Ray Fisher stories

The Quaker Valley girls soccer team had nine reasons why its season-opener was a successful outing. The Quakers blanked Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 9-0, on Aug. 28 as six players scored goals for the winning side. Freshman MF/ATT Ella Plachecki, senior MF Ari Bosh and sophomore MF/D Mia...

There’s a trendy new sport in town that has the Sewickley Academy athletic program adrenalized. For the first time in school history, Sewickley is fielding a girls volleyball team this fall coached by Julia Arlia. “We are extremely excited to launch our first girls volleyball team this year,” said Mike...

Sewickley Academy’s boys soccer team started out with four home games this season at Nichols Field. Halfway through the four-game stretch, the Panthers were 2-0 with nonsection victories against Serra Catholic and Trinity Christian. “While we did a lot of good things and have a good foundation to build upon,...

The Quaker Valley cross country teams began the 2025 season with a fast start. And that was prior to competing in their first big event on the schedule, the Red White & Blue Classic set for Sept. 6 at White Oak Park. The Quakers participated in a three-team scrimmage Aug....

Two up, two down. Quaker Valley made more than just some noise on the football field in the first two weeks of the season. QV defeated Class 2A Keystone Oaks, 20-13, on Aug. 29 to go to 2-0 for the first time since 2017. That came after the Class 3A...

Makenzie Dice is one of three returning senior starters on the Sewickley Academy girls soccer team. Dice and Marin Edmunds are midfielders while Bella Ballard is a defensive specialist. “As a senior, one of my main goals is to be a strong leader on and off the field,” Dice said....

The path is clear for Quaker Valley’s Jonah and Lucy Montagnese as they aspire to follow in their sister Cecilia’s championship footsteps. Cecilia Montagnese’s firmly cemented her high school legacy in cross country as a senior last season, winning the Class 2A championship at White Oak Park. The Quakers, with...

The subplot for the Quaker Valley football season opener was dubbed, “The Ben McHenry Show.” The Quakers defeated Class 2A Freedom, 38-20, in their Week Zero game Aug. 22 at Chuck Knox Stadium as McHenry was a virtual one-man show for the home team. One of nine returning starters, McHenry...

The Quaker Valley boys cross country team is focused on making it an even dozen this season. QV won the WPIAL Class 2A boys team championship last season for the 11th time in school history with an 83-point total to easily defeat runner-up Beaver. The Quakers were sparked by the...

The WPIAL Community Champion Award is presented to the schools that tabulate the most “meals” — total between money donated and food collected — in each of the six divisions, which are determined on enrollment. The award was established by the WPIAL in 2021. Quaker Valley helped kick off program...

There is a brand-new sport — girls volleyball — being played at Sewickley Academy this fall. The Panthers, coached by Julia Arlia, will host their first home match at Means Events Center on Sept. 8 against Aliquippa, starting at 6:30 p.m. “We are extremely excited to launch our first girls...

Sewickley Academy’s girls soccer team took pride in having a banner 2024 season in Gary Weber’s first year as the Panthers’ head coach. Sewickley tied for first in Section 3-A with Seton LaSalle with a 10-1-1 record, outscoring opponents 50-13 in section play. The Panthers advanced to the WPIAL playoffs...

The date is no doubt circled on both teams’ schedules. Quaker Valley hosts rival Sewickley Academy in a girls soccer game Sept. 4 at Chuck Knox Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m. “While our local rivalry is Sewickley Academy,” QV coach Maggie Behun said, “for many years Quaker Valley girls...

Sewickley Academy’s girls tennis team finished 9-4 overall and 5-1 in section play a year ago. But the Panthers lost almost half the squad to graduation. Senior leadership was displayed by Rayna Thakkar and Maria Sirianni, at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, along with Brooke Busatto and Skylar Nocito,...

The 2024 season was one for the ages for the Quaker Valley girls soccer program. Second-seeded QV hung on to beat No. 9 Burrell, 2-1, to win the WPIAL Class 2A championship Nov. 2 at Highmark Stadium. Freshman Lily Baker scored the goal that gave the Quakers their first district...

Two members of the Kamnikar family played a ton of golf this summer. Both Makenna, a senior and fourth-year competitor on of the Quaker Valley boys golf team, and Joseph, a sophomore and second-year varsity player, participated in nine tournaments on the PGA Tri-State Junior Tour. Makenna Kamnikar placed in...

Quaker Valley’s football players have worked vigorously in preparation for the 2025 season. They have been diligent in their passion for the game, according to their coach. It was a challenging offseason for the Quakers, who since the end of last year anticipated playing in their season and home opener...

The spring season is an important time for the Quaker Valley girls soccer program. The Quakers, the defending WPIAL Class 2A champions, elect team captains for the fall season in the spring. Players vote for the candidates. QV’s captains this year are two seniors, defender Emma Currier and midfielder Ari...

Cory Scharbo was a 135-pound wrestler at Thomas Jefferson around the time of the new millennium. He also competed in track and cross country before graduating in 2001. A few months later, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Scharbo earned a slew of commendations as he went from...

Bethel Park’s senior athletes rolled triple fives in their commitments to their football, baseball and wrestling careers. Five senior members of the 2024-25 football, wrestling and baseball teams at Bethel Park are planning to continue competing at the next level this fall. On the gridiron, they are Jack Bruckner (Carnegie...

Brentwood returned to the WPIAL Class A playoffs last season via a fifth-place Eastern Conference finish. With nine starters back in 2025, coach Nick Caponi is looking for more. “We are very excited for the season,” Caponi said. “We had a great offseason in the weight room, and we are...

Seton LaSalle coach Tim Storino is anticipating that the team’s recent growth pattern continues in 2025. The Rebels were 0-10 and 5-5 in Storino’s first two years as field boss then made the leap to 11-1 and WPIAL finalists last fall. “Our expectations have not really changed,” Storino said. “The...

Elena Arnold didn’t decide to transfer from Saint Francis to Rollins College for any one specific reason. It was, instead, due to a myriad of reasons. “Many things drew me to this decision,” Arnold, a former volleyball standout at Eden Christian Academy, said. “Ultimately, I was not making the on-court...

Mike Vavrek is now in his 15th year as head coach of the Quaker Valley girls volleyball program. Vavrek will be helped out this season by longtime assistant Mike Hensler and first-year assistant Lanie French. The QV girls have a tough act to follow in 2025 as the Quakers captured...

Three Quaker Valley golfers qualified for the PIAA Class 2A individual championships last season. Two were seniors — Ethan Dai and Nolan Wagoner — who ended their high school golf careers at the Penn State Blue Course. The third qualifier — Makenna Kamnikar — is back this season. Kamnikar finished...