Ray Fisher stories, Page 48
Dominant Baldwin hockey team gearing up for playoffs
One of the magic numbers for the Baldwin hockey team this season is “15.” Baldwin won 15 consecutive games before suffering a disappointing 4-3 loss Feb. 10 to West Allegheny at Ice Castle Arena. The Highlanders opened their PIHL schedule Oct. 3 with a 9-1 victory against Montour, then skated...
Brentwood’s Ziegler reaches scoring milestone
C.J. Ziegler recently enlisted in an exclusive club at Brentwood. Prior to this season, only 10 boys basketball players had attained 1,000 career points. Ziegler joined that posh group. The 5-foot-11 senior guard logged his 1,000th career point Jan. 24 in a 67-52 section win at Carmichaels. He finished with...
Senior captains drive Seton LaSalle girls to successful season
Seton LaSalle’s girls basketball team has been driven by the force of three seniors in its lineup this season. The leading scorers for the playoff-bound Rebels consist of seniors Chloe Lestitian (11.9), Sarah Merlina (11.4) and Vanessa Hudson (11.1), who average close to 35 points per game between them. Lestitian...
Sole senior Jenna Lutz energizes Baldwin girls basketball program
It has been a frustrating yet gratifying senior season for Baldwin hoopster Jenna Lutz. She is a three-year letterwinner in the girls basketball program at Baldwin and plans to continue her career at Allegheny College as an environmental science major. A 6-foot forward, Lutz has spent most of the 2019-20...
Derry girls basketball team makes sure history doesn’t repeat
History was not going to repeat itself. The Derry girls basketball team saw to that. The Trojans missed the WPIAL playoffs a year ago by one game. This year, there was little doubt the team would return to the postseason for the first time in four years. “Early in our...
Seton LaSalle boys bolstered by all-senior starting lineup
Veteran coach Mark Walsh is a staunch Seton LaSalle advocate, and is fully committed to the boys basketball program. As the saying goes, Walsh “bleeds green and gold.” His Rebels qualified for the WPIAL playoffs as the second-place team in Section 2-3A. In fact, the Rebels have advanced to the...
Seton LaSalle girls ‘hungry’ to get back on track as playoffs start
It wasn’t the finish the Seton LaSalle girls basketball team anticipated. The Rebels lost their final three regular-season games to end up in second place in Section 2-3A. After rolling along at 11-0 in league play and 14-4 overall, the Seton girls planned to regroup and refocus in preparation for...
Players from basketball families star for Thomas Jefferson hockey team
Both families have rich histories in Western Pennsylvania high school basketball, particularly in the South Hills. Dan Holzer is in his 25th season coaching the boys team at Upper St. Clair. He was a three-year starter at Thomas Jefferson and 1983 graduate. He also played at Alliance. Lisa Fairman is...
Dedication pays off for Thomas Jefferson competitive spirit team
Dedication and determination are just two of the traits that drive the West Jefferson Hills School District cheer program. Cheer season begins following tryouts in June. Practices generally last two hours, and most of the girls spend additional hours in private lessons, open gyms and camps. “These girls also attend...
Captains help Baldwin competitive spirit team find championship form
Outstanding teams require exceptional leadership. Meet the captains of the Baldwin competitive spirit cheerleading squad, which won the WPIAL Class AAA championship for the first time in school history. The Highlanders, who placed fifth in the large division Jan. 11 at the PIAA finals in Hershey, are led by the...
Building blocks in place for Norwin boys basketball
Norwin’s boys basketball team bolted out to a 6-0 record and won eight of its first nine games this season. Led by former City League coaching stalwart Buddy Valinsky, Norwin enjoyed its best start since 2014-15. The Knights then jumped into the heart of their grueling, grinding Section 3-6A schedule...
New Ohio State volleyball coach Jennifer Flynn Oldenburg broadens Baldwin connection
Ohio State athletics has developed a narrow but significant pipeline in attracting former Baldwin athletes into its distinguished program. Two of the greatest female athletes in school history at Baldwin, Jennifer Flynn Oldenburg and Kelly Kovach Schoenly, are members of the OSU coaching fraternity. Oldenburg, 41, was hired Jan. 17...
