Ted Sarneso stories, Page 4
With no easy outs, Pine-Richland lineup puts pressure on opposing pitchers
For 27 years, Kurt Wolfe has been coaching baseball at Pine-Richland. His first two years were as junior varsity coach, the next five were as an assistant coach on varsity and for the last 20 seasons, he’s been at the helm for the Rams. So, when he talks of his...
Alle-Kiski Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Lily DeLuca, Deer Lakes’ Anthony Smith
Lily DeLuca School: Plum Class: Freshman Sport: Softball Claim to Fame: DeLuca crushed a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Plum (8-2, 4-1) defeated Section 1-5A opponent North Hills, 12-10, on Friday. Tell me about the moment you hit the home run. I had...
Allegheny Valley YMCA swim team enjoys success at states
After a successful showing at districts, where 33 swimmers participated, the Allegheny Valley YMCA Gators sent 12 to the state competition held at the Mylan Park Aquatic Center on West Virginia University’s campus March 21-23. “Everyone did a great job,” coach Nathan Petrak said. “Some swimmers hit their best times...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Riverview’s Eli DeVita
It can be challenging to switch between the different positions on a baseball field. Each spot has its own intricacies, and it can take players a while to adapt to a new position. But for Riverview senior shortstop Eli DeVita, changing spots on the diamond was the only way he...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Apollo-Ridge’s Mikaila Ditty, Knoch’s Zane Pacek
Mikaila Ditty School: Apollo-Ridge Class: Freshman Sport: Softball Claim to fame: On the mound, Ditty threw a five-inning no-hitter, walking none and striking out 11, as the Vikings (5-1) beat Leechburg, 11-0, in a nonsection matchup. Helping her own cause, she went 2 for 3 with a grand slam, a...
Knoch baseball team relies on deep pitching staff
It wasn’t until the seventh inning when Zane Pacek started to hear whispers in the dugout. “I was like, ‘Come on guys, now you’ve jinxed it,’ ” Pacek said. Despite his teammates committing the cardinal sin of mentioning the opposing team having no hits, the 7-foot-1 junior pitcher threw a...
New Kiski School football coach Aaron Smetanka wants to build family atmosphere
A month into his stint as football coach at The Kiski School, Aaron Smetanka has set two clear objectives. First, and most importantly, he wants to help grow better men for the future, to make sure his players have a solid life path for whenever they graduate. “The academic standards...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Leechburg’s Chase Henry
He never saw it coming. As Leechburg senior pitcher/shortstop Chase Henry slid into second base in the Blue Devils’ final regular-season game last year against Highlands, the baseball came up and struck him in the face. “I knew it was going to be a close play, but the throw was...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Deer Lakes’ Laney Dineff, Highlands’ Kristian Kocon
Laney Dineff School: Deer Lakes Class: Junior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: As a starting pitcher, Dineff earned two wins this week. First, in a 6-5 win over Freeport on Monday, she gave up one run on four hits, surrendered three walks and struck out four in three innings. Dineff...
Allegheny Valley swimmers sending large contingent to state meet again
After Allegheny Valley YMCA sent 11 swimmers to the state championships in 2024, the Gators sent another 12 in 2025. “We had a really steady season with consistent improvement,” head coach Nathan Petrak said. The Gators again had a strong showing at the district championships, which were held March 7-9...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Valley’s Arianna Bernard
It was a season of great success for Valley girls senior wrestler Arianna Bernard. After beginning her wrestling journey at 7 years old and wrestling against boys from that early age — like most girls wrestlers often do — Bernard enjoyed her first experience in postseason wrestling. “It was a...
With new players in lineup, Chartiers Valley softball looks to build on last season’s success
Last season was a year of milestones for the Chartiers Valley girls softball team. The Colts finished the year with an overall record of 18-5, which was the most wins in school history. Then, they made it to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals where they lost to Elizabeth Forward. It...
Chartiers Valley grad savoring final season in college track
It had been a long time since Charters Valley grad Caleb Nelson was able to compete in a track and field event. An injury his senior year at Saint Francis University cost him the chance to compete and go for personal records in the outdoor track and field season. “I...
