Ray Fisher stories, Page 4
With early wins, football team shows it’s not ‘the same Quaker Valley … from last year’
Two up, two down. Quaker Valley made more than just some noise on the football field in the first two weeks of the season. QV defeated Class 2A Keystone Oaks, 20-13, on Aug. 29 to go to 2-0 for the first time since 2017. That came after the Class 3A...
Excitement running high as Sewickley Academy girls soccer aims to build on last season’s success
Makenzie Dice is one of three returning senior starters on the Sewickley Academy girls soccer team. Dice and Marin Edmunds are midfielders while Bella Ballard is a defensive specialist. “As a senior, one of my main goals is to be a strong leader on and off the field,” Dice said....
Quaker Valley runners hoping to keep WPIAL cross country title in family
The path is clear for Quaker Valley’s Jonah and Lucy Montagnese as they aspire to follow in their sister Cecilia’s championship footsteps. Cecilia Montagnese’s firmly cemented her high school legacy in cross country as a senior last season, winning the Class 2A championship at White Oak Park. The Quakers, with...
All-around threat Ben McHenry makes early impact for Quaker Valley
The subplot for the Quaker Valley football season opener was dubbed, “The Ben McHenry Show.” The Quakers defeated Class 2A Freedom, 38-20, in their Week Zero game Aug. 22 at Chuck Knox Stadium as McHenry was a virtual one-man show for the home team. One of nine returning starters, McHenry...
Quaker Valley boys in position to add to school’s cross country legacy
The Quaker Valley boys cross country team is focused on making it an even dozen this season. QV won the WPIAL Class 2A boys team championship last season for the 11th time in school history with an 83-point total to easily defeat runner-up Beaver. The Quakers were sparked by the...
Sewickley sports notebook: WPIAL Community Champion Award going strong
The WPIAL Community Champion Award is presented to the schools that tabulate the most “meals” — total between money donated and food collected — in each of the six divisions, which are determined on enrollment. The award was established by the WPIAL in 2021. Quaker Valley helped kick off program...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Sewickley Academy to debut girls volleyball team
There is a brand-new sport — girls volleyball — being played at Sewickley Academy this fall. The Panthers, coached by Julia Arlia, will host their first home match at Means Events Center on Sept. 8 against Aliquippa, starting at 6:30 p.m. “We are extremely excited to launch our first girls...
Sewickley Academy girls working on encore after banner season
Sewickley Academy’s girls soccer team took pride in having a banner 2024 season in Gary Weber’s first year as the Panthers’ head coach. Sewickley tied for first in Section 3-A with Seton LaSalle with a 10-1-1 record, outscoring opponents 50-13 in section play. The Panthers advanced to the WPIAL playoffs...
Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy get ready for girls soccer backyard brawl on Beaver Street
The date is no doubt circled on both teams’ schedules. Quaker Valley hosts rival Sewickley Academy in a girls soccer game Sept. 4 at Chuck Knox Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m. “While our local rivalry is Sewickley Academy,” QV coach Maggie Behun said, “for many years Quaker Valley girls...
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...
