Ray Fisher stories, Page 36
Quaker Valley’s Gardinier garners career-high 36 in PIAA second round
One of the most impressive performances of the year was turned in by Jack Gardinier in the PIAA Class 4A second round. A 6-foot senior guard and the Quakers’ third-leading scoring threat this season, Gardinier scored a career-high 36 points to spark QV past Belle Vernon, 86-75. “Everyone on the...
With PIAA title, Thomas Jefferson’s Finnerty finishes 44-1
Thomas Jefferson’s wrestling team didn’t have a great season, but it was a good year for the Jaguars. TJ’s Brian Finnerty didn’t have a good senior season; it was great. In fact, Finnerty ended his brilliant career as the best of the best in the TJ wrestling program. A Kent...
Thomas Jefferson’s Lekse looks to past for inspiration
Joe Lekse, this year’s Breisinger Award winner, had his eye on the prize throughout his entire varsity career. He explained. “In my four years playing football at Thomas Jefferson, I aspired to be like each winner of the Breisinger Award,” said Leske, a senior quarterback/defensive back. “My freshman year, Gabe...
Bethel Park softball has reason for celebration, confidence
Bethel Park’s softball team reveled in a banner 2021 campaign, winning a WPIAL title and outright section crown for the first time in school history. Ohio State recruit Reagan Milliken led a talented eight-player senior class last spring. Milliken was named Class 6A Player of the Year by Trib HSSN...
Defending baseball champ Bethel Park looks formidable
Bethel Park won the big prize in Class 5A last season, defeating Red Land, 4-2, in the PIAA baseball championship game at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. “Words still cannot express the pride I feel for this special group of young men,” coach Pat Zehnder said afterward. “They...
Quaker Valley wrestling enjoys sweet finish to season with 4 medals in Hershey
Quaker Valley wrapped up the best wrestling season in school history with four individual medalists at the PIAA Class 2A championships March 12 at Giant Center in Hershey. “We qualified five kids to compete in arguably the toughest wrestling tournament in the country,” QV coach Mike Heinl said. “We won...
3rd-place finish at WPIALs gives glimpse of future for Quaker Valley girls swimming
Quaker Valley’s girls swim team made another strong bid for a WPIAL championship at this year’s finals March 3-4 at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The QV girls placed third in Class 2A with a score of 221 points in the team race. QV’s girls squad finished as the WPIAL runner-up last...
Hampton shatters expectations while winning back-to-back WPIAL swim titles
Four individuals — Will Retsch, Ben Sheets, Chris Belch and Zach Sutterlin — and all three boys relays at Hampton qualified for the PIAA Class 2A swimming championships, as did Pax Carslaw, a diving specialist. The leader of the pack was none other than Retsch, a senior who won WPIAL...
After rounding out game, Hampton’s Hoehler headed to Pitt-Greensburg
Hampton’s Kayla Hoehler has been playing basketball for more than half of her life. She started playing at around age 7, continued through her middle school days and was a four-year varsity starter for the Talbots from 2018-22. The 5-foot-8 senior guard plans to extend her career to the next...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Seniors lead way for Sewickley Academy
Although the Sewickley Academy boys basketball team finished with just three wins and sat out the WPIAL 2A playoffs, it nonetheless was a memorable time for the players on the squad. SA coach Win Palmer praised the four seniors on this year’s team — Sean Donohue and Saverio Mignella in...
Quaker Valley players feel relief, resolve after WPIAL championship game win
Adou Thiero was not going to be denied. The Quaker Valley senior finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks to lead the top-seeded Quakers to a 61-52 win March 3 against No. 2 Montour in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game at Petersen Events Center. The WPIAL title...
Long-standing senior softball league in North Hills getting set for new season
The Major League Baseball season has been delayed because of a contentious labor dispute holding up a new collective bargaining agreement. However, it’s all systems go for the Northern Allegheny County Senior Softball League. NACSSL, for players ages 52 and older, is accepting registration for the 2022 season. New player...
Win total shows growth of Hampton hockey
The PIHL season can be a long five-month grind. Hampton’s schedule started Oct. 4 and ended Feb. 28. The Talbots switched from Class 2A to A during the PIHL offseason performance-based realignment as members of Varsity Northeast Division. Fox Chapel sailed through the division with a 19-0-1 record. Freeport, Plum...
