Ray Fisher stories, Page 40

Bethel Park’s boys lacrosse team ended the regular season in third place in Section 1-AAA at 6-2, behind only Mt. Lebanon (8-0) and Upper St. Clair (7-1) and ahead of Peters Township (5-3) and Canon-McMillan (4-4). The Black Hawks landed the sixth seed for the WPIAL playoffs, then edged No....

Megan Malecki gave up the hurdles this season to concentrate on her pole vaulting career. It proved to be a wise decision. A senior at Bethel Park and a Millersville University recruit, Malecki took first place in the pole vault at the WPIAL Class AAA championships May 19. “I loved...

Nobody watches the daily weather report in the spring months moreso than high school athletic directors. It seems the spring season has developed more turbulence weather-wise over the years than what we experience in the fall. The 47th annual Baldwin Invitational was held May 7-8 under weather conditions far worse...

Brentwood’s softball team hit the reset button and was able to end the season with an impressive six-game winning streak. The Spartans captured their season opener against Northgate, 15-0, but lost eight of their next nine before going on the late-season tear. Brentwood finished 8-8 overall and 5-7 in Section...

Emily Maerz is a new fixture in the Baldwin athletic program. She coached the Highlanders tennis team this spring, her first season coaching at the high school level, as well as coaching a boys squad. “I was very pleased with our performance, especially since we had a small team —...

The seven seniors on the Baldwin hockey team have a combined 87 years of experience on the ice. That experience paid off greatly in 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. After skating to a 19-1 record and two PIHL playoff wins, Baldwin saw its 2019-20 season shut down by covid-19 pandemic concerns....

Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair battled for first place in Section 1-AAA in girls lacrosse all season. So perhaps it was only fitting the three South Hills rivals ended up in a three-way tie atop the standings, all with 9-1 records. The Black Hawks clinched a share...

The Bethel Park coaching staff is unique in WPIAL softball. It is made up of a pair of mother-daughter tandems. Heather Semplice-Scott is head coach; her daughter, Geana Scott, is an assistant and statistician. Donna DeCarlo, the team scorekeeper, and Carly Schoenstein, Donna’s daughter, are assistants. “It’s exciting to have...

Bill Crousey’s legacy as Thomas Jefferson’s hockey coach is firmly cemented. After 12 fulfilling years behind the bench, Crousey has stepped aside from the coaching ranks. Former TJ hockey player John Zeiler was hired to take over. Zeiler led the Jaguars to three state titles from 1998-2000, then eventually went...

Cesia Garcia has hurdled her way to a rewarding career in the Brentwood track and field program. She has been competing in track since the seventh grade and is a top hurdler for the Spartans. “In middle school, we encourage the kids to try every event,” Brentwood coach Mike Cramer...

Isaac Nirella, a junior at Bethel Park, has made great strides in just his second year of pole vaulting competition. “It’s really his first (outdoor season) since he lost last year,” coach Mark Jacobs said. “Isaac has improved so much from last year — over 3 feet so far —...

It takes a unique type of high school athlete to compete in the pole vault event. “It does,” said Mark Jacobs, Bethel Park’s pole vaulting coach. “You need that combination of speed, strength and determination that every great athlete needs, but at the same time you need grit and to...

Baldwin’s baseball team has been stung hard by the injury bug this season. Two top starting pitchers, junior Jon Rauch and sophomore Carson Chapel, both lefties, suffered season-ending injuries in April. “The first half has been really challenging. Rauch and Chapel are done for the season,” coach Steve Bucci said....

The Brentwood track and field athletes, guided by veteran coach Mike Cramer, are a goal-oriented group. “We have been focusing on the positives and the situations that we can control this year,” Cramer said. “The kids have worked their tails off and have made huge strides (pun intended). “All the...

Bethel Park’s softball team was perfect in the first month of the season. The Black Hawks improved to 10-0 with a 10-7 win at home April 27 against South Fayette. It marked the seventh time in 10 games that the Black Hawks scored in double digits. “I think we are...

Bethel Park’s boys lacrosse team is trying to make up for lost time. “Missing last season has been difficult for our program to handle,” coach Tim Schreiber said. “We had a loaded class of seniors who were ready for a run at the section and WPIAL championship. It was devastating...

Bethel Park’s baseball squad ended the month of April with an exclamation point. The Black Hawks blanked Upper St. Clair, 6-0; Fox Chapel, 5-0; and Connellsville, 13-0, to improve to 6-0 in Section 4-5A and 10-2 overall. The team’s pitching staff posted a boat-load of zeroes and had a 1.72...

Despite having only one senior, the Thomas Jefferson boys tennis squad posted a 6-1 record in Section 1-AA this spring. The Jaguars defeated the likes of Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Mt. Pleasant, Ringgold, Southmoreland and West Mifflin while losing section champion South Park. “I thought we had potential,” TJ...

Baldwin’s varsity hockey team recently wrapped up an amazing two-year run with an appearance in the state championship game at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The Highlanders advanced to the state finals by winning the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup with a 2-0 victory over Franklin Regional on...

The Bethel Park girls lacrosse team has all the makings of a powerhouse unit. Through 10 games, the Black Hawks were 10-0, 7-0 in league play, with 195-38 overall scoring advantage — a differential of a 157 goals. “So far, we have done everything I knew we were capable of,”...

Under normal conditions, Bethel Park’s Alexa Psotka would be striving this year for her fourth consecutive appearance at the WPIAL Class AAA track and field finals. “Alexa qualified for the WPIAL championship as a freshman and sophomore, even making the final flight her sophomore year,” coach Mark Jacobs said. “She...

It’s not uncommon for the best of friends to be teammates in a particular sport. It’s rare that three of them become teammates at the collegiate level. Baldwin seniors and four-year varsity players Lexi Bernotas, Abby Marzina and Kayla Radomsky have committed to Chatham, a member of the NCAA Division...

The games of baseball and softball have many nuances — many rules and regulations, many intangibles. Each can be a game of inches — a double down the third-base line — or a game of feet — a towering home run over the fence. People who follow the sports as...

Olivia Westphal is recognized as one of the best Bethel Park basketball players in school history. “My four years at Bethel Park went extremely fast,” she said, “and I was fortunate to have very talented teammates throughout my four years.” A highly talented 5-foot-10 guard known for her deft shooting...

It was only fitting the two Class AA hockey heavyweights clashed in the state championship game Saturday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. In one corner was Baldwin, the Penguins Cup and PIHL titlists representing the western part of the state. In the other corner was Haverford, the...