Alle-Kiski Valley athletes of the week: Fox Chapel’s Jillian Haigh, Springdale’s Wyatt Warywoda
Jillian Haigh School: Fox Chapel Class: Sophomore Sport: Softball Claim to Fame: Haigh opened the season March 14 with a three-run homer in a 5-4 nonsection win for Fox Chapel (4-0) vs Norwin. On Monday, Haigh started and fanned nine batters while also going 3 for 4 at the plate...
North Allegheny senior brings home synchronized skating gold
At the U.S. Figure Skating Eastern Championships in Hershey on Jan. 24, the Steel City Blades Open Juvenile (Blue) synchronized skating team was chosen to go first among the 23 competing teams. As nervous as the team felt just being in the championships, the thought of having to perform their...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Freeport’s Colin Cummings
It can be devastating when an athlete goes from being at the top of his game, or even the best player in his sport, to a level that is unsatisfactory to him. Freeport senior bowler Colin Cummings went through a difficult season last year, and it almost caused him to...
Pine-Richland students bring home gold with Steel City Blades synchronized skating
One shot. The Steel City Blades Open Juvenile (Blue) synchronized skating team had one opportunity to impress the judges with their 2 minute, 40 second routine at the U.S. Figure Skating Eastern Championships at Hershey on Jan. 24. Like a classroom filled with students nervous to see who would be...
Pine-Richland swimmers giving all for coach as he recovers from stroke
“Swimming for Coach Pete.” That’s what was emblazoned on the Pine-Richland swimmers’ shirts for the WPIAL championship meet at the end of February and the PIAA championship meet last week. Pete Barry, the long-time Rams swimming head coach, suffered a stroke in mid-February and has since been recovering in the...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Burrell’s Mike Morascyzk, Knoch’s Giona Lavorini
Giona Lavorini School: Knoch Class: Senior Sport: Swimming Claim to fame: Lavorini earned a silver medal in the 100-yard breaststroke at the PIAA Class 2A championships Thursday at Bucknell. She posted a time of 1 minute, 3.18 seconds. Lavorini won the event at WPIALs in February, swimming a 1:03.03. It...
5 Westmoreland County girls bowlers bond together through love of the game
Sports always find ways of bringing people together. It’s helped so many build new relationships despite personal differences. For five Westmoreland County high school bowlers, their love and passion for the game has helped them look past the borders of their school districts — and the rivalries therein — to...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Fox Chapel’s Trip Goehring
Fox Chapel senior defenseman Trip Goehring has learned to never take playing ice hockey for granted. A major injury tends to refocus an individual. Goehring lost his entire junior year due to a torn ACL, and he knows exactly how long he was away from the game he loves. “Four-hundred-and-eight...
Penn-Trafford basketball teams looking to make runs in PIAA playoffs
As a 15th seed in the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs, Penn-Trafford surprised some people with a first-round win against No. 2 seed Baldwin. The Warriors hope to repeat that same magic in the PIAA first round as they take on District 3 champion Hershey (21-3). “It’s going to take an...
Latrobe makes early offensive outburst stand up in PIHL quarterfinal win over Hempfield
The objective was clear for the Latrobe IceCats heading into their PIHL Class 2A quarterfinal matchup with Hempfield. “We wanted to come out and beat them to every loose puck, smother them on the boards, win the battles in the corners and be physical,” Latrobe sophomore Joey Crimboli said. “Very...
Southmoreland’s Murphy continues to rise in WPIAL girls wrestling
A year ago, Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy came away with silver at the WPIAL girls individual wrestling championships after being pinned by Plum’s Alaina Claassen in the 235-pound final. After an offseason during which she developed her skills, Murphy came into the WPIAL championships Feb. 15 at North Allegheny ready to...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Freeport’s Mary Anne Altman
Mary Anne Altman’s senior year at Freeport was all about a change in mindset. Last year, the swimmer didn’t know if she wanted to compete in college and was swimming her best to help the Yellowjackets be successful. Once she made the decision over the summer to swim in college,...
