Ted Sarneso stories, Page 11

The Allegheny Valley YMCA Gators were well represented at the district championships and had 11 swimmers qualify for the state championships. They also broke multiple team records across both championship weekends. The districts were held at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, on March 7-9, and the Gators sent 33...

After making the all-section team last season, Knoch’s Brady Wozniak has switched positions from third base to shortstop. Wozniak is used to playing different positions. He has played up to four on the Mid-Atlantic Red Sox, a traveling team he plays on during the summer. “I always want to play...

Those attending the 27th annual Alle-Kiski Valley Cager Classic on Saturday evening at Highlands High School were there to see some basketball between East and West All-Star teams. The girls game looked more like a track meet, and there’s a good possibility the burn marks are still present on the...

Laney Aul is a key player for the Leechburg softball team, but that’s just a small part of her story. Aul has maintained a 4.1 GPA and participated in the Leechburg Clean-Up Day, singing to the elderly and helping with the ASA Softball team for younger kids. “She’s an extremely...

Members of the Penn-Trafford boys volleyball team feel they still have enough talent to compete in Class 3A, despite the loss of solid players Daniel Tarabrella, Andrew Kessler and Carson Good to graduation. “We had some good guys and did a lot of winning,” coach Jim Schall said. “Daniel was...

Throughout his life, Mark Perry has followed in his father’s footsteps. On May 4, he will do it once again as he joins his father in the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame. “My father was the soccer coach at Fox Chapel when I was in high school,” Perry said....

Valley baseball senior pitcher Jacob Staraniec is a team captain and one of the leaders on the Vikings pitching staff. He cites his guidance with his younger brother as an example of how he has come to mentor the young players on the team. “Having a little brother, I’m trying...

A year after grabbing the school’s first boys volleyball section championship in 36 years with an 8-0 record in Section 2-2A, the Gateway boys volleyball team fell short of its goals in 2023. “We’ve had a nice run here the last couple years,” said coach Phil Randolph. “It felt, to...

Every Sports Hall of Famer has stories about the great plays they made or a number of championships they won. For Fred Paganelli, who grew up in Natrona Heights and will join the A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame in May, his sports life was filled with many memories, championships...

The Plum girls wrestling team met a lot of the expectations coach Dave Miller had for the 2024 season. No matter how high those expectations may have seemed. “I expected two girls to at least make it to states and I was hoping for three to get there,” said Miller....

Jesse Van Wyk never thought he would win the MVP of the South Western Pennsylvania Athletic Alliance his sophomore season. “I was kind of surprised when I heard I got it,” Van Wyk said. “I really thought someone else would have gotten it. I was at practice when I found...

When Gateway’s season ended in a 60-52 loss against Mechanicsburg in the PIAA Class 5A first round, coach Alvis Rogers told his team not to hang their heads. “I told them they should be proud,” said Rogers. “They did some good things this year and put in a lot of...

Last season did not end the way Gateway baseball expected. After starting hot with a 4-1 record, the Gators lost nine straight before splitting their last six games. They finished 7-13 overall and 3-9 in Section 1-5A and missed the playoffs. The 2024 season starts a new chapter as Luke...

Scott Higgins is no stranger to Sports Hall of Fame inductions. He was in attendance when teammates such as Jay Kumar and coaches Chuck Wagner, Jack Schmitt and Bob Rukavina were selected for the A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame. So he was surprised when board member Freddy Soilis called...

The St. Joseph girls basketball team has been blessed with height and length from its four senior starters. Julie Spinelli is a 5-foot-11 guard, Emma Swierczewski is a 5-10 swing forward and Anna Kreinbrook is a 6-2 center who can clog the middle. Throw in junior point guard Gia Richter,...

As most hockey fans are aware, Pittsburgh Penguins great Jaromir Jagr had his No. 68 jersey retired by the organization Feb. 18. One Latrobe IceCat was glad to see it go up in the rafters alongside Mario Lemieux’s 66 and Michel Briere’s 21. “Watching him get his number retired shows...

In the first PIAA girls Western Regional championships, held at Canon-McMillan High School, schools from around the WPIAL had solid representation in the final matches. No school had more of a presence than the host. The Big Macs had three wrestlers win gold in their respective weight classes and had...

There was no repeat champion in the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships Friday afternoon at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The girls WPIAL Class 2A swimming championship came down to the last event of the day. Leading by two points over second-place Quaker Valley and 10 points over third-place Mt. Pleasant, Kiski...

Another year, another pair of WPIAL swimming trophies for North Allegheny to add to its impressive case. The Tigers once again swept the boys and girls Class 3A championships Friday at Pitt’s Trees Pool, making it the 16th consecutive title for the girls team and back-to back for the boys....

Mt. Pleasant began the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool in the same manner North Allegheny did in Class 3A. The only difference was the Vikings added another layer of dominance by breaking some records. The Vikings posted a 1:47.32 in the 200 medley relay with a...

North Allegheny continued its dominance on the first day of the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Tigers bookended the day by sweeping the relays in both the boys and girls competitions. Seniors Natalie Sens and Greta Mott and sophomores Tori Tieppo and Dani Hinkson won...

The past two WPIAL Class 2A championship showings for the Mt. Pleasant girls swim team have been filled first-place finishes and shattered records. The Vikings hope this year’s competition will bring more of the same. Anchored by the tandem of juniors Lily King and Kiersten O’Connor, who are seeded first...

Hempfield competitive spirit coach Suzannah Mayer trusts her team has gotten the routine down. The Spartans have attended the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) national championships held in Disney World every year since competitive spirit returned to Hempfield in 2013. They make sure to take an early flight a couple of...

Handling the rigors of a high school sport and maintaining a 4.0 GPA is a tough balancing act. Burrell’s Chloe Walton achieved her 4.0 by managing her time wisely between academics and swimming. “Chloe is someone that always places academics first and athletics second,” coach Samantha Callen said. “I, as...

Swimmers by their nature are super competitive, both in practice when challenging teammates and at meets against other schools. The Hampton swim team has added another outlet in which to stoke that competitive fire — the video game Fortnite. “Before the high school season would start, we would play three...