, 3-2, on Oct. 13 to bump the Panthers out of a potential tie for first with Beaver County Christian in Section...

A tradition continues. With one game remaining, the Sewickley Academy girls soccer team was 14-1 overall, 11-0 in Section 3-A and ranked No. 1 in Class A. The Panthers were hoping to take a 13-game winning streak into the WPIAL playoffs. “The players are focused on what they want to...

Sewickley Academy’s Trey Susa has enjoyed an outstanding freshman season on the links. Susa tied for third place at the WPIAL Class 2A boys golf tournament Sept. 30 at Valley Brook Country Club. After carding a first-round 76 score Sept. 22 at Hill Crest Country Club, Susa finished with a...

Jonah Montagnese shifted into cruise control toward the end of the Midwestern Athletic Conference cross country championships to lead Quaker Valley to the 2025 boys team title. The fleet-footed QV junior crossed the finish line in 15:26.9 at Brush Creek Park to defeat runner-up Lucas Bleakney of Ellwood City with...

Quaker Valley senior Oumou “Mimi” Thiero celebrated a significant birthday in her life with a major announcement. It was a long and sometimes tedious process, but Thiero finally had an answer about her college commitment. The 6-foot-5 senior who celebrated her 18th birthday Sept. 17 offered a verbal commitment that...

Luca Peluso doesn’t take a break during the school year as a three-sport athlete at Sewickley Academy. Peluso is a four-year varsity starter in boys soccer and also competes in hockey and lacrosse. He has been one of the Panthers’ offensive mainstays on the pitch this season as a 6-foot-1...