Ray Fisher stories, Page 50
South Hills soccer, volleyball coaches praise unsung heroes
There usually is at least one of these athletes on every team. These are the players who quietly and efficiently go about their business to help their team achieve its goals. They are unsung heroes. “Ours is (senior) Ray Thomas,” Baldwin boys soccer coach Dave Zinski said. “He’s a team...
South Hills notes: Brentwood’s Aiden Wardzinski has memorable playoff opener
Brentwood junior Aiden Wardzinski was a one-man wrecking crew in his first taste of the WPIAL playoffs. Wardzinski scored all four Brentwood touchdowns — two rushing, one receiving and another on an interception return — to lead the fifth-seeded Spartans to a 28-19 win Nov. 1 against No. 12 East...
Baldwin’s 1999 football team remembered for heart, toughness
The groundwork for the conference championship was laid at preseason camp at Slippery Rock. The Baldwin football team stormed out of the gate in 1999, rolling to a 5-0 record then finishing with an 8-2 regular-season mark. The Fighting Highlanders, a nickname established by then-football coach/athletic director Don Yannessa, captured...
Washington faces challenge from surging Brentwood in Class 2A semis
Washington, a regular fixture in the WPIAL playoffs for the past nine years, has been on a mission in 2019. The Little Prexies are determined to reclaim the WPIAL Class 2A championship after taking the title two years ago. No senior class at Washington has won two WPIAL football crowns,...
Three Baldwin runners finish season as state cross country qualifiers
Three top runners in the Baldwin cross country program — senior Teddy Boehm, junior Gina Bolla and sophomore Dominick Ditoro — qualified for the PIAA finals held Nov. 2 in Hershey. “All three are great athletes but better young adults,” coach Rich Wright said. “All three are well liked by...
A by-the-numbers look at Baldwin’s football season
Several players on the Baldwin football team enjoyed outstanding statistical seasons. Many have been three-year starters for the Highlanders, who advanced to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs with a 5-5 record this season. A four-game winning streak against Woodland Hills (30-27), Chartiers Valley (42-35), West Allegheny (23-0) and Bethel Park...
Penn-Trafford field hockey savors championship season, looks to keep program growing
Penn-Trafford’s field hockey team has been a dominant force in the WPIAL Class AA ranks. The Warriors won their fourth consecutive WPIAL title this season, shutting out Latrobe, 4-0, on Oct. 29 in the championship game. “This season was one of great growth,” coach Cindy Dutt said. “We had 36...
Norwin closes book on record-breaking career of QB Jack Salopek
Norwin’s highly touted senior quarterback Jack Salopek ended his high school career as the all-time leading passer in Westmoreland County history. A Western Michigan recruit, Salopek finished with 6,150 career passing yards and 40 career touchdowns. He now is ranked among the top 15 passers in WPIAL history in 14th...
Penn-Trafford field hockey hopes to continue surge
Penn-Trafford’s field hockey team saved its best for last. The Warriors blanked rival Latrobe, 4-0, in the WPIAL championship Oct. 29, earning their fourth consecutive Class AA title. Next up is a PIAA first-round playoff game against District 3’s Twin Valley (20-5) at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Hempfield. “The WPIAL...
Thomas Jefferson football’s dominance by the numbers
The beat goes on. Thomas Jefferson has won 21 conference championships since coach Bill Cherpak’s first season in 1995. The Jaguars rolled past West Mifflin, 53-0, on Oct. 25 to end the regular season with a 7-0 record in the Big 8 Conference, 10-0 overall and 5-0 at home. “I...
Thomas Jefferson football notes: QB Shane Stump comes to appreciate coach Bill Cherpak
Now that he’s a senior, Thomas Jefferson quarterback Shane Stump understands the method behind veteran coach Bill Cherpak’s madness. The TJ signal caller said Cherpak has been instrumental in his development on the gridiron. “Cherp has been the biggest influence because of how hard he’s pushed me to become a...
Shashak Gurung, a native of Nepal, shatters Brentwood soccer scoring records
He’s No. 1, and by a wide margin Brentwood senior Shashak Gurung, a senior striker and four-year varsity player, ended the 2019 season with 39 goals and 28 assists, boosting his career totals to 84 goals and 76 assists for 160 points. All are team records. “My performance this season...
