Ray Fisher stories, Page 27
Sewickley Academy’s ‘skillful seven’ made it a tennis season to remember
It’s not Murderer’s Row. That’s an old phrase coined for the then-dreaded 1927 New York Yankees. They’re not the Fantastic Four comic book and movie heroes. There are too many of them. Call them the Skillful Seven — the starting lineup this season for the Sewickley Academy boys tennis team....
Quaker Valley runs it back with WPIAL girls team championship repeat
It was a celebratory rerun of 2022. Quaker Valley’s talented girls track and field team repeated its performance of last season by winning the WPIAL Class 2A team championship in 2023. The QV girls easily defended its WPIAL title at the finals May 9 at Peters Township, rolling past Winchester...
Westmoreland Gymnastics School’s Maddy Jesky earns Xcel Silver and Platinum States all-around title
Maddy Jesky’s strength as a gymnast is her perseverance. “Gymnastics is what I eat, sleep and breathe,” she said. “There is nothing I won’t try and nothing I’ll give up on.” Well, Jesky certainly was tenacious at the Xcel Silver and Platinum States, taking the all-around title in her division....
Sewickley Academy baseball hit stride in season’s 2nd half
A month into the WPIAL baseball season, Sewickley Academy finally found its groove. The Panthers were 3-7 and riding a three-game losing streak on April 18. Following a 16-2 section loss to Eden Christian, Sewickley exploded for seven wins in a row to enter the WPIAL playoffs. The Panthers finished...
Surging sophomore leads Quaker Valley track team at states
Sophomore sensation Jay Olawaiye made the biggest impact for Quaker Valley at the PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg University. Olawaiye finished as the Class 2A runner-up in the girls triple jump thanks to a leap of 37 feet, 7 inches. “Jay’s performance was phenomenal,” QV coach Jared Jones...
Sewickley Academy players pleased with another successful tennis season
Sewickley Academy left little doubt as to why it was the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A boys tennis tournament. The Panthers defeated No. 6 Winchester Thurston, 4-1, in the WPIAL finals May 10 at Washington & Jefferson’s Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center. It was the 24th WPIAL...
Going the distance: Quaker Valley’s success continues in 3,200 relay
Three juniors and a sophomore have proven to be a dynamic 3,200-meter girls relay unit at Quaker Valley. The 3,200 relayers, consisting of juniors Kate Hines, Elizabeth Szuba and Ellie Cain and sophomore Cecilia Montagnese, took first place at the WPIAL Class 2A girls individual championships held May 17 at...
Quaker Valley track teams set gold standard in WPIAL postseason
Suffice to say, Quaker Valley has become the preeminent WPIAL track and field program in Class 2A. The Quakers proved as much with their powerhouse performance May 17 at the WPIAL individual championships at Slippery Rock University. QV ended up with four WPIAL titlists, four seconds, one third and three...
Baldwin grad Ashley Barker caps 2-sport career at Pitt-Greensburg
Ashley Barker’s college story is one of perseverance. The Baldwin grad wrapped up her collegiate athletic career as a four-year, two-sport athlete at Pitt-Greensburg. The 5-foot-6 guard finished her basketball career with a college career-high 15 points against Behrend, connecting on 5 of 5 triples in the AMCC semifinals at...
Defending girls lacrosse champion Chartiers Valley relished being the hunted
A year ago, the Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse team finished in third place in its section, but put together a golden run in the WPIAL playoffs to win a district championship. However, when teams win any kind of title, whether it was expected or not, they quickly go from being...
Led by record-setting performances, Quaker Valley girls defend WPIAL team track title
It wasn’t even close. The Quaker Valley girls track and field team easily defended its WPIAL Class 2A championship in this year’s finals May 9 at Peters Township. The QV girls cruised past Winchester Thurston, 92-57, Knoch, 100-50, and Derry, 100.5-49.5, to claim their second straight WPIAL title and ninth...
Quaker Valley boys lacrosse heats up at right time to earn playoff berth
Quaker Valley’s boys lacrosse team found success by winning at an important time of year. The Quakers won four in a row down the season’s home stretch and six of seven after April 14 to clinch a WPIAL playoff berth. QV took a 10-4 record into its first-round matchup May...