Waynesburg senior guard Frank Bozicevic finishing with a flourish
The adjustment period is in the rear-view mirror for Gateway graduate Frank Bozicevic at Waynesburg. Bozicevic, a talented 6-foot-1 guard, is one of five seniors for the Yellow Jackets and four players averaging double figures. Bozicevic’s astute leadership abilities have emerged front and center as the season has progressed. And...
New pool, new attitude for Thomas Jefferson swim team
The Thomas Jefferson swimming and diving program is thriving, thanks in large part to the school’s beautiful new 25-yard pool. The Jaguars have not had the luxury of swimming in their own home pool until this year, and the move has been great news for veteran coach John Penn and...
New pool at Thomas Jefferson gets visit from old friend Ryan Fagan
Thomas Jefferson’s new state-of-the-art pool had a distinguished visitor Jan. 21 when the Jaguars met Peters Township in a nonsection meet. Former TJ diving standout Ryan Fagan, an assistant coach at Peters Township, was in attendance, along with a large crowd. Fagan competed at TJ from 1999-2001 and was a...
Moon girls basketball trying to keep pace in rugged Section 1-5A
The Moon girls basketball team lost twice in December, and twice in January. The Tigers are hoping to keep that record intact Thursday in a key section test at home against Trinity. Just as the Moon girls avenged an early season loss to Thomas Jefferson with a 55-52 victory Jan....
TJ notebook: Alyssa DeAngelo hits 1,000-point milestone
Thomas Jefferson senior Alyssa DeAngelo scored her 1,000th career point Jan. 13 in a section game at Trinity. DeAngelo, a multiple-year starter who averages 18 points per game, reached the milestone with 2 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the second quarter of her team’s 61-50 loss to the Hillers. After...
Brendan Finnerty leads successful TJ contingent at county mat tournament
Brendan Finnerty didn’t just win the 160-pound weight class while representing Thomas Jefferson at the recent Allegheny County wrestling championships. He dominated. Seeded No. 1, Finnerty breezed to the county title by recording two falls followed by three consecutive major-decision victories. “My goal was to win the tournament, just like...
Thomas Jefferson, Baldwin gymnasts working toward WPIAL goals
One team is the defending WPIAL and state champion, and has emerged as a powerhouse in girls gymnastics in just three years. Thomas Jefferson’s gymnasts won their first WPIAL title in 2018-19, capping off three straight seasons of section championships. The Jaguars, who also captured the state title in the...
WPIAL playoff spot remains in reach for Franklin Regional girls basketball team
“Young” is the word encircling the Franklin Regional girls basketball program this season. The Panthers ended the first half of section play the way they started the season — with back-to-back wins. With 13 underclassmen on the roster, Franklin Regional defeated Hampton, 47-36, and Kiski Area, 45-27, to climb to...
Thomas Jefferson basketball teams score signature wins
The Thomas Jefferson basketball teams know how to make a good first impression. The boys and girls started the new decade with impressive victories, both on the road. The boys won a Section 2-5A game Jan. 3 at Montour, 58-54. “We are starting to play a little better each day,”...
Balanced Baldwin climbs to top of PIHL standings
Baldwin wrapped up the 2019 portion of its PIHL season with an 8-0 record. The Highlanders started with a 9-1 victory over Montour on Oct. 3, routed Hampton, 10-2, on Dec. 9 and won six times in between. That’s more than two months without a loss. Baldwin, West Allegheny and...
Veteran roster has Brentwood boys off to scorching start
Brentwood’s boys basketball team is well on its way to having one of the best seasons in school history. The Spartans defeated California, 66-55, on Jan. 7 to extend their record to 10-0 and 5-0 in Section 2-2A. “We are off to a nice start,” Brentwood fourth-year coach Dan Thayer...
Baldwin competitive cheer squad reaches championship goal
Drive, determination, hard work, no fear of failing and a strong dose of patience are among ingredients necessary to claim a WPIAL championship. The Baldwin competitive spirit squad displayed all of the above this season, and then some. Baldwin won the WPIAL Class AAA championship Jan. 4 at Hempfield with...
Norwin competitive spirit team makes states for eighth straight year
Norwin’s competitive spirit squad loves the taste of chocolate. The Knights qualified for the PIAA championships — held Jan. 10-11 in Hershey — for the eighth consecutive year. Success breeds success on the Norwin campus. “We qualified in the small division, competing with 15 girls,” coach Linda Rundy said. “We’ve...
