Ray Fisher stories, Page 14
Quaker Valley stands atop PIHL Class A after sizzling start
Quaker Valley has jumped to the top of the PIHL gold division as well as the entire Class A thanks to its early 8-0 record. The Quakers racked up 56 goals while allowing just six. “I have been pleased with our start,” QV coach Kevin Quinn said. “We have played...
WPIAL champion Quaker Valley girls see season end in state semifinals
The Quaker Valley girls soccer team gave up just one goal in three PIAA Class 2A playoff games. But the second-half tally by Erie Cathedral Prep cost the Quakers a chance to participate in the state championship game. Instead, Cathedral Prep advanced to the finals thanks to its 1-0 victory...
Eden Christian rower taking talents to Syracuse
It appears Eden Christian Academy senior Grant Brauer has the ideal build to begin his college rowing career next year. Brauer, 17, will take his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame to upstate New York in 2025 as a freshman member of the Syracuse men’s rowing team. “Yes, I am a very good...
Thomas Jefferson puts up big numbers en route to WPIAL championship game
The numbers just kept piling up for the Thomas Jefferson football team this season. The top-seeded Jaguars took a perfect 12-0 record into the WPIAL Class 4A championship game with former conference rival McKeesport, the No. 3 seed. And TJ’s legendary Bill Cherpak was going for his 10th district championship...
Baldwin volleyball teammates taking talents to Pitt-Johnstown
Baldwin seniors Avery Barrett and Kaylee Smolko hardly could wait for Nov. 13 to finally arrive. Both were scheduled to officially commit that day to Pitt-Johnstown where they will continue their athletic and academic careers. They were the only two seniors on the Baldwin girls volleyball team in 2024. “I...
Quaker Valley cross country champ sets standard for siblings
Cecilia Montagnese’s high school legacy in cross country is firmly in place. The Quaker Valley senior was the gold medalist at the WPIAL Class 2A girls individual championship race Oct. 24 at White Oak Park in McKeesport. Montagnese’s time was a career-best 17.56.2 as she ran at a 5:46 mile...
Mother-daughter WPIAL champs show soccer’s hold on Quaker Valley
The groundwork for the 2024 Quaker Valley girls WPIAL Class 2A soccer championship was laid back in 1991-92. Maybe even earlier. “Soccer runs deep in Sewickley,” said 1994 QV graduate Ashley Miko. “Most of the girls and boys grew up playing Sewickley Area Soccer, which has been around for 50...
‘Pride and joy:’ Quaker Valley girls soccer revels in 1st WPIAL title in 32 years
Lily Baker is only a freshman at Quaker Valley, but she played like a savvy veteran in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game. Baker knocked in the shot that gave the QV girls soccer team its first WPIAL crown in 32 years. The No. 2-seed Quakers hung on to beat...
Fisher’s Files: Quaker Valley adds to haul to trophy case during fall season to remember
Mike Mastroianni, athletic director at Quaker Valley, undoubtedly had an extra-wide smile on his face on the first weekend in November. And no, it wasn’t because he was counting down the hours to Election Day. Mastroianni was gleeful over the performances of so many of the Quaker Valley athletes and...
Bethel Park girls tennis, top player Cami Fisher celebrate strong season
It was a whirlwind of a season for Cami Fisher, Bethel Park’s sophomore tennis whiz. “I was really happy with my performance this season,” Fisher said. “I had a few goals that I wanted to accomplish at the beginning of the year, and I was able to achieve those.” Fisher...
Bethel Park boys cement place among WPIAL’s top teams with section title, playoff run
Bethel Park’s boys soccer team almost ran the table in the WPIAL playoffs this season. The section-winning Black Hawks finished as semifinalists in the Class 3A tournament as the final four consisted of No. 1 Moon, No. 5 Bethel Park, No. 6 Mars and No. 7 Franklin Regional. “I was...
Quaker Valley girls volleyball makes more history with 1st WPIAL title
The Quaker Valley girls volleyball team has a handle on this history-making thing. The Quakers have been able to rack up historic seasons in 2023 and 2024. Last year, QV ended up third in the WPIAL Class 2A tournament, qualified for the PIAA playoffs and finished 17-4. The Quakers lost...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Freshman delivers for Quaker Valley girls soccer
One of the youngest players on the Quaker Valley girls soccer team made the shot that reverberated throughout the Leetsdale Borough area. Freshman defender Lily Baker found the back of the net against Burrell in the 71st minute of the WPIAL Class 2A championship game Nov. 2 at Highmark Stadium....
