Ted Sarneso stories, Page 2

Carmichaels coach Ryan Krull has long since thrown his crystal ball to the ground, shattering it into pieces. “I thought I had a good feel for our team a couple years ago and where we would be once the season started and I couldn’t be more wrong,” Krull said. Krull...

After two consecutive seasons without a single win, New Brighton coach John Macuga set a goal in 2024 to change the mentality of his players and help them establish a winning persona. “It’s been a point of emphasis for the players,” Macuga said before camp in 2024. “We must learn...

For visitors meeting with Freedom football coach Ron Balog before the start of preseason camp, the most striking sight on campus was probably the baseball turf being torn up awaiting a new surface. But what really grabbed attention was the large banner hanging from the back of the bleachers reminding...

Throughout their lives, as brothers often do, Aven and Teegan Shirley have found different avenues to be competitive with each other. When they were younger, it involved them tackling each other in the attic, which later would turn into fistfights, or going against each other on one-on-one passing routes with...

After spending nearly 20 years on college sidelines, new Chartiers Valley coach Steve Spence was searching for a change, something new. “Being at the college level for that long, I wanted to shake things up,” Spence said. “Coming here, it’s been nice to run the show.” Being an assistant at...

When new Kiski Area coach Colyn Haugh sat down and looked at the team’s film from last year, he saw a team with lot of talent but lacking on details. To correct this, Haugh had his players start very simply on something as innocuous as putting the weights back correctly...

Zane Pacek made what ended up being an easy decision while fishing with his dad July 21. Having gotten interest from a handful of Division II and Division III colleges, Pacek chose the only Division I offer he received and committed to play baseball for Central Michigan. “They were the...

Calle Henne was working on sharpening her craft, taking some swings at the local cages, when she received a text from her dad. The message she read contained outstanding news. Henne had been selected on July 8 as the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association’s player of the year in...

John Doyle never played a lot of organized baseball while growing up in Plum. He spent most of his time playing pickup games on the local field. “My father made it a point to make sure that we had a field to play on,” Doyle said. “He would come home...

John Doyle never played a ton of organized baseball while growing up in Plum. He spent most of his time playing pickup games on the local field with friends. “My father made it a point to make sure that we had a field to play on,” Doyle said. “He would...

When looking at the WPIAL and PIAA playoff brackets the Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse team competed in the last two years, one has to do a double take to make sure they aren’t looking at the same bracket twice. The Colts avoided a case of déjà vu in small part...

After the Chartiers Valley boys lacrosse team lost in the 2021 WPIAL Class 2A championship game to Mars, coach Dom Tolomeo knew his program was about to enter some tough times. “We lost 14 of 17 players, most of them seniors, and we knew we were in for quite a...

In the sport of rowing, consistency plays a key role. It helps when crews stick together so that everyone is familiar with each other’s cadences and strategy, so that the team can put forth its best effort and emerge victorious in a race. Grant and Christian Brauer, who row for...

Pine-Richland girls lacrosse coach Shannen Wood wishes the team’s season had ended differently. After putting together another outstanding season, making a third WPIAL championship game appearance and a third straight trip to the PIAA state playoffs, the Rams’ season came to an end in a 18-3 loss at the hands...

A writer without a pen, a warrior without a sword — actors can’t perform without their tools. So, what would one make of a track team without a track? Athletes on the Chartiers Valley track and field team will say they did a lot of work to achieve personal bests...

The goal for the Chartiers Valley softball team every year is playing into June. In the past four seasons, the team made it to the semifinal round of the WPIAL playoffs and qualified for the state playoffs. This year, the team came up inches shy of making it five years...

Lily Liotta School: Burrell Class: Freshman Sport: Track and field Claim to Fame: Liotta placed 10th in the girls PIAA Class 2A long jump Friday at Shippensburg University. Last week at the WPIAL individual championships, she finished seventh in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet, 6 1/4...

When asked if there was any pressure on his team to capture a third straight WPIAL title, Shaler coach Paul Stadelman admitted the Titans put it on themselves. “Some of our inexperience and youth adds to the pressure,” Stadelman said. “I think a lot of times the team we played...

North Allegheny was back in its familiar position of favorite entering this year’s WPIAL boys volleyball playoffs. That wasn’t necessarily the case last year when North Allegheny lost to Shaler in the 3A finals, but the Titans subsequently dropped down to Class 2A and the Tigers brought back a team...

When Upper St. Clair flag football coach Ryan Huzjak got the program started, he was hoping to one day bring a championship to the school. On Sunday, Huzjak was able to fulfill that goal. The Panthers shut out two-time defending champion Moon, 12-0, in the fourth annual girls High School...

It’s never an easy task to find a new coach. Even more so when the person being replaced has been a coach and a pillar of a sporting community for 30 years. Such was the case for the Pine-Richland High School swim team and its feeder program, Pine-Richland Aquatics (PRA)....

Mackenzie Magness School: Freeport Class: Sophomore Sport: Track and field Claim to fame: Magness came in as the top seed as she looked to defend her WPIAL Class 2A title in the pole vault. She went on to win her second gold medal in the event, vaulting to a personal...

After a successful 5K walk last year that saw her raise more than $8,000 for a worthy cause, Greensburg Central Catholic senior Sasha Hoffman said there was only one thing she would have changed for this year. “I wanted to start the planning process a lot earlier so that I...

All week, Mars coach Jason Thompson kept up the positive messages for his players. “Coach had our confidence up all week, and everyone in that dugout felt we were going to win today,” Planets right fielder Zach Rozman said. Mars starting pitcher Kyle Krause bought into his coach’s message and...

Mackenzie Marotta School: Plum Class: Junior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: As Plum (14-5, 8-4) took on Burrell on Monday, Marotta had a hit and two RBIs. On Tuesday, she pitched the Mustangs to a 10-0 win over Deer Lakes. She threw five no-hit innings and struck out five while...