Ray Fisher stories, Page 9
Quaker Valley boys tennis looks to maintain success despite roster turnover
It’s not an oddity that 2025 is a rebuilding year for the Quaker Valley boys tennis team. “When you look at the last few years for boys varsity tennis, there seems to be a real pattern,” QV coach Christi Hays said. “On the even number years (2022, 2024), we seem...
Quaker Valley diver climbs higher up podium each year at states
Ruby Olliffe enjoyed a gem of a diving career at Quaker Valley. The QV senior capped her brilliant career with a third-place finish at the PIAA Class 2A girls finals at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium. Olliffe racked up 392.70 points to end up behind Hampton’s Gabby Elk (433 points) and Upper...
With top scorer, goalkeeper back, Quaker Valley girls lacrosse poised to win
Lucy Roig is a two-sport dynamo at Quaker Valley. The 5-foot-5 Roig was a feisty backcourt player on the girls basketball team in the winter months and begins the spring season as a third-year starter in lacrosse. A junior midfielder, Roig has proven to be a scoring machine on the...
Quaker Valley captain caps swimming career with PIAA medal
Quaker Valley’s Thomas Fuener was highly motivated to secure a spot on the PIAA medal stand. All of his hard work and sacrifice was rewarded at the 2025 PIAA Class 2A boys swimming championships at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium. Fuener captured sixth place in the boys 100-yard butterfly event at the...
Fisher’s Files: Defense, home-court advantage go a long way for Sewickley Academy
While the Sewickley Academy boys basketball team was 3-0 in three postseason games held at Peters Township, the Panthers also won 10 of 11 games on their home floor in 2024-25. And most of the victories at Win Palmer Court proved to be lopsided decisions. The only loss at home...
Experienced lineup returns for Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball
The Thomas Jefferson boys volleyball team has eight starters back this season. Considering there are a half-dozen positions on a court, the Jaguars will be in over-haul motion during their matches. Returning players consist of OH/MH Braeden Artman, OH/MH Aiden Dushack, S/RS Brayden Concannon, OH Cole McNeil, libero Jaiden Wadlow,...
Genevieve Cody, Thomas Jefferson swimmers collect medals during memorable postseason
Thomas Jefferson senior Genevieve Cody is a talented high school swimmer. And she’s a coach’s dream. “Genevieve is great,” TJ coach Steve Larkin said. “She works hard in the pool, in the weight room and in the classroom. She does everything she’s asked to do. She rests appropriately, eats appropriately,...
‘Heartbeat’ of Thomas Jefferson defense wins Breisinger Award for character, courage
He led the Thomas Jefferson football team in tackles for three years. Considering the magnitude of the Jaguars football program, it was a magnificent accomplishment. But TJ senior Matt Martinis received as much if not more satisfaction in landing the prestigious Breisinger Award following the 2024 season. Martinis, a 5-foot-10,...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Panthers win school’s 1st home state playoff game
Sewickley Academy’s 64-36 victory March 8 against visiting Windber was significant in that it moved the Panthers into the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 2A basketball playoffs. It also proved noteworthy for another reason. “Someone mentioned the game was Sewickley Academy’s first-ever home state playoff game,” Sewickley junior forward...
Sewickley Academy softball ready to raise standards with experienced roster
Seven returning starters provide the Sewickley Academy softball team with hope and optimism for a successful season. Sewickley ended up 2-10 in Section 1-A last year after going 2-4 down the season’s home stretch. The Panthers did not play a nonsection game in 2024. “Last year, with a very inexperienced...
Defense holds key to playoff run for Sewickley Academy
Two of the boys basketball teams that were in the running for a spot in the Class 2A state semifinals made the WPIAL proud. In the PIAA quarterfinal round held March 15: • Sewickley Academy (23-5), the WPIAL’s third-place team, rallied past Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 42-35. •...
Experienced lineup ready to give Quaker Valley baseball a boost
With a solid core of returning starters, the Quaker Valley baseball team looks to make considerable improvement over last season. A year ago, the Quakers ended up with a 2-10 record in Section 1-3A, 4-13 overall. “The team has been working very hard in the offseason,” QV coach Rich Garbee...