Quaker Valley cross country season builds to big finish at states
Cecilia Montagnese’s outstanding postseason run in cross country stretched all the way to Hershey, site of the PIAA championships. A senior at Quaker Valley, Montagnese placed third in the PIAA Class 2A girls race Nov. 2 with a time of 18 minutes, 49 seconds on the Parkview cross country course....
Quaker Valley girls volleyball sweeps through playoffs to win 1st WPIAL title
There haven’t been too many more dominant performances in the WPIAL girls volleyball tournament than Quaker Valley’s this year. The top-seeded QV girls did not lose a set in Class 2A, sweeping past No. 16 Keystone Oaks, No. 8 Ellwood City, No. 5 Southmoreland and, in the final at Peters...
Quaker Valley tennis team ‘paid their rent’ during season to remember
Christi Hays, Quaker Valley’s veteran tennis coach, is known to use famous quotes at times when discussing the Quakers’ program. She recently offered the following: “There is a great J.J. Watt quote that goes, ‘Success is not owned, it is leased, and the rent is due every day.’ “Well, the...
Quaker Valley football enjoys highlights, laments inconsistency during 2024 season
There were two givens in the Quaker Valley football season. Any time the Quakers reached 30 points in the scoring column, they won the game. QV defeated Valley, 34-14, in Week 4 and McGuffey, 33-10, in Week 9. The Quakers finished with a 2-7 record and were 1-5 in the...
Quaker Valley decorated doubles team wraps up impressive postseason run
Kirsten Close and Avery Allan made an indelible mark in the Quaker Valley girls tennis program in 2024. Close, a 5-foot-8 senior, and Allan, a 5-foot freshman, are two of the best high school tennis players in the state. They also now rank as the No. 1 girls doubles tandem...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Quaker Valley tennis run ends in state semifinals
Quaker Valley’s girls tennis team saw its 2024 season end in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals at the Hershey Racquet Club. QV, this year’s WPIAL runner-up, defeated District 9 champion Elk County Christian, 5-0, in the first round and District 3 winner Berks Catholic, 4-1, in the quarterfinals. District 2...
Sewickley Academy seniors cap high school golf careers at PIAA tournament
Sewickley Academy was represented by a pair of talented seniors, Severin Harmon and Karan Kad, at the PIAA Class 2A boys golf championships Oct. 21-22 at Penn State’s Blue Course. Harmon finished in a six-way tie for 41st place with a score of 83-77—159. Kad ended up in a three-way...
Dedication pays off in WPIAL cross country title for Quaker Valley senior
Quaker Valley senior Cecilia Montagnese joined an elite list of athletes at Quaker Valley with her top-notch performance at the WPIAL girls cross country championships. Montagnese captured the WPIAL Class 2A title with a time of 17:56.2 at White Oak Park in McKeesport, defeating Uniontown senior Grace Trimmer (18:15.2) by...
‘Aiming for gold and nothing less,’ Quaker Valley boys hit their target at WPIAL cross country meet
Quaker Valley’s boys cross country team, much like the Energizer bunny, just keeps on running. The Quakers won the WPIAL Class 2A team championship Oct. 24 for the 11th time in school history, finishing with 83 points to easily defeat runner-up Beaver and its 132-point total. “We have been preparing...
Quaker Valley golfers cap season at PIAA championships
Ethan Dai and Nolan Wagoner ended their golf careers at Quaker Valley in fashion. Both seniors qualified for the PIAA Class 2A individual championships held Oct. 21-22 at the Penn State Blue Course. For Dai, it was his fourth time golfing in the PIAA tournament. Wagoner was able to experience...
Fisher’s Files: Family fuels Quaker Valley freshman runner
Quaker Valley freshman Lucy Montagnese was a top 10 finisher in Class 2A at the WPIAL girls cross country championships. But it was a small army of supporters that helped inspire the 14-year-old Montagnese to her memorable individual performance. “I could not have run how I did at WPIALs without...
Organizer thrilled with inaugural Quaker Valley Fall Fest 5K
Quaker Valley junior River Capek created, planned and directed the 2024 Fall Fest 5K fun run/walk race in Leetsdale as his self-development school project. Things went well at the Oct. 13 event at Quaker Valley High School, the 16-year-old Capek said. “Things went fantastically well,” Capek said. “We were a...