Penn-Trafford girls soccer program a model of consistency
The Penn-Trafford girls soccer team is an annual WPIAL playoff qualifier. It’s been a regular feature for the program since the start of the new millennium. And the 2019 season was no different. Penn-Trafford secured second place in Section 3-AAAA with a 10-2 record, lost a WPIAL first-round game to...
Penn-Trafford, Latrobe meet again for WPIAL Class AA field hockey title
Penn-Trafford is looking to maintain its dynasty status. Latrobe is hoping to claim its first WPIAL title in field hockey. The friendly rivals will clash at 7:30 p.m on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Fox Chapel in a repeat of last year’s championship game matchup. P-T edged Latrobe, 1-0, last year...
Gateway girls soccer finishes solid season with near-upset in playoffs
Gateway’s girls soccer team almost pulled off a stunner. The No. 15 seed in the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs, Gateawy lost to second-seeded Plum by the narrowest of margins, losing 2-1 in a shootout Oct. 21 in a first-round playoff match at Plum. Plum outscored Gateway, 6-5, in penalty kicks...
Gateway boys soccer comes up short of playoffs but makes strides
The 2019 season wasn’t what the Gateway boys soccer team expected. With 10 returning starters, the Gators hoped the balance of power in Section 4-AAA would begin to shift in their favor. But Gateway ended up with a 4-13 record and sixth-place finish. “Obviously, we wanted to go farther than...
TJ girls tennis looks to build on playoff season
It proved to be a goal-achieving season for the Thomas Jefferson girls tennis team. “We achieved our preseason goal to make the WPIAL Class AAA team playoffs,” coach Chuck Correll said. “The team really improved from last year. The girls worked hard during the offseason. “This team ranks as one...
Baldwin girls soccer takes first steps on path to winning program
The month of October wasn’t kind to the Baldwin girls soccer team. The Highlanders wrapped up September with a 3-6-1 record but didn’t win a game down the season’s home stretch, finishing 3-12-1 overall and 3-11 in Section 2-AAAA. “If you look at the wins and losses, you could be...
Baldwin boys soccer celebrates end of long playoff drought
The postseason drought is over for the Baldwin boys soccer program. It had been eight years since the Highlanders qualified for the WPIAL playoffs. They clinched a postseason berth Oct. 10 with a clutch 3-1 section win at home against rival Bethel Park. “It was an up-and down-season with a...
Mt. Lebanon field hockey speeds into playoffs after reaching elusive regular-season goal
The directional arrow for the Mt. Lebanon field hockey team pointed skyward this season. A top-four finish in Division I is the goal the team has been poised to reach for its program. The Blue Devils finally broke down that barrier thanks to a 15-2-1 regular-season record and 8-1 section...
Thomas Jefferson soccer teams keep building playoff tradition
For the past half-decade, it’s been a given both Thomas Jefferson soccer teams would clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Both achieved it again in 2019 for the sixth consecutive year. The TJ boys ended up third in Section 4-AAA, finished the regular season 9-5-4 and received the No....
Joey Moeller’s OT field goal against Bethel Park will go down in Baldwin football lore
It is a kick that long will be remembered in Baldwin football history. On Oct. 11, Joey Moeller, a junior placekicker, booted a 22-yard field goal in the second overtime to lift Baldwin to a 31-28 conference win over visiting Bethel Park. “(Moeller) did an amazing job,” coach Loran Cooley...
Plum girls soccer reaches section championship goal
What can Plum coach Jamie Stewart do for an encore? Stewart, in his first season coaching at Plum, guided the girls soccer team to a section championship and an impressive 14-1-1 regular-season record. “We set goals for the team at the beginning of the year, most having to do with...
Perennial power Upper St. Clair set for another girls soccer playoff run
There is one constant in the Upper St. Clair girls soccer program: The Panthers annually advance to the WPIAL playoffs. USC has advanced to the postseason every year that Dave Gray has been head coach. Gray began his coaching career with the Panthers in 2004. Not surprisingly, the USC girls...
Seton LaSalle girls soccer moves into playoff mode after dominating section play
Seton LaSalle’s girls soccer team was nearly flawless against section opponents this season. The Rebels won their second straight section title with a perfect 12-0 record, posting nine shutouts and allowing just one goal in the other three games. The Seton girls secured a remarkable 37-3 scoring edge in section...