Hampton maintains level of success during strong girls basketball season
The Hampton girls basketball team rang up one of the best regular seasons in school history. The Talbots did not lose a game in December, won 11 of their first 12 contests and captured seven of eight down the season’s home stretch. Balanced scoring and full-court defensive pressure sparked the...
Apollo-Ridge baseball wants program’s 1st section title in more than 2 decades
Apollo-Ridge qualified for the WPIAL baseball playoffs last year for the first time since 2014. A-R landed the 14th seed in Class 2A and faced No. 3 Carmichaels, which defeated the Vikings, 12-1. “It is very early, but we have a great turnout so far as 23 players showed up...
New coach, same goals for Apollo-Ridge softball
The Apollo-Ridge softball team has a new coach but the same goal. Eric Kowalczyk has taken over for John Kinnamon, who now is coaching at Kiski Area. Kowalczyk previously served as JV coach for two years. “I’m not just teaching the girls softball,” Kowalczyk said. “I always try to teach...
From Mali to Memphis, assistant coach brings basketball knowledge to Sewickley Academy
Sewickley Academy assistant basketball coach Almamy Thiero grew up in Mali, West Africa. His full name is Almamy Seny Amadou Yattabary Thiero, and he has nine brothers and sisters. As a 6-foot-9, 255-pound forward, Thiero was a member of two major college basketball programs during an injury-plagued career from 2002-07....
Quaker Valley girls basketball finds success in season of change
This season, Quaker Valley’s girls basketball team continued its recent tradition of advancing to the WPIAL playoffs. The Quakers secured fourth place in Section 2-4A with an 8-6 record, finishing behind Blackhawk (14-0), Beaver (11-3) and Montour (10-4). The four section playoff teams landed four of the top eight seeds...
Sophomore steps up for Hampton boys basketball team
Liam Mignogna stands above the crowd in most instances. Mignogna is a 6-foot-8, 225-pound sophomore frontcourt player on the Hampton boys basketball team. He stood at the top of several statistical categories for the Talbots this season. Mignogna led the team in field goal shooting percentage (55.7), two-point field goal...
Steve Sciullo takes over Hampton football program
Steve Sciullo had a Hall of Fame playing career. He’s hoping to experience a successful coaching career, as well. The 41-year-old Sciullo was hired recently to coach the Hampton football program, taking over for Jacque DeMatteo who resigned this winter after 14 seasons on the sideline. The Talbots enjoyed one...
Hampton swim team primed for WPIAL title defense
Hampton swim coach Morgan Zweygardt indicated early in the 2021-22 season that the defending WPIAL Class 2A champion Talbots have not rested on their laurels. Last year’s WPIAL championship was the team’s first in 22 years; it may not take nearly that long for another one. Hampton has relied on...
Hampton boys bolstered by WPIAL playoff victory
First, some good news: Hampton’s boys basketball team this season tripled its win total of 2020-21. Plus, it’s a young team with six juniors, 11 sophomores and only three seniors on the 20-man roster. Next, more good news: The Talbots finished the regular season 12-10 overall and tied for third...
Pair of WPIAL champs lead way for Quaker Valley wrestling team
They are two of the premier seniors in WPIAL Class 2A wrestling. Quaker Valley’s Patrick Cutchember (189 pounds) and Justin Richey (152 pounds) were ranked No. 1 in their respective weight divisions by Trib HSSN for most of the season. And with sound reasoning as things turned out: They’ve formed...
Pieces come together for Quaker Valley in dream season
Quaker Valley’s boys basketball team played 20 regular season games without a loss. It was a dream season for the Quakers, led by two of the most productive players in the WPIAL: senior guard Adou Thiero and senior forward Markus Frank. QV ended the regular season 20-0, 14-0 in Section...
Hard work pays off for Baldwin freshman at WPIAL gymnastics championships
Baldwin’s coaching staff was confident in freshman Abby Rexrode’s chances going into the WPIAL gymnastics individual championship meet. “Abby had a great performance at the WPIAL finals,” coach Jodi Cummings said. “She’s strong on all four events. We knew if she would hit her routines, she would be at the...
