Ted Sarneso stories, Page 14
Striving for a better year, Hempfield looking to grind down opponents
The Hempfield hockey team hasn’t forgotten the way last season finished. “Losing the number of games we lost, with the roster we had and getting blown out in the playoffs the way we did is still in the back of our minds,” second-year coach Cory Myers said. “We talk about...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Freeport’s Jayden Diehl
Freeport’s Jayden Diehl is extremely dedicated to the game of golf. Whether he’s playing for the Yellowjackets, competing in summer tournaments, going to a teaching pro to tweak his game, going to simulators once a week in the winter or staying at courses after matches to practice chipping and putting,...
Highlands makes late stand to hang on for victory against Armstrong
Playoff fates were on the line when Highlands faced Armstrong in a Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference battle Friday, and the game came down to the last second as Highlands (5-4, 2-3) survived a late drive by Armstrong (5-4, 2-3) to emerge with a 17-15 win. Coming out for the...
Knoch girls defeat Sewickley Academy for WPIAL crown
It was deja vu in Class 2A girls tennis as Knoch squared off against Sewickley Academy for the seventh consecutive year. Knoch emerged with a 3-2 win at Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center at Washington & Jefferson College, giving the school three WPIAL championships in four years. Senior Lindsey Greb...
Under new head coach, young Latrobe hockey team has sights on playoffs
The 2023-24 season is one of change for the Latrobe hockey team. The IceCats have a new coach after Josh Werner stepped down after nine years. He will serve as an assistant coach this year. The new man behind the bench is a familiar face. Adam Ferguson played at Latrobe...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Plum’s Brady French
Plum boys soccer coach Raf Kolankowski doesn’t subscribe to the notion the coach should select the captain of his teams. “I usually let the players pick the captains,” he said. “After tryouts, I usually have them make those decisions. The kids know who the leaders are.” This year, his players...
Kiski Area keeps playoff hopes alive by beating Highlands
It was a must-win game for Kiski Area and Highlands when the two squared off Friday night. Every time these two have played, the winner has made the playoffs. Kiski Area (3-5, 2-3 Class 4A Greater Allegheny) came in with the slimmest of playoff hopes and left with a 36-21...
Talented Latrobe girls volleyball out to prove last year was not a ‘flash in the pan’
Latrobe girls volleyball has something to prove this season. Last year, the Wildcats went undefeated and made it to the WPIAL semifinals before bowing out to South Fayette in four sets. Then, in the first round of the PIAA playoffs, they lost to North Catholic. “We were on track to...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Kiski Area’s Ambur Orowitz
Kiski Area’s Ambur Orowitz keeps realistic expectations when it comes to tennis. No matter how she plays or how far she advances in the WPIAL playoffs, she is proud of what she has accomplished along the way. She was happy to finish fourth in the section singles tournament this year,...
Gateway holds off Penn-Trafford to win ‘Battle of the Bell’
Those looking for the Gateway and Penn-Trafford offenses to light up the scoreboard had to wait a while Friday night. The Class 5A Big East Conference rivals traded touchdowns in the final minutes and combined for 24 fourth-quarter points as Gateway beat Penn-Trafford, 31-27, in the “Battle of the Bell.”...
Knoch sisters, Bethel Park duo claim WPIAL girls tennis doubles titles
Top-seeded Emily and Lindsey Greb of Knoch added to their already overflowing trophy cases Thursday at the WPIAL Class 2A girls tennis doubles finals. The Greb sisters, both seniors, played a clean, mistake-free match and took both sets 6-1, 6-0 to defeat the 15th-seeded team of Sasha Hoffman and Stella...
Unflappable Nixen Erdely of Frazier wins WPIAL Class 2A golf title
If there was any pressure going into the second and final round of the WPIAL Class 2A individual golf championship, Frazier’s Nixen Erdely wasn’t showing it. On the one hour, 20 minute drive with his dad from Frazier to Butler Country Club, Erdely wasn’t thinking about the round ahead of...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Deer Lakes’ Brooke Kostyak
Brooke Kostyak is an unconventional goalkeeper of sorts. Typically, soccer goaltenders need to be vocal to communicate with their defense to help prevent goals, but Kostyak is of a quiet nature and her coach believes it doesn’t hurt Deer Lakes in the slightest. “We’ve gotten used to it. She has...
Kiski Area girls soccer showing ‘bit of consistency’
Kiski Area’s girls soccer team came into this season knowing it would go through some growing pains. Any outfit that graduates 10 seniors and watches all that experience leave is going to have a tough following year. Coach Dave Anderson and his staff came into the year with a young...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Burrell’s Grace Nesko
For a cross country runner such as Burrell’s Grace Nesko, a hip injury might be the toughest to endure. The senior three-sport athlete — soccer, cross country and track and field — suffered the injury last year and took the necessary steps to get back to form for her senior...
Close call swings Woodland Hills’ way to sink Norwin
On paper, the nonconference game between Norwin and Woodland Hills seemed like an even matchup. Both teams came into Friday’s game with the same records (2-2, 1-0) and nearly identical points for and points against numbers. The numbers were a harbinger as the Wolverines (3-2, 1-0) held on for a...
