Ray Fisher stories, Page 4
Sewickley Academy girls tennis team putting starting lineup together
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,...
WPIAL champion Quaker Valley planning girls soccer encore
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...
Quaker Valley’s Kamnikar siblings carry summer success into high school golf season
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...
Talented starting lineup tasked with turning Quaker Valley football in right direction
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...
Trio of captains lead Quaker Valley girls soccer in WPIAL title defense
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...
Hall of Fame inductee built skills needed for decorated Army career at Thomas Jefferson
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...
Dozens of Bethel Park athletes from class of ’25 take next step to compete in college
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...
Large crew of returning starters offer optimism at Brentwood
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 to lean on defensive dominance
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...
Eden Christian grad playing college volleyball in Florida offers inspiration to small school players
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...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Quaker Valley volleyball has new look after championship season
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...
Senior state qualifier, Quaker Valley golf teammates driven to reach goals
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...
Quaker Valley boys soccer driven to meet and exceed program’s high standards
Quaker Valley’s boys soccer team finished 14-4-1 in 2024 in Sean Ryan’s first year in charge of the program. QV ended the regular season with a 14-game unbeaten streak and first-place finish in Section 2-2A. The Quakers, who outscored opponents 86-8 in section play and 87-14 overall, tied with Avonworth...
Coach Tom Eshenbaugh looking to change culture in Quaker Valley football program
First-year coach Tom Eshenbaugh is looking to restore the Quaker Valley football program to the land of respectability. And the mending process begins now. The crown jewel for QV football was the 2017 season when the Quakers won their first and only WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships and finished...
Behind standout running back, sturdy offensive line, Thomas Jefferson out to defend title
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Laurel Highlands and Ringgold previews will be published later in the month. Thomas Jefferson has racked up 10 WPIAL championships...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Class of 2025 to enter Sewickley Academy hall of fame
Four individuals and one team will be inducted into the Sewickley Academy Sports Hall of Fame this fall. The Class of 2025 consists of former athletic director/basketball coach Win Palmer, Tom Droney (2010), Tara Utchel (1999), Katarina Lackner (2005) and the 2003 girls state championship soccer team. The Hall of...
Coming off banner year, Quaker Valley tennis has exciting options to fill lineup vacancies
Awards and accolades were dispatched freely throughout the 2024 season for the Quaker Valley girls tennis team. And with good reason. The Quakers finished with a 16-3 overall record and were 6-0 in section play — losing only two individual lines all year. That meant back-to back-section titles for the...
Love of volleyball, focus on academics carries Quaker Valley’s Molly MacDonald to Middlebury College
Quaker Valley grad Molly MacDonald is a tall and talented, highly educated athlete. Yes, she was a top-notch volleyball player for the Quakers for four seasons, but she’s also played a variety of other sports in her accomplished athletic career. “I was happy playing soccer, lacrosse, basketball and tennis and...
Western Pa. volleyball talent on display at 3rd annual Queens of the ‘Burgh event
The Foxes proved to be champions at the third annual Queens of the ‘Burgh girls volleyball tournament. “This was our best year yet,” said Avonworth coach John Skarupa, who founded the event. “We had seven teams, 64 players. There were 37 high schools and 10 clubs represented. It was a...
After winless season, Baldwin going back to basics
It has been a return to fundamentals for Baldwin, the only team in Class 5A to go winless last season. “We’re back to the basics,” coach Dana Brown said, “getting the kids to truly understand football and wanting to be a football player and not just play football. “Last year...
Dorian Goosby-Dean set to take place among Quaker Valley athletics greats
Dorian Goosby-Dean is considered one of the greatest athletes ever to compete at Quaker Valley. It’s quite a tribute. And thanks to his athletic achievements in a record-breaking career, Goosby-Dean has been selected for the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. He...
Quaker Valley prepares to defend WPIAL girls volleyball title
The WPIAL season ended for the 2024 Quaker Valley girls volleyball team with a police-escorted parade with firetrucks traveling through the town of Sewickley on the way back to the high school. The Quakers were celebrating their first appearance in the WPIAL finals and winning their first district title in...
Lifelong residents Scott Breisinger, Tom LaFrankie honored by West Jefferson Hills School District Hall of Fame
Both men are homegrown products. Both also are lifelong West Jefferson Hills School District residents. Scott Breisinger and Tom LaFrankie were among the 17 individuals and/or contributors plus two athletic teams selected for induction into the WJHSD Hall of Fame. The Class of 2025 was lauded April 12 at the...
Oakdale’s Sam Snodgrass, Maddie Salek claim victories at Brentwood Firecracker 5K
Five participants were able to finish in under 16 minutes at the 42nd annual Brentwood Firecracker 5K Run & Walk. One of the largest, longest running and most popular 5K races in the Tri-State area, the Brentwood Firecracker is held annually July 4 on Brownsville Road and attracts both elite...
2-sport standout Derek Molitor set to join Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame
Quaker Valley’s athletic program hit the daily double with Derek Molitor as one of its competitors. Molitor was an elite two-sport athlete for the Quakers in the late 1990s, excelling in football and track and field. And he is one of this year’s selections for induction into the Quaker Valley...
