Ray Fisher stories, Page 39
Strong season for Thomas Jefferson boys soccer gets milestone win for veteran coach
He is one of the esteemed deans among WPIAL soccer coaches. Michael Kulish, affectionately known as “Doc,” has enjoyed a legendary coaching career at Thomas Jefferson. At age 74, Kulish is one of the oldest soccer coaches in Western Pennylsvania, and he recently completed his 29th season in style, attaining...
Playoff win, 2nd-half surge highlight Quaker Valley girls soccer season
Quaker Valley strung together a winning record in the second half of the girls soccer season. The QV girls blanked Ambridge and Riverside at the end of September en route to a 5-4-1 mark that included five shutouts down the season’s home stretch. The Quakers achieved their season-long goal of...
Kriebel cousins make mark on Quaker Valley soccer programs
They are two of a kind. As 17-year-old athletes, both hail from long-standing soccer families, and both are super talented on the pitch. Quaker Valley cousins Rowan and Chase Kriebel displayed their senior leadership skills admirably throughout the fall soccer season. Rowan Kriebel, a 6-foot forward and captain on the...
Sister combos lead Sewickley Academy girls tennis to championship season
The Close sisters are not just close. The Sewickley Academy athletes are best of friends. “Kirsten is my best friend and my biggest competitor,” Ashley said, “and I am so grateful she was able to be a part of this season with me.” Ashley, a 16-year-old sophomore, starred at No....
Quaker Valley football builds on positive strides taken during 2021 season
Quaker Valley’s football team finished fifth in the rugged Class 3A Northern Six Conference this season, behind Central Valley (5-0), Avonworth (4-1), Keystone Oaks (3-2) and Ambridge (2-3). The Quakers played 10 games, finished 2-8 overall and 1-4 in the conference, and allowed 40 or more points five times. They...
Sewickley Academy girls tennis team caps super season with trip to state finals
WPIAL champion Sewickley Academy finished the girls tennis season with honors, ending up as PIAA runners-up. The SA girls stormed through the regular season and playoffs until losing a tight 3-2 decision to Wyoming Seminary in the PIAA Class 2A finals Oct. 30 at Hershey Racquet Club. The Panthers closed...
Fox Chapel field hockey team relishes another trip to WPIAL finals
Fox Chapel secured the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A field hockey playoffs for the second year in a row. And for the second consecutive season, the Foxes finished second in the WPIAL. Penn-Trafford (16-0) slipped past Fox Chapel, 1-0, to win the title Saturday at W&J’s Cameron...
Quaker Valley volleyball team gains experience, shows improvement
Call it a “near-miss” for the Quaker Valley girls volleyball team. QV finished 4-8 in Section 2-2A, one game behind fourth-place finisher Brentwood (5-7), which earned the section’s final WPIAL playoff spot. North Catholic, the defending WPIAL champion and a PIAA semifinalist a year ago, Avonworth, Seton LaSalle and Brentwood...
Senior sparks Quaker Valley hockey team with high-energy game
Max Quinn is known for his hard-charging, high-energy attitude on the ice. Both are reputations the Quaker Valley hockey senior embraces with fervor. A defenseman who moves to center at times, Quinn is in his second season as team captain. He was an alternate captain two years ago when he...
Hampton girls tennis takes step forward
There was only one way to go for the Hampton girls tennis team this season. After a winless, covid-strained campaign in 2020, and with at least a half-dozen returning players, the Talbots anticipated having a bounce-back season. Among the players back from last year were junior Abi Green, sophomore Elena...
Freeport runners ready to compete at WPIAL championships
Cross country runners across Western Pennsylvania have been gearing up for the WPIAL championships set for Thursday at Cal (Pa.). Two teams that hope to contend for top finishes in Class 2A are the Freeport boys and girls. Freeport’s boys squad logged an 8-1 record to place second behind Riverview...
Longtime Thomas Jefferson tennis coach savoring final season
There is a major news flash brewing in the Thomas Jefferson tennis program. After 42 years of coaching, Chuck Correll plans to retire next spring following the boys tennis season. “I decided several years ago that I would retire at age 70,” Correll said. “I plan to stay in shape...
