Ray Fisher stories, Page 7
Strong finish helped Bethel Park baseball capture section title
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....
Sewickley Herald notebook: Hard-hitting Eden Christian baseball ready for postseason
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...
Hard-hitting Sewickley Academy earns lofty seed for WPIAL softball playoffs
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...
Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse celebrates sophomore’s milestone, playoff berth
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...
Sewickey Academy boys lacrosse takes next step in playoff season
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...
Quaker Valley track teams build championship culture
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...
Quaker Valley girls track team completes 4-year WPIAL team title sweep
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...
New coach overhauling Quaker Valley football program
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 navigates tough section schedule to earn spot in WPIAL baseball field
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...
Sewickley Academy guard rewarded with all-state nod
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...
Hard-hitting Eden Christian, Sewickley Academy get set for WPIAL baseball playoffs
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...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Quaker Valley flag football team captures Bridge Beam trophy
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...
Sewickley Academy junior reaches new heights at Robert Morris meet
Sewickley Academy’s Herlynn Niepa enjoyed her time May 1 at the inaugural Bobby Mo Don’t Run Slow track and field invitational hosted by Robert Morris. Niepa, a junior, won the girls high jump event by clearing a height of 5 feet, 1.5 inches. “It was a great experience, and I’m...
Pieces fit in playoff season for Sewickley Academy softball
The Sewickley Academy softball team has been a force since the start of the 2025 season, and the Panthers are looking to maintain that status in the WPIAL Class A playoffs. “Our team has become a tight-knit group,” Sewickley coach Bob Sirko said. “We emphasized playing to a standard, and...
‘The kind of player I want on my team’: Quaker Valley senior eager to play college hockey
Emily Reiner has engineered quite a career as a student-athlete at Quaker Valley. And she has mapped out a unique blueprint for college. A senior and fourth-year starting goalkeeper on QV’s girls lacrosse team, Reiner also is a standout hockey player. As such, she has committed to continuing her career...
Quaker Valley athletes flood list of top WPIAL track performances
The Quaker Valley track and field teams stormed past the opposition April 30 in the semifinals of the WPIAL Class 2A team playoffs at Shenango. The QV girls ran past Winchester Thurston, 81-68, Brownsville, 119-30, and South Side, 135-15, to advance to the WPIAL finals to face North Catholic, Carlynton...
Quaker Valley follows ‘just play ball’ mantra to playoff season
Quaker Valley was hoping to ride its late-season momentum to a strong showing in the WPIAL Class 3A baseball playoffs. With one game remaining, QV held onto third place at 5-4 in Section 1-3A behind Riverside (9-1) and Ellwood City (8-2) and ahead of Mohawk (5-5). “The coaches and I...
With college plans set, Meredith Fallgren helps Quaker Valley girls lacrosse make playoff push
Quaker Valley junior Meredith Fallgren landed an early Christmas present last December. Fallgren is a midfielder/defender on the QV girls lacrosse team who four months ago made an early commitment to continue her academic and athletic careers at Christopher Newport University, located in Newport News, Va. “CNU was the first...
Captains help Quaker Valley develop in inaugural flag football season
Quaker Valley is well-versed in the athletic landscape with an array of multi-sport student-athletes in attendance at the Leetsdale high school. The four captains on the QV girls flag football team — freshmen Mia Duckstein (HB/QB/S) and Ava Hajok (C/WR/S), sophomore Maya Sidani (WR/LB) and junior Willa Herman (QB/LB) —...
Quaker Valley boys lacrosse eyes deeper run in WPIAL postseason
Quaker Valley’s boys lacrosse team started out 4-0 this spring before suffering its first loss, a close 6-5 decision to Indiana in mid-April. The Quakers rolled past Canon-McMillan, 11-9; West Allegheny, 20-1; Winchester Thurston, 14-2; and North Catholic, 10-4, in their first four games. Following the Indiana game, QV lost...
Sewickley Academy, Quaker Valley earn seeds for WPIAL team tennis playoffs
The Sewickley Academy boys tennis team has been led again this season by senior Severin Harmon, a four-year starter who plans to attend Dartmouth in the fall. Harmon has been the team’s No. 1 singles player throughout his career. He also competed at the No. 1 position on the QV...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Sewickley Heights hockey player part of championship team
The South Pittsburgh Rebellion 2010 hockey team recently won the 2025 14U Tier 2 MidAm Championship at the Ice Castle. One of the players on the team was Royce Wiegand, a resident of Sewickley Heights. Wiegand and his teammates advanced to the 14U Tier 2 USA Hockey National Championships held...
Herlynn Niepa leads Sewickley Academy athletes at South Fayette Invitational
Sewickley Academy’s track and field program finished with a pair of medalists April 26 at the 2025 South Fayette Invitational. Despite competing in brisk weather conditions, junior Herlynn Niepa placed fourth in the girls high jump event by clearing a height of 4 feet, 11 inches, Niepa also specializes in...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Quaker Valley’s Mimi Thiero earns all-state recognition
Add another honor for Quaker Valley junior Oumou “Mimi” Thiero, as she was named recently to the 2024-25 Pennsylvania sports writers all-state girls basketball team. Thiero was a first-team selection in Class 3A along with juniors Erica Gribble of Greensburg Central Catholic and Karis Thomas of Shady Side Academy. Other...
Academics, athletics draw Sewickley Academy’s Katherine Varghese to Sarah Lawrence
Sewickley Academy senior Katherine Varghese plans to spend much of the next four years in the state of New York. Varghese signed April 16 with Sarah Lawrence College, where she will continue her academic and athletic careers. She was a four-year starter on the Sewickley girls soccer team and will...

