Ray Fisher stories, Page 4

The Sewickley Academy boys basketball all-state players are named on a commemorative plaque near the entrance of the Events Center gym. The earliest entry was Neil Hoy, who received the honor in 1998. The most recent addition to the listing is Lucas Grimsley, a talented junior guard for the Panthers....

Quaker Valley’s track and field teams had a great Memorial Day weekend, carving out memories that will last a lifetime. The Quakers’ track and field program was represented by 16 athletes in 24 events, along with four relay teams, at the PIAA Class 2A meet May 23-24 at Shippensburg University....

Two of the district’s more dynamic softball players competed at Sewickley Academy this spring. Marie Bigi, a four-year senior starter at catcher, hit .595 in the 2025 regular season with a lofty .929 slugging percentage and .630 on-base percentage. Quincy Sirko, also a four-year starter at pitcher/third base, finished with...

Both Quaker Valley track and field teams won PIAA Class 2A titles at the state championship meet May 24-25 at Shippensburg University. The following is a description of two state title performances from a coach’s perspective. QV coach Jared Jones offered the following: The girls’ story Going into the weekend,...

Quaker Valley’s girls lacrosse team qualified for both the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs this season. The QV girls advanced to the Class 2A state tournament as the district’s third-place team. “The girls are excited for states,” QV coach Laura Peery said before the PIAA playoffs were set to begin June...

Kwilai Karto was one of six seniors in the Quaker Valley girls track and field program this year that experienced the thrill of winning four consecutive WPIAL team championships. “I am honored to have been a part of a team for the past four years that has accomplished so much...

Sewickley Academy’s time in the WPIAL softball playoffs ended May 19 against No. 5 Jefferson-Morgan in the Class A quarterfinal round. The fourth-seeded Panthers lost a 5-0 decision to finish 11-6 overall. Sewickley had advanced to the quarterfinals by routing No. 13 Monessen, 15-0, in the first round. “The team...

Quaker Valley’s boys team was responsible for three of the 11 records that were broken May 14 at the WPIAL Class 2A track and field championships at Slippery Rock University. “It was a very impressive performance across the board,” QV coach Jared Jones said. QV senior standout Davin “Macky” Gartley...

Sylvia Kashak was the undisputed top distance runner on the Thomas Jefferson girls track and field team the past few years. And, now, she is a certified WPIAL champion. Kashak posted a record-breaking time of 2:13.06 in the girls 800-meter run at the WPIAL Class 3A championships May 14 to...

The WPIAL recently recognized the recipients of the 34th annual WPIAL James Collins Scholar-Athlete Award with 20 candidates selected from a group of 158 nominees. The girls’ award winners consisted of Laurel’s Tori Atkins, Thomas Jefferson’s Alison Chalovich, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Alexandra Hoffman, Knoch’s Giona Lavorini, Montour’s Joelle Ludwick, Quaker...

It had been a lengthy span since the Baldwin baseball team advanced to the WPIAL playoffs. Rookie coach Scott Wolf, a Brentwood baseball product, changed the direction of the program in 2025. The Highlanders qualified for the Class 5A district tournament by finishing as the Section 4 runner-up with a...

Both lacrosse teams at Bethel Park advanced to the WPIAL playoffs this season. The boys squad, coached by Luke Lewis, landed the No. 7 seed in Class 2A and defeated No. 10 Quaker Valley, 12-10, in the first round before losing to No. 2 Mars, 18-0, in the quarterfinals. The...

Clancy Orie is a 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior athlete at Bethel Park. His twin sister — yes, his twin — Sadie stands 5-7 and weighs far less than her hulking sibling. Both are 19 years old. “We are very close since we grew up together,” Clancy said. “And we definitely love...

The Bethel Park baseball team was ready for the postseason. The Black Hawks stormed into the WPIAL playoffs riding an eight-game winning streak, 16-4 record and No. 4 seeding in the Class 5A tournament. “I’m proud of the team and the way they’ve played this year,” coach Pat Zehnder said....

Eden Christian Academy received a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL Class A baseball playoffs. “We’re excited to be in the tournament,” Eden coach Mark Feldman said succinctly. “Our lineup will be finalized the day of our game.” The Warriors weren’t scheduled to play their first...

Sewickley Academy’s softball team was assigned the No. 4 seed for the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The top three seeds went Union, Carmichaels and West Greene. “We are very excited and honored to have earned the four seed,” Sewickley coach Bob Sirko said. “I am happy the girls have been...

The Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse team had a busy final week of the regular season, playing four games in five days. The Panthers went 3-1, which included an impressive 7-5 upset victory against Moon and an exciting 9-7 win against North Hills during which sophomore midfielder Emma Eannarino scored her...

Thanks to a 10-2 record and third-place finish in Section 2, the Sewickley Academy boys lacrosse team received the No. 5 seed for the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. The Panthers posted an 8-2 record in section play to end up behind only Mars (10-0) and Hampton (9-1). “We are extremely...

Both Quaker Valley track and field teams won WPIAL championships in Class 2A again this season. And it never was a close call for either squad. “I am just blown away by our teams,” QV coach Jared Jones said. “They are such a great group of kids. It is so...

Since the spring of 2022, only one team has won the girls championship at the WPIAL Class 2A team track and field finals. The Quaker Valley girls defeated North Catholic (101-49), Carlynton (97-53) and Laurel (97-53) in the championship meet May 6 at Peters Township Middle School, giving the Quakers...

Tom Eshenbaugh has a strong background in business leadership. He hopes to utilize that knowledge to help restore the Quaker Valley football program to the land of respectability. Eshenbaugh, 45, recently was named head coach of the QV varsity football team. Along with his business ties in the private sector,...

Quaker Valley’s baseball team shook off a few late-season losses with a four-game winning streak resulting in a 12-6 overall record. As a result, the Quakers received the No. 7 seed for the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs and a first-round game with No. 10 Ligonier Valley. “It is always difficult...

Six players were named second-team all-state for the 2024-25 season in Class 2A boys basketball. Lucas Grimsley, a 6-foot-4 junior guard at Sewickley Academy, was one of the chosen few in a statewide vote of media members. “Lucas is a very good 3-point shooter but also has the ability to...

Eden Christian Academy and Sewickley Academy clinched berths in the WPIAL baseball playoffs in Section 3-A this season. Eden Christian, Serra Catholic and Bishop Canevin tied for the top spot in the section with 8-2 records while Sewickley finished in fourth place. “We have focused all year on one pitch...

The Quaker Valley girls flag football team won its first “Bridge Beam” trophy May 4 by defeating Ambridge, 19-0, at Chuck Knox Stadium. The winner of the Quaker Valley-Ambridge game receives the Bridge Beam. Mia Duckstein, Natalie Minnock and Ella Palmer scored touchdowns for the Quakers. QV also lost 25-0...