Jenna Lang ‘a great motivator’ for Bethel Park track and field team
Bethel Park junior Jenna Lang has had her thought process firmly entrenched on her running abilities. Lang is a three-year letter winner in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, and was named a captain on the girls outdoor track team in 2022 and ‘23. “For her career, Jenna is...
Chase Merkel, Joseph Veeck guide Quaker Valley boys tennis to solid season
There is a new award on the high school tennis scene. It was created last fall and is called the Western Pennsylvania Boys Tennis Sportsmanship Award. Opposing players, opposing coaches or WPIAL officials offer nominations. The award recognizes high school students who “are consistently friendly and fair and display the...
Quaker Valley girls lacrosse eyes postseason run
Quaker Valley’s girls lacrosse team is playoff bound. The fast and athletic Quakers secured a WPIAL Class 2A playoff berth by winning nine of their first 11 games this season. After starting 1-1, QV racked up seven straight victories and hit double digits seven times. The impressive and nearly season-long...
New award honors WPIAL tennis players for exceptional sportsmanship
There is a new award on the high school tennis scene. It was created last fall and is called the Western Pennsylvania Boys Tennis Sportsmanship Award. Players, coaches and WPIAL officials can offer nominations. The award recognizes students who “are consistently friendly and fair and display the characteristics of outstanding...
Quaker Valley boys, girls track teams run away with section titles
The Quaker Valley track and field program hit the daily double against section opponents this season. Both QV teams captured first place in Section 3-2A, beating out Aquinas Academy, Carlynton, Cornell, Eden Christian, Sewickley Academy, Shady Side Academy, Sto-Rox and Riverview. The QV girls are the defending WPIAL Class 2A...
Junior midfielder finds perfect fit on Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse team
Libby Eannarino has made quite the impact in her first year at Sewickley Academy. Eannarino, a three-sport athlete, netted her 100th career goal in girls lacrosse April 13 against Peters Township. “I’m so proud to be scoring my 100th goal while wearing a Sewickley jersey and representing the academy,” Eannarino...
Hampton track teams set for ‘fun part of the season’
Hampton’s girls track and field team qualified for the WPIAL playoffs out of Section 4-3A. “I think the track athletes this year have been working really hard to continuously improve upon their times, distances and marks,” coach Heather Dietz said. “This group has a mix of veteran track athletes and...
Hampton baseball hopes up-and-down season ends with playoff success
Hampton hoped to wrap up a WPIAL playoff berth in the final days of high school baseball regular season. The Talbots were stymied by inclement weather May 1-2, postponing a two-game series with Knoch to maintain a two-game edge over the Knights in Section 4-4A. “We just need to win...
WPIAL scholar-athlete award shines spotlight on Nora Johns’ remarkable Quarter Valley career
Nora Johns’ high school resume is exemplary. Many have acknowledged that fact, and the WPIAL agrees. A senior three-sport star at Quaker Valley, Johns recently was named as a recipient of the WPIAL’s James Collins Scholar-Athlete Award and the $1,000 scholarship that goes with it. The selection committee chose 10...
Title contenders face off as PIHL girls division’s 2nd season begins
Opening-week action in the PIHL’s second season sponsoring a girls division took place April 18-20. The defending champion East team split decisions, starting off with a 4-1 loss to Northeast and rebounding with a 3-2 win against West two days later. Moon’s Lillian Relyea, a sophomore forward, peppered in the...
Strong start has Hampton boys lacrosse primed for playoff run
Hampton has proven to be one of the elite boys lacrosse teams in Section 2-2A of the WPIAL. The Talbots opened the week of April 24 riding a six-game winning streak and with 6-1 section record, and were looking to establish a high seed for the upcoming playoffs. “We’re just...
Thomas Jefferson baseball looking to smooth rough edges, peak at playoff time
Thomas Jefferson’s baseball team rebounded nicely from a slow start to the 2023 season. TJ went into its Easter break riding a five-game winning streak and with a 5-2 record. “I think we are doing well, but there’s a lot of season left to play,” coach Tim Vickers said earlier...
Brentwood grad, longtime assistant excited to take reins of football program
Nick Caponi has worn an assortment of hats in his coaching career. He actually started out as a high school baseball coach. “My first coaching job was as an assistant baseball coach at Brentwood,” he said. “I then became the assistant varsity coach at Baldwin; my uncle Dan was head...