Thomas Jefferson, Baldwin, Brentwood volleyball teams cap regular season
To say the players on the Thomas Jefferson girls volleyball team have clicked would be more than accurate. The TJ girls cruised to the Section 3-3A title with an 11-0 record with one match remaining on their 2021 schedule. “My early thoughts this season were that we were going to...
Quaker Valley girls soccer pleased with trip to postseason
The Quaker Valley girls focused firmly on one thing this soccer season. “Our goal from the start was to make the playoffs, and the girls got that done,” said Maggie Behun, QV’s co-coach with Rachel Loudermilk. “We were able to win the games we needed to and our losses were...
Sewickley Academy, Quaker Valley boys soccer teams look forward to postseason
Sewickley Academy’s boys soccer team eked out a section championship by the narrowest of margins this season. The Panthers and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart tied 1-1 in their Section 1-A showdown Oct. 13; the Panthers locked up first place with a 9-0-1 record. OLSH ended up in second...
Strong finish lifts Bethel Park into WPIAL girls soccer playoffs
The turnaround began last year and continued into this season. After sitting out the WPIAL soccer playoffs from 2015-18, the Bethel Park girls team qualified last year with a 6-4-2 section record, then continued the process in 2021 in a hard-fought battle with rivals Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair....
Bethel Park writing remarkable bounce-back tale
After shaking last year’s winless record, Bethel Park’s football team played its way to a WPIAL playoff berth with four impressive midseason victories. The Black Hawks started off their bounce-back year with a 1-3 record before dialing in wins against Franklin Regional (28-13), West Allegheny (26-10), South Fayette (27-7) and...
Springdale boys soccer ready to make another run through WPIAL playoffs
The Springdale boys soccer team clinched a WPIAL playoff berth with a 1-0 section win Oct. 11 at Carlynton. The Dynamos improved to 6-4-1 in Section 3-A, good for third place behind Winchester Thurston and Eden Christian, then followed up with a 4-2 section win Oct. 13 against Riverview. “Coming...
Quaker Valley boys soccer team tears through section, preps for playoffs
Quaker Valley already has claimed one championship this fall. QV’s boys soccer team prepped for the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs by stacking up a 12-0 record in section play. Not only were the Quakers unbeaten in the section, they did not allow a single goal. Remarkably, QV outscored the opposition...
Patrick Cutchember leads way for improving Quaker Valley football team
Not only was it his best effort this season, it was the top individual performance of his football career. Senior RB/WR/DB Patrick Cutchember led Quaker Valley to a 30-7 conference win Oct. 8 against Hopewell with a dazzling 200-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance. “We have one of the best playmakers in...
Hampton junior shoots for success on golf course, hockey rink
Dan Venture capped his 2021 golf season as a WPIAL finalist. A junior at Hampton, Venture shot 8-over 80 and tied for 19th at the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals Sept. 27 at Willowbrook Country Club. Venture advanced to the championship round held Oct. 5 at Nemacolin, where he finished with...
Deeper lineup helps Valley boys golfers reach WPIAL playoffs
The Valley boys golf team successfully checked off a couple of goal-oriented boxes this season. The Vikings were hoping to improve on last year’s .500 record. Check. Through 11 matches, Valley was 8-3. The Vikings also were hoping to advance to the WPIAL team championship. Check again. Valley tied for...
Quaker Valley runners Cohen, Otto stay ahead of the pack
One is a senior. One is a sophomore. Individually, Anna Cohen and Matt Otto represent the top competitors on the Quaker Valley girls and boys cross country teams. Cohen, a senior who is known as a cerebral student-athlete, has been a solid runner throughout her high school career. Second-year QV...
Quick start, experienced roster boost Quaker Valley hockey team
After one game, the Quaker Valley hockey team already was ahead of last year’s pace. QV lost its first four PIHL games last season en route to a 6-11 record and didn’t attain its first victory until Jan. 12 against Westmont Hilltop. The Quakers opened the 2021-22 season Oct. 4...
Knoch’s Boyer earns spot at WPIAL girls golf championships in 1st season
Maddie Boyer made school history in qualifying for the WPIAL Class AA girls individual golf final. “Maddie is the first female I have had on the boys team to compete for a WPIAL individual championship,” Knoch coach Rob Voltz said. “I hope she enjoys the experience.” The WPIAL girls golf...