After productive postseason, Eden Christian baseball builds toward encore
Eden Christian Academy’s baseball team enjoyed a banner season in 2024. Eden finished 20-6 overall, 5-2 in the playoffs, 12-0 in Section 3A and almost ran the table in the postseason with WPIAL and PIAA runner-up finishes. “I do not know about carryover (from last season),” coach Mark Feldman said....
Bethel Park boys volleyball focuses on returning program to prominence
Adam Thomas had some specific early season wishes for the Bethel Park boys volleyball team. “Our early expectations are to get our players comfortable in their new positions and build on-court chemistry to help us compete early on,” Thomas said. “We are only returning three starting positions while having two...
Bethel Park softball looks to improve on .500 season
Surely, the Bethel Park softball team anticipates breaking the mold of last year’s performance. The Black Hawks proved to be the definition of a .500 team in 2024. They were 5-5 in section play and finished 10-10 overall. Bethel Park lost to Penn-Trafford, 3-2, in the first round of the...
With roster full of returning starters, Bethel Park baseball sets expectations high
Prior to the start of the pressurized WPIAL season, the Bethel Park baseball team took a trip to the beach. It wasn’t a vacation, per se, but a spring training trip Myrtle Beach, S.C., to compete against the likes of Sussex Tech (scrimmage), Putnam Science Academy, Boys Latin School, Patrick...
Excitement builds for Quaker Valley track season
One of the many talented athletes to watch at Quaker Valley during the outdoor track and field season is senior Thomas Debelak. He finished third in the boys triple jump at the PTFCA indoor championships March 2 at Penn State, hitting a mark of 45 feet, 11 inches. Debelak holds...
Stellar season meets abrupt ending with playoff loss for Quaker Valley hockey
High school hockey teams operate on a lengthy schedule that runs for the better part of a half year. Players must skate on high-octane throughout the fall and winter months. The current PIHL season began Sept. 30 for the Quaker Valley hockey team, which won 17 consecutive games through the...
Long-range shooter leads Sewickley Academy to PIAA win
A 1 p.m. starting time apparently suits Sewickley Academy boys basketball player Lucas Grimsley just fine. Eight minutes later, the Panthers’ 6-foot-4 junior forward had 15 points in his team’s March 8 PIAA Class 2A playoff game against visiting Windber. Grimsley sparked Sewickley to an impressive 64-36 victory against the...
Royal family of Quaker Valley wrestling leaves massive mark on program
The Richey brothers — Justin, Logan and Marcus — aren’t the only family members who were able to achieve 100 wins in their wrestling careers. Their father, Jason, 53, reached the century mark while competing at Allegheny College. “They canceled the team after I graduated (in 1993), which is still...
Freeport’s Allyson Turk hopes to build off medal-laden sophomore gymnastics season
Allyson Turk has an unwavering commitment and tireless determination, perfect qualities for an up-and-coming high school gymnast. And she’s only a sophomore. The Freeport athlete earned the silver medal in the silver division all-around competition at the Pennsylvania Classic held Feb. 22 at Huntingdon High School. Turk was the state...
Sewickley Herald notebook: Relay teams make splash at Quaker Valley
The relay teams had successful seasons in the Quaker Valley swimming program. All three girls and all three boys relay teams qualified for the WPIAL Class 2A championships. The girls 200 medley relay team consisted of sophomores Lydia Kilpela (backstroke) and Anna Fuener (breaststroke), freshman Amelia Suhayda (butterfly) and senior...
As competition ramps up, Sewickley Academy boys earn trip to state playoffs
The Sewickley Academy boys basketball team wrapped up its run in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs with a 3-1 record, including a 51-37 victory against Neshannock in the third-place consolation game. Lucas Grimsley, a 6-foot-2 junior guard/forward, has led the Panthers in scoring the past two years with 15 and...
Quaker Valley’s Marcus Richey joins older brothers in 100-victory club
The Richey brothers are student-athletes in the truest sense of the term. Not only are they exemplary in the classroom, they also are high-quality wrestlers. Each has attained an “A” grade as a Quaker Valley grappler as all three are linked together as members of the program’s century club, where...
Quaker Valley track team collects medals at indoor state championships
Quaker Valley wrapped up a successful indoor track season at the PTFCA state championships March 2 at Penn State. Cecilia Montagnese led the way with a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9 minutes, 42.25 seconds. “Cecilia’s place was the highest ever (indoors) by a Quaker